Devdas (Single-Disc Edition)

FYI: I rented this from Amazon Instant Video.Devdas... This is one of those movies made and remade so many times that you can love one and hate the other, or love them all. For the record, this is the first time I've seen any version of Devdas but I'd like to see others it's the type story that is open to so many different variations that whichever artist decides to try and capture it on film you'll always see something new. One this is sure, it's exactly the type of story that Sanjay Leela Bhansali the Van Gough of Bollywood could never resist telling in his own way. And his way is lavish beyond the scale of Versailles and Arabian Nights combined. Neither Marie Antoinette nor Scheherazade ever lived in such splendor. Mr. Bhansali makes it his life's work to put the most exquisite images on to film that will make your eyes hurt. But more on that later, first let's go through the "who's who" and how they did...Devdas: Our title character (not hero) is played by Sharukh Khan AKA: King Khan there's no question that over his twenty year career that his movies make money and this is one of his most famous, critically acclaimed, and profitable films. I think he does very well bringing Mr. Bhansali's version of Dev to life. He's charming, funny, a bit wicked, and as Mr. Khan said, "He has a nasty streak." Mr. Khan does all of this, but it isn't my favorite performance that he's done. I much prefer him in Swades - We The People (2004) (Shahrukh Khan / Hindi Film / Bollywood Movie / Indian Cinema DVD), Chakde! India, JAB TAK HAI JAAN - 3 DISC SET COLLECTERS EDITION HINDI DVD FULLY BOXED AND SEALED DIRECT FROM MANAFACTURER WITH ENGLISH/ ARABIC SUBTITLES AND OVER 4 HRS OF SPECIAL FEATURES, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.For me, Mr. Khan's mannerisms became too repetitive at points, which can create a lack of depth with Dev. Then again, Dev is a weak man who lacks a depth of will here. So he got it right for Mr. Leela Bhansali's vision. As I mentioned, Devdas isn't a hero, he isn't noble, there's nothing really admirable about him either. Still, due to Mr. Khan's inherent likability and charisma you don't lose compassion for him. I wanted to give him a good shake and ask him what he thought drinking himself to death would accomplish; but unlike most self-centered, immature, spoiled brats, Dev never loses the quality that makes him lovable. It's just too bad that he wasn't capable of loving in a healthy way, because in his single minded pursuit of self-destruction the women in his life get swallowed in the undertow.Pavarti, AKA Paro: Played by the glorious Aishwarya Rai, is the soul of the film. I know most people reserve that distinction for Ms. Dixit, but I can't see it that way. Paro knows Dev better than anyone, even better than Dev himself in this version of the story. I'm more than willing to concede that the character of Chandramukhi might be much stronger in other versions of the film and in the book itself, but I haven't seen or read them yet. In this version, Paro is the wisest in the triangle. Before Dev even steps on the screen we see the depth of her love for him in the form of a curiously unique lamp. (I'd love to know how they dealt with making a permanent flame, it didn't look like a computer generated graphic) The musical number, "Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka" is breathtaking in it's beauty and next to "Udi" in Guzaarish (English Subtitles) my favorite dance of Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's in a movie.But that's not all, you can chalk such sentiments up to a young girl in the throws of infatuation. What's telling is how she reacts to Dev's fits of temper and his careless words. As much as she loves him, she won't let him step on her, and she's not blind to his faults. Also, it's poor Paro who takes the most risks to be true to the love she has for Dev. Even when they're separated all she wants is for Dev to live a good life, but knowing Dev as well as she does, she's resigned to his stubbornness. All she can ask is that Chandramukhi do the best she can to give Dev some relief in his self-imposed hell. For me the character of Paro goes through the most changes. She's certainly not perfect, she's proud and vain (although she comes by both honestly). But unlike Dev, she knows how to forgive and how to sacrifice. She's also fundamentally decent and kind, along with Chandramukhi portray the strength and nobility of the typical 'Bollywood hero' roles. Through the film she progresses from innocent young girl wide-eyed with the flush of first love, to mature matron who remains steadfast to the man she gave her heart too, even in the face of ultimate tragedy.Now about Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's performance... I won't lie, she was showed to the best advantage in every frame. It's no secret that Mr. Bhansali has an incredibly intense possessive streak and considers her his muse. He once even said in an interview that "nobody else understands her, or her beauty like I do." Rumor even has it that he's even called lovely Deepika Padukone the star of his upcoming movie "Ram Leela" 'Ash' while filming. It's telling about the way Mr. Bhansali feels about his favorite actress. It must take a lot to live up to such adoration and bring that vision to the screen, I wouldn't ever want to be in that position. The pressure would send me to the loony bin. Fortunately, Mrs. Rai-Bachchan is made of much sterner stuff. Even with the favoritism that is blatantly on display here, and all the insane pressure