Anyways, Dev D is the modern day version of Devdas; a character on whom a novel was based on, written by Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Quite a few movies were also made on Devdas, the last one was by Sanjay Leela Bhansali starring SRK. But the latest one by director Anurag Kashyap blew me away.
This is what the modern Devdas is all about and Kashyap has brilliantly cast him in our present times. The scenes have also been shifted; from the original palatial havelis of Bengal to switching at lightening speeds between the mustard fields of Punjab and Pahargunj and Dariyagunj, Delhi. Kashyup has captured the underbelly of these areas, especially Delhi, beautifully and it works like a dream. But the movie is not for the faint-hearted. It's dark, and there is overdose of booze, sex and drugs. It's brutal, it's dark and it's in-your-face. But that is what Devdas is all about; the self-destructing drunkard who goes on a spiralling journey, down. The camera-work and cinematography is brilliant and lends itself credibly to the depressing and dark environs of the story. Where RGV failed miserably to re-create the modern-day Sholay, Anurag Kashyap has succeeded admirably in re-creating a modern-day version of an old story.
Clearly, Kashyap is one of India's most brilliant directors with a penchant of off-beat cinema and his knack of approaching stories in his own, unique, albeit dark way, takes cinema to a whole new level. And the rawness in his films connects with you. The language, the sexuality, the sexual politics, egos, and the coming-of-age of a woman's desire and that it could also match a man's desire (the lead actress sends her topless picture to her boyfriend via email upon the latter's insistence; then again later leaves home early morning to the fields on a cycle with a mattress in tow and leaving a note for the boyfriend to meet her, to make love) all point to the boldness of the director and his own desire to break new ground. The music is great, songs are good and performances are very good. The two girls have done their job well, and Abhay Deol (the lead character) has done extremely well. With minimal dialogues, his facial expressions, mannerisms, behavior and body language brilliantly portrays the loser that DevD is. You could literally see him deteriorating and going down, step by step, but in a very self-destructing way.
Kudos to the Indian Censor Board. The Board has shown immense maturity to pass the film with all its profanity; I think the Board has progressed very well over the past few years. Dev D is an awesome film. Not for the faint-hearted and not a light film. But for the discerning and mature audience who love good cinema, go watch it.
KRating: * * * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment