Exaggerated, Melodramatic, but GOOD!. Review on Devdas - New

Hi folks! After a long hiatus, I am back on MS! I am sorry friends that I had to cut down all my travel reviews as some Dumb-Heads at Mouthshut thought Orlando, Disneyworld, Miami, Bahamas and Niagara Falls are not worthy of being considered as travel destinations in U.S and hence didn’t add them! (Of course, one quite doesn’t understand the logic behind adding Detroit and Chicago being added as travel destinations!). Any how, I am back with my new review, and what better come back review than to review most happening movie today : Devdas. So here goes!

Devdas is about….

The story of Devdas has been repeated time and often on big screen. Sarat Chattopadhay’s classic novel by the same name must have been time immemorial bought out on big screen, but this time at the hands of Sanjay Leela Bhansali its all-together a new experience. For this time around, he interprets the story in his own way and brings about the grandeur and opulence to the otherwise simple story set somewhere in Bengal. I won’t digress on the storyline as almost everyone knows it by now, and if one doesn’t know it, all the more better!

Bhansali brings about the story lit in richness and wealth beyond comparison. The very first shot of the movie showing the Devdas’s Haveli and his mother running around it is enough proof that no money has been spared in creating the background for this movie. Simply put, its in word ‘AWESOME – See it to believe it!’. The backdrop is colossal and grand. The second haveli, being that of Chandramukhi is something to be seen only on big screen. The intricate mirror work on the walls and the curtains is breath taking! The whole set looks like a dream palace!

But Bhansali just doesn’t stop there, for he goes beyond the sets and brings about costumes never seen before. The intricate jewellery, the Saarees (one of Madhuri’s saree is rumored to weigh more than 30 kgs), The curtain work all add up to the overall ambience of the movie. Brilliant is one word which would describe it!

Wait it doesn’t just stop there! If this wasn’t enough, Bhansali takes immense care to film each song with such grandness that one is just spell bound by it. The choreography is simply excellent in all songs, especially ‘dola re dola’, ‘kahe chhed mohe’, ‘silsila yeh chahat ka’ and the numero uno ‘maar daala’, the last one being the best of the best!

Moreover!...

The acting department is simply top-class. Kiron Kher as Paro’s mother is loud, but superb. Infact, she is the only character out of the so many other characters who stand out in the movie. Jackie Shroff as ‘Chunni Babu’ entertains with is words and dialogues. Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi is simply flawless. Though I did feel that her role was quite under-played and constrained. In fact, she doesn’t have too many scenes as well, which quite irked me coz whenever, whichever scene she is, she just dominates! Shahrukh Khan as ‘Devdas’ probably has given one of his career best performance after ‘Baazigar’. The first half is quite ordinary as far as his performance goes, but it’s the second half as the drunkard which brings shows the talent of Shahrukh. What an amazing performance he gives! But one who takes the cake and walks away with it is Aishwarya Rai as ‘Paro’. Though, quite a weepy role, she marks it to perfection. Simply, her best work to date. Of course, you cant help noticing the similarities she bears with her look in HDDCS! She has the longest role, and does full justice to it.

However…

The film is not without its share of flaws, sadly! A few scenes fail to create that emotional impact when it should have. All said and done with the extravaganza, some scenes really go over melodramatic and long…however, they are few. Some scenes go beyond the realms of possibilities, (like the hair-breaking-the-mirror-scene), but again it could be ignored for the sheer beauty of the scene and the dialogues. The relation between Devdas and Chunni Babu is never really explained in the movie. Also, one does feel let down at length of Chandramukhi’s role as it is quite short. Bhansali’s biggest deviation of the story from the original novel by getting the two heroines to meet is great, but doesn’t really do much to the story…not that I minded it… the women looked beautiful together and dance like dream! At some places, the pace gets slow and lagging! However all said and done, the pros of the movie easily overpower the cons of the movie and thus one tends to over look everything of the above.

My favorite scenes…

Definitely, Bhansali has the knack of directing brilliant scenes, and there are quite some in this movie. Devdas’s meeting with Paro in moonlit night is brilliant… I couldn’t just take my eyes of her! She looks like an angel there! Devdas’s first outburst scene as the drunkard is superbly done and so are the scenes with his family. But one that really put me absolutely glued to screen ( not just me…the whole auditorium)…is the climax scene. A long climax, but it just stays on and on with you even after the movie gets over. For me, its simply the BEST scene of the movie for its sheer intensity and the brilliance on screen!

Finally…

Want my take on the movie?! This movie is certainly a Visual treat to watch for. Add to that some power packed dialogues, and superb actors to enact it, what could one ask for. Almost none of the scenes are normal…either they are loud, or romantic or poetic or outright tragic! But none the less they impact at most of the places! As Bhansali himself advertised this movie: ”A Grand Saga of Timeless Love”

It definitely is. Go watch it. And Watch it again! I am!!