Devdas, the son of a wealthy landlord, has always shared a special
bond of friendship with his childhood companion, Paro. But class status
and the caste system have always come between their neighbouring families.
Unable
to comprehend his son's continual mischief, landlord Mukerjee sends
the young Devdas to London for his studies.
The
film begins with a sense of great anticipation as a sophisticated
Devdas comes home after ten glorious years in London.
He meets Paro who has grown into a beautiful woman. Their friendship
is rekindled and turns into love.
The
twist comes when Paro's mother, Sumitra, wants the youngsters to
marry but is publicly humiliated by Devdas' mother Kaushalya .
An
angry Sumitra vows to marry her daughter to a man far superior in
status and wealth and condemns Devdas to a life without love.
Meanwhile,
Paro tries to explain her plight to Devdas but he advises her that
it is better they go their separate ways in order to save the honour
of their respective families.
He soon realises his mistake but it is too late to undo the damage
... a decision he regrets for the rest of his life.
A distraught Devdas leaves home and seeks refuge with a friend,
Chunni Babu, who introduces him to the beautiful courtesan Chandramukhi.
She
finally finds the love that she has been searching for in Devdas,
but it is not enough to save him. For Devdas, only love of his unreachable
Paro keeps him alive. He remains intoxicated with alcohol in order
to forget her.
Finally
the day comes when Devdas senses his last moments are near. His
yearning to see Paro intensifies. He fights for a few extra moments
and reaches her doorstep.
But even as the gates of Paro's mansion remain closed, the gates
of heaven open for Devdas. He never sees the next morning. But Paro
does. Yet for her the sun never shines again. Her 'diya' loses its
light forever ...
The musical score by Ismail Darbar is a real treat. It's also a
feast for the eyes too as it comes alive onto the silver screen
in the form of the Indian classical dance call 'bharatnatyam'.
The
highlight of the film is the mesmerising 'Dola Re Dola' number which
is sure to be appreciated by the audience. But 'Hamesha Tumko Chaha'
which sees a wedded Paro leaving her family home for the last time
is sure to bring a lump to the throat.
On
the technical front - lavish sets, colourful costumes and brilliant
cinematography coupled with unusual camera movements hold the attention
till the very last frame.
Performances
by the three main actors are first rate. Shah Rukh excels as Devdas,
Aishwarya Rai gracefully portrays the elegance of Paro, whilst Madhuri
sizzles with glamour personified as the devoted Chandramukhi.
Having
already reached number five in the UK Top Ten in its opening week,
this Indian masterpiece will remain etched in the minds of both
Asian and English moviegoers for a long time to come.
Reviewed By: Manish
Gajjar
麻豆官网首页入口 Shropshire's Bollywood Specialist |
