For me, it was a choice between Tiger
Returns, Gachchi and Deva Ek Atrangi… hard decision. Reviews for Tiger were average,
Deva were negative to average, Gachchi were tops. I was seriously unable to
decide; the pull of Salman was there – but my gut was telling me no; I went
with my gut. I went into customer reviews, detailed opinions, to arrive at my
decision… choosing between the two Marathi movies was a tough call to take. The
clincher was the customer reviews – which, unlike inTiger, were speaking of a
broad spectrum of cinametic ability in both Marathi movies. Again, it was the audience reviews that were
covering a broader cinematic view, doing the critic’s job!
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So it was with a mixed feeling that I
walked into the hall, acting only on my gut, and a deep between-the-lines
reading of customer reviews… I needn’t have worried. I was blown away, right from
the first few minutes. A very sensible story, logical, plausible, with a tremendous
feel-good component; superb cinametography, great script, and lovely, ideal
music to go with it. This movie was a complete package, deserving a place on my
blog, which documents only the movies I feel are very special.
Deva is the story of a writer, who
started from blogging and grew to being a writer. To some, that may seem
far-fetched; to me – this is not only plausible, but also completely logical
and realistic, as I am from the digital
field as well as an established blogger. Further, her genre was travelling,
which is one of the few monetizable segments in blogging in India. So, the base
concept is rock-solid. Her first book made her a celebrity; in hunting for ideas
for the next book – she comes to learn of Deva, Ek Atrangi.
She is in beautiful, scenic Konkan when
she becomes engaged in her hunt for this mystery man – and from here starts a
visual treat of awesome camerawork, as we are treated to some lovely scenic
beauty, nature in all its resplendent ethereal magic. You don’t need Switzerland
or Kashmir all the time – there are a multitude of treasure spots in India. It
requires an appreciation for beauty, art, nature, imagination, visualisation –
and a high caliber director and cinematographer. We had all of that in this lovely lovely treat
of a movie. A movie is more than special effects; it is about natural emotions,
humans, acting, music, camerawork and more.
It isn’t just camera stuff going on
here; that is just the backdrop to a very heart-warming and motivating story that
impresses you and leaves a deep impression. The overall story – that of the
happy go lucky Deva, an accomplished artist, philanthroper; a man who gives his all for society, a man
who lives for the people, not for self. A totally selfless human – or rather, a
genuine refreshingly honest and decent human being. Kudos for the characterization
of this main character.
This has been told in a unique and
lovely manner, which entertains and engages the viewer throughout. There isn’t an
idle moment in the entire movie. Deva’s story has been told through lovely
anecdotes, all by other people who come into his life one by one. This is a
fantastic approach that builds a solid and towering main protagonist in the
story – without overloading his screen time. In fact, Ankush Chaudhury’s screen
time was lesser than Tejaswini; his persona has been built up through a superlatively
crafted script – a work of near-genius.
Furthermore, the entire movie is built
around two lead protagonists – and none of them is Deva. The whole story has
been crafted and setup around Tejaswini Pandit and Spruha Joshi– who deliver
superb performances – they live the part every minute, fitting into their
respective roles to perfection. It was nice to see this approach, giving the
term “leading lady” a special meaning and importance. For sure we need more such
themes. The buildup achieved of Deva through them is near-mythical, surreal and
very, very deeply moving. And that is where Ankush Performance stands out : perfect!
He had to do just enough; not too much – not too little. Superb!
The music – there isn’t a needless
song anywhere. The songs are suited to the movie, and very melodious, especially
the number Tu Bhet Naa Re Roz Roz
Navyaane. They carry the movie along, not stagnate, which is a definite
plus. And if all of the above is so nice – it stands to reason that the
direction involved will have to be of a lovely and great quality, isn’t it? As
far as I am concerned, the ethereal beauty of the backgrounds, the performances
of the actors sealed the direction bit. Had even more actor, even the bit
parts, done too much, it would have spoiled it. Luckily, that didn’t happen. Overall,
rated 4.5 stars out of 5! Great job done, Team Deva Ek Atrangi!
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