Bringing a bold concept and a fresh shift in the romantic drama genre, Anurag Kashyap surprised audiences with Dev.D back in 2009. When the filmmaker made the film, he wasn’t just trying to recreate a classic – he wanted to break it. As the Abhay Deol, Radhika Apte and Kalki Koechlin starrer gears up for a re-release on April 24 in select theatres, the director opened up about what inspired him to create this version.
Speaking to Times of India, Anurag Kashyap said, “When we made Dev.D, it came from a place of rebellion. I wanted to strip away the poetry and confront the contradictions, the very human mess beneath a protagonist (Devdas) who had long been romanticised.”
Unlike earlier any other versions, Dev.D bought up a flawed and uncomfortable hero. To which Kashyap highlighted, “This Dev isn’t a romantic hero. He’s entitled, impulsive, and often deeply unlikable. His self-destruction isn’t noble; it’s reckless and painfully real.”
Further he spoke abut how female characters were redefined. “Paro… has agency, desire, and anger; she chooses; she resists. And Chanda… isn’t defined by sacrifice but by survival and reinvention.” And this shift made the film stand out and helped it gain a cult following over the years, which has a different set of audience admiring Anurag’s filmmaking style.
For Kalki Keochlin, the film was a learning experience. Kashyap’s then wife, Kalki recalled how nervous she was about her Hindi and how she practiced everyday. At the same time, she said not knowing much about filmmaking helped her stay natural in front of the camera. Adding on, Abhay Deol also spoke about how people initially thought the idea was “too arty”. He remembered narrating it as a simple love story to Kashyap, who later got hooked on the concept.
Kashyap believes Dev.D is meant for the big screen and he said, “To see Dev.D return to the big screen feels special… I am curious to see how the new generation responds to it.”
With music by Amit Trivedi and strong visuals, the film still holds its space in modern cinema.
Dev.D was never just a remake, it was a rethink. As it returns to theatres, it brings back a story that challenged ideas and still feels relevant today.
