Starring: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin 
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Producer: UTV and Line produced by Flying Unicorn Entertainments
Dialogues: Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane
Art decoration: Sukanta Panigrahi
Cinematography: Rajeev Ravi
Rating: 4 must watch
Dev D is another medium budget film rocking the high charts. Yes, thats ‘Dev D’, Anurag Kashyap’s ultra modern take on age old ultimate lover character Devdas the novel written by litterateur Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. Though Devdas been adapted on screen many times and by some great filmmakers like P.C.Barua, Bimal Roy and lately Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Original Devdas has been known as the ultimate looser lover who drowns himself on loosing his love and goes into the self-destruction mode. whereas, Kashyap’s Dev D [a.k.a modern Devdas] is a hypocrite, raunchy, arrogant, self-seeking, a bastard of first order thinking of only self-gratification. who drowns in self-pity one who could not stand up for himself.
Abhay Deol plays ‘Dev D’, son of a rich industrialist, sent away to London at 12. Dev returns to his hometown motivated by nude pics of Paro (Mahi Gill), his childhood love. Paro marries to someone else. Dev’s depressed and drowns into drugs and alcohol, stays away from home, but gets finances from a doting father. He runs over some people in his BMW and daddy dies (read funds cut off). Dev starts looting payphones and narrowly misses death which suddenly does what even Chanda’s love couldn’t – gets him thinking straight. Smirnoff got new brand ambassador this time.
Mahie Gill plays ‘Paro’, who has no qualms about showing her wild sexuality as she cycles to sugarcane field with mattress tied to carrier, spreads it and herself, out coz her England returned Devdas wants some quality sex. The she explodes her frustrating emotions by pressing down on a hand pump.
Kalki Koechlin plays Chanda aka Lenny’, a rich student with likes for adventure. Owing to MMS scandal, she’s abandoned by family. Chunni, a pimp gives her shelter. Trapped by situation she ends up being high profile escort by night, while Lenny by day remains a college student.
Dev’s chemistry with Chanda is great coz of exchange of their woes with each other is one of the best parts of the movie. Like when she tells him her story while painting a sad clown face or the scene in sauna where Dev hugs Chanda and tells her “beta its ok”.
Abhay Deol as Dev D, big hero of little cinema is stupid and sensitive. Chandramukhi overshadows Paro but still our Dev in whole movie drinks a lot. Dialogues are constantly quirky and cutting edge like when Chanda wonders aloud to Dev why people are so coy about calling sex worker a randi. Circumstances and characters are people we meet and know and are of this generation where plastic money like ATM debit and Credit cards are more important than cash. Mobile, email, chatting is used instead of traditional telegrams. Dev D is shot in the winters of Punjab and Delhi’s Phadpadganj, Connaught Pace and Old Delhi.
Anurag Kashyap the writer of cinema classics like Satya, Kaun, Shool, Yuva and critically acclaimed Water and Black Friday. Also liable for No-Smoking, Paanch, Gulal.
