Devdas

FYI: I rented this from Amazon Instant Video. Devdas... This is one of those movies made and remade so many times that you can love one and hate the other, or love them all. For the record, this is the first time I've seen any version of Devdas but I'd like to see others it's the type story that is open to so many different variations that whichever artist decides to try and capture it on film you'll always see something new. One this is sure, it's exactly the type of story that Sanjay Leela Bhansali the Van Gough of Bollywood could never resist telling in his own way. And his way is lavish beyond the scale of Versailles and Arabian Nights combined. Neither Marie Antoinette nor Scheherazade ever lived in such splendor. Mr. Bhansali makes it his life's work to put the most exquisite images on to film that will make your eyes hurt. But more on that later, first let's go through the "who's who" and how they did... Devdas: Our title character (not hero) is played by Sharukh Khan AKA: King Khan there's no question that over his twenty year career that his movies make money and this is one of his most famous, critically acclaimed, and profitable films. I think he does very well bringing Mr. Bhansali's version of Dev to life. He's charming, funny, a bit wicked, and as Mr. Khan said, "He has a nasty streak." Mr. Khan does all of this, but it isn't my favorite performance that he's done. I much prefer him in Swades - We The People (2004) (Shahrukh Khan / Hindi Film / Bollywood Movie / Indian Cinema DVD) , Chakde! India , JAB TAK HAI JAAN - 3 DISC SET COLLECTERS EDITION HINDI DVD FULLY BOXED AND SEALED DIRECT FROM MANAFACTURER WITH ENGLISH/ ARABIC SUBTITLES AND OVER 4 HRS OF SPECIAL FEATURES , and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi . For me, Mr. Khan's mannerisms became too repetitive at points, which can create a lack of depth with Dev. Then again, Dev is a weak man who lacks a depth of will here. So he got it right for Mr. Leela Bhansali's vision. As I mentioned, Devdas isn't a hero, he isn't noble, there's nothing really admirable about him either. Still, due to Mr. Khan's inherent likability and charisma you don't lose compassion for him. I wanted to give him a good shake and ask him what he thought drinking himself to death would accomplish; but unlike most self-centered, immature, spoiled brats, Dev never loses the quality that makes him lovable. It's just too bad that he wasn't capable of loving in a healthy way, because in his single minded pursuit of self-destruction the women in his life get swallowed in the undertow. Pavarti, AKA Paro: Played by the glorious Aishwarya Rai, is the soul of the film. I know most people reserve that distinction for Ms. Dixit, but I can't see it that way. Paro knows Dev better than anyone, even better than Dev himself in this version of the story. I'm more than willing to concede that the character of Chandramukhi might be much stronger in other versions of the film and in the book itself, but I haven't seen or read them yet. In this version, Paro is the wisest in the triangle. Before Dev even steps on the screen we see the depth of her love for him in the form of a curiously unique lamp. (I'd love to know how they dealt with making a permanent flame, it didn't look like a computer generated graphic) The musical number, "Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka" is breathtaking in it's beauty and next to "Udi" in Guzaarish (English Subtitles) my favorite dance of Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's in a movie. But that's not all, you can chalk such sentiments up to a young girl in the throws of infatuation. What's telling is how she reacts to Dev's fits of temper and his careless words. As much as she loves him, she won't let him step on her, and she's not blind to his faults. Also, it's poor Paro who takes the most risks to be true to the love she has for Dev. Even when they're separated all she wants is for Dev to live a good life, but knowing Dev as well as she does, she's resigned to his stubbornness. All she can ask is that Chandramukhi do the best she can to give Dev some relief in his self-imposed hell. For me the character of Paro goes through the most changes. She's certainly not perfect, she's proud and vain (although she comes by both honestly). But unlike Dev, she knows how to forgive and how to sacrifice. She's also fundamentally decent and kind, along with Chandramukhi portray the strength and nobility of the typical 'Bollywood hero' roles. Through the film she progresses from innocent young girl wide-eyed with the flush of first love, to mature matron who remains steadfast to the man she gave her heart too, even in the face of ultimate tragedy. Now about Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's performance... I won't lie, she was showed to the best advantage in every frame. It's no secret that Mr. Bhansali has an incredibly intense possessive streak and considers her his muse. He once even said in an interview that "nobody else understands her, or her beauty like I do." Rumor even has it that he's even called lovely Deepika Padukone the star of his upcoming movie "Ram Leela" 'Ash' while filming. It's telling about the way Mr. Bhansali feels about his favorite actress. It must take a lot to live up to such adoration and bring that vision to the screen, I wouldn't ever want to be in that position. The pressure would send me to the loony bin. Fortunately, Mrs. Rai-Bachchan is made of much sterner stuff. Even with the favoritism that is blatantly on display here, and all the insane pressure that comes with it, she never uses it to her advantage and upstages her fellow actors. As always, it's Mrs. Rai-Bachchan's poise, grace, and sincerity, make her performance shine. But perhaps a bigger challenge than living up to Mr. Bhansali's vision, and Mr. Khan's intense charisma, was dancing with who many consider to be India's Goddess of Dance, Madhuri Dixit. This is where I admit I am not knowledgeable about Indian classical dance forms. Apart from reading a few articles, and watching videos and of course films, I have no clue about the technical aspects. Here's what I do know, Bollywood mixes classical dance forms with other folk dances, and at times when the movie is