Dev D

I'd like to take this opportunity, to give a standing ovation to Anurag Kashyap, for imagining a film so bold, even though 40% of India may not be able to swallow. To my friend Manish, cause of whom I watched my first Premier, to my parents for understanding I’ll be home late...

Some review I read bashed the film for being namesake. Quote “There's a major difference between KL Saigal, Dilip Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Abhay Deol's Devdas. There's no harm if you pick up an enticing story and tell it your way, but Kashyap goes a bit too far, crosses all limits and tends to get abstract once again”

I'm glad, didn’t see the point otherwise.

Dev dressed in denims, indulging in phone sex with Paro, on the first flight London-Bombay after seeing her nude pics, rolling up at any time of the hour, Paro instead of acting coy carries matresses to the field for a make out session, the premier invites printed on single packs of condoms, everything makes it clear from the word ‘go’ that this is Anurag's 'Dev D', there is a major difference!If you weren’t expecting none, then should have just rented the old one’s out again!

The likes of Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar can however, never become an Aamir or a Shahrukh. And the beauty of that is, it doesn’t feel like you're watching someone act. If stories are to be believed then Anurag constantly kept Abhay under substance abuse and the result was a very horny, sometimes topless, always sexy Dev. I've liked Abhay from his first film aur maine 'Socha Na Tha' that in spite of being a Deol he’d have a contemporary edge.

Paro (Mahi Gill) insists she'll only have sex with Dev (that’s the reason she gives her father for not marrying another man). They finally meet, but alas! before the action between the sheet, a misunderstanding puts their love on the back seat. In a bout of deluded jealousy, Dev breaks her heart and her dreams. She marries another man and Dev takes to the convenient plan. Recluse & abandoned he immerses his sorrows in alcohol, cocaine and Chanda (Kalki). No, they were not all laid out on the table.

Now, Chanda too like Dev has a history. A freak MMS led her ashamed father to commit suicide and, her packing to their village in Punjab. I love this one particular line in the film when she says "how did people know that it was me, cause that MMS wasn’t passed around, my pics didn’t appear in the paper or on TV. They knew, cause they downloaded the MMS to watch it. And then, I’m the slut!'

So true!

The character played by Kalki adds a very interesting dimension to Chanda, she goes to university, is well educated, can have phone sex in Hindi, French and Telegu, pluhus dresses up like the American School girl. But in spite of this there is still no silver lining on Dev's cloud as the sizzling Chanda represents the last sip of water on dry land and Dev makes for the door again.

That brings me to the last part of the movie, the forgive and forget. The world till now was dark and upside down an alley (even without smoking up) but comes crashing straight during the last 15 mins which i'd label the 'emosanal attchyachaar' of the evening.

Loved the Cinematography by Rajeev Ravi, every single piece of music is AWESONE a good job by Amit Trivedi. "Tauba tera jalwa...tauba tera..." You rocked Abhay D!