Devdas gets a political twist in modern India
The new poster of Daas Dev, Sudhir Mishra’s reverse take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s cult classic Devdas, makes a strong statement.
The film, set against the fiercely political backdrop of Uttar Pradesh, tells a tale of lust for power and how it obstructs love. The film stars Rahul Bhat as Dev, Richa Chadha as Paro and Aditi Rao Hydari as Chandni. Besides the talented lead cast, the film features power-packed performances by actor Saurabh Shukla in one of the most complex roles of his career, along with Vipin Sharma, Dalip Tahil, Deep Raj Rana, Anil Sharma and Sohaila Kapoor. Anurag Kashyap and Vineet Singh will also be seen in special appearances.
Speaking about how he chose his actors, Mishra says, “I don’t have heroes in my films, I have actors. I saw Dev in Rahul when I watched him in another film, and his vulnerability spoke to me. Richa’s fiercely independent persona made her perfect for my Paro. She reserves the right to do wrong in order to do right, and stands up to Dev at every point. Chandni is a very real person who is a stooge of the political forces — she is a money handler, fixer, and manipulator but with one fatal flaw — her love for Dev. While writing this character the only person I could think of was Aditi.”
Shukla plays the main antagonist in Daas Dev, and according to Mishra, he effectively characterises this very complex role to perfection. “Daas Dev to me is the coming together of powerful actors performing at their optimum, to create a world that resonates with the current state of the country. The music of the film complements them,” he adds.
The film, presented by Gaurav Sharma Of Storm Pictures and produced by Sanjeev Kumar of Saptarishi Cinevision, will release worldwide on March 23.