Devdas - Movie Review
Published: October 28, 2010
Starring Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit
At the time of its release, Devdas was the most expensive Bollywood film ever made—and every rupee shows. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali—whose prior film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and later project Saawariya (2007) were equally lavish productions—spared no detail here, from the costumes to the choreography. The sumptuous sets literally shimmer, enhanced by artful cinematography.
But what's most engaging about the film is its wrenching story of separated lovers. Not a new story, to be sure, but a magnificent melodrama all the same and one that's more emotionally complicated than most stories about parental opposition to love.
The novella Devdas was written in 1917 by esteemed Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, and it's so beloved by Indians it has been made into a film 12 times, in various Indian languages, including three Hindi versions. This adaptation features Shahrukh Khan as the doomed Devdas, Aishwarya Rai as his childhood sweetheart Paro, and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi, a courtesan with a heart of gold.
Devdas is a young man who returns home to Bengal after spending 10 years in London completing his education. He has the self-assurance, even arrogance, that comes with privilege, a quality that turns into attitude around his stern father. His mother can't wait to fuss over him, but he rebuffs her by seeking out Paro the minute he gets back. Their decade apart has turned their fondness into ardor, but they play coy. Their withholding is even a little cruel, which forms the basis of their romance: they love the pain they cause each other, which started with their separation and escalates over time into devastating, life-wasting tragedy that is, despite their parents, largely their own doing.
Paro's mother, Sumitra, has always dreamed of her daughter marrying Devdas, but his family would never consider it because Paro is beneath their social rank. When Sumitra makes her wishes known to his family, his mother humiliates her in public with her rejection, and Sumitra vows to marry Paro to someone who is far richer than they are. Paro goes to Devdas in the middle of the night, assuming he'll find a way for them to be together, but he's uncomfortable with her bold, honor-jeopardizing move. His father catches them together and insults her. Devdas leaves home in a fit of anger, leaving Paro behind. He writes her a letter, ending their relationship, but soon regrets it and returns to her home on the day of her wedding to another man, swearing to her that he'll convince his father to let them marry. She rejects him to punish him for what he did and marries a wealthy aristocrat, a widower with grown children who plans to stay faithful to his dead wife.
The anguished Devdas proceeds to drink himself to death in a brothel, where Chandramukhi, a prostitute who loves him, takes care of him with no hope of ever being loved in return. Paro befriends her and tries to help Devdas to no avail. Things get worse when Paro's despicable son-in-law, who frequents the same brothel, decides to cause trouble for the three of them, estranging the love triangle. The ensuing suffering is exquisite.
Devdas is rated Must See.
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