Dev D

The modern and punjabi version of Devdas.....well it is a great attempt at recreating the classic story with a lot of contemprory social issues like teenage sexuality, family honor, drunken driving and booze & drugs.   

First of all you should forget the details of the original Devdas story and just remember Dev, Paro, Chandramukhi and Chunni babu.  Apart from these main characters reverse almost everything you knew about the original and see everything from a perspective of modern Indian youth.  

The youthful Dev and Paro are both open-minded, not afraid of trying out the physical love.  In one of the most radical scenes in the Hindi movie history Paro carries a mattress on her bicycle in a field and tries to seduce Dev into having sex with her.  The camera just shows a small portion of her back while the rest of the screen shows greenery.  The suggestion is that she is astride him and tearing off Dev's shirt.  Dev refuses to have any of it because he suspects that Paro has already lost virginity to somebody else.  In another scene a friend of Paro is trying to cover the hickies on her breast after a few moments of passion and kissing with Dev

The dialogues are....... closer to how real youth might brag of their escapades...... again quite sexually explicit. 

The introduction of Chanda is again quite explicit in terms of the visual as well as spoken innuendo.   In Chanda and Dev's scenes together there are shades of "Leaving Las Vegas". While Dev indulges into all the vices possible drinks, women and drugs.  Chanda teaches Dev the need to move on in life rather than destroying it.

There are references to the vain Indian concept of family honor.  Once Paro asks her father why is he bothered about his own honor while disregarding hers.  At another time Dev's younger brother gives him a wad of notes to be given to Dev's lawyer but there is nothing for Dev himself who is otherwise not socially welcome in the family.

One should look at this moive as perhaps a milestone in Indian film making where various tabboo topics have been shown together and with quite a brazen openness.  The content however could have been handled more tightly.  At times it seems that the director is just trying to match art film making by using surreal camera motions and psychedelic colors and imagery.  

Overall it is a watchable movie but with the warning that it has strong and sexual language and content (specially in Indian context).  If watching with children be prepared to give guidance too !!

Rating :  *****