Where does one start for a movie that has been so definitive in execution and scope and also such a jaw-breaking punch?
Anurag Kashyap - the true auteur of Indian cinema after treating us to some tantalizingly brilliant cinema in Black Friday, No Smoking, Hanuman Returns is back with Dev D. After the extremely self-indulgent and an absolute masterstroke called "No Smoking", he decides to go a rather easy way in terms of his cinematic outing in this venture.
Dev D, as has been widely publicized as a retelling of Devdas, is out and how! The similarities between Dev D and Devdas ends with the names of the characters, and the basic plot. However, what AK does is - he uses the canvas the Devdas to paint a picture of today’s youth, their motivations, their ideologies, their weaknesses, their behavioral trajectories, and their addictions apart from of course the by now famous AK touch - the angry comments on the apology of a society!
I am not gonna discuss the plot here in this post, as the plot of the movie is already well known. So this one is more of an analysis of this movie.Characterizations - what worked for me the most were the way the characters were fleshed out by the writer duo of AK and Vikram Motwane.
Dev - is every inch a rich man’s spoilt kid, but what he also represents is the youth of today who is at the cross-roads of practically everything in their life - commitment, consumerism, philosophy, ambition, freedom and ego and so on. What is even more interesting is also the fact that AK doesn’t even mind taking a dig at his own character sketch of No Smoking by digging at Dev as being a Narcissist in the movie. Dev can also be seen as another misfit existentialist in the movie if the society is seen as moral.
Paro - is today’s woman! She is fearlessly in love with Dev. However, she doesn’t mind breaking away from the dude, to retain her self-respect, her existence, her individuality. Also, another brilliant stroke from the writing point-of-view is the fact that Paro doesn’t believe that her hymen/virginity is needed to prove her loyalty for Dev. This trajectory is proved twice in the movie.
Chanda - Her character is another gem from the writing standpoint. The fact that she has done wrong once, but is never given a chance again to claw back into the society and lead a normal life is a strong statement against the rotten society that we live in. And the fact that Leni then becomes Chanda to pursue her dreams and also survive in the so-called moral society is a powerful statement.
The other characters like Chunni and The Twilight Players add color to the director’s vision of pitting today’s youth vis-a-vis the society and enables him to make subtle but very relevant and powerful statements! Dev D as a movie is less of Devdas and more of a movie that refuses to be judgmental or take any moral sides. It says, a person may have done that might be unacceptable, but does that mean he/she should be outcast for the rest of their life?
It also raises a pivotal question about the adjective Devdas. Very subtly it also draws references to Ramayan through the character of Dev by talking about chauvinism that permeates the Indian society.The movie makes many other statements that are too much to be discussed here. May be in the next posting. Technicalities: The movie scores big time on all the aspects of film making. Screenplay is amazingly well-structured, and the non-linearity in the narration successfully transports the viewer in the worlds of the three central characters.
That Anurag Kashyap is a great director was laid to rest in all his films! Dev D cements another aspect about this storyteller is that he is an outstanding Atmospheric director too. Check out the visual designing of the film and you will be numbed. The director transports you to world that is real, surreal, trippy, dark, stylized and hallucinatory. Also note the detailing in the film - the graffiti on Abhay’s room in the hotel, the wall of the underground bar in Pahadganj and so on.
The music is out of this world and brilliantly psychedelic. The usage of OST in this movie will be a trend setter in terms of using songs in Indian films. The songs build and then heighten the ambience. Nayan Tarse, EA, Brass Band and EA Rock Version, Saali Khushi, Pardesi and all the other tracks are just mind-numbing.
Camera has never been so seductive in Indian movies before Dev D. If the Punjab portions are soothing, then the Delhi portions just are raw and untamed, yet stylistic. Dev’s descend into the drug-induced hell couldn’t have looked half as convincing had it not been for the lighting, shadows, color grading, production design and the camera.
The sound design is unbelievable. Just note the shift in the sound in Pardesi song when Dev falls in the water. AK’s genius comes to fore in the technical details while designing the film. Editing is brilliant and the transformation from one story to another is brilliantly handled.
Performances are outstanding from all the lead players. Much has been said about it and I agree with all of them.However, the real star of the movie is Anurag Kashyap. The way he has designed the film from screenplay to dialogues, to visual designing and treatment - it is sheer genius.Note one particular scene for the usage of the soundtrack and the way the anger has been conveyed - After Abhay breaks the glass on the wall - the EA rock version starts while Abhay walks to Chanda’s den - imply amazing! This is truly masterclass in film making.
Watch Dev D - its an absolute radical and masterpiece film making.