Dev (2004) User Reviews

Specifically for Nihalani fans only !

[Asphyxiod · 7/10 · 28 June 2005]

A leading critic had exclaimed that "Dev" is an average Film yet is Important. "Dev" is important as it provides a clear picture of Indian Politician's brawny involvement in Hindu-Muslim Rifts. "Dev" although not based on any true story but is Reminiscent of many alleged political events which led to Hindu-Muslim Riots.

The Fatal drawback is the lack of intense drama which Nihalani is expert in making. It seems that Nihalani left over all the Dramatic strength which was endowed in Ardh Satya, Droh Kaal & Thakshak.

"Dev" is Govind Nihalani's second commercial venture this time with superstar Amitach Bachchan. The first combination of India's finest Director & Finest Actor gave a lot of expectations. But I shall not say that those expectations were shattered completely. Nihalani's work is an extract of his distinct Art. His Non - "larger than life" approach is unique factor responsible to induce solemn reality.

"Dev" is a story about two friends, Joint Commissioner of Police Dev Pratap Singh played by Amitabh Bachchan & Commissioner Tejinder Khosla played by Om Puri. Just when we thought that "Dev" is a film about The Good defying The Evil, we are wrong. Dev is not a conventional story which we see in all Cop movies. The Film is Primarily based on Ideologies. The Different Ideologies which the two best friends have and their efforts to justify it.

"Dev" starts & ends with two close friends who are cops, while having their drinks, shares each others ideologies on backdrop of Hindu-Muslim Rifts. The Rifts are created by Political ensemble which the common man are not so aware of. The Focus is then laid on a small Muslim Community area, where the young muslims are getting carried away by their leader's fanatic guidelines. Nihalani shows, that the reason for religious fanaticism is a result of non-acceptance of minorities which in turn is due to fanaticism and the cycle goes on. The Anti-Social activists from the minority community, when get nabbed down by the Police, results a provocation by the leaders to protest the Police simultaneously provoking the formation of more Anti-social elements.

Dev has an ethical morals and a holistic view of crime & justice. He believes in providing complete justice to anyone irrespective of his/her minor or major presence in the community. But Tej has concentric view and believes in exterminating the Anti-social elements & terrorism by the System supported by Politicians. While doing so, Tej also believes that there's no injustice even if the innocents are exterminated. Here Tej & the Chief Minister works hand in hand, while they remain dormant during Hindu attacks on Muslim. Dev is found alone in his struggle to support the Muslims get their Justice.

Finally Dev reports the Political-Police driven Riot scandal to the top authorities. The Last scene discovers, that the movie is more a focus on ideologies. Two friends can have different beliefs in the same system. May be both are right. Dev selects to do what he feels right even if he have to sacrifice the age old friendship.

The Philosophical ideas exhibited in this movie is by far superior than any other Nihalani movies. The Conversation between Dev & Tej are prime scene stealers.

Kareena Kapoor as Muslim witness to the riot is fantastic. Fardeen Khan as the carried away extremist, needs to improve a lot. Om Puri is just superb. Finally its Big B Amitabh Bachchan gives full justice to "Dev". The Final dialog is splendid when he says the Moral of Story : "A Soldier's duty is to fight, fight till the last drop of blood, irrespective of whether the war shall be won or not"

Brilliant script, great acting!

[birdoberoi · 8/10 · 14 June 2004]

Well, there are a lot of movies that have been made about the Hindu-Muslim conflicts in India, and this is one of them. What is refreshing is the honesty some film-makers put into their stories - something John Matthan started with 'Sarfarosh'. 'Dev' is perhaps the most open about the issue.

The story is about an honest cop, Dev (sounds clichéd, but is actually much more than just that!), who just believes in doing his duty. Various factors hamper his 'mission' in life - factors which all of us can relate to, such as others' ambition, greed for power, skewed ideologies and plain sycophancy. I'm sure many have faced these at our places of work! It is this basic story, set into the current Hindu-Muslim situation in India - references to Gujarat are made, the police is hand-in-glove with politicians instigating violence etc etc. Various layers are added, in the form of personal loss to the good guy (and the bad guy!), misguided youth (a very well managed sub-plot, which is seamlessly integrated into the main story) and the inevitable romance (also well integrated into the story)!

The scripting is brilliant to say the least. With Dev (Bachchan) & Inder (Om Puri) on opposite sides of the fence on the issue of Muslims in India, their discussions are frank, open and thought provoking. (How well both of them acted is something I shall get into a little later!) This is an issue many of us would have debated with someone or the other at some point in time. All those arguments are brought out into the open - more frankly, candidly and clearly than ever before. All the exchanges are most thought provoking. Both sides feel fully justified in their stand on the issue, and for a long while, the viewer is left to choose the side he/she prefers. But then, Nihalani finally shows us where he stands, as the story unfolds further.

Nihalani really works his magic here. He goes back to his Tamas days, when Om Puri carried his mother on a push cart ('thela'). Here, he has Fardeen doing the same with Kareena, in an almost identical situation. He also re-visits the famous Banquo's ghost scene from Macbeth. Exceedingly well done!

