Review of Devdas (2002) by Chris C — 16 Nov 2018

Devdas is a 2002 Hindi film based on Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. The film is set in the early 1900s and centers around two childhood friends and neighbors, Devdas (played by Shah Rukh Khan) and Paro (played by Aishwarya Rai). Devdas has just returned from studying abroad to become a lawyer and upon his return, discovers that his childhood love for Paro is still alive and mutual. However, conflict erupts between Devdas and Paro's families at the prospect of marriage due their class difference. Paro is quickly married to a man much older than her and much wealthier than Devdas' family. Meanwhile, Devdas, in his despair, flees his home to live in a brothel where one of the courtesans, Chandramukhi, falls in love with him.

Devdas is a tragic romance told in a beautiful setting. The film features stunning visuals, incredible songs and choreography, and a gripping plot. From the beginning, Devdas and Paro's relationship is condemned, disrupting the moral universe of the film. As Rosie Thomas says, "It is a predictably uncomfortable moment of Hindi cinema: the moral universe is grossly violated and the disorder is apparently unresolvable" (Thomas 157). In this case, this moment of discomfort is extended throughout the film. Even though there are clear romantic feelings between Devdas and Paro, the universe has been disrupted in such a way that their true love can never come to fruition. Devdas reminds me, in that way, of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak because both movie plots are driven by a strong, mutual love that cannot exist within the confines of the movie. This tragic, condemned romance is both my favorite and least favorite aspect of the movie, as the viewer knows that Devdas and Paro will never be able to come together but will still spend the entire movie wishing that they could.