that comes with it, she never uses it to her advantage and upstages her fellow actors.As always, it's Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's poise, grace, and sincerity, make her performance shine. But perhaps a bigger challenge than living up to Mr. Bhansali's vision, and Mr. Khan's intense charisma, was dancing with who many consider to be India's Goddess of Dance, Madhuri Dixit.This is where I admit I am not knowledgeable about Indian classical dance forms. Apart from reading a few articles, and watching videos and of course films, I have no clue about the technical aspects. Here's what I do know, Bollywood mixes classical dance forms with other folk dances, and at times when the movie is modern, western forms as well. I know that Ms. Dixit-Nene is a trained Kathak dancer and considered one of the best in her field. Mrs. Rai-Bachchan is trained in Bharatanatyam which is an entirely different discipline altogether. So not only did "Dola Re Dola" bring together two women with entirely different body types, but with two completely different styles.I tell you all this because I can't say either woman is the superior dancer, I can only say what I liked better. I liked Mrs. Rai-Bachchan, but it has nothing to do with whose more talented and everything to do with a subjective preference for style. When Mrs. Rai-Bachchan dances she's like a leaf and the music is the wind. She lets it take her along and her feet seem to barely touch the ground. There's a special energy in her movements that I prefer over Ms. Dixit-Nene's more earthy sensuality. Just remember art is completely subjective to the eye of the beholder. It's entirely possible my ignorance shapes my perception. One thing's for sure, nobody can say Mrs. Rai-Bachchan didn't hold her own and not be completely blind. But even if she didn't her exquisite grace is put on full and mesmerizing display in "Morey Piya" she doesn't even need to dance.If Paro is the soul of Devdas, Chandramukhi can be called the heart.Chandramukhi: Played by Madhuri Dixit is the most popular, and celebrated courtesan in the city. One look at Dev and she impulsively falls "head over heels" even though he offers her nothing but contempt and scorn when sober. I think that for me personally, the weakest thing about this movie is that Chandramukhi falls in love so quickly before Dev turns completely to his doom and he's just plain nasty. We never really know why. Then again, since when does the heart need a reason to do anything. What begins as lust, turns into a hopeless, cycle of giving while Dev proceeds to torture her with his love for Paro and his distain for her profession. Occasionally, he'll slip and offer a kind word here and there but even at the end when he realizes all that Chandramukhi is willing to be for him, he can't accept it wholeheartedly. In the end at least Chandramukhi is spared the devastation of Devdas' final act of self-destruction. It's the one unselfish thing Dev does. For above everything else Chandramukhi is a survivor, the tragedies of life don't consume her, they make her stronger.Madhuri Dixit-Nene... she's an icon in India, even referred to as the "female Amitabh Bachchan" I'm not kidding! Now, I think she's lovely, a talented actress, and a truly great dancer, but the "female Bachchan"? Not for me. To me, the very best of the best actors (which Mr. AB Sr. surely is) makes me forget not only their celebrity, but also any other previous role I've seen them in. Now granted, I haven't seen many films of Ms. Dixit-Nene, but she doesn't do that for me. Like Mr. Khan in his younger days, her mannerisms are repetitive, and while she has wonderfully expressive face and eyes, she just doesn't disappear into the skin of her character for me. That said, she's miles beyond today's top actresses even some of my favorites like Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Ms. Dixit-Nene might be a legend in her country and I know she worked hard, but I'll never see her on an equal level as Mr. Bachchan. Some people think that she stole the entire movie from Mr. Khan and Ms. Rai (as she was then) but I don't agree. She did a fine job but the supporting cast did equally well so let's talk about that.Let's start with the character who sets in motion the tragedy.Kamud: Played by Ananya Khare, is a she-wolf in a human body. Boy oh boy the viciousness and potent venom that oozes out of this woman is incredible. If anyone comes close to taking a scene away from Sharuhk Khan, (aside from Kajol) it's her. Out of the dozen tiny roles in this epic hers is definitely the strongest. The one tiny discrepancy in her arc is that we learn she's just conceived her first child in the beginning of the movie but there's absolutely no progress on that score as the time passes. Since it's made a very big deal of at first, there's a giant loose end in the narrative. Still, the actress could have stolen the entire movie had the role been a larger one.Kalibabu: Played by, Milind Gunaji joins the villainy as Paro's step-son-in-law. He's just as vicious as his female counterpart and just as morally bankrupt. A client of Chandramukhi, he turns his lecherous eyes on Paro, from there the bad gets worse. Mr. Gunaji brings the evil well and I hope to see more of him.Now there are the pre-requisite legends that nearly every Bollywood film like to throw in there and make the audience go "oooh"!Chunibabu: Played by, Jackie Shroff. I have to admit this sort of surprised me a bit because back in the day Mr. Shroff was HUGE. And his character isn't all that defined here. He's the