I’ve been catching up on several films over this past week and have, simultaneously, been writing reviews for them. Here’s my review for ’’Dev’’.
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At the outset of his long career in Hindi cinema, Govind Nihalani, one of India’s finest filmmakers, gave us two masterpieces in the form of ’’Ardh Satya’’ and ’’Aakrosh’’. Although his subsequent films never quite achieved the pinnacle of quality that these two career-defining films achieved, Nihalani still made powerful films like ’’Drishti’’, ’’Drohkaal’’, etc. In recent times, Nihalani made the sub-standard ’’Thakshak’’and the obscure ’’Deham’’ - films that didn’t exactly flourish Nihalani’s talent as a filmmaker. Nevertheless, Nihalani has always made a unique mark with every film he has made thus far. He returns with ’’Dev’’ and brings together a casting coup of sorts. For the first time in their long, respective careers, Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri (as police officers) face-off in this Nihalani fare. While ’’Dev’’ falls short of the standards set by films like ’’Ardh Satya’’, it also marks the return of the wonderful filmmaker in Govind Nihalani.
It seems that politics are a hot topic for filmmakers these days. A few weeks before the release of ’’Dev’’, we saw politics play a crucial role in Mani Ratnam’s ’’Yuva’’. Here, again, we see how politics affect the ongoing Hindu-Muslim rivalry in ’’Dev’’. While Ratnam’s ’’Yuva’’ dealt with the youth targeting our Indian government, Govind Nihalani paints a vivid portrait of the consequences that come from the Hindu-Muslim rivalry. Similar to what Mani Ratnam depicted in ’’Bombay’’, Govind Nihalani shows the audience the unsympathetic, harsh realities of communal rioting. While Ratnam’s ’’Bombay’’ was a glossy look at this topic, Govind Nihalani tackles it with a stark and depressing tone. While it was refreshing to see such a realistic take on this issue, ’’Dev’’ also suffers some setbacks primarily due to the slow and tedious first half. ’’Dev’’ feels longer than the actual running time because and only because of the first half.
The second half (disregrading the rushed climax), in comparison, is exceptional with Nihalani taking over the proceedings in a brilliant manner. On a side note, Amitabh and Om Puri have seemingly endless, long-winded conversations on the Hindu-Muslim rivalry. The first few scenes with Amitabh and Om were superb and integral to the storyline but it gets repetitive in the scenes thereafter. I also have to take points away as Dev’s actions in the initial portion of ’’Dev’’ doesn’t coinicide with the moralistic priniciples Amitabh’s character stood for throughout this film.
I guess this was just a slip of the pen for the wonderful director. In spite of all of the aforementioned problems running thoroughout ’’Dev’’, I must commend Nihalani for his vibrant yet fundamental outlook on Muslim society and its people. It is rare when a filmmaker narrates a story from a Muslim’s perspective in a fair manner but, of course, Govind Nihalani isn’t your run-of-the-mill filmmaker. He portrays Muslims simply the way they are - nothing more, nothing less.
’’Dev’’, if you need any reason to watch this film, stands as a true testament to Amitabh Bachchan’s powerhouse talent. Even though I preferred his act in ’’Khakee’’ to his work here, there is no doubt in my mind that at the admirable age of 62, Amitabh is still one of our finest actors around - probably the finest. He gives a sterling performance here as the title character. Whether it’s his incessant arguments with Om Puri’s ’’Tej’’ or his breakdown in the scene after he witnesses the second riot, Amitabh is simply breathtaking. Om Puri infuses his character with the right amount of panache, disgust, hatred and charm.
The stern look he gives Fardeen Khan at the police station reminded me of the terrifying look he gives on several instances in ’’Ardh Satya’’ - quite possibly Om Puri’s best performance to date. After his pitch-perfect performance in Mani Ratnam’s ’’Yuva’’, Om Puri delivers the goods yet again in ’’Dev’’. Kareena Kapoor, who also gave a noteworthy performance in ’’Yuva’’, is stunning here as the young and simple Aaliyah. It is quite obvious now that when Kareena wants to act, she will. When she doesn’t, she will give us a K3G or a MDK or a MKKH. Along with Rani Mukherjee, Kareena is easily one of our finest young actresses today. And in a role highly reminiscent of Hrithik Roshan’s role in ’’Fiza’’ and to an extent, ’’Mission Kashmir’’, Fardeen Khan, as the repressed youth who carries a vendetta against Dev, gives the weakest performance in the film.
Fardeen still hasn’t figured out the simple nuances of acting. Some of his scenes, which call out for a great performance, fizzle out because of Fardeen’s uncontrollable twitching and tepid dialogue delivery. To give an average performance in an average film by an average director is one thing, but to give a shoddy performance in a well-conceived film by a great director doesn’t bode too well for Fardeen’s future as an actor. Amrish Puri is beautifully restrained in a supporting act.
The rest of the cast is adequate. Camerawork, by Nihalani himself, is striking in some parts and hazy at others. Editing was awkward to say the least with certain scenes being rushed as if Nihalani was checking his watch. Background music, surprisingly, is appalling and takes away from the impact of several scenes. The songs, however, are well-placed and are a treat to listen to.
’’Dev’’, though not a masterpiece, is still an engrossing piece of cinema. Don’t miss it.