modern, western forms as well. I know that Ms. Dixit-Nene is a trained Kathak dancer and considered one of the best in her field. Mrs. Rai-Bachchan is trained in Bharatanatyam which is an entirely different discipline altogether. So not only did "Dola Re Dola" bring together two women with entirely different body types, but with two completely different styles. I tell you all this because I can't say either woman is the superior dancer, I can only say what I liked better. I liked Mrs. Rai-Bachchan, but it has nothing to do with whose more talented and everything to do with a subjective preference for style. When Mrs. Rai-Bachchan dances she's like a leaf and the music is the wind. She lets it take her along and her feet seem to barely touch the ground. There's a special energy in her movements that I prefer over Ms. Dixit-Nene's more earthy sensuality. Just remember art is completely subjective to the eye of the beholder. It's entirely possible my ignorance shapes my perception. One thing's for sure, nobody can say Mrs. Rai-Bachchan didn't hold her own and not be completely blind. But even if she didn't her exquisite grace is put on full and mesmerizing display in "Morey Piya" she doesn't even need to dance. If Paro is the soul of Devdas, Chandramukhi can be called the heart. Chandramukhi: Played by Madhuri Dixit is the most popular, and celebrated courtesan in the city. One look at Dev and she impulsively falls "head over heels" even though he offers her nothing but contempt and scorn when sober. I think that for me personally, the weakest thing about this movie is that Chandramukhi falls in love so quickly before Dev turns completely to his doom and he's just plain nasty. We never really know why. Then again, since when does the heart need a reason to do anything. What begins as lust, turns into a hopeless, cycle of giving while Dev proceeds to torture her with his love for Paro and his distain for her profession. Occasionally, he'll slip and offer a kind word here and there but even at the end when he realizes all that Chandramukhi is willing to be for him, he can't accept it wholeheartedly. In the end at least Chandramukhi is spared the devastation of Devdas' final act of self-destruction. It's the one unselfish thing Dev does. For above everything else Chandramukhi is a survivor, the tragedies of life don't consume her, they make her stronger. Madhuri Dixit-Nene... she's an icon in India, even referred to as the "female Amitabh Bachchan" I'm not kidding! Now, I think she's lovely, a talented actress, and a truly great dancer, but the "female Bachchan"? Not for me. To me, the very best of the best actors (which Mr. AB Sr. surely is) makes me forget not only their celebrity, but also any other previous role I've seen them in. Now granted, I haven't seen many films of Ms. Dixit-Nene, but she doesn't do that for me. Like Mr. Khan in his younger days, her mannerisms are repetitive, and while she has wonderfully expressive face and eyes, she just doesn't disappear into the skin of her character for me. That said, she's miles beyond today's top actresses even some of my favorites like Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Ms. Dixit-Nene might be a legend in her country and I know she worked hard, but I'll never see her on an equal level as Mr. Bachchan. Some people think that she stole the entire movie from Mr. Khan and Ms. Rai (as she was then) but I don't agree. She did a fine job but the supporting cast did equally well so let's talk about that. Let's start with the character who sets in motion the tragedy. Kamud: Played by Ananya Khare, is a she-wolf in a human body. Boy oh boy the viciousness and potent venom that oozes out of this woman is incredible. If anyone comes close to taking a scene away from Sharuhk Khan, (aside from Kajol) it's her. Out of the dozen tiny roles in this epic hers is definitely the strongest. The one tiny discrepancy in her arc is that we learn she's just conceived her first child in the beginning of the movie but there's absolutely no progress on that score as the time passes. Since it's made a very big deal of at first, there's a giant loose end in the narrative. Still, the actress could have stolen the entire movie had the role been a larger one. Kalibabu: Played by, Milind Gunaji joins the villainy as Paro's step-son-in-law. He's just as vicious as his female counterpart and just as morally bankrupt. A client of Chandramukhi, he turns his lecherous eyes on Paro, from there the bad gets worse. Mr. Gunaji brings the evil well and I hope to see more of him. Now there are the pre-requisite legends that nearly every Bollywood film like to throw in there and make the audience go "oooh"! Chunibabu: Played by, Jackie Shroff. I have to admit this sort of surprised me a bit because back in the day Mr. Shroff was HUGE. And his character isn't all that defined here. He's the person to introduce Dev to the concept of killing emotional pain with vice, but he fades in and out of the story and when he's there it's always for the scenes of debauchery. It would have been nice to have a little more than hints of his own pain, and a more solid basis for his friendship with Dev than what we're given. I'm willing to bet that in other versions the character is given more substance but here it's definitely underused. A shame really, because Mr. Shroff had a few really good moments, and good chemistry with Ms. Dixit-Nene and Mr. Khan. Sumitra: Played by, Kiron Kher. Sumitra is Paro's mother and at first a staunch ally for a marriage between Dev and her daughter. Out of all the people hurt in this tragedy I think the worst injustice was done to her. Sumitra might have been a bit unrefined and loud, but there was such sincerity in her that I can't understand how anyone could be so deliberately cruel to her. My only complaint is that she just fades away into the tale with no proper exit. Kiron Kher, is one of those ladies who always makes a huge impact on screen. Here she plays her role with all the gusto of a lead soprano in a big Italian Opera. It's fitting because both the plot and the way the story is told has all the necessities for a huge Italian Opera. Her performance of "Morey Piya" is outstanding! Proof that you don't need youth and a slender body to exude passion