Although considered to be one of his weakest novels, ten films were adapted from this novel. The first one was in 1927 directed by Naresh Mitra, starring Phani Sarma as Devdas, Tarakbala as Paro. It started a trend and soon the film adaptations of the book were everywhere, even in regional languages like Tamil, Assamese etc.

 

But it was the version directed by Bimal Roy, starring Dilip Kumar as Devdas, Suchitra Sen as Paro and Vyjayantimala as Chandramukhi in 1955 that made it legendary. Haunting music, beautiful cinematography and wondrous editing made this film the stuff of legends and came to be known as one of the greatest Bollywood films of all time.

 

No other director dared to follow in the footsteps of Bimal Roy, until Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film starring Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit broke box office records and became an instant classic. Critics and audiences alike found the opulence presented in the film enthralling. Then, seven years later another adaptation crept into the Bollywood scene – Dev D.

 

Anurag Kashyap, instead of treading the tried and tested method of storytelling that made the other adaptations successful, completely revamped the storytelling and narrative structure of Indian films as a whole. Here is a comparative look at both films:

 

The film starring Shahrukh Khan, as the misanthrope who succumbs to alcoholism is a study in opulent set designs, colourful costumes and style. The setting of the film gets more importance than the characters themselves. And the narrative does not deviate from the story in any way. Paro is beautiful, Devdas can’t make up his mind and Chandramukhi spouts extremely sentimental lines about love and destiny.

 

Dev D, on the other hand, challenged all the rules of filmmaking. The director drags the setting into modern day India where the hero is a dynamic character who does drugs, alcohol and is not above asking his childhood sweetheart for sex. Kashyap re-imagined the characters of Paro and Chandramukhi to be young modern girls. In one sequence Paro actually goes off to seek Dev in order to have sex.

 

In complete contrast, the colours used in Dev D are psychedelic and kitschy. The cameraperson breaks the 30 degree rule constantly to cause disruptions in the viewing experience and makes it a bumpy ride.

 

Bhansali’s adaptation was about open opulent mansions and the landscapes are a fabricated world of opulence. Everything about the film is larger than life. However there are scenes in Dev D that are almost claustrophobic. There is no open space for the characters to breathe especially after the downfall of Dev. The harem which in Bhansali’s version is a beautiful mansion becomes a dirty and small building in Dev D.

 

A fresh new take on an old tale makes the film exciting both in terms of narrative and storytelling, makes Dev D an exciting case study into the evolution of Bollywood itself.