Daas Dev, Review: Devspeare

Talking about the response generated by Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi at the International Film Festival of India, Goa, director Sudhir Mishra had told me that all praise was welcome, but he felt a great sense of fulfillment when internationally acclaimed directors had appreciated his efforts. Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi was liked by a lot of critics as well as a significant number of cineastes. For Sudhir’s sake, I hope that those he holds in esteem see merit in Daas Dev. This reviewer found little to match-up to Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi, of which it is a political successor. As standalone too, it goes around in concentric circles and then off on a tangent, before is tries a last ditch attempt to unravel the mess, in a classic case of too little too late.

Dedicated to the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare, Indian (Bengali) novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterji and Mishra’s own grand-father D.P. Mishra (a Chief Minister of the State of Uttar Pradesh, where his tale is set), the film also remembers actor Om Puri and director Kundan Shah, both of who were close to Mishra. From Shakespeare, Mishra borrows supreme betrayal, lust for power and the diminutive stature of man before destiny, mainly as seen in Hamlet. Sarat Chandra wrote the tragic love story DevDas in 1917, that has been made into cinema many times over the last 80 years. In the original, the doomed hero spurns a loving woman out of ego and then gets involved with a woman of easy virtue and takes to drink, only to realise that his first love was the one true love of his life. Mishra steals only the bare character graph of the three lead characters.

It is not possible to gauge what influences, if any, have emerged from the tales his father or grand-father told him about politics in UP, how much of the narrative is based on reading archival material and what percentage is pure fiction. Moreover, why has he chosen to juxtapose the triangular romance against hundreds of characters that the Shakespearean spread demands and the political landscape dictates is something we cannot be privy to.

We are taken to a political gathering in 1997, where Dev's father, a charismatic star politician and Chief Minister of the State, Vishambharnath Chauhan, declares that he will not let anybody take away the land-rights of the small farmers. Minutes later, he boards a helicopter and the chopper blows up just as it starts gaining height. Twenty years later, Dev Pratap Chauhan is now a drug addict, an alcoholic and a waster, in love with his childhood friend Paro, daughter of his late father's right hand man, who has been politically exiled by Dev's uncle. The uncle, Avdhesh, who is seriously ill, recovers and sinks, in alternation, play-acting half the time, literally living in a hospital.

Now the writing department of Mishra’s unit goes into over-drive. Dev is chased by loan sharks, who threaten to kill him. Shrikant Sahay, a fixer, gets the would-be killers killed. Unhappy at the treatment meted out to her father by his party, Dev’s childhood love Paro joins a rival political party and even marries somebody from that party, though she insists that she loves Dev. It is mentioned on several occasions that the land around the Chauhan estate, owned by some 750 farmers, is rich in bauxite, and Avdhesh plans to buy it off them for a pittance. Dev finds himself attracted to Chandni Mehra, the hottie who fixes everything on her phone, including stone-pelting at political rallies and contract killing.  Dev’s mother confesses to getting romantically involved with his uncle Avdhesh after her husband’s death. And the twist to end all twists—Vishambhar did not die an accidental death—he was killed. Daas Dev is expansively over-written.

Sudhir Mishra himself and Jaydeep Sarkar (Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, The Legend of Drona, Shaurya: It Takes Courage to Make Right... Right, Khoya Khoya Chand) have penned the screenplay, and Shubhra Chatterji is the associate screenplay writer. Trying to blend Chatterji, Shakespeare and modern-day politics, they end up doing justice to none. Hardly any character has any redeeming quality. That, in itself, could have led to some good cinema noire, had the characters been convincing and defined. There is one scene in which the wives and children, a good twenty plus individuals, of a fugitive, hide him under their feet, and the seekers leave, none the wiser about his whereabouts.

Some seven years ago, I was invited to lecture at a college in Pune, and found that the students were sitting in such a way that all the chairs were concentrated in one corner. With my decades of experience, I smelt a rat, and asked the students to stand up. Sure enough, I found two students, both drug addicts, zonked out, hidden by the chairs. So, no credit for originality! Tariq Naved Siddiqui (dialogue supervisor in Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand) has written the dialogue, which is largely functional.

Director Sudhir Mishra (Dharavi, Chameli, Khoya Khoya Chand) gives a double nod to fellow helmsman Anurag Kashyap. Firstly, he made a film called Daas Dev, a nod to Kashyap’s Dev D. Then, he cast Kashyap as the Chief Minister. As director, it was expected Mishra would expand the base he had established with Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi, also political love triangle, set in 1969, the birth of the Naxalite movement of extreme leftist politics. Instead, we have a meandering, convoluted tale, with so many characters that it is impossible to keep track. Moreover, each one has a back-story.

Richa Chadda (Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!, Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan) as Paro has a complex role that she tries hard to grapple with. Aditi Rao Hydari (Rockstar, Fitoor, Padmaavat) as Chandni is glamorous, sexy and slick. Rahul Bhat (Ugly, Fitoor, Jai Ganagajal) as Dev floats through from situation to Saurabh Shukla as the scheming uncle who spends a lot of time setting his wig is mainly shot in close-up and exudes characteristic intensity. Vineet Kumar Singh as Paro’s other suitor is wholly credible. Dalip Tahil is type-cast and a bit anglicised. Vipin Sharma is the man Paro gets married to, a strong but silent character. A pleasant surprise is Sohaila Kapur, sister of director Shekhar Kapur, as Dev’s mother. Anil George does justice to his role as Paro’s exiled father. Anurag Kashyap (Guest appearance) passes muster.

Cinematography by Sachin K. Krishn captures some good frames, like those from the lake, and the parties, with glasses in the foreground. Dass Dev has been edited by Archit Damodar Rastogi, who gives the film some good cuts and change-overs, but the proceedings are so spread out that we are looking at all of 140 minutes, at least 10 characters and 20 minutes too long. The corpse count, ambulances hurtling to and fro and patients getting in and out of hospitals is quite the norm.

Lastly, in a desperate attempt at justifying the title of the film, they have inserted a line of dialogue at the end. I found it unintentionally funny. Did you?

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqD26LI8ot