and sensuality, you need conviction, and great music. For me it's one of the highlights of the movie. Kaushalya: Played by, Smita Jaykar. Devdas' mother. While it's she who strikes the first open blow in this war of love she's not so much a villain as she is a fool. Her snobbery, and her gullible nature allow the she-wolf daughter-in-law to twist and manipulate events that cost her, her son for good. I didn't hate her, because her situation ends up sad, but I didn't feel sorry for her either. Unlike most of the other supporting cast the narrative has a clean break with Dev's family, so no loose ends flying around there. Smita Jaykar, plays a lot of Indian Ma's. This is one of the bad ones, but if you want to see her in a really funny, and sweet role try Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya it's so cute. Devdas' father and Paro's husband are appropriately stiff and hypocritical. But personally I think Vijay Crishna, who plays Dev's father looks a little too young. Okay major players done with and the verdict is this movie doesn't belong to any of them. It belongs to Mr. Bhansali. He's one of those directors that just infuses a movie to such an extent that at times the story and the actors become afterthoughts to the images he puts up on screen. Sometimes that's a strength and sometimes that's a weakness. In this film there are times when the lavish display is vital, like the "Dola Re Dola" number and times when it's just too distracting to what is happening in the scene. The mantra of the entire look of the film is excess, perhaps it's because Dev's so determined to kill himself through it, but a tad bit of restraint might have saved me from sensory overload. It could have been something simple, like less makeup for the women, or perhaps a more neutral palette for some scenes just to give the eye a rest so the audience can focus better on the emotions and the actors. As I mentioned in the beginning, Mr. Bhansali has a genius for creating images on film so beautiful your eyes will hurt. There is not a single visually unpleasing frame in this film, but beauty should not come before the story. I do agree with some people that it did get to be too much at points. Mr. Bhansali once said that the worst thing a person ever said about him was that, "he didn't know how to make a film." Whoever said that must be very narrow-minded in his taste, because nothing can be further from the truth. Is this a perfect film? No, I haven't seen a truly perfect film yet, because humans aren't capable of true perfection. But this film is a masterpiece of it's kind in it's own right. It's an Indian Opera in all the passionate grandeur and tragedy that comes with it. Mr. Bhansali accomplished his vision and I loved watching it. So yes, if you love movies you should see this at least once, even if you decide you don't like it, you'll have spent three hours inside the imagination of a brilliant filmmaker, and that's always a treat. Will I buy it? More than likely when I can afford to spend some mad money. UPDATE: I've since bought the two-disc DVD set so I wanted to add my thoughts on it for other customers (even if any do not find it 'helpful') The DVD with the film is very good quality, although it would have been nice if eventually they'd re-master it in HD. The images are so gorgeous that they deserve the best. The main menu isn't the best, you can't really see when your choice is highlighted. The most annoying thing is that you can't skip the Eros ads or the previews. But this is also a good thing so that you know that this isn't a cheap bootleg copy, well the movie isn't expensive but you know what I mean. Be careful when you open the DVD box. I did it wrong the first time and it tore a bit. Not bad enough to be an issue, I just felt stupid! What is great is that they included a piece of wax paper to put between the two discs so no scratches! Disc 2 has all the extras most people love. Going through the promos for the movie there was a lot of skipping through the first promo of Ms. Dixit-Nene's Maar Dala. BUT I think that's because my XBOX has been giving me problems for weeks now. They promoted the heck out of this film but considering the budget they spent, they had to give it everything to recoup the cost, thankfully, it became a smash hit! Watching the premiere was fun for many reasons. Of course, the stargazing is always fun. Seeing Mr. Bahnsali cleaned up and in a western suit is a little shocking! (in a good way) He's still the Van Gough of Bollywood though with that touch of madness in genius. They show cuts of the scenes through it, which I wish they hadn't done, but also behind the scene shots are there and that's cool! What's amazing is how if you watch an interview with Mrs. Rai-Bachan today, and the interviews with Miss Rai then, you realize that she hasn't done anything differently! I wish I could stop reading people saying she's untalented and "fake". She has her work mode, like we all do. I didn't go to work and act exactly like I do in my home, whay should she? The good news is that almost all of the interviews are in English, but Mr. Bhansali does switch to Hindi twice, and another guest (I have no clue who he is) doesn't speak English. I have a love-hate relationship with "the making of" features, sometimes you need the illusion, sometimes it's AWESOME to peel back the mask of movie magic. First up, Mr. Khan is mixing his Hindi and English, but that's okay. Mrs. ARB and Ms. Dixit-Nene use English. Why this is I'm not sure, Mr. Khan speaks better English then most of my NY born-and-bread family. My verdict: They really didn't show any real "making" here, but the interviews were nice, especially what Ms. Dixit-Nene and Mrs. Rai-Bachchan said about working together, it's all very polite, and professional. I just wish we had seen some of the actual FILMING. Next up Cannes! Unless you know French Hindi and English at the same time you can't understand the interviews! UG! But everyone LOOKS AMAZING! After that is segments of "best scenes" from the principle cast. I haven't seen some of these movies so I can't vouch for if I think they should be there. I'm not sure why they're included here, but it's fun! But forget about subtitles. Finally, more previews I'll skip those...

