Devdas

Audience Reviews

View More

Rey W Nov 16, 2018 Devdas is a 2002 Hindi film based on Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. The film is set in the early 1900s and centers around two childhood friends and neighbors, Devdas (played by Shah Rukh Khan) and Paro (played by Aishwarya Rai). Devdas has just returned from studying abroad to become a lawyer and upon his return, discovers that his childhood love for Paro is still alive and mutual. However, conflict erupts between Devdas and Paro's families at the prospect of marriage due their class difference. Paro is quickly married to a man much older than her and much wealthier than Devdas' family. Meanwhile, Devdas, in his despair, flees his home to live in a brothel where one of the courtesans, Chandramukhi, falls in love with him. Devdas is a tragic romance told in a beautiful setting. The film features stunning visuals, incredible songs and choreography, and a gripping plot. From the beginning, Devdas and Paro's relationship is condemned, disrupting the moral universe of the film. As Rosie Thomas says, "It is a predictably uncomfortable moment of Hindi cinema: the moral universe is grossly violated and the disorder is apparently unresolvable" (Thomas 157). In this case, this moment of discomfort is extended throughout the film. Even though there are clear romantic feelings between Devdas and Paro, the universe has been disrupted in such a way that their true love can never come to fruition. Devdas reminds me, in that way, of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak because both movie plots are driven by a strong, mutual love that cannot exist within the confines of the movie. This tragic, condemned romance is both my favorite and least favorite aspect of the movie, as the viewer knows that Devdas and Paro will never be able to come together but will still spend the entire movie wishing that they could. See more

Han S Nov 16, 2018 The Sanjay Leela Bhansali classic, Devdas, is a romantic drama based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhye's novel, Devdas. The movie begins with Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan), the son of a wealthy landowner, returning home from London after ten years. The conflict begins when Devdas decides to see Parvati alias Paro (Aishwarya Rai) before vising his family, where we first see Kaushalya's (Devdas' mother) disapproval of his love for Paro. The feud between their families is fueled by Kaushalya's agonizing rejection of Sumitra (Paro's mother) as she initiates the possible marriage of the two star-crossed lovers. Due to continued family conflict, Paro is then married into another wealthy family and Devdas resorts to alcoholism for relief. In this process he meets Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), a courtesan, who falls deeply in love with him. A series of ill-fated events follow that ultimately lead to an unconventional end. The extravagant portrayal of this love triangle is supported by the flamboyant costumes, larger than life sets and overly dramatic shots which in turn deliver an array of deep emotions to the audience. According to me, this movie provides a physical representation of the intensity of emotions felt by the characters. Dola re, for example, represents Paro's happiness, as she found someone who will unconditionally love Devdas and Chandramukhi's joy, arising from being accepted by the woman Devdas loves. Much like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, this is an alternate Bollywood representation of inherited hatred, as it defies the usual structure we have seen; in which ultimately the moral universe reconciles. Though their plotline is partially similar in terms of portraying class difference as a disruption to the moral universe, Bhansali uses a much more traditional and grim approach. I think both Karan Johar in K3G and Bhansali in Devdas use filming techniques such as large and small mise-en-scene along with over the top sets and costumes to portray the intensity of emotion and the power it has over you, especially love, in an obviously unrealistic way simply aiming to satisfy the audience. They both give you Bollywood and then more Bollywood. However, I feel it would have been more interesting if we saw some kind of resolution for Paro's character too. The end of her story seemed abrupt as we were equally drawn into her struggles as much as Devdas'. Regardless, as abridged by Sangita Gopal, I think Bhansali like Johar "boast[s] big budgets, gorgeous production values and carry cheesy subtitles" to create magnificent successes. See more

Poe S Nov 15, 2018 Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 romantic tragedy Devdas is a tale of love stories that remain unrealized because of boundaries placed by societal institutions of marriage, family, class differences, and status, in combination with personal flaws of all the lovers. Childhood sweethearts Devdas (Shahrukh Khan) and Paro (Aishwarya Rai) meet after years of being apart, and are still deeply in love with each other. Conflicts between the families over differences in class prevent prospects of their marriage and result in Dev leaving his house, and Paro married to an older man. Dev isolates himself and becomes an alcoholic, living at a brothel where one of the courtesans, Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), falls for him. He is unable to reciprocate this love as he continues to yearn for Paro. After a fatal drinking episode, a dying Dev arrives at Paro's doorstep, but she is prevented from seeing him in his last moments by her husband. Full of such dramatic events and a heart-wrenching ending, this movie is complete with a star-studded cast, grand sets, beautiful costumes, and elaborate choreography to soulful songs that serve to give it an epic quality that effectively captures the audience into its own world. Instead of being realistic or depicting how ideal love should be, this movie arguably works to show how it should not be and that certain traits of lovers are very flawed, like passion, impulsiveness, being blind in love etc. This is one of the ways that Bollywood tackles romance and marriage, as explored by Rachel Dwyer in Yeh Shaadi Nahin Ho Sakti!: Romance and Marriage in Contemporary Hindi Cinema. Additionally, her point about "non-modern" vs "modern" views of marriage, where the former centers it on the wider family while the latter sees it as concerning personal happiness, explains the generational difference between Dev/Paro, and their families. This Bollywood formula of families being against real love because of societal standards is similar to movies like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Veer Zara. Whether it be opposition due to past feuds or due to religious differences respectively, the families expect their children to inherit their hatred but they rise beyond that. Most importantly, they actively work to fight for their love, and the moral universe is restored because the lovers end up together in their own ways in a strong statement against hate. This contrasts with Dev as he lacks this trait of being able to "negotiate a space for himself and his love within the family" that Dwyer considers as a defining quality for a romantic hero. He realizes the need to fight for his love too late, and so the moral universe is never restored, upsetting the audience rooting for a successful love story. One criticism I would have is that by the end, because of the way events are presented, we feel most sympathy for dying Dev and forget about the fact that the two women have to continue living with their punishments for loving him: lack of liberty for Paro and lack of respect for Chandramukhi. However, overall, the aesthetics of the movie and the actors perfectly capturing the characters they play successfully make the audience invested in the story, and make it a classic Bollywood romance. See more

Mar 18, 2018 Such a wonderful movie. So epic 10/10??

Han L Jul 21, 2017 Considering it has been ages since I've actually seen this movie, it definitely means something that I remember a good amount of it. It is a movie that is moving and the story is timeless. I can't remember every scene in the movie, so to say any more I would likely have to go back and watch it again. See more

Read all reviews

Devdas

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING