The novel 'Devdas' written by Saratchandra Chatterjee has forever fascinated Indian film-makers. The story has all the ingredients which a film-maker can utilize to create a magnum opus. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Dev.D is a tweaked version of this legendary novel.

Bimal Roy's Devdas and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas were the same in terms of the story but differed greatly in treatment. The story was seen and depicted differently by the two directors. Anurag Kashyap, who belongs to the bright new young brigade in Bollywood, a gang which is willing to experiment and truly do different stuff, gives Devdas a smashingly cool urban treatment.

The story has the structural frame of the old Devdas, but the building blocks are different. Devdas is Dev, a rich spoilt brat, a highly complex character, a nymphomaniac who asks his childhood love to send her nude pictures via web cam! Paro is a Jattini, not quite the gentle Paro we know from the previous two versions. This Paro is a real toughie. She is passionate, carries a mattress to the dense farms so that she can make love to her sweetheart Dev and runs around with sticks in her hand beating the crap out of guy trying to assassinate her character! Chandramukhi is 'Chanda', a young girl who becomes a prostitute after her own parents give up on her when she is caught in the web of an infamous MMS scandal.

The tweaked storyline might sound cheesy for many people but Dev.D does successfully and charmingly retain the major ingredients of the original story - of romance, jealousy, egotism, unrequited love, anguish, addiction and tragedy. The film is anything but melodramatic. The story is real in the truest sense of the word and what happens in the protagonists life could very well have happened to someone you know. Even if that is not the case, one has surely heard of true tales of men completely losing it and going down the drains after a heartburn.

The real highlight of Dev.D after the adapted storyline is the brilliance with which it has been shot. Right from the farms of Punjab to the dark creepy lanes of Paharganj in Delhi, Dev.D is a remarkable achievement in Cinematography! In fact, the film captures Delhi in a manner which no film so far has been able to. It is also superb on visuals and art direction. For instance, instead of the clichéd coughing-up-blood-on hand we have the sloshed Dev immersing his face in water and exhaling red bubbles of blood. Yes, that is creative film-making for you! What further supplements the screenplay is an insanely addictive soundtrack incorporated superbly into the storyline.

Dilip Kumar did it in the 1955, Shahrukh Khan did it 2002 and now Abhay Deol has done it by playing Dev.D in 2009. Abhay Deol's character is a highly complex character with many grey shades and it's not a role which you would think is suited to his good-guy-next-door image but he excels and prove his mettle once again. Here is one actor in the Industry who has consistently experimented and delivered the goods over a period of time, be it Socha Na THa, Ek Chaalis, Aahista Aahista or Oye Lucky. Abhay Deol just keeps raising the bar with every film.

The two newcomers who are the female leads are well cast in their respective roles. The beautiful and mesmerizing actress playing Paro is quite a show stealer. It's a performance which comes across as very natural. The other actress playing Chanda after the initial hiccups, settles into the role and ends up leaving a mark.

Dev.D is not by any means an absolutely flawless movie. It has its share of glitches. The major one being the lack of emotional connect with any of the characters, particularly with the character of Dev. But then I don't think it was the intention of the film makers to establish that connect in the first place.

Like Luck By Chance which released last week, Dev.D is again a movie which caters to a niche audience but shows the way forward for Hindi Cinema.