Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill, Kalki Koechlin and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Dev (Abhay Deol) is the son of a rich industrialist, who is sent away to London, when he was 12. He returns home to Chandigarh and to his childhood love Paro (Mahi Gill). They both know that they want to be together but a misunderstanding results in Dev walking away and Paro being married off to someone else. This pushes Dev into a depression and the lad finds himself drowned in drugs, alcohol and women.
In his attempt to forget Paro, Dev meets Chanda (Kalki Koechlin). Chanda’s real name is Leni and at the age of 17 she was a rebel with hyperactive hormones. After a MMS scandal surrounding her she drops out of school and runs away from her life. She meets a pimp Chunni who pulls her into the world of prostitution. With coke in her head and money at her disposal Leni / Chanda lives life on her own terms.
On a night out involving drugs and alcohol, Dev meets Chunni who brings him to Chanda. And from then on begins Dev’s unexplainable relationship with Chanda. While he can’t wait to get the rest of the women in bed, in Chanda’s case the duo spend the night talking to each other.
Chanda gets him like no other woman has but with his constant supply of drugs and alcohol and his obsession with Paro who is now married to another man, things aren’t conducive to go any further. Or will the two be able to find the strength in each other to let go of their traumatic past and make a life together?
Dev D works and doesn’t work in equal proportions. First what doesn’t work.
The length of the film. It could have been snipped off by at least 40 minutes. Towards the end the re-cap makes you question the need to sit through the first 2 hours. Secondly Dev’s dependency on alcohol following Paro’s marriage isn’t clearly shown either. The original Devdas is about the classes but here while class is discussed, it is on the fringes. On the whole Dev’s reasons to spiral into a world of drugs and alcohol aren’t backed up hard enough by the director.
Now what works and that’s just one thing or rather person – Abhay Deol.
Coming to the acting Dev D is all about Abhay Deol and the actor has done a fantastic job. The pain, anguish and confusion are depicted so well by him that he deserves an award for that alone. He has done a great job. But he has made it a habit of doing niche films – it would be great to see him do a full fledged masala film. Kalki and Mahi have done a good job in their place as well. But both will find it difficult to get ahead in Bollywood.
Director Anurag Kashyap is a very intelligent man. And he knows how to make films – numerous interviews with the man will prove that. But why it doesn’t translate on screen is something that is simply incomprehensible. Anurag has shot some brilliant scenes in the film. But at the same time certain loopholes in the script, make all his hard work fall short.
The soundtrack of the film is great and Amit Trivedi deserves accolades for that. The music works with the film and is not secondary to it. It has tied in with the film very well. Also watch out for the famous Twighlight Players in the film.
On the whole Dev D may work with the youngsters but due to the language and over all treatment of the film, Kashyap and UTV will find it hard to woo audiences.
