First I thought I will write a well formatted review with all the ingredients necessary... then I thought will I be doing justice to the movie if I do no... This is not a formula movie so why should I follow the formula... So, here it is I am write what I feel not what is expected of me to write.
As the poster shows and Govind in his umpteen interviews told us.... it is not Amitabh in Dev not Amitabh as Dev it is Amitabh is Dev. Coming from someone like Govind Nishlani this is really something and after watching the movie everyone will agree with him... in the entire movie you will not see Amithabh not even his stylish running or left handed writing, etc.. in the movie you will only see Dev.
When I saw Khakee, I was mesmerised. The way he portrayed the character was spellbounding. I’ve known people compain that he was very loud in Khakee. I would advice them to see Dev. Amitabh is never loud or calm, its only the character. In Khakee he plays the leader of the group and when you are the leader you have to be strong and the character was such that it showed instant emotion. There was not bottling of emotion, you feel it you say it and you say it in your way.
In Dev the character is entirely contrast. Though Dev is a very strong person, due to the incidents of the past, he has learnt to control himself and his emotions... this shows in the way the dialogues are told and in his body language.
Dev is a had-hitting movie...... you don’t like to know the reality, you don’t watch the movie because what we see in the movie is hard to digest but are very much facts.... It is far too obvious that the scriptwriter had the Godra and Best Bakery incidents while penning the script and the plot is laid beautifully along them and the bomb blast.
The best part of the movie is characterisations.... let me tell you how I felt about each character....
Dev is a loyal police officer with a tragic past and has accepted the fate and decided to move ahead in life doing somthing good and not taking what has happened personally. Yet he is also human and has his weak points, this is beautifully shown in the first sceen and the riot sceen. Police job for Dev is very sacred and he cannot take anything against it. He is proud of being a policeman and wants everyone to know that. So when a student bad-mouths the police in front of him is emotions take over and he shoots him.
The same thing is carried on when the rioters start throwing bombs and rocks at the police, he sees some of his men get hurt and gives an order of direct firing instead of warning shots..... He believs in shakti of the police and when time comes he shows it. There is so much to this character that if I start revelaing how much I’ve seen, the space is not enough so let me cut this short (though I am feeling like I am betraying the character Dev of all the insights that people tend to miss in the larger canvas of the movie).
Tej is the best friend Dev has and is also his superior. He is a bachelor and the only family he has is that of Dev. Dev and his family are his world and so when Dev’s son is killed in the attack, though Dev and his wife come over it and move ahead, he could not. He takes it very personally and that forms a reason for his forming his ideology. Here we need to understand that Dev and his wife had each other to share and talk whereas Tej has no one. He loves Dev’s son as much as (or more than) Dev and so his death shatters him. The hatred slowly builds up and finally when time comes it bursts.
Farhaan is a educated youth but has seen much around him to rouse his emotions. That happens to all of us. Each of us needs out dignity and self-respect and when we feel that we are deprived of them, the weak succumb and the strong fight back.... It is here were the youth have to be careful, due to inexperience they might end up in some unnecessary crap. Through Farhaan’s character, it is shown how a confused youth are cajoled and led in a path where they become pawns in the hands of polititians who’s only life is the power game and are not bothered about the human emotions. that is the reason some one sais ’’the race of polititians’’ keeping them away from the human race.
Aaliya is the love interest of Farhaan and is also one of the victims and witnesses of the communal rioits. She is strong in her beliefs and will stick to it in thick and thin.
There are other charecters also that are very important in the movie like Dev;s wife Bharati, Latif, Mukund Rao and CM. Though I want to enlarge each and every character, I;ve suddenly realised that this has become a very large review so I will end the review shortly.... only a little more to go....
First it is strange that Om Puri and Amitabh are acting together for the first time in their entire careers.... this is amazing. If you see the way both complemented each other.... we really start to wish there should’ve been more movie with both of them together. Lets hope this starts that phase.....
Rati Agnihotri as the understanding strong wife and a responsible doctor fits the bill perfectly... who am I to comment on Govind Nihlani’s casting his knows it best.
Amrish Puri plays his part to such a level of perfection that though his screen presence is less we will fee his presence.
Fardeen and Kareena gave the movie their best.... looks like finally good days ahve come for Kareena with movies like Yuva and Dev back to back she truly has a long way to go....and behold..... she sung the song really well.... better than many prefessional who sing now-a-days..... might not surprise me if I hear her voice more on sound track. I’ve always liked Fardeen. All he needed was a good director and you can see the effect. In the confrontation sceens between Dev and Farhaan, he will make you take notice of what Farhaan says though Dev shares the screen with him... isn;t that someting of an achievement. And coming to the most contoversial aspects... the smoochign sceens.... they show what they meant to be shown.... the passion, the intimacy and concern.... these are not the regular smooching sceen of beaches of bedrooms they portray more than one emotion and at the least expected time.
The sceens that one shouldn;t miss are
->the three friends stating their idologies and expectations
->the arguments between the two friends
->The confrontation of Farhaan and Dev
->the interval shot
->Dev telling Bharati that when he seen his son’s photo he is reminded of Farhaan
->when Farhaan finds Aaliya after the riots
->Dev’s telling Farhaan that ’’Saaame Vijay ho yaa parrajay, yodha kaa dharm hain ladna....’’ and calls him Aryaman off-hand....
->Tej’s solo act before the ending
ooh... there are so many.... just watch the movie and you’ll come to know.. There is one thing that I want to make clear.... this is not an art film nor this is a commercial film... this is a Goving Nihlani film and had to be watched in the same sense.... Do not expect anything extra-ordinay stuff.. you can never find it in his movies.. be it Arth Satya or Drohkaal or Tamas or hazaar chouraasia ki maa... or what ever .... he only shows what we do not want to see... how many times did you change the channel when the news channels were showing the photos or Godra Carnage or Best Bakery..... Its okay to come out of the dreamland and face the reality for some time.....