DEVDAS

Whose Devdas was it?
Such questions are being asked in papers,magazines and chatshows these days and we are all searching for the answers in Sharatchand Chatterjees novel,Dalip kumars devdas and now in the latest extravaganza of Leela Bhansali. We have however,avoided some more relevant questions like who is devdas, whom does he represent or in fact,what is devdas?
Devdas is no longer a character from a novel or just a hero in a movie.He has come out of these and has broken the boundaries of social classes and the norms of society.He may be a jobless slum dweller smitten by the luv of the dark,sharp-featured,thinly-clad girl of the neighbouring hutment or a rich megastar in love with an universal beauty.Devdas is an emotion,a phenomenon,-may be a loser or a winner,but is love personified. Time has immortalised devdas as an expression of silent ,unexpressed love
Then, why such a loud expression of this silent love in the recent megastarrer movie costing over 50 crores?Do we need to heap Paro with tonnes of gold to highlight her helpness,or dress Chandramukhi in outfits costing 15lakhs each to bring out the sensuality or support of a nauchgirl for a jilted suffering lover ? Will the dazzling sets correctly portray the sadness in the eyes of devdas or the darkness in his life ?The viewer will probably get lost in the sets,costumes,choreography and the cinematography and miss Devdas totally.He is likely to miss the forest for the trees and Devdas may go unnoticed and unrecognised
Bhansali has succeeded in making a grand entertainer but i doubt if he has succeeded in portraying the complexity of his simple love or the strength of his weakness

Sanjay Kapoor