Amitabh Bachchan stupefies me. He has totally re-invented himself as an actor. The angry young man is anything but that now! 'Young' went quite a few years ago (he's a grandfather now, for god's sake!), and the anger has given way to a smoldering frustration. He no longer raves and rants like he used to (it was the need of the hour when he did that). Here, he gives a truly natural performance - he comes across as just another guy, dwarfed by the system yet refusing to give in to it. He carries on from where he left off with 'Khakee'.

Om Puri is excellent as usual. It was 'paisa-wasool' all the way whenever Amitabh and Om Puri shared screen time together! Rati Agnihotri plays a small role, and fits the character well enough. Kareena is very attractive in a plain-jane look. Fardeen Khan seems to be in the industry only because of his lineage, and attractive looks. He is clearly mis-cast, as he seems to have been in every movie that I have seen him in so far. I wonder if there will be an Indian re-make of 'Mannequin' where he can play title role! And only the title role - the come-alive character would need expressions!

Kudos to Nihalani to bring out new and unknown faces - Kareena's friend is especially good. Unfortunately, I do not know the actress' name... Ehsaan Khan, though decent, resorted to over-acting in emotionally charged scene. I'm sure he can improve over time.

All in all, this is a very good movie and it is the script and the acting which really carry it through!

Excellent- one of the best for 2004.

[DesiBaba · 8/10 · 9 August 2004]

I have always enjoyed movies from this director. Thakshak was excellent as well. Dev is no different. Many intelligent, thought provoking conversations between Mr. Bacchhan and Mr. Puri (sadly, director felt that they needed alcohol to speak their minds). Both were excellent, by the way. Acting from the two vets was of highest standard. Kareena and Fardheen were okay in comparison. I did not feel that the story presented only one side of the story or that what it presented was "ardh satya"- Dev and Tej are narrators who present the two sides of the story.

A rare break from the overdose of formula movies from Bollywood.

8/10

Communal Politics, the source of all evils!

[abundela76 · 18 June 2004]

SPOILER!! Its not the first time that this sensitive issue been a major plot for an Indian film. But surely its the first time when these clashes between two communities is been given a different and more practical point of view. Amitabh has done his work expectionally good but still I like OM PURI more. Om, the TEJ of the film had extremists ideologies may be inspired from Fascist ideologies of Adolf Hitler. Amitabh Bachhan the DEV, differs from him. DEV is a man with his own principles and do not deter from it. Fardeen Khan is an ordinary Muslim Law graduate man who is filled with aggressive thoughts against all those who classifies Muslims as traitors and particularly the Police Force. DEV unintentionally becomes responsible for the death of Fardeen's Father (A Muslim Leader).This makes Fardeen to join hands with a Muslim misleader who used people to fulfill his political gains.He provoked Fardeen to Kill DEV..........and the story goes on. In the end DEV got killed by TEJ who tried to shoot at Fardeen. In conclusion it's a nice film but a bit boring too.You can not expect intelluctuals to see this movie.There is a major lot of people who want Songs,Comedy in one word the MASALA which is missing in this movie. Afraid if this movie can survive.

A good film that could have been great

[Rawal_Afzal · 7/10 · 20 August 2015]

Yes, it could have been great if not for such a confusing and below average ending. I specially stress on the word "confusing" because I am still to come to terms with Tejinder's action there at the end. Did he actually shoot his friend Dev or was his target Farhan? If indeed Farhan, then why? There was not even the slightest of hint that it was Farhan who had shot Dev, not even the slightest that Tejinder could have misunderstood anything. I wish that someone had handed over the film to me to come up with a better ending!

Overall though it was a good film with brilliant performances, especially from Kareena Kapoor and as always, Om Puri and Amitabh Bachchan. Some of the actors shown in the film as Muslims struggled a bit with their Urdu, the pronunciations of words and to get the feel of the language, due to which a few of the times the dialogues delivered looked a bit fake.

Despite getting an opportunity to work in quite a good film, Fardeen Khan here too failed to make much of an impression. Sadly, the guy can't act to save his life. One particular scene that comes to my mind is the one where his father gets killed. He acted as if he had at the most lost his cell phone! The director himself here deserves a lot of criticism for accepting a father's death scene projected in such a fake manner.

The film, however, deserves a lot of credit for projecting communal violence in such a neutral as well as in-depth manner. The greatest of all being the bit where the leaders of both the parties make a commitment not to register any FIR against any person from each other. Quite an attempt to explain how things run in a country like India. It could be argued here that a bit of such stuff was indirectly inspired from the Gujarat Riots 2002.