DEVDAS is an exceptional Indian movie you will want to see more than once. The superlative dancing, brilliant acting, luxurious costumes and magnificent scenery all contribute to this film's greatness. If there could be one word that describes this movie, according to its creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali, that word would be `emotion'. The film is a tone piece, a sustained study of emotions from beginning to end. The male star is Shahrukh Khan - yes, the most famous & loved man on the planet, adored by literally millions. Nicknamed SRK, Shahrukh is the consummate skilled actor whose magic takes you inside his heart. In the 1950's film `Rebel Without a Cause' James Dean showed us the anti-John Wayne hero who cries openly, displaying feelings of loving tenderness. SRK has this same genius. It is as if both men wear their nerves outside their skin, giving the audience entry to feelings we normally suppress. From beginning to end, the film `Devdas' is thick with intense emotions. Childhood sweethearts are forced to separate through the usual deadly sin of pride. Devdas, the hero played by Shahrukh Khan, with a single minded determination then proceeds to drink himself to death, drowning his sorrows in alcohol - ever tormented by suffering pain and guilt, the loss of his one true love. Life's one chance of happiness, lost. As most of you may know, alcoholics are anything but heroic; they are selfish cruel children, hurting any and all who love them. SRK has said that his character is spineless, with a mean streak. Only within the realm of Shahrukh's unique imagination and superior creative talents, does Devdas' stumbling, surrounded by beauty and love, down into degradation and narcissistic death become art. The two women mega-stars in this film are so famous in India that they don't even bother to print their names on the DVD. Aishwarya Rai (Ash), a former Miss World, has an exotic, delicate kind of doe-eyed gazelle beauty that becomes more mysterious the more you look at her. She plays the childhood sweetheart who is forced into a loveless marriage for money and social status. However in my opinion, it is the courtesan Chandramukti, played by Madhuri Dixit, who steals the show. Hopelessly and unconditionally in love with the wounded Devdas, Chandramukti's dancing is the perfection of ritualized desire and eroticism. A more classical beauty, Madhuri Dixit is a highly accomplished dancer. Her magical performances of an improvised form of Bharata Natyam are mesmerizing, enticing, and out of this world dazzling. Classical Indian dance follows a strict form, but - like a raga - that form is meant to be improvised within and has absorbed many influences. There are many, many forms of Bharata Natyam and you will notice some modern stylistic elements in the 'Devdas' choreography - and the music. Bharata Natyam is a form of yoga and the dancer must be more than skilled at the gestures and postures, which are the realization of intense feelings. The dance is intended to not only make the dancer 'One' with the higher frequencies, but also to draw the audience up into those realms. India has always understood that creation is the manifestation of desire. Desire lies at the Heart of all things. Desire, passion, feelings of love, loss and separation drive each and every one of us. It is our capacity to FEEL that will bring us Home. The film `Devdas' is a reverie of both human and divine emotion, feeling, and desire. Indulge. V.Susan Ferguson

