Dev.D
Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Starring: Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill
Cinematography: Rajeev Ravi
Available on Netflix
Dev.D is a classic example of how unique a film can become by proper usage of setting. This story has been adapted and made into films like Devdas, Dev.D and Arjun Reddy (loosely based) - all three films are so different from each other in spite of the same story and the only reason being that, the setting is well established in each of these films. Anurag Kashyap's films always have a strong sense of setting because of the way he shoots them with his DOP Rajeev Ravi, by going into real locations. Rajeev Ravi is a genius, for capturing locations in a way that establishes the setting very strongly - for example, Gangs of Wasseypur, Moothon and many more. The film looks like it has a lot of Wong Kar Wai influences, in terms of the use of music repetetively, for letting loose of the visuals and letting some abstraction flow into the editing.
Dividing the film into chapters to focus on the point of view of different characters is an interesting choice, I wonder if they did that in the script stage or on the edit table. Chanda's MMS scandal story is more like a backstory according to the core story of the film, it doesn't directly add to the original Devdas story - but it definitely adds to the setting and the tone of the film and this is what makes it a different film than the other adaptations. AK says that he doesn't write stories from his own experiences - he interprets stories using them and here he has something more to say than what we'd know from the story. Although in Dev.D, Vikramaditya Motwane wrote a screenplay, because he knew Devdas in and out and AK adapted Vikramaditya's screenplay into his own film, I'm guessing by using his phrase 'Fuck the script' during the shoot.
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