One hopes that this film is the last in the seemingly never-ending parade of South remakes. That such a contingency, post-Covid and post-OTT in particular, spells bad luck for even a good film has been proved again and again in the last two years. Among the major undeserving casualties are movies like Mili, Jersey, Sarfira and Vikram Vedha.
Shahid Kapoor, whose biggest solo hit to date is Kabir Singh, a pre-Covid blockbuster, probably wants to take another gamble after Jersey (2022). Crime is always considered an audience magnet. And the actor has been talking about bold choices and varied roles. Jerseywas a sports drama, after all.
But it truly remains a conundrum about whether another well-made remake will bite the dust. Comparisons were rampant at the press screening itself as the original Malayalam film, Mumbai Police (2013) had been watched by many. Like Drishyam 2 (2022), the sole exception to the remake’s ongoing bad luck (it became a Hindi blockbuster because of some striking changes), Deva also departs from the original in a key way that is happily, more acceptable than the original.
And since I have had the good luck (!!) again of not having watched the original (I surfed for the original’s plot online after watching this film), I found Deva refreshing and original. The angle of three close friends who are all cops and consider each other like brothers in maintained. Farhan (Pravessh Rana) is the seniormost in rank, and Dev Ambre a.k.a. Deva (Shahid Kapoor) is the most unorthodox and unruly. He has anger issues and does not even wear his uniform but is an outstanding and cerebral cop. Rohan (Pavail Gulatie) is the serenest and most awkward of the lot. And that is partly because his father (Shivraj Walvekar), who is well-to-do, detests his son’s mentality to be of service to the nation. Rohan, however, is engaged to a pretty airhostess, Rebecca (Meenal Sahu). Farhan has married Dev’s sister (Bhawna Aneja).
Everything’s going hunky dory as the trio take on various criminals. These include Prabhat Jadhav (Manish Wadhwa), who is about to shoot Rohan when Dev kills him. Dev, however, gives the credit to Rohan, so that his father finally acknowledges him. Rohan also receives a Gallantry award for it, but is shot dead by a sniper at the ceremony. A furious Dev wants the case handed over to him and Farhan agrees.
One rainy night, Dev messages Farhan to reveal that he has got to know who the killer is. But as it happens, he suddenly has an accident in which he loses his memory. When he physically recovers, Farhan sees that Dev’s natural instincts as a cop are intact and reassigns the Rohan case to him. And then comes the shock.
Denouements of this kind are a rarity even for cinema and the film emerges as a riveting, if slightly long (especially in the first half) entertainer. But the last word is in the Hindi cinema sense, a misnomer. The film has relentless action but little else by way of entertainment, and a fe minor loopholes, mentioning which would be spoilers. The treatment is semi-noir, and noir normally does not appeal to the general audiences. Some angles are not developed, like that of the corrupt politician, Apte (Girish Kulkarni). Dev and Diya (Pooja Hegde) are in love. She is an honest journalist, and the daughter of Dev’s loyal constable (Rishi Deshpande), who is crippled in a raid on Jadhav. But that track also remains quarter-baked, really!
However, the temporary amnesia that Dev suffers is used well for drama and the final result is ingenious.
Rosshan Andrrews’ direction is competent and Jakes Bejoy’s score raises the excitement. The camerawork (Amit Roy) and production design (Sandeep Sharad Ravade) lend an apt, earthy tone while A. Sreekar Prasad’s editing is sharp. The title-song is alright. The action (Supreme Sundar, Abbas Ali Moghul, Anl Arasu, Parvez Shaikh & Vikram Dahiya) stands out.
So does Shahid Kapoor. Admittedly, there is a bit of a Kabir Singh hangover here, but in most parts of the film, you root for him. Pravessh Rana is effective as Farhan, and Pavail Gulati even better as Rohan. Pooja Hegde is functional and Meenal Sahu is good. Girish Kulkarni is excellent as Apte and Upendra Limaye makes a mark in a cameo is Prince.
But I sincerely hope the film makes a mark, considering the factors arraigned against it.
Rating: ***1/2
Zee Studios’ & Roy Kapur Films’ Deva Produced by: Umesh KR Bansal & Siddharth Roy Kapur Directed by: Rosshan Andrrews Written by: Bobby Sanjay, Abbas Dalal & Hussain Dalal, Arshad Syed & Sumit Arora Music: Vishal Mishra Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Pooja Hegde, Pavail Gulatie, Pravessh Rana, Kubbra Sait, Rishi Deshpande, Meenal Sahu, Bhawna Aneja, Girish Kulkarni Sp. App.: Upendra Limaye, Manish Wadhwa & Charu Shankar & others
(Used with permission)
