देवदास

One of my favourite films from the Indian cinema, the story beautifully adapted and assembled by Bimal Roy and his expert studio. It hasn't got the colour, scope and audio/visual technical panache of the 2002 version, but more importantly to me has better framing, acting, music and above all else, atmosphere.

Today's highly paid film critics in all media would probably ignore Devdas and other similar musical films as being populist and therefore unworthy of their high-brow attention. Well, it's their loss! What we have is an extremely well crafted film, complemented with S.D. Burman's scintillating music woven perfectly into the plot. Not that it matters, the first time I watched Devdas in the mid '90's I thought that Vyjayanthimala as the prostitute Chandramukhi bore an uncanny resemblance to Kate Winslet! Dilip Kumar's finest screen moments bar Mughal-E-Azam are here too, and although he didn't have a whole range of emotions to portray his performance was intense and utterly believable. Don't let supposedly erudite Western sneering put you off all Indian or Bollywood films and rub your nose in the baking mud with Pather Panchali - this one is also a world classic.

To watch this epic of thwarted and then forbidden love and one man's inner turmoil brought on first by social custom and then the bottle is always ultimately rewarding to me, but be warned - the long journey is poetically, relentlessly and devastatingly depressing.

I have seen this movie and no doubt it is a master piece of Dilip Kumar's acting. The respect for him in both co-stars really impressed me.I think no one can act like as he has done in that film in this kind of script.I have heard that Shahrukh Khan is also playing a role of Devdas in Sanjay Leela's new movie but I do not think he can act so well. Dilip Kumar got the Film Fare Award of Best Actor for year 1955. The script of this movie was very sad and I have never seen this type of script in any other movie. The script was actually taken from a novel. I have given 10 marks to this movie. The acting of other cast was also very impressive. The music was also excellent.

This film was just excellent on all counts, be it direction, cinematography, acting or music. A classic produced and directed by Bimal Roy. And what performances ! Motilal, Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala and Suchitra Sen, all excelled. And what a musical score ! Talat Mahmood's "Mitwa, lagi re yeh kaisi" and "Kisko khabar thi, kisko yakeen tha, aise bhi din aayenge" are among his best numbers. So are Lata Mangeshkar's "Jise tu qabool karle", "O' jaane wale, ruk ja koi dam" and "Ab aage teri marzi" are excellent numbers. Two other songs, "Woh na aayenge palat kar, chahe lakh ham bulaayen", sung by Mubarak Begum and "Manzil ki chaah mein" are haunting songs.

Saratchandra Chatterji's novel under the brilliant direction of Bimal Roy becomes india's finest cinema of all times.Equally brilliant is Hrishikesh Mukherji's editing. Dilip Kumar and Suchitra Sen take film acting to new heights in their portrayal of Devdas and Paro.

I first saw this movie in 1970 and have to this day never forgotten the haunting and beautifully tuned climax.Many years later the recent Shah Rukh blockbuster came to view which to my mind defamed the essence and spirit of the tale.Bimal Roy's dignified classic took one to the root of the matter.It is hard to imagine a film with so much realism.I have never seen an actor so deeply immersed in the character he's playing like Dilip Kumar and to bring that piece of fiction to life.Suchitra Sen embodies her role beautifully but Vyjantimala is simply superb.The other parts are skillfully played; an attribute to sound casting.The photography and music like in all Bimal Roy films are an accolade to nature.Forget about the lavish Khan extravaganza and see Devdas as it really should be : a man who gives up all even his life for his bitterment but still evokes admiration from the world.I had seen the Bengali Uttam Kumar in some films and it is my regret he never played this role but Dilip Kumar will never be bettered.I felt he was totally lost in the character!!!