Devdas is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and produced by Bharat Shah under his banner, Mega Bollywood. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles, with Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, and Vijayendra Ghatge in supporting roles. Based on the Bengali-language 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the film narrates the story of Devdas Mukherjee (Khan), a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, Parvati "Paro" (Rai). However, the rejection of their marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration and him seeking refuge with the golden-hearted courtesan Chandramukhi (Dixit).
Bhansali was inspired to remake the novel into a film after reading it for a second time, and announced the project in November 1999. The screenplay was written by him and Prakash Ranjit Kapadia, who also wrote the dialogue. Nitin Chandrakant Desai built the sets between August 2000 and May 2001, spending . Along with Bhansali and other crews, he did extensive research on Calcuttan building design from the period of the British Raj. Principal photography was handled by Binod Pradhan from November 2000 to April 2002, taking place in Bikaner, Film City, and Filmistan. While Ismail Darbar and Birju Maharaj composed the soundtrack, Monty Sharma composed the background score.
Devdas is featured in Out of Competition section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2002 and was released worldwide on 12 July that year. It was the most expensive Indian film ever made at the time, with a budget of . The film received mixed reviews when it premiered at Cannes, but was better received when it was theatrically released. The film was a major commercial success and emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, earning approximately () worldwide. It won several accolades, including 5 awards at the 50th National Film Awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Female Playback Singer (Shreya Ghoshal for "Bairi Piya"). At the 48th Filmfare Awards, it won a record-setting 11 awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Bhansali), Best Actor (Khan), Best Actress (Rai) and Best Supporting Actress (Dixit). It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. Over the years the film has grown a cult following and considered an all time classic in Indian cinema.
Plot In the early 1900s, Kausalya Mukherjee prepares for the return of her son, Devdas, after a ten-year legal education in London. The news brings immense joy to their neighbor, Sumitra, whose daughter, Parvati "Paro," was Devdas's inseparable childhood companion. Before his departure, Paro had lit a ceremonial lamp, vowing never to let it extinguish until his return. Upon Devdas's arrival, their rekindled companionship quickly matures into a deep, reciprocal love. However, Kausalya strongly disapproves of the match due to social stratification, viewing Paro’s maternal lineage of nautch dancers and street performers as beneath their aristocratic zamindar status, a bias actively stoked by Devdas' manipulative sister-in-law, Kumud.
During a family celebration, Sumitra publicly proposes a matrimonial alliance between Devdas and Paro. Kausalya arrogantly rejects the offer, humiliating Sumitra by mocking her lower social standing. Seeking closure, Paro secretly meets Devdas at his estate, but they are discovered by Devdas' rigid father, Narayan, who inflicts further public disgrace upon her. Lacking the moral courage to defy his patriarchal household, an overwhelmed Devdas flees to Calcutta and sends a letter to Paro, callously urging her to forget him and claiming he never loved her. Heartbroken and betrayed, Paro agrees to an arranged marriage with Bhuvan Choudhry, a wealthy, aristocratic widower with three adult children.
Regretting his cowardice, Devdas returns to stop Paro's wedding, but she fiercely reprimands him for his abandonment and proceeds with the nuptials. Following her departure, Bhuvan candidly informs Paro that she was wed solely to preside over his vast estate, as his emotional devotion belongs entirely to his deceased first wife. Paro stoically accepts her domestic duties but remains emotionally tethered to Devdas. Meanwhile, an unmoored Devdas succumbs to an existential spiral of alcoholism. His companion, Chunnilal, introduces him to Chandramukhi, a glamorous and deeply empathetic courtesan. Chandramukhi falls profoundly in love with Devdas's tortured soul, transforming her kotha into his permanent sanctuary as his health deteriorates.
Family dynamics fracture further when Narayan dies, leaving Devdas completely estranged from his mother due to Kumud's ongoing machinations. Seeking to intervene, Paro confronts Chandramukhi over Devdas's terminal addiction but relents upon recognizing the courtesan's genuine, selfless devotion. Paro invites Chandramukhi to her estate's Durga Puja celebration, concealing her profession to protect her. However, Kalibabu, Bhuvan's vindictive son-in-law and a patron of Chandramukhi's brothel, exposes her identity. Chandramukhi courageously defends her dignity before leaving, but Kalibabu uses the incident to reveal Paro’s past romance with Devdas to Bhuvan, who responds by permanently confining Paro to the mansion.