I really enjoyed watching this movie on Amazon. "Devdas" is one of my all-time favorite INDIA/PAKISTAN or INDIAN/HINDU movie, even tho it's Bengali movie. I watched it serveral times and no matter how many times; I still want to watch it again and again. SHUH RUKH KHAN is the one who caused me to fall in love with Indian movies, Ashriya Rai was awesome as well and so was Madhuri Dixit. I first watched and loved "Jodha Akbar" with Hrithik Roshan and Ashriya Rai; also later the movie "Black" with Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. Then I saw "DEVDAS" Oh my word. Shahrukh Khan "is" the king of Indian movies nowadays, I think Amitabh Bachchan was the King before him when he was younger, he still is a good actor. "SRK" is so talentive, he can make you feel like you're living in the movie. I later became a fan of Indian movies and came to love many actors and highly commend them all on their hard work to give fans true acting enjoyment. Also most of their movies are clean to an extent they don't show explicit sex scenes least not in the movies I watch. Only complaint I have about their movies is their faith/religion what they belief are about their gods is astonishing, the India people have too many gods. Pakistans are muslim and believes in Allah (1) god, and no idols far as I know. Even, so I love the fact that they are spiritual people and have a spiritual conscious for the most part; but they have the wrong ideas on who God is. I also love the fact they share a loving culture for the most part and consider everyone like a family member. I learned a lot about them thru their movies, even how to speak some of their language. At any case I would recommend this movie to anyone who is an adult I mean. If you are a man who don't like it when a man shows his inner feelings and cries this movie is not for you. (A note for the men) But if you not afraid of showing your feeling and emotions, and accepts who you are then GOOD! go for it, be brave and watch it. It's EXCELLENT MOVIE - SUPERB in fact. Years old and still running strong. Oh "WQAT" with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar is great too, tear jerker. I can keep on listing them on and on..lol. Well that my review and I truly hope everyone who is interested will watch it and will enjoy being part of the movie. Best to all Amazoners, peace I am out. :)

