These days when every second movie is about the good & bad cops/rotten political system, DEV clearly stands out as a movie with a mission...a movie with a statement and a movie which has the guts to question and analyze the political scenario in India where life of the commonest of the common people are sacrificed for the love & greed of power. Absolute power corrupts but ironically the same corruption gives birth to a new face of rebellion & awakening.
DEV is about a crusade of a lone warrior against the tides of political lust & mayhem. The protagonist of the movie, DEV(Amitabh Bachchan) is the Joint Police Commissioner and firmly believes that the constitution of India should always be upheld no matter what the cost. He has not allowed the loss of his only child by the Muslim terrorist disturb his line of thought in anyway. His idelogies are opposed by his own close friend Tejinder Khosal (Om Puri) who believes that survival in the present scenario is possible only by flowing along with the system. Law be dammed.
Tejinder is strongly opposed to the idea of Muslims living in INDIA and potrays the venom within him in a very convincing & chilling manner.The scenes in the movie where Dev & Tejinder discuss their opinions are the highlights of the movie. Govind Nihlani has not minced words and has brought out the scenario in a manner that puts the point across.
Roping in Amitabh Bachchan was a smart move and the movie has clearly caught the attention of wide ranging movie goers. Minus Amitabh, I doubt if the movie would have been able to make such an impact.The scenes where DEVs desperation been shown when he has been given ’’wait & watch’’ orders amidst riots and mob on the rampage have been very well potrayed by Amitabh Bachchan. Watchout for Amitabhs Monoluge when he witnesses innocent people dying of fire. Amrish Puri sat right through the movie on his CHIEF MINISTER ’’kursi’’ and was very much reminiscent of our very own MODI.
The muslim side of the picture has been completed by Farhan Ali (Fardeen Khan) a young lawyer turned a jihadi out to avenge his fathers death from DEV, Aaliya (Kareena Kapoor) a victim of the riots and again reminiscent of the ’’BEST BAKERY’’ case has done justice to her part & the power hungry conceited Latif (Ehsaan Khan) who rouses up the emotions of the muslims to reach his own selfish ends.The part of the young lawyer metamorphising into a seasoned sharpshooter has been done with conviction by Fardeen Khan.His reverse ASHOKA like enlightment after witnessing a bomb blast outside a temple is equally tocuhing and well enacted.
Though some of the scenes in the movie could have been better scripted especially the one in which Amitabh orders a direct firing of the Muslim mob without the usual air fire, rubber bullets, water canon or shooting below the waist or direct shooting of the ’’minority’’ student upon being angered by his comments when DEV could have easily resolved the matter by a lathi charge.
But all said and done, the movie should be watched for the strong statement made and to awaken our senses to the blinding reality that engulfs us.