Now suffering from terminal liver failure, a dying Devdas boards a train to fulfill a long-standing promise to see Paro one last time before he dies. He collapses outside the gates of her marital manor. Spotting him, Paro desperately sprints across the vast courtyard to reach him. Recognizing her, Bhuvan commands his guards to lock the compound. The massive iron gates slam shut just before Paro can cross the threshold. Trapped inside, Paro weeps in agony as a fading Devdas whispers her name and succumbs to his illness, causing her eternal childhood lamp to finally flicker out.
Cast
Production Development
Devdas is the third Hindi remake of the 1917 Bengali novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, following the 1936 and 1955 versions. The director Sanjay Leela Bhansali read the novel for a second time and decided to adapt it. When asked by a Times of India interviewer about why he based the film on the novel, he said that it was "the most widely read story", and added, "I thought it would be a fascinating challenge for me [...] to present already known and loved characters, in my very own way, with my perspective." He wanted to make this remake was "bigger, better and more spectacular than any classical movie made in Indian cinema". He explained how the novel Devdas has "a simple story [and] a soul which was so big", and confessed that he was motivated "to do justice to this, it had to be made with grandeur and opulence". He stated that it was his interpretation of the novel and "a tribute to a great story that transcends sexual love and makes emotion its hero."
Bhansali, who had wanted to make a film that has grandeur and grace, spoke of his love to the film "as much as Devdas loved his Paro. I have put more sincerity and passion into Devdas than my other two films [Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)] put together". He described the novel's main character, also named Devdas, as "the paradox of a man who was [...] like a child, utterly lovable", believing that it "exists in every male, especially every Indian male". In an interview with Man's World magazine, he found a resemblance between the character and his father, who directed the 1965 action film Lootera, starring Dara Singh. He saw Devdas "as a man who is so passionate about his love that it eventually consumes his entire being". He revealed that his father often narrates the novel's story to him, and he read it entirely for the first time at the age of 17. Furthermore, Bhansali claimed that he only altered the presentation style of the 1955 version by the director Bimal Roy, with retaining its essence.
The first news about Devdas appeared in an article written by Bhawana Somaaya for The Hindu in November 1999. It was produced (and financed) by the industrialist Bharat Shah under his production company, Mega Bollywood. The screenplay was written by Bhansali with Gujarati playwright and television series writer Prakash Ranjit Kapadia, who also wrote the dialogue. The distribution was handled by Eros International directly in India, the United Kingdom and the United States. In May 2002, after negotiations with companies such as Pathé and Fortissimo Films for world sales and Miramax Films for distribution rights in the United States and United Kingdom, Eros assigned Focus Features as the sales agent outside the United States and India, including the United Kingdom and France in collaboration with Eros. However, in November the same year, Eros reclaimed these rights from Focus after months of negotiations for them and planned to sell remaining rights at the MIFED () market; the companies had jointly handled sales in France, Switzerland, Greece, Australia and North Korea in the interim. Bhansali included several novelties on its plot, as he had a desire to make it different from its predecessors; for instance, in the novel, Devdas returns from his studies in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), while in the film's version, he is shown finishing his studies in London. In June 2000, the film faced controversy when another producer, K. Chopra, had registered a film with the same title. Bhansali, however, was able to successfully get the title.
Casting
Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit were cast as the lead actors. At the same time when the film's first report appeared, it was reported that Bhansali tried to offer Dixit the role of Chandramukhi, a part written specifically for her. She declined it because of her marriage to the cardiovascular surgeon Shriram Madhav Nene on 17 October 1999, but eventually accepted it in September 2000. She said of her excitement about the collaboration: "Working with Sanjay was a dream. He gives you a lot of scope and leeway with the role's interpretation. Since he has the whole film worked out in his mind, he is aware of the length of the scene. He knows exactly what he wants from each scene in order to keep the storyline crisp."
Devdas marked the third film between Khan and Rai, after the romantic films Josh (2000) and Mohabbatein (2000). The former features as Devdas, a Bachelor of Law student who later being an alcoholic, which was originally offered to Salman Khan. Bhansali approached him in February 2000, following the release of Khan's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000). Having watched his performances while assisting Vidhu Vinod Chopra in 1942: A Love Story (1994), Bhansali stated that he was "extremely happy" after Shah Rukh Khan accepted to star in the film. Meanwhile, the latter was given with the role of Paro, Devdas' childhood friend, the next month; this was the second collaboration between her and Bhansali, following Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She first heard the story of the novel when he narrated the film's script to her. Prior to her, several actresses were offered to play the role, including Kajol and Kareena Kapoor. Working with Bollywood well-known stars was a new experience for her, who was a newcomer at the time after debuted in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political film Iruvar (1997) and she said, "[...] so the fact that this was an opportunity to work with them on a big scale was one of the immediate attractions."