Narayan successfully captures the eternal romanticism of Devdas whereas Shreya brings an element of impishness to Paro's character by blushing Eesh at every given opportunity. Udit Narayan and Shreya murmur sweet nothings as they playfully chide and make up in Bairi piya. Lyrics by Nusrat Badr spring life in Darbar's extensive compositions with its imaginative poetry. Kavita and K K beautifully echo Chandramukhi's sentiments as she experiences the first pangs of jealousy in this richly tuned ditty. Maar dala, literally, goes for the kill with its enticing play of words. Like the subject itself, Devdas has a larger-than-life quality about it, evident in the surreal and haunting Silsila yeh chahat ka sung in the bewitching voice of newfind Shreya Ghosal. The music has a strong classical base with an air of tragedy. Ismail Darbar who composed the music for Bhansali's smash hit Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, bathes Devdas with resonant tunes, powerful vocals and dramatic orchestration. What is most striking about the music is that the songs are not mere excuses for the actors to break into dance, but actually aid narration. Whether Bhansali's vision of this tragic saga (starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai) will share the honour remains to be seen.
The earlier two versions directed by P C Barua (K L Saigal, Jamuna, Rajkumari), and Bimal Roy (Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Suchitra Sen) hold a special place in the pages of history. And though at first may not catch your fancy, they grow on you.Īdapted from Sarat Chandra Chatterjee's classic novel of the same name, Devdas is cinematically recreated for the third time in Hindi. The tunes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas are like a good bouquet.