What is that, that brought Devdas back to India from London? The love for the girl he used to play when he was 10? Come on. It is damn difficult for you even to remember who you played with as a kid, and that too at a time when you are surrounded by thousands of British hotties. What is that, that forced Devdas to go in the path of self destruction? Is it the love for the girl he romanced for a month or so? And what did he do, apart from being a mere spectator watching his beloved getting married, because the families don't approve the alliance? If you tell this story to a today's teenager, he will laugh in disbelief.

Today's youth values Lust more than Love. Sex matters more than Platonic love. 'Fuck Plato and his love,' they say while turning the pages of Playboy magazine.

Dev D is today's Devdas. He talks dirty to Paro every night and books the ticket to home when he sees her nude picture. He wears his heart in his sleeves, drinks coke with Vodka, but doesn't approve of promiscuity on the part of Paro. He severs his relationship with her and turns to Vodka instead. Chanda is the same girl who you saw in that controversial MMS. And now she is an established porn star giving refuge to our inebriated Dev.

For those who dismiss this movie for its sexually explicit content, I presume they are more hypocrite than conservative. Not a single scene can be termed as arousing. Yes, there are lot of allusion to sex, but that is more suggestive than stimulating.

Dev D is a bold statement. A movie that shows the contemporary mindset. No. I am not saying it's an everyman's movie. But, it is an entirely believable tale of today. Story is about self discovery than of love. And regarding, Saratchandra turning in his grave....let him be. What he wrote hundred years back is no more relevant today. Today's Paro doesn't hesitate go down a guy's pants and Chunni Babu doesn't talk in rhymes.

I have not seen many Anurag Kashyap's directions apart from Black Friday. But must say, his brilliance is visible from the treatment of this subject matter. He didn't have any great actors to ease his job. So he just employed kaleidoscopic colours and songs to narrate his thoughts. As per the music department, I'd say probably the best collection of songs in recent times. Amazing melange of folk and western. Listen to Payaliaa and Saali Khushi. And, of course The Emosonal Atyaachar.

(originally posted @ weirdo-on-movies.blogspot.com)