From Dev Babu to Dev D

Devdas is the Indian euphemism for 'loser and goner'. A story of immense pathos, bordering on tragedy, the original story set in the 1900's by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee has been a staple screenplay down the ages from the 'I cant hear you" (silent) era right down to the "iCan so iPod" times.

It had enough fodder and magnetism to be directed thrice (!!!) by the same person -PC Barua. Wikipedia has some other nuggets like this. The Dilip Kumar version is widely regarded as the 'definitive' Devdas, while the recent Sanjay Leela Bhansali-Shahrukh Khan version has been the most extravagant and commercial successful.

...which is why DEV D by Anurag Kashyap, starring Abhay Deol, has a unique advantage of "no baggage", since it aspired to be neither as definitive nor as commercially successful as the other 2 aforementioned versions.
...which is why positioning it in Delhi suddenly makes the story uber-new, instead of the badlands of Bengal and the 'kothas' of UP.
...which is why DEV D packs a punch all the more, with its 'updated' internet age storyline involving Promiscuity, Pornography and Psychedelia all of which are right-in-your face. (Pardon the P's . Remanent of 'Puh' se pareshaani, 'Puh' se pyaar aur 'Puh' se Paaro, from the previous avatar).

Some visuals are striking, especially the 'I-can-drink-more-than-you-think-I-can-drink' sequences featuring Dev and Chunni. Right down the alley of A Requiem for a Dream, one of my favorite movies. And the 3 clubhouse dancers who show up in random scenes- see if you can figure out why. Besides this, Anurag has cleverly inserted Devdas visual references in the movie- SRK's Devdas through a poster and a song (Maar daala), watched by his Chandramukhi, and a tribute to Madhuri Dixit (Main madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon, anyone?) though 2 of her songs, Maar daala and Ek do teen.

Chunni Babu- a pimp plus thug but with the same Sarat Chandra character's heart of gold in the end, Chandramukhi- "CSW- commercial sex worker...Rundee is outdated" - a prostitute with a sordid past, and a high-on- estrogen Paaro display enough acting skills to make the re-visioning believable.Where the SRK starrer had gems like "Pehli nazar mein dil chura gaye, hum samjhe thei unhe butth, woh dhadkan suna gaye" (Chandramukhi's first meeting with Devdas), our new age Chandramukhi sees Dev D and says "kya hua?" or something like it. Chunni's character has some redemption with dialogue- "Dilli mein billi maaro, billi khaalo lekin billi mat paalo- mehenga pad jayehga", in reference to lust for white skin and an allusion his own life, revealed towards the movie's end.

Deviations from the original story include a healed relationship with the father, sub plots for all principal characters, a less than bitchy family and of course the story's end. Delhi's Paharganj serves well as the pimp alley, and the Delhi fascination towards alcohol and its resultant idiosyncracies- secure-as-a-fort wine shops doing business from behind grilles, and the ever resourceful Badarpur border as the last hope for booze, food etc on a late night, make their presence felt silently, while the BMW hit-and-run case and the DPS MMS scandal serve as cinematic fodder for the screenplay.

My only complaint: Although the binge drinking session at the pub is reeeaally well shot, there are no other scenes or even realisms that leave an impression of the alcohol+cocaine consuming madness of Dev D (his eyes don't turn red or become baggy,neither does he dehyderate with all that drinking)- the original storyline has many. No crisp attitude-filled dialogue either, though this Devdas is more strung out than all his predecessors.Albeit there are some really corny and some guffaw-worthy ones like the "London jaake tera taste kharab ho gaya hai" one.

Worth a dekko in a good theatre; or if you prefer cat calls and whistles then go to a not-so-good theatre. Abhay Deol is very good in his 'what the hell am i doing with my life, can i have it back please? role as Dev. My candidate and vote for matching up to The Joker played by the late Heath Ledger in Dark Knight.
Worth having a personal copy if you are interested in offbeat Indian Cinema. Not all cover versions match up to the original song, but there are some which fade the original into obscurity.