I recently watch Dil to Pagal Hai which was a great film. I really enjoyed an actress I had never seen before, Madhuri Dixit. I really enjoyed her acting style. I felt she made the movie. I decided to look her up more to only find she was a mega star in India. I wanted to learn more about her. I watched an interview on You Tube she did in 2007 I believe and she mentioned this film. I had only seen people rate the movie as excellent and it was a love story (no surprise with SRK in it) but that was it. I was totally shocked at this movie and how it turned out. I mean genuinely surprised. I was totally unprepared! The acting and plot and just the raw emotion of it was unreal. You have only to have been in love that was lost to truly understand. I see why this movie had great reviews and awards. Madhuri and SRK were excellent and Aishwaryas Rai acting improved greatly. The dancing and the dialogue was just real. I hope they honored the book this is based off of. I also read this is the 3rd remake. I think the 2nd one was a hit too in the 50s. I highly recommend this film. It reminded me of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and DDLJ combined. Both of those movies are definitely worth watching as well.

I watched a cheap copy of the movie after a trip to India, and also after learning that the beautiful Aishwarya is in the movie. The story, cast and especially the set is totally out of this world, not to mention the wonderful discovery of amazing Madhuri Dixit. The movie definitely make one appreciate Bollywood even if one has never seen Bollywood movies before. The two scenes (Maar Dala & Kaahe Chhed Mohe) where Madhuri danced as a courtesan is dream like and never cease to impress even after repeated viewing. The quality of the cheap copy from the local Indian shop is of poor quality, so when it came on Free to Air, I watched the entire movie again and it was of excellent quality. That's when I decided to purchase the 2 Disks DVD set from Amazon. The brand new copy, although it is labeled EROS International, the media is only a DVD5 (4.35GB) and also a DVD-R copy. The DVD label is printed on a sticker (slight bubbled) and not on the DVD itself, and the quality of the transfer is only slightly better than the one I watched from the local Indian shop. This is a shame because for such a beautifully made movie, one expects it to be presented in DVD quality, not VCD quality. To be able to see the compression artifact during dance movements and on Madhuri's beautiful eye and facial expressions is annoying to say the least. I wondered if the movie was made using film in 2002, if ever a digital remastered version of the movie in DVD or Bluray is available, I will buy another copy without hesitation.

Loved this movie

Accidentally marked my earlier Review as Kids Review - so I can't edit it. I examined the Discs on my PC and THEY ARE BOTH 4.7 Gig Discs [same as store bought basic discs] At least THE MOVIE DISC SHOULD HAVE BEEN 9 GIGS in size to match what all movie companies are delivering This is like viewing a bootleg - detail loss - the Bonus disc looks better If you have the time view Madhuri Dixit's dancing on both Discs ================================= Really Great intro to BollyWood though recently made. The Reason Why? the Music is very incorporated into the story and events - celebrations, drinking weddings, etc. the most noticeable are 2 "seduction" scenes. BUT!!!!!!!! This should have been spanned across 2 DVD's not "compressed onto one. Some streaming web video looks better. [Like HULU on DSL] The costumes, sets, scenes, dancing, cinematography etc all 'artifact, glitch city' due to squeezing an extra hour on to a DVD - I didn't check if this was a 9 gig or 4.7 gig DVD. There was detail loss, color shifts, jumping characters. Yet, amazingly enough lipsynch wasn't lost [No Britney Spears flubs] and the dance and music was in synch - during some dance numbers you see some brief flashing. There is also a 3 Disc set - avoid this - it is one English - One Hindi Disc - plus the Bonus disc here. Malhudri Dixit - does her own Singing - one of the few who does. Other than this occasional near web quality video - this is the film to introduce a Newbie to BollyWood Also check WikiPedia for more info on this and any BollyWood Title. PS: Devdas was made 8 times previously - with a Modernized due this year 2009