person to introduce Dev to the concept of killing emotional pain with vice, but he fades in and out of the story and when he's there it's always for the scenes of debauchery. It would have been nice to have a little more than hints of his own pain, and a more solid basis for his friendship with Dev than what we're given. I'm willing to bet that in other versions the character is given more substance but here it's definitely underused. A shame really, because Mr. Shroff had a few really good moments, and good chemistry with Ms. Dixit-Nene and Mr. Khan.Sumitra: Played by, Kiron Kher. Sumitra is Paro's mother and at first a staunch ally for a marriage between Dev and her daughter. Out of all the people hurt in this tragedy I think the worst injustice was done to her. Sumitra might have been a bit unrefined and loud, but there was such sincerity in her that I can't understand how anyone could be so deliberately cruel to her. My only complaint is that she just fades away into the tale with no proper exit.Kiron Kher, is one of those ladies who always makes a huge impact on screen. Here she plays her role with all the gusto of a lead soprano in a big Italian Opera. It's fitting because both the plot and the way the story is told has all the necessities for a huge Italian Opera. Her performance of "Morey Piya" is outstanding! Proof that you don't need youth and a slender body to exude passion and sensuality, you need conviction, and great music. For me it's one of the highlights of the movie.Kaushalya: Played by, Smita Jaykar. Devdas' mother. While it's she who strikes the first open blow in this war of love she's not so much a villain as she is a fool. Her snobbery, and her gullible nature allow the she-wolf daughter-in-law to twist and manipulate events that cost her, her son for good. I didn't hate her, because her situation ends up sad, but I didn't feel sorry for her either. Unlike most of the other supporting cast the narrative has a clean break with Dev's family, so no loose ends flying around there.Smita Jaykar, plays a lot of Indian Ma's. This is one of the bad ones, but if you want to see her in a really funny, and sweet role try Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya it's so cute.Devdas' father and Paro's husband are appropriately stiff and hypocritical. But personally I think Vijay Crishna, who plays Dev's father looks a little too young.Okay major players done with and the verdict is this movie doesn't belong to any of them. It belongs to Mr. Bhansali. He's one of those directors that just infuses a movie to such an extent that at times the story and the actors become afterthoughts to the images he puts up on screen. Sometimes that's a strength and sometimes that's a weakness. In this film there are times when the lavish display is vital, like the "Dola Re Dola" number and times when it's just too distracting to what is happening in the scene. The mantra of the entire look of the film is excess, perhaps it's because Dev's so determined to kill himself through it, but a tad bit of restraint might have saved me from sensory overload. It could have been something simple, like less makeup for the women, or perhaps a more neutral palette for some scenes just to give the eye a rest so the audience can focus better on the emotions and the actors. As I mentioned in the beginning, Mr. Bhansali has a genius for creating images on film so beautiful your eyes will hurt. There is not a single visually unpleasing frame in this film, but beauty should not come before the story. I do agree with some people that it did get to be too much at points.Mr. Bhansali once said that the worst thing a person ever said about him was that, "he didn't know how to make a film." Whoever said that must be very narrow-minded in his taste, because nothing can be further from the truth. Is this a perfect film? No, I haven't seen a truly perfect film yet, because humans aren't capable of true perfection. But this film is a masterpiece of it's kind in it's own right. It's an Indian Opera in all the passionate grandeur and tragedy that comes with it. Mr. Bhansali accomplished his vision and I loved watching it. So yes, if you love movies you should see this at least once, even if you decide you don't like it, you'll have spent three hours inside the imagination of a brilliant filmmaker, and that's always a treat. Will I buy it? More than likely when I can afford to spend some mad money.UPDATE: I've since bought the two-disc DVD set so I wanted to add my thoughts on it for other customers (even if any do not find it 'helpful') The DVD with the film is very good quality, although it would have been nice if eventually they'd re-master it in HD. The images are so gorgeous that they deserve the best. The main menu isn't the best, you can't really see when your choice is highlighted. The most annoying thing is that you can't skip the Eros ads or the previews. But this is also a good thing so that you know that this isn't a cheap bootleg copy, well the movie isn't expensive but you know what I mean. Be careful when you open the DVD box. I did it wrong the first time and it tore a bit. Not bad enough to be an issue, I just felt stupid! What is great is that they included a piece of wax paper to put between the two discs so no scratches!Disc 2 has all the extras most people love. Going through the promos for the movie there was a lot of skipping through the first promo of Ms. Dixit-Nene's Maar Dala. BUT I think that's because my XBOX has been giving me problems for weeks now. They promoted the heck out of this film but considering the