Movie Review: Dev
Director: Govind Nihalani 
Govind Nihalani, who is known for purposeful film with artistic quality, has come out with documentary like film on darker side of our society. He has dealt with the subject of the law and order situation and how the politicians neglect the ordinary citizen of India. Nihalani has not attempted to tell you the story in an entertaining manner. He has opted for dark, grim, and serious kind of film. The problem, however with the film is that it deals with a subject that is quite familiar to Bollywood. We have seen number of films dealing with the darker side of our police and political systems. One would expect that Nihalani might have given a new dimension through his unique approach. Unfortunately DEV's content and form are quite repetitive and familiar. Let's look at the storyline: Dev [Amitabh Bachchan] and Tej's [Om Puri] are both Police officers and close friends. Farhan [Fardeen Khan] unexpectedly becomes the dividing factor between them. The story presents the current disturbing atmosphere. Innocent lives become pray for political aspirations. Farhan unknowingly sets off the spark of terrorist violence under the guidance of the corrupt politician Latif [Ehsaan Khan]. The violence spreads like fire and get hold of the whole city. Tej goes beyond the boundaries of law in his pursuit to eradicate the dangerous crime. The dramatic events put Dev and Tej against each other and both of them are in no mood to give up the fight. Meanwhile, Dev and Farhan come together due to circumstances. The causes for which they work may be different but they admire each other for the courage and integrity. Nihalani has created the script with intensity but there are certain problematic areas in the film. The depiction of The Hindu-Muslim riots, the planting of a bomb outside a mandir, and burning of a Muslim locality with the police acting as mute spectators has been realistic and well shot. But these powerful scenes might well dig the past and open up the wounds. It might serve against the very purpose of the director who sincerely wants to voice against any kind of violence.
Another predicament with the film is that it's too realistic. The mass violence, the burnt bodies, women being gang-raped... all this are really too hard to digest. While we must applaud the authenticity with which Nihalani has presented them, we must also say that he has given overdose of brutal reality. Another factor that turns out to be a negative point for the film is that Bollywood has witnessed number of films in the same genre. KHAKEE, AB TAK 56, POLICE FORCE and AAN . . . all are in some way or the other deals with the realities of a cop. One of the strong points of DEV is some amazing performances its leading stars. Amitabh Bachchan wonderfully fits in to the role and delivers an unbelievable performance. The veteran has stolen the show amidst a host of stars. Memorable performance. Om Puri is another wonder. His role has some negative shades ad he handles it with amazing ease. The combination of Nihalani and Puri always works and Dev is no exception. Fardeen Khan is a revelation. He has enacted the difficult role brilliantly. He makes his mark in front of the two veterans is a proof that the youngster has emerged a fine actor. Kareena Kapoor impresses in a role that sans glamour. She has proved that she could make he presence felt even without indulging in skin show. Rati Agnihotri, Amrish Puri, and Ehsaan Khan have done their respective roles well. Technically, the film gives a rich experience. Being an outstanding veteran in terms of filmmaking, Nihalani has ensured a visual treat. His execution of scenes is excellent. The music [Aadesh Shrivastava] is quite okay and the placement of the songs is apt. Cinematography [Govind Nihalani] is brillient. Action scenes [Jai Singh] are awesome. DEV is a hard-core realistic venture with undiluted intensity. The absence of entertainment value and the lack of novelty in the theme leave the film with limited scope. The connoisseurs of meaningful cinema might like the fair but the masses would definitely find it difficult to identify with the film.
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Producer: Entertainment One & Applause and Udbhav
Dreamzone,
Moreover, the film pace of the film is too sluggish that the
audience feels bored. The intellectual conversations between
Amitabh and Om Puri will get few takers.