Interesting and relatively engaging

[zenaf · 7/10 · 27 February 2005]

This film exemplified the acting talents of Amitabh Bacchan. As he's aged his roles have been more of a dramatic nature and I think that this role in particular shows his talent and skill as a cinematic artist. Kareena Kapoor was another highlight. She looked beautiful in her plain clothing and makeup, a nice change indeed. Amir Khan doesn't seem to be as emotionally engaging with the audience and the limited scenes with Jaya Bacchan is just disappointing. She lights up the scene when she is in the room, and there just isn't enough of her to make a completely believable character. The musical numbers seem gratuitous and out of place in this dramatic context and it would have worked better had they been removed completely. This is still a very good film exploring ethic conflict in India post-partition, but just does not have the strength and impact of Bombay (1995).

Very Unique

[sajmal23 · 9/10 · 14 June 2004]

This Film was a real experience of what can go on inside the police force. Beautifully presented with Kareena Kapoors best acting so far made it a film to watch. The film which depicts the tortures of muslims and hindus in India was really heartfelt and the film has a message which films seldomly give.

The mistreating of hindus and especially muslims in the film really makes your eyes water. The films gives a message of justice (Insaaf) and how people should fight for their right and freedom till there last breath. Amitabh is as always a terrific performer. Not to mention the film does have some emotion and controversy between Kareena and Fardeen but we have all seen that before and it's nothing new. This is the One FILM THAT shouldn't be left out!

Diluted.

[Herag · 6/10 · 1 July 2004]

A good menu is messed up because of the Casting. Fardeen Khan an actor otherwise meant for roles as in "Om Jai Jagdish", will never reach the level of his contemporaries like Abishek Bachchan. He lacks the acting prowess that is needed for a crucial Casting role that should have made a difference for this movie. The Thespians cruise along well albeit Bachchan tends to be incoherent when he discusses his moral dilemma with Puri. Kareena kapoor is going up the learning curve and probably "her" best performance to-date. The movie spellbounds you with some clever dialog and very authentic portrayals as opposed to "Gangajal" and other movies where the Cops and Politicians are bad and the Goondas and Law-breakers are good as long as they comprise the minority. This is an irresponsible Film-making as in "Main Hoo Na" and other garbage thrown at audience to polarize, politicize and pulverize. Nahilani in this instance triumphantly weaves a carefull account, but his let down is Fardeen Khan. It is time the Film-Makers pay attention to the Casting. This role clearly belonged to Manoj Bajpai,Bachchan jr, or even Devgan, where it would have been a match for the Stelwarts.

Mindblowing cinema!!!

[AishFan · 10/10 · 10 August 2004]

I was completely taken aback by watching this movie. A film like this comes once in a blue moon. This film explores the convoluted politics and conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, who are like puppets being "handled" by the corrupt national government. For the first time, I am seeing a movie whose subtext doesn't label each character as good or bad. All shades of gray are present in almost every character and in each event. Most of each character's decisions are partially justified and partly immoral, yet they all increase tensions and further flare up the fighting. Misunderstandings pile up on one another and result in absolute chaos. With each subsequent effort comes near certainty of death and destruction and a hint of optimism as the characters struggle for justice. Amongst so much violence and anarchy, I found it very interesting that the fighting's strength lied not in the muscle. Rather, the true valiant heroes were the city's women who stood up for their rights. Govind Nilhani did an excellent job directing. All the artists performed extraordinarily. Pointless songs were not forced into the movie, and the few short ones that were there further enrichened the movie. The aftermath/"ending" in this film is very realistic. It is not clear or definite by any means, but it does not need to be. Amitabh, one of the best speakers ever, gives a beautiful monologue that displays the theme of the movie: It does not matter whether we win or lose. We must be true to ourselves and not give up our struggle for the pursuit of justice.

Oft Repeated story but well handled by Nihalini

[silvan-desouza · 6/10 · 24 November 2015]

Govind Nihalini has given us several great films like Ardh Satya(1983) which ironically was to star Big B but then it was offered to Om Puri and it remains one of his most memorable roles. Govind Nihalini tried to balance offbeat and commercial cinema with THAKSHAK(1999) which didn't work. DEV is known for bringing together Amitabh and Om Puri who never acted before in any film. The film released in June 2004 when there was an overdose of cop films, Ab Tak 56, Khakee, Aan Men At Work and hence that reduced it's novelty. A problem with the film perhaps is it's nothing new, all has been seen before but Govind Nihalini handles it like a pro as always The film has several brilliant scenes like Om Puri and Big B scenes, also Fardeen's character and scenes with Kareena are well handled The film does get lengthy and predictable. But yet it's a watchable film. Direction is awesome Music in limited doses is decent, Kareena's debut song is good

Amitabh Bachchan as always is perfect,though he has played such roles before Om Puri is exceptional too and it's a treat to watch them both Fardeen Khan often criticized as an actor,gives perhaps his best performance in this film, the actor needs to get better roles Kareena is exceptional and this was an indicator of things to come Ehsaan Khan is good, Milind Gunaji is okay Amrish Puri is superb as always, rest are all good

One side victim card.

[samzbak · 1/10 · 5 November 2021]

Bakwas movie, . Shows the age old tactic " Victim card " Nobody cares why did the gujrat anti muslim riots happened.

That happened cuz karsewaks