budget they spent, they had to give it everything to recoup the cost, thankfully, it became a smash hit!Watching the premiere was fun for many reasons. Of course, the stargazing is always fun. Seeing Mr. Bahnsali cleaned up and in a western suit is a little shocking! (in a good way) He's still the Van Gough of Bollywood though with that touch of madness in genius. They show cuts of the scenes through it, which I wish they hadn't done, but also behind the scene shots are there and that's cool! What's amazing is how if you watch an interview with Mrs. Rai-Bachan today, and the interviews with Miss Rai then, you realize that she hasn't done anything differently! I wish I could stop reading people saying she's untalented and "fake". She has her work mode, like we all do. I didn't go to work and act exactly like I do in my home, whay should she? The good news is that almost all of the interviews are in English, but Mr. Bhansali does switch to Hindi twice, and another guest (I have no clue who he is) doesn't speak English.I have a love-hate relationship with "the making of" features, sometimes you need the illusion, sometimes it's AWESOME to peel back the mask of movie magic. First up, Mr. Khan is mixing his Hindi and English, but that's okay. Mrs. ARB and Ms. Dixit-Nene use English. Why this is I'm not sure, Mr. Khan speaks better English then most of my NY born-and-bread family. My verdict: They really didn't show any real "making" here, but the interviews were nice, especially what Ms. Dixit-Nene and Mrs. Rai-Bachchan said about working together, it's all very polite, and professional. I just wish we had seen some of the actual FILMING.Next up Cannes! Unless you know French Hindi and English at the same time you can't understand the interviews! UG! But everyone LOOKS AMAZING!After that is segments of "best scenes" from the principle cast. I haven't seen some of these movies so I can't vouch for if I think they should be there. I'm not sure why they're included here, but it's fun! But forget about subtitles.Finally, more previews I'll skip those...

Favorite movie of all time

DEVDAS is an exceptional Indian movie you will want to see more than once. The superlative dancing, brilliant acting, luxurious costumes and magnificent scenery all contribute to this film's greatness. If there could be one word that describes this movie, according to its creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali, that word would be `emotion'.The film is a tone piece, a sustained study of emotions from beginning to end. The male star is Shahrukh Khan - yes, the most famous & loved man on the planet, adored by literally millions. Nicknamed SRK, Shahrukh is the consummate skilled actor whose magic takes you inside his heart.In the 1950's film `Rebel Without a Cause' James Dean showed us the anti-John Wayne hero who cries openly, displaying feelings of loving tenderness. SRK has this same genius. It is as if both men wear their nerves outside their skin, giving the audience entry to feelings we normally suppress.From beginning to end, the film `Devdas' is thick with intense emotions. Childhood sweethearts are forced to separate through the usual deadly sin of pride. Devdas, the hero played by Shahrukh Khan, with a single minded determination then proceeds to drink himself to death, drowning his sorrows in alcohol - ever tormented by suffering pain and guilt, the loss of his one true love. Life's one chance of happiness, lost.As most of you may know, alcoholics are anything but heroic; they are selfish cruel children, hurting any and all who love them. SRK has said that his character is spineless, with a mean streak. Only within the realm of Shahrukh's unique imagination and superior creative talents, does Devdas' stumbling, surrounded by beauty and love, down into degradation and narcissistic death become art.The two women mega-stars in this film are so famous in India that they don't even bother to print their names on the DVD. Aishwarya Rai (Ash), a former Miss World, has an exotic, delicate kind of doe-eyed gazelle beauty that becomes more mysterious the more you look at her. She plays the childhood sweetheart who is forced into a loveless marriage for money and social status.However in my opinion, it is the courtesan Chandramukti, played by Madhuri Dixit, who steals the show. Hopelessly and unconditionally in love with the wounded Devdas, Chandramukti's dancing is the perfection of ritualized desire and eroticism. A more classical beauty, Madhuri Dixit is a highly accomplished dancer. Her magical performances of an improvised form of Bharata Natyam are mesmerizing, enticing, and out of this world dazzling.Classical Indian dance follows a strict form, but - like a raga - that form is meant to be improvised within and has absorbed many influences. There are many, many forms of Bharata Natyam and you will notice some modern stylistic elements in the 'Devdas' choreography - and the music.Bharata Natyam is a form of yoga and the dancer must be more than skilled at the gestures and postures, which are the realization of intense feelings. The dance is intended to not only make the dancer 'One' with the higher frequencies, but also to draw the audience up into those realms.India has always understood that creation is the manifestation of desire. Desire lies at the Heart of all things. Desire, passion, feelings of love, loss and separation drive each and every one of us. It is our capacity to FEEL that will bring us Home. The film `Devdas' is a reverie of both human and divine emotion, feeling, and desire. Indulge.V.Susan Ferguson