Sex,drugs and some Bhangra Remixes - welcome to Punjab, welcome to the new Indian Cinema, welcome... to the new Indian Hero.
Whether Dev D will crash at the box office or not is for time to tell, and quite frankly, irrelevant, but Mr Kashyap has heralded a new era of Indian films. Say good bye to your Mr. nice guy protagonist who saves women from a herd of desperate men, or jumps into that ball of fire to rescue a hapless baby. Our new hero is a lover, sunk in an ocean of freudian complexities and a male ego that eventually ruins his life. Say hello to a jealous, impetuous, reckless man, who is ever ready to bed a woman he is not even interested in.
Devdas is a boring idiot. Really. you do not need to go deep into his psychology to figure that one. and so is his twenty first century avatar- Dev D aka Devendra singh Dhillon. He is not ashamed of asking his childhood friend for her naked photograph, or whether she touches herself after any of their amorous sessions over the telephone. But at the core of this character lies the lethal propensity to self destruct. Nothing new, nothing great.
But what works for the film is the beautiful narrative, supported quite well by a plethora of songs written well for the situation.However, one does feel that the songs were a tad too many. You HAVE to watch the way a song, I can't remember which, is picturized on three break dancers on a fantastic black and white canvas. Mr.Anurag Kashyap has an eye for breathtaking frames, anyone who watched "No Smoking" would tell you that.
What also worked for the film, was the beautiful realationship between chanda (Kalki) and Dev (Abhay Deol). A lovely, symbiotic romance between two people so frustated with their unfortunate lives, brings freshness into the film. I must mention here the poignant moment when the relationship comes to a standstill when a "client" arrives at chanda's door, asking for her. Dev asks him to wait, and chanda subsequently returns from college, enthused at the thought of meeting her lover, only to find him in company of her client. A surreal moment is shared between Chanda and Dev, where they are hit with the harsh reality of chanda's line of work. Not a word is spoken, just blank stares are exchanged.The flowery relationship takes a fatal blow. Once again, Dev is shattered.
The film succeeds in telling each character's story quite well. yes, Dev is at the centre of it, but Chanda and Paro have their own tales to tell, and they are told quite well. Chanda's sad MMS scandal racket is picturised well and one feels for the girl who is left with no option but to get into the flesh trade after everyone she knows has abandoned her. Mr. Kashyap does a good job of completing this character; there are no loopholes.
Where the film is a let down in its length. Too long Mr. Kahsyap. I am convinced that Dev is a self destructing, reckless, moron. You don't have to send him to Himachal pradesh and waste a good 5- 10 minutes of my time on a series of futile shots. The editing could have been tighter.
Now for the performances.
New girl Mahie Gill who plays Paro is good. She looks comfortable in front of the camera and has delivered an above par performance.
Kalki Koechin is good as well. For me, she was able to capture the essence of Chanda's character- her desperateness, her loneliness, her want of love. Well done i thought.
Abhay Deol is alright. He has given an average performance. I am tempted to say that an actor of Aamir's calibre would have probably done better, but then Aamir's been around for a while. It would be unfair to compare the two of them. Even so, Abhay deol's Dev is quite bland and way more boring than the character demanded.
So what's the verdict then? Kashyap roles out another cult movie. I say another because I placing "No Smoking" there. I am not sure if the Indian audiences are ready for Dev D yet, but Kashyap is sure not wasting time waiting for them.
Watch it for its grit, its originality and its style.
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