This is just an ok movie. It won't make my top ten list of Bollywood films. It has some good things- the sets are opulent, the clothes are gorgeous, the acting was very good. I got it because I have become a fan of Ashryan Khan and he doesn't disappoint. The dancing is an old fashion style, not the hip hop style dancing in most modern holly films. To me they are mostly borng ad are the songs. I also thought the plot is predictable, the emotions are overwrought and everything is melodramatic. If you want a better movie see Billu.

Malgré une jolie musique, Des chorégraphies superbes et des décors d'un goût douteux , le film est surjoué , absolument fatigant . Excepté le passage de la courtisane dans ce duo superbement chorégraphié . Le cinéma indien mérite mieux que cette mayonnaise indigeste qui malheureusement est plus connue que certaines perles vues finalement par peu de monde

I bought this dvd because I am a big fan of Aishwarya Rai, and really appreciate the intensity she puts into all her performances. The sets, costumes, dance enactments and story all add to a great movie experience. I had already seen this on the big screen, but bought it to see over and over again.

C'est mon premier "bollywood" et je dois dire que je n'ai pas été déçue. Je viens de passer 3 heures d'émerveillement complet. Oui, l'histoire est triste, mais le film n'engendre pas la déprime, loin de là. Les couleurs, les décors, les chants, les danses, tout est spectacle, dans des décors de rêve. On est transporté dans un autre univers et on en sort transformé. Il est intéressant de remarquer aussi les degrés de lectures superposés que permet cette oeuvre. Il y a le spectacle pur, il y a une histoire mélodramatique, mais il y a aussi une réflexion sur la place de la femme dans la société indienne (et pas seulement indienne, d'ailleurs), sur la place des prostituées, sur la responsabilité des hommes... Oui, il y a matière à réfléchir, une fois qu'on s'est laisser transporter sur ce tapis magique, avec ces acteurs merveilleux. Mon premier "bollywood", donc, et certainement pas le dernier...

Immagine di scarsa qualità e il più importante i sottotitoli in inglese mancano...intero film in hindi...peccato ...specialmente perché nella descrizione del prodotto era specificato che il film è subrtitrato in inglese..altrimenti Non lo avrei acquistato

Devdas is a timeless classic adaptation of the famous Bengali novel by Sharat Chattopadhyay. This film is the third adaptation Sanjay Leela Bhansali truly has created a beautiful film. First the story plot. The story revolves around childhood friends Paro acted by Aishwarya Rai and Devdas played by Shahrukh Khan. The beginning of the film starts of with devdas returning to India from England after nine years, his whole family anticipating his return with big excitement. Paro has lit a lamp nine years ago which represents Devdas, a tale that if a lamp is lit, then eventually the traveller will return home. Devdas returns and the love between him and Paro kindles. However, family grudges, pitiful social norms and pride will destroy everything.The acting by Bollywood actors and acctresses is amazing. Aishwarya Rai truly shines in this film as Paro and personally I feel this is her best performance. Shuhrukh Khan plays the Devdas outstanding and Madhuri Dixit turn her minor role to a major one. The film has the most amazing sets, the colours, vividness etc is breathtaking. The culture of Hindu and India is prominant and exhilirating. The music is perfect. The film will make you laugh, smile, get up and dance 'Re Dole Re Dole'and cry. The only minor flaw is the running time. the film is 3 hours long. However, every second is worthwhile. Watch and cherish this unforgettable masterpiece of love, betrayal and tragedy.