'Dev D' has an encore feel to it

Film: Dev.D
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin
Ratings: *** 1/2
 
Dev D should have come with a few words of caution, more like a list, at the beginning:

Caution no 1: Sarat Chandra fans, who are not looking-forward-to his Devdas being tweaked too much, may leave immediately. There are also possibilities of him turning in his grave (even though it's non-existent) if he ever found out about his most-loved story being adapted by Anurag Kashyap thus.

Caution no 2: If you have walked in to watch this movie with your parents, sequences ahead may leave you in the 'cringe' zone. Scenes showing substance abuse, lovers making out like there's no tomorrow and a high-end call girl using sexual innuendos might create situations embarrassing to both parents and children.

Caution no 3: Be ready to be bombarded with a heavy dose of songs (18, says the album cover) one after the other and picturisations that may seem out of the ordinary. With a taste for something different though, you'll really enjoy it.

If you feel you can watch enjoy Dev D, these cautionary notes withstanding, go for it. The story you know. It's Devdas. In spite of that, Dev D is something you haven't seen before. And credit goes to writer-director Anurag Kashyap for giving audiences a film to enjoy in spite of its numerous versions before.

Kashyap has shifted the scene to the lush green fields of Punjab this time. A few other things remain unchanged. When Dev (Abhay, who else) is 12, his parents send him away to London to 'discipline' him. His childhood lover, Paro (Mahie), is waiting for him back in apna Chandigarh. Unlike in the original, Dev and Paro are no longer disconnected till the time they meet, when grown-up. This time, the years apart include long-distance phone conversation, with large doses of sexual undertones. Sample this: the first scene showing Dev talking to Paro has him asking her if she is touching herself as they talk. Paro's reactions might just surprise you.

Anurag Kashyap has turned Sarat Chandra's novel on its head, giving the word interpretation a whole new meaning. The lovers here aren't shy creatures, but young and hormonal ones, who can't wait to get there hands on each other. It's not just about lust though. There's love as well, but only Paro feels it; Dev isn't so sure. When he wrongly learns of Paro's affair with a village lad while he was away in London, he doesn't think twice before sleeping with another girl.

That, however, isn't the death knell of the relationship. Neither are the parents. In one of the most interesting twists in the film, Dev's father actually wants Paro to come home as his bride. But Dev doesn't. His pride stops him, even when Paro's wedding is announced. And before he knows it, she's married off.

Then the realisation sets in: He loves her; she's gone; now he wants an escape route. It's Delhi. Here, Dev stumbles upon a life of going to underground parties that start only after others end, rounds of vodka shots, some B-52s and occasional snorting. He has a partner: the wily Chunni. He's not the 'confidante' as Chunnilal has been in earlier versions. He's the pimp, who sees in Dev nothing more than a rich, spoilt brat, who provides Chunni with a steady flow of money, in exchange of the booze and the women. This is where Chanda enters.

Now this is Anurag's masterstroke. Chandramukhi, or Chanda for short, isn't the courtesan here. She has a back story too, something not present in the novel at all. A school girl from Delhi, the half-Indian Leni gets involved in a scandal over an MMS showing her indulging in oral sex with her boyfriend. Anurag has taken references from a number of real-life cases, among them being the Alistair Perreira drink-and-drive case as well as the Delhi Public School MMS scandal. But coming back to Chanda, or Leni in her later avatar, if you can get over Anurag taking his time developing her character, you'll think of it as an asset to the story. With a better actor than Kalki, it would have worked wonders. But she definitely 'looks' the part. And that's half the battle won.

The rest of it needn't be spoken of, but enjoyed. For starters, there's the music. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun may have had 13 songs that stretched the film's duration to eternity, but the 15+ here are woven so brilliantly into the script, that they are a bonus. Other than the distinct sound, Anurag has given the songs an identity that remains there own, with Pardesi, Nayan Tarse, Aankh Micholi and the nation's anthem, Emosanal Attyachaar all being brilliantly picturised. The editing could have been tighter, especially in Chanda's story, but that doesn't really hamper proceedings. Rajeev Ravi's cinematography just adds to the zing.  

Abhay Deol, take a bow. After impressive performances in a number of films that haven't really gone anywhere as far as Box Office goes, Abhay delivers another believable, yet understated performance. Even if Dev D meets with a similar fate at the ticket windows (and it just might), Abhay's talent cannot be undermined.

Playing a character immortalized by the best in each generation, be it KL Saigal in 1936, Dilip Kumar in 1955 or Shah Rukh Khan in 2002, Abhay has managed to leave his distinct stamp on the role.

Whether casually rolling a joint first thing he wakes up or downing one shot after another in a dinghy pub, Abhay brings charm and an underplayed angst to his young man gone astray. Mahie Gill does a courageous turn on Paro. Here again, credit goes to Anurag for taking a liberal approach to a woman's sexual needs, but Mahie has balanced the lusty aspect of the girlfriend well with being a girl who's emotionally vulnerable.

In the end though, Dev D is an Anurag Kashyap film. Bouquets or brickbats, Anurag has gone all out to dish out something out-of-the-ordinary and the man deserves credit for that. After innumerable false starts (Paanch, Black Friday, No Smoking), it takes immense guts to go out there and stick to your convictions, irrespective of commercial considerations. And Anurag has done just that.

If he's reading this, let's have an encore, Anurag!