Devdas

Devdas

MAIN CAST:
Shahrukh Khan -- Devdas
Aishwarya Rai -- Paro
Madhuri Dixit -- Chandramukhi

BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW:
A modern retelling of the popular Bengali novel. For information on the original novel and the various film adaptations, please check the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devdas

FILM -- 3/5
While I openly admit that Devdas' source material is melodramatic and slightly ridiculous, I still think the screenwriters took it a bit too far in this adaptation. Sometimes the characters' over-the-top antics manage to wring an emotional response from you, but for the most part, it feels like it's trying too hard. There are some truly beautiful pieces of dialogue, however, like when Devdas asks Chandramukhi if she loves him and she breathlessly responds, "You could ask me if I breath." The sets and costumes are so unrealistic and over-the-top that I actually found myself enjoying them, if only because it felt like I was watching a fantasy painting spring to life. For the most part it works for this film, since you never feel directly connected to the characters or their world, but there are times where you feel suffocated by all of the silk and gold. The choreography is intricate and beautiful, full of quick hand motions and sweeping steps that can only be described as "effortlessly elegant." There are a lot of really gorgeous lighting effects and camera angles, like the scene where Devdas first gets to see Paro's face in the moonlight. On the negative side, Devdas is a long film and it feels like it; it moves so slowly that you'll probably find yourself wondering, "Okay, when is this movie actually OVER?" a few times during its duration. There are some obvious continuity errors as well, like when Devdas soaks himself and his white shirt with brown wine, then walks out of Chandramukhi's room in an almost completely clean shirt. You'd think they'd catch stuff like that! Oh, and the DVD menus are really hideous, at least for the Eros copy of the film.

CHARACTERS -- 2/5
Devdas' star-studded cast does well enough with the melodramatic script they're given. Shahrukh Khan's Devdas is pretty much how I imagined the character: an immature little boy stuck in the body of a grown man. It isn't his best performance, nor is it the best interpretation of the chafacter, but SRK's trademark charisma helps him skate along beautifully. Bhansali builds up to the first showing of Aishwarya's face, so by the time you finally see her gorgeous green eyes and full lips, you're more than ready to have your breath taken away. Really, the woman is just gorgeous. Again, this is a performance that is adequate. She talks in a breathy voice and constantly sighs, "Ish!" which would annoy me normally, but Ash is so damn pretty that I ended up finding it kind of cute. The Aishwarya/Shahrukh chemistry was decent; it's definitely not a jodi to end all jodis, but it works. Of course, the Madhuri/Shahrukh jodi is amazing but underused. The supporting cast is good, and you get some interesting character contrasts, namely from the surprisingly evil Kumud (played by the cute-but-sassy Ananya Khare) and Paro's light-hearted mother, Sumitra (portrayed effortlessly by Kirron Kher). Kher deserves a few extra kudos for dancing with the energy of a woman half her age and making Sumitra one of my favorite characters in the film. Also, at the risk of sounding very shallow, I want to see more of Jaya Bhattacharya, who played Manorama; she was SO LOVELY! Now, you're probably wondering, "If the cast did good, why the low score? You've rated worse casts much higher!" Well, here's my qualm: with the exception of Madhuri Dixit, who gives the best performance I've ever seen from her (and looks good doing it), and perhaps Jackie Shroff, who is SUPPOSED to be boisterous, everybody is REALLY over-the-top, even by Bollywood standards. I honestly felt like I should have been sitting in an audience while the actors performed on stage 100 feet away, they projected so much! And when you take performances that should be seen on stage and put them on to a screen, it just feels like a bunch of caricatures, running around in gorgeous costumes and singing pretty songs. It's my only qualm with the cast and characters, but it's a huge one.

SOUNDTRACK -- 4.5/5
If there's one place where Devdas excels, it's the soundtrack department. The music is epic, just like you'd expect it to be, and the picturizations that accompany it in-film are absolutely stunning. I've watched and listened to "Dhola Re" so many times that, if I had enough dancing skill, I could probably perform it in my living room. I didn't like "Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka" the first time I heard it, but now I think it's really catchy. Aishwarya's dance with the lamp is neat! "Kaahe Chede Mohe" and "Mar Dala" sound sensual and include two equally intoxicating mujra performances by the incomparable Madhuri Dixit. The on-screen sexual tension between Aishwarya and Shahrukh is palpable during "More Piya," and the song is still hot when you play it on your iPod. "Chalak Chalak" has a catchy beat, and it's really fun.

OVERALL -- 2/5
Like the recent adaptation of The Producers starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, this adaptation of Devdas should have been shown on-stage. The actors project way too much, the colors and sets are too extravagent, and the overall feeling I get is that this melodramatic movie would have been better if I'd seen it in a traditional theater setting, right where it belongs. That's not to say I didn't enjoy Devdas, because I did, but this is not a movie that makes you feel connected to the story or the actors. The loud performances, fantastical sets and lush songs are beautiful, but they make you feel like you're watching a fairy tale world that you can never touch. I won't watch this movie very often, to be honest, unless I'm in the mood for its music or want to screencap pretty pictures from it. Still, if the lack of replay value and the 4 hours of "fairy tale-ish-ness" don't bother you, give Devdas a shot. Even if you don't like it for the pretty timepass that it is, you'll at least enjoy the songs.

TOTAL SCORE -- 11.5/20 (okay)