I just watched Dev D last night. Dev D is an offence to your senses and to everything the Indian Cinema has always stood for, and that’s what makes it a killer!!
The movie claims that it is Loosely Inspired from Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Novel and it is exactly that only loosely inspired. It’s far detached from other adaptations of the novel there are no grand dance sequences, no heavy dialogues, no lavish sets. The movie takes place in very contemporary India and the characters are very realistic.
Personally I think both the girls steal the show, mostly because of their bold portrayals and never seen before antics in Indian Cinema. But most of the movie is devoted to Abhay Deol who plays the titular Devender Singh Dhillon or Dev D. He has underplayed the character too much for my taste but the angst in his eyes when he downs peg after peg of vodka is very real, the way he throws the glass, the way he asks he asks "Kya hua ? Bar Band ? Ek aur nahi milega kya ?" reminds me of many people I know, including myself.
But the most hard hitting scene I felt was when he hits the bar with a vengeance with Emotional Attyachaar (Rock Version) playing in the background. He downs shots after shot like he is angry at the booze when perhaps he is angry at himself for being a fool and is trying to convince himself that he is angry at Paro, though no matter how hard he tries he cannot be. It’s like trying to put out a fire by pouring fuel over it, the more you put the more the flames rise and you put more fuel on it to douse the fire. I have been through the exact phase so I know what it feels like. Its self destructive but you do not have much of a choice.
That scene is followed closely in my liking by the one which he narrowly misses a car and realizes that he is lucky he survived, and he has his whole life to look forward to.
It's a very realistic movie, rather too realistic for me. Seen most of it with my own eyes I get too uncomfortable seeing it, probably that’s why I didn’t like all that much. Dev's drinking till he vomits blood and then asking for more, his going to Chanda for nothing more than her company and her not judging him. Many people I know went to Bar Girls not to sleep with them but because of the company offered, and being no saints themselves they never judged them and they could be themselves. Bangalore has shown me a lot I think.
.
The music is very experimental and like all experiments sometimes it pure bliss and sometimes it fails miserably. Sometimes the music sets the mood and sometimes it upsets it.
The camera work in the drugs scene is very psychedelic and heady. Courtesy Mr Danny Boyle of the Slumdog Millionaire fame whose best movie I think is 'Trainspotting' from which the camera work has been taken. It really gets my pulse going.
The movie also puts my worst fear to flesh. If you are roaming/driving around that drunk and alone only two things will happen to you, either you are getting mugged or you are going to run over somebody. Scary !
The movie though has too sweet a ending for such a dark movie. I was mentally prepared to see Dev drink himself do death and Paro realizing too late what she had let him become. But probably Anurag Kashyap wanted him to 'Move On' or rather all 3 of the characters.
But overall I think this movie is path breaking. Hindi Cinema will never be the same again.
Overall i give it Two Thumbs Up (with vodka) !!
