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Saturday, December 21, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD DAAS DEV
EDITOR'S PICK
Daas Dev': Meticulously mounted in a convoluted plot (Review By Troy
Ribeiro ; Rating: **1/2)
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the author of "Devdas", must be cringing every time
an adaptation of his simple romance novel hits the big screen.
This time, Sudhir Mishra, in his retelling of the classic novel, literally spins
the title to offer us "Daas Dev" - a romantic triangle set in power dynamics in
a small incongruous town of Jahana UP.
And going by the original text, we expect a revolutionary story of a brooding,
self-destructive Dev who pines for Paro while being in the arms of Chandramukhi.
Here, Dev Pratap Chauhan (Rahul Bhat), the scion of a politically strong family
is perennially knocked off his senses, either on drinks or drugs. But he is
emotionally and utterly dependent on his childhood girlfriend Paro (Richa
Chadha). So after a bad night out in Delhi, she coaxes him to return to their
native Jahana, which he reluctantly agrees to.
In Jahana, he immerses in politics and she in social service. But fate tears
them apart, when they fall prey to the political motives of Dev's uncle Avdesh
(Saurabh Shukla).
On the other hand, Chandni aka Chandramukhi is an unscrupulous, political
strategist who helps Dev build a strong political image. She inadvertently falls
in love with Dev, but Dev's heart is all Paro's.
So, needless to say, the actual film comes as a shock, for the off-kilter
romance though meticulously constructed, is set in a convoluted plot where the
centre-stage is retrograde politics. The romance is lost in the political maze.
Also, the story seems to be set in some bygone era, for today's rural India is
not as how it is portrayed here. The characterisation too, seems forced and
fabricated.
Also the direction in some scenes appears amateurishly mounted. Case in point is
witnessed when, Paro after being shot, lands in the driveway of the hospital
wounded. There is no reaction from her co-actors.
On the performance front, Rahul Bhat offers a fairly decent portrayal of Dev but
you fail to empathise with him, simply because of his poorly chalked character
graph and his equally weak onscreen chemistry with both the leading ladies. His
performance fluctuates from forceful to hamming, at regular intervals.
Richa Chadha as Paro, is equally lacklustre. Adding no nuances to her character,
she walks through her role unenthusiastically. As Chandni, Aditi Rao Hydari does
offer a bit of intrigue to her character, but her poorly etched role does not
help her make the part memorable.
The trio is aptly supported by; Saurabh Shukla as Dev's chacha - Avdesh, Vipin
Sharma as Paro's husband and member of the opposition - Ram Ashray, Dalip Tahil
as the industrialist - SK, Deep Raj Rana as Avdesh's party worker - Prabhunath
and Sohaila Kapur as Dev's mother - Sushila Devi. But their performances, by no
stretch of imagination elevate the viewing experience.
While the film boasts of decent production values, overall it fails to engross
you.
From playing the mother of Nawazuddin Siddiqui at the age of 24 to making her presence felt at the festival circuit as well as at the box office, Richa Chadha has carved her own niche. The actress says she would rather opt for a project that gives her a chance to act than just give her visibility.Born and brought up in Delhi, Richa started her career in Bollywood with the film "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" in 2008 after doing theatre extensively. However, she went through a tough time in the film industry before "Gangs of Wasseypur" happened in 2012Read More
There's an unspoken hierarchy on a mainstream film's set: Richa ChadhaAn unspoken hierarchy on the sets of a mainstream film is not something actress Richa Chadha is fond of.Having worked in both mainstream cinema and projects with theatre artistes, Richa pointed at the basic difference between the two."Working in mainstream is somewhat stressful, but not in exact sense. It's a very different experience... There is an unspoken hierarchy in a mainstream film, that I am not fond of," Richa told IANS here after she wrapped up the shoot of "Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui".Read More
Daas Dev is a film about power as it gets in the way of love. Sudhir Mishra in his Daas Dev tells us a reverse tale of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s DevDas where his Dev ultimately breaks free from his addictions and dynastic ambitions of his family, Paro does not stay trapped behind a big gate inside her husbands house and as for Chandni- is she a money handler, fixer, manipulator or simply a girl in love?
In today’s world, will our characters be able to come together and ditch the Daas?
