Anurag Kashyap came up with the idea of recreating the epic story of Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which is based on the modern time. The novel had already been adapted into multiple films, the most recognised being that of Sanjay Leela Bhansali starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Ray and Madhuri Dixit. Anurag’s version retold the story in the context of current Delhi-Punjab circuit and discussed the politics of caste and class for the conflict.
The character of Dev is played by Abhay Deol, who is the son of a rich businessman who lives a life of leisure and tormented by Paro’s wedding is onto alcohol and drugs. Paro is played by Mahie Gill who is an idealistic, young, middle-class girl living in Punjab. She has a love interest in Dev from her childhood. Chandramukhi or Chanda is played by Kalki Koechlin. She is named originally as Leni, is of half-European descent studying in Delhi. An MMS of her with a much older guy goes viral and her father commits suicide of the shock. She is compelled to live in a small town by her family where she works as a prostitute by the name of Chanda in the nights. She eventually falls in love with Dev even though he is in love with Paro.
Anurag’s brilliance in direction makes it possible for us to see an old epic romance from a fresh perspective through this movie. The movie, although based on the basic plot from Sarat Chandra’s novel, still differs from it in many ways. The mundane portrayal of the characters makes them more believable and more realistic for the audience. Anurag’s direction escalates the already brilliant performances of the characters. The film is very captivating and engaging and the plot’s intensity with various mundane but unusual elements like drug abuse and MMS scandals is intriguing.
The movie is available to watch on Netflix. If you are looking for an intense and epic love story to watch on Sunday, you must go for this movie. Although, it is not a good choice if you are looking for something to watch with family, as the previous Devdas movies were.