Devdas (1955)

 ●  Hindi ● 2 hrs 39 mins

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This remake of Barua’s Devdas which Roy had shot in 1935 is dedicated to Barua and to K.L. Saigal. Roy’s version is presented as a formal/technical modernisation of the famous legend, allowing for an extensive use of deep focus and the naturalist underacting of both Dilip Kumar and Motilal, the latter in the role of the corrupting sidekick, Chunni Babu. Paro is played by the Bengali star S. Sen, and Vyjayanthimala is the prostitute Chandramukhi, each bringing with them the connotations accumulated in their respective generic star images. The new approach provides a more resonant historical background to a story usually focused almost exclusively on Devdas’s psychological obsessions. In the famous train sequences when Devdas runs away from himself, eventually to die at Paro’s doorstep, Roy’s version conveys the sense of a savagely tragic journey through an Indian nation determined to rule out the possibility of the hero finding happiness.

Cast: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala Bali

Crew: Bimal Roy (Director), Kamal Bose (Director of Photography), Sachin Dev Burman (Music Director)

Rating: U (India)

Genres: Drama, Musical, Romance

Release Dates: 01 Jan 1955 (India)

Hindi Name: देवदास

Did you know? In 2005, the movie was ranked by Indiatimes Movies amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. It was also ranked at Number 2 on University of Iowa's List of Top 10 Bollywood Films by Corey K. Creekmur. Read More
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as Devdas
as Chandramukhi
as Chandramukhi's patron
as Teacher
Supporting Actor
as Street singer
as Dharamdas
as Chandramukhi's patron
as Devdas' mom
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
as Parvati

Direction

Director

Production

Producer
Production Company
Production Supervisor

Writers

Screenplay Writer
Story Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Editorial

Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Black & White
Sound Mix:
Mono
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No
Trivia:
The film is based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel of the same name.

Bimal Roy had wanted Meena Kumari to play Paro, but her husband Kamal Amrohi laid down certain conditions which Bimal Roy did not agree with.

Nargis was offered the role of Chandramukhi but refused as she wanted the lead role of Paro. Bina Rai and Suraiya also turned down the role. As the last option, the team finally chose rising superstar Vyjayanthimala to play Chandramukhi.

In 2005, the movie was ranked by Indiatimes Movies amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. It was also ranked at Number 2 on University of Iowa's List of Top 10 Bollywood Films by Corey K. Creekmur.