Anurag Kashyap is popularly known for films associated with heavy violence and cuss words but only a few people are familiar with his exploration of the romance genre. Of course, Dev.D is no ordinary romantic movie. It is gritty, down-to-earth, raw, and very organic - basically any Anurag Kashyap film.
I. Story & Screenplay
A lot of Kabir Singh fans believe that heartbreak and alcohol is an original concept. It was originally brought to the mainstream media by the Sanjay Leela Bhansali classic - Devdas. Devdas introduced the concept and Dev.D popularized it. It is not just the heartbreak and the alcohol. Intertwining two separate stories under the same timeline were not a common sight in the Hindi film industry back in 2009 but Anurag Kashyap believed that it would be an efficient way to tell his story. A heartbroken egoistic lad of a rich industrialist and a young woman forced into prostitution due to a distant family, a dead father, and a leaked MMS. It is the beauty of the story and writing because it is a love story where two imperfect individuals find perfection in each other. The characteristics mentioned above are those of social outcasts (not accepted by society in general). Yet, Anurag Kashyap proves that love does not and should not seek the validation of society.
II. Direction
One of the best aspects of the film was the direction. The scene where Dev gambles and drinks and the camera circles him in a fast motion is one of the freshest scenes in Bollywood. It completely captured the emotional turmoil as well as Dev's drunken state. Anurag Kashyap is no doubt a visionary director and the fact that he created this cinematic masterpiece in just 6 crores is mindboggling.
III. Cast
When I was younger, Abhay Deol felt like an overrated actor but as I grew older into this 'movie pundit', I realized it's quite the contrary. He is such a brilliant actor that he blends into every movie. Superstardom might not be something he has achieved yet, but he can sleep comfortably knowing that he has made many great directors' careers when they were starting to break out. Mahie Gill was good as well and so was Kalki Koechlin. Playing 'Chanda' was a complicated task but Kalki managed it just fine. She was not extraordinary but the essence of the character was captured and performed well enough by her. It is safe to say that all characters did justice to their respective roles (even the Nawaz cameo).
IV. Music
Usually, music is not something we talk about but Amit Trivedi did a fantastic job for this movie considering this was his debut film as a music composer. His songs looked at the bigger picture because his music revolved around the aura of the movie. His songs amplified the plot & feel of the film and thus became a part of its narrative. 'Emotional Atyachaar' was such a hit that it is still used in Indian weddings to this date.
In all seriousness, Dev.D is one of those few Bollywood films which everyone should watch at least once. It has a perfect equilibrium balance between entertaining and artistic. A must-watch for everyone!
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