Dev D Movie Review— This Devdas film is a ‘D’ for Disaster

February 10, 2009 at 5:38 am · Filed under movienomics ·Tagged abhay deol, abhay deol dev d, anurag kashyap, dev d bold scenes, dev d climax, dev d flop, dev d hot scenes, dev d movie review, dev d review, dev d story

February 6th, 2008 would have been the sadest day for Sarat Chandra had he been alive to see what is easily the worst adaption of his classic work. In fact, he would have died all over again the moment Abhay Deol came up with this concept of doing a multiplex-film and put in the Devdas framework for recognition. A few minutes before the interval, as Dev enters a shady night club/bar, we are shown a large potrait of SRK’s classic Devdas get-up at the entrace and thats when you realize what you are actually missing and what total trash the Abay Deol-Anurag Kashyap combo is showing you in the name of Devdas. Dev D is utter nonsense and total trash in the name of New and Innovative Cinema.

It is actually not the same basic storyline of the classic. Only a few names and the basic thread of Dev, Paro, a misunderstanding, separation, and eventually Dev becoming an alcoholic and waster resemble the original (the first 45 minutes to be precise). Dev and Paro are childhood friends, Dev goes to London and both are desperate for each other. So desperate that Dev asks over the phone if she “touches” herself, then asks her to send her naked photos, which she does by clicking, getting them developed at a photo studio and then to a cyber cafe to scan and send them. Characters openly use words like fuc*, sex, have you and paro done that? etc. Is is the New Cinema that critics are talking (some even raving) about? To me it is plain cheap. Upon returning, Dev is sooo desparate that he begins to make-out with another woman in the marriage party in a poultry farm. He then hears other (desparate village) guys who tell Dev about how talented Paro is on bed etc. Even Paro is equally desparate for she arranges a make-out session in the middle of the field (nopes, nothing is shown), but Dev who takes these fake stories seriously and asks Paro to ‘FO’. She does and she does it happily with marriage. Upto this point it is watchable, but the moment Chanda’s character is announced, the film does down the drain.

Chanda is the daughter of a Canadian diplomat based in Delhi and gets involved in a MMS scandal with her boyfriend. That gets circulated all over and even her father sees it, they both fight over it, dad shoots himself, and the girl wanders all over the world from Delhi to Canada and back to Delhi to settle down with a highly advanced and reformed pimp. Chunni, the pimp, gives her full liberty of choice and promises to empower her through education by day and tele-sex work by night. Enter Dev whom Chunni discovers spending without limit in bars for liquor and drugs. Towards the end, Dev gets involved in a hit-and-run case with his BMW, then tries to escape from the law by buying out the taxi driver who also drinks like a fish, then goes to the himalayas with another dude on his bike, then decides to go back to delhi and finally all ends well with him finding Chanda. No, this Dev does not die; in fact, it looks like he enters a rehabilitaiton program. No point in the film do you ever feel sad for any of the character. You feel no love (or lust for that matter) between the characters of Dev and Paro or Chanda and Dev.

After the first 45 minutes the film is a total waste and drags on endlessly till you wonder how it will end. Mahie Gill as Paro gives the best performance. Kalki Koechin as Chanda is a major let down for the film; the only part she is convincing is when she gets involved in the MMS scandal in her school. Abhay Deol does not impress; he remains mum most of the time. Hindi cinema has hit rock bottom in terms of actors or heroes as today we have Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol type baccha home-bred guys getting lead roles. Abhay Deol, with earphones, drugs, drinks, and a craving to distruck himself over his love, is by no means a youth icon. Except when an Amir Khan or a SRK film releases the industry as a whole is going through tough and rough times in terms of content and business. For this, I would blame the multiplex culture that gives opportunities for wannabe great and full-of-themselves directors like Anurag Kashyap who can’t come up with anything original and come up with trash in the name of New Cinema. It is films like Dev D, which run for a week or two on the curiosity factor, that are responsible for the complete lack of entertainment in Hindi cinema these days. Fortunately, for Anurag Kashyap the critics have been kind and did not spit at this film like they did for NO SMOKING.

Can there be some sort of  Remake Regulatory Authority that can prohibit such horrible remakes of classics (i would include SRK’s DON too)? Abhay Deol and Anurag Kashyap have simply made a shitty movie and the only reason audience are even remotely curious is because of the classic names like Dev and Paro. On the other hand, the combo should have made their shitty film with an original idea and loaded it up with erotic content, it would have worked better. For those who are still curious to watch Dev D expecting erotic content–there is nothing of that sort so drop the idea. The background music and a couple of songs are good; mostly rock, techno-punjabi style.

Mr. Inkenti’s Movienomics Verdict: Thumbs Down! Avoid.

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