Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/20/stories/2009022050660400.htm
Devdas (1955)
| Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala, Motilal |
It was essentially Bimal Roy’s exceptional direction that earned the movie its rave reviews.
Melancholy reigns supreme in “Devdas”, a heartrending story of a lover committed to self-destruction, a story penned by a legendary writer and given the shape of an all-time classic by a master filmmaker. The timeless Saratchandra Chatterjee novel has been treated impeccably by Bimal Roy in this 1955 movie starring Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala and Motilal, a film that grows on you and ultimately leaves you devastated by the tragic end of the protagonist.
“Devdas” is a moving tale that revolves around three characters: Devdas (Dilip Kumar) and Paro (Suchitra Sen) are childhood sweethearts who grow up in a village. Their association assumes the form of love when they become adults but Devdas faces opposition from his father, who rejects their marriage proposal. Paro is married to a man twice her age with a grown up son and daughter while Devdas is packed off to Kolkata where he takes to drinking and comes into contact with Chunni Babu (Motilal), who introduces him to Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala), a dancer with a kind heart.
The dancer falls in love with Devdas, who is by now an incorrigible alcoholic, unaware of a reformed Chandramukhi’s feelings. The drinking drives him to death, the end coming at the door of Paro’s mansion. Devdas and Paro fail to meet and in that sombre moment the writer succeeds in evoking sympathy for the tragic hero, so brilliantly portrayed by Dilip Kumar. He was at his best in the film.
seeped in sorrow
“Devdas” was Bimal Roy’s tribute to a story seeped in sorrow, a most sensitive narration of a man who drinks himself into oblivion. Having worked as cameraman for the K.L. Saigal starrer “Devdas” in 1935, Bimal Roy waited 20 years to stamp his class on one of the most mournful stories ever. You feel it when Talat Mahmood renders the soulful “Mitwaa laagi re ye kaisi anbujh aag” and “Kis ko khabar thi kis ko yaqin tha aise bhi din aayenge.”
Dilip Kumar reportedly read the novel a few times before coming to terms with the character and is said to have taken a while to come out of the role, so stunningly enacted that it fetched him the Filmfare Award for best actor. Vyjayanthimala went on record to say that this was the role that actually launched her film career, transforming her from an acknowledged classical dancer into a respected actor.
It was Suchitra Sen’s debut in a Hindi movie and she left a lasting impression with her controlled performance, her beauty leaving the audience in a trance. The three main actors were so sincere to their job and given Bimal Roy’s abilities as a director of rare quality, they were bound to give memorable performances. This was a film that also features the great Pran in his tiniest role – a ten-second appearance at Chandramukhi’s kotha.
The movie fared reasonably at the box office even as it earned Bimal Roy the Filmfare Award for best direction, apart from supporting role honours for Motilal and Vyjayanthimala. It was essentially Bimal Roy’s exceptional direction that earned the movie its rave reviews.
There are some unforgettable landmark scenes that only Bimal Roy and Dilip Kumar could have produced. “Kaun kambakht hai jo bardaasht karne ke liya peeta hai, mai to peeta hoon ki bas saans le sakoon,” Dilip Kumar captures the drunken stupor of Devdas like none could have. And then towards a depressing climax when he mumbles to the cart driver on way to Manikpur, “Arre bhai ye raasta kya kabhi khatam nahi hoga,” desperate to meet Paro before his last breath, Dilip Kumar leaves the audience in tears. You may silently find yourself praying the cart flies to Manikpur.
The spellbinding cinematic effort is heightened by S.D. Burman’s music and a young Sahir Ludhianvi’s enduring poetry, a rich variety so beautifully documented in the Manna Dey-Geeta Dutt bhajan “Aan milo aan milo shyaam sanvare ... aan milo”, a Lata Mangeshkar solo “Jise tu kabu kar le vo sadaa kahaan se laun” and the unforgettable Mubarak Begum number, “Woh na aayenge palat kar unhen laakh hum bulaayen.”
“Devdas”, the one by Bimal Roy, alone brings alive the Saratchandra Chatterjee story, thanks to a combination of artistes who signify the essence of pure cinema.
Meticulous master
Joy Bimal Roy.
Joy was born the year “Devdas” was released and he was ten when he lost his illustrious father but the movie has remained close to his heart. “Baba never spoke to me specifically about the movie but over the years I gathered a lot. It was a great movie no doubt,” says Joy Bimal Roy.
“Baba was obsessed with making ‘Devdas’. There was no compelling reason for him to make ‘Devdas’. He had assisted in the making of the K.L. Saigal starrer and always wanted to make his own Devdas. My baba was a man of literature. Most of his works, notably ‘Devdas’, ‘Parineeta’ and ‘Biraj Bahu’, were based on literature. And he always remained faithful to the novels,” remembers Joy.
There was an exception though and Joy is quick to point it out. “It was an artistic liberty that he took in ‘Devdas’. The scene where Paro and Chandramukhi cross each other’s path, not a word is spoken as they look at each other. The background music makes it a memorable scene as it features Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala together for the only time in the movie, even if for a fleeting moment. In the story they never meet though.”
In Joy’s views, “Devdas” encountered some casting problems. “Minor problems but what a cast it turned out to be. No one but Motilal could have played the role of Chunni Babu. I also remember the movie for its fantastic audio details. Baba was very meticulous. I remember Baba draping a dhoti for Balraj Sahni during the making of ‘Do Bigha Zameen’. He was a perfectionist to the core.” Joy recalls, “Dilip Kumar went on record later to say that his problem was to ensure what not to do than what to do. In fact, so immersed was he in the role that he had to see an analyst to come out of it. Those were the days. People were so sincere.”
VIJAY LOKAPALLY
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