Bollywood meets Quentin Tarantino in this edgy, sexy, visually stimulating Hindi film, Dev D.
This Indian film has taken Bollywood, a genre that can be considered "cheesy" and "corny" (in the opinion of many Westerners) and made it into a slick, modern, sensual movie experience in what The Times of India called a "brilliant breakthrough for Bollywood". The performances are also exquisite, with lead actor Abhay Deol's performance receiving praise from Hindi megastar Sharukh Khan and American actor Matt Damon.
Dev D tells the story of a spoiled and stubborn young man Dev, (played by Deol) and his pursuit of love. We follow this young man through the loss of his childhood sweetheart and into the arms of a misunderstood prostitute. Through Dev's attitudes and actions, the film calls into question the Hindi male vision of how a woman should conduct herself sexually, exposing the extreme judgement that is placed on Hindi women and their sexual behavior.
Along with the controversial subject matter, the film received widespread acclaim mostly due to its fearless visual style, experimental soundtrack and the innovative narrative structure which included dividing the script into chapters, as in the films of Quentin Tarantino.
This video is of the song O Pardesi in which Dev has discovered that his childhood sweetheart has married another, and falls into the refuge of drugs and alcohol. The camera shots, the lighting, the speed manipulation, the dancing - all reflect the impressive visual style of this breakthrough film.
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