Devdas (1955) - Dir. Bimal Roy

This write-up is a part of a number of film introductions I did on Bimal Roy's films that were shown as a part of a web event.

If I had to name just one Indian novel that seems to have fascinated generations of Indian artists and filmmakers, it is Sarat Chandra’s Devdas

A few words about Devdas before we go on to discussing Bimal Roy’s adaptation:

Devdas (Bengali: দেবদাস, Debdash; Hindi: देवदास, Devdās) (also called Debdas) (1917) is a Bengali Romance novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay when he was only seventeen years of age. In many ways, it parallels the Krishna, Radha, and Meera myths, the relationships between its three protagonists – Devdas, Parvati, and Chandramukhi. – Wikipedia

Now, Sarat Chandra (1876-1938) essentially wrote romantic pulp fiction in the period of 1915 to 1935 and was hugely popular in his days. His books may not be literary masterpieces but they did capture that period of contemporary Brahmo Samaj social renaissance Bengal rather well and had a sense of drama that perhaps fascinated many artists, especially filmmakers. It is interesting to note that Sarat was very dismissive of his most popular novel which he considered to be an immature effort with deplorable characters.

Till date Devdas has seen countless adaptations on screen and Bimal Roy was associated with the first significant one which was P.C Barua’s Devdas (1935). As I mentioned in the Roy intro thread, he was the cameraman on this film which became extremely popular for its songs and the actor K.L Saigal who played the lead protagonist as well as sung all his songs, became a legend. This adaptation is significant because Roy has dedicated his adaptation to the memory of the late P.C. Barua in the film credits. Those who might have seen Barua’s version will also notice that Roy also uses some of the plot points of the screenplay of the old version which was also mostly faithful to the novel.
Bimal Roy makes one major change in his screenplay which is that he starts his film when Devdas and Parvati (Paro) are kids growing up together just like in the novel. There are moments which will remind people of Pather Panchali and it is strange that both films were released in the same year. If the kids in Pather are fascinated by the train, Devdas and Paro are fascinated with nature, especially the Bulbul bird which acts as a constant comfort in their lives. Roy was a man close to his roots and nature always played a significant role in his films. Devdas who as a child sings songs for the Bulbul, grows up to hunt them and even in his most desolate moments, the bird remains a reminder of the carefree innocence of the past.

The Krishna, Radha, Meera connection is stronger in this screenplay. For those who are unaware of Hindu mythology, it is perhaps worthwhile reading a little about these three. This connection is established in the second song where the minstrels sing for the child Parvati just after Devdas has left for Kolkata.
Roy was brilliant at conveying poetic images on screen and the first significant one is the way he travels forward in time as Paro grows up from child into a beautiful young woman. The waves created in the lake by the pot act as metaphors for the waves of time and the lotus bud blossoms into a flower with Raag Bahar playing in the background.

The children have now grown up and the childhood friendship has blossomed into love. The first meeting of the grown up Devdas and Paro is a great scene showing the coyness of Parvati as well as the discomfort of Devdas.

At this point, it is significant to discuss the character of Parvati. Her character is at the crossroads of the old and the new age Indian woman. We see her as a dutiful but self-respecting woman who expects her man to give her the same respect that she gives him. So on one hand we see several scenes where she touches Devdas’ feet and hopes to serve him as his wife and in others we see her standing for her feminist values. This strange dichotomy is significant to understand some of the cultural background in this film as well as the sympathy that Sarat as well as Roy had for the emancipation of women.

The reason for the discord between Devdas and Paro is very important to understand and so we will come to the scene at the lake. Parvati has received a letter from Devdas saying that he perhaps doesn’t love her and that he would not be able to disobey his parents who are against them getting married as they belong to different castes. Parvati’s ego is hurt and even when Devdas apologizes to her for his naivety she refuses to forgive him. There is a moment of violence between the two where Devdas delivers a blow on Parvati’s forehead. This is perhaps one of the greatest love scenes I have ever seen on film because although there is violence in the act, it actually conveys the intense love between them.

After this significant scene, both Devdas and Parvati embark on a journey of self-destruction. Parvati gets married to a much older male, playing mother to boys and girls of her own age whereas Devdas will slowly and steadily kill himself by becoming an alcoholic. At this point enters the third significant character which is the courtesan Chandramukhi.

The relationship of Chandramukhi to Devdas is a strange one. Devdas hates her and her kind and refuses to speak to her until he is sloshed. Chandramukhi on the other hand is attracted towards Devdas’ honesty and naivety. He, unlike her other patrons, never comes to her to get physical pleasure and that perhaps makes an impression on her. She wants to serve him and hopes for the day when Devdas will stop hating her. Devdas will never really love Chandramukhi but he develops respect for her as the movie progresses. He is bewildered (as are we) that a naïve like him is loved by two beautiful women who are so different, yet so similar. They will seek him and try to restore his derailed life right until the end.

But Devdas has stubbornly set out on a journey of self-destruction even though he has family support and loved ones to care of him. There is no point asking why Devdas refuses to come out of this spiral of destruction. It is almost as if he is destined to punish himself for his naivety and weakness. He is that way a weak minded deplorable defeatist but still we do end up sympathizing with him maybe because we see our weaknesses in him.

A special mention of the actors who play the lead roles in this film. All three are brilliant and have immortalized their roles with their minimalist performances especially Dilip Kumar who plays Devdas. It is impossible to imagine how difficult it must have been for Dilip to step into the shoes of K.L Saigal whose life and death had almost echoed his character in Barua’s Devdas, making him a legend. The fact that Dilip Kumar overcame this humungous challenge and perhaps delivered a textbook performance for method acting is one of the great artistic achievements in the annals of Indian cinema. The cinematography by Kamal Bose once again has moments of sheer brilliance which I am sure viewers will appreciate.

This film is fairly lengthy and I hope people would have the patience to sit through it. I believe Devdas is immensely rewarding if perhaps a little inconsistent but I hope people will be able to appreciate the poetic’s of this beautiful film that celebrates an immortal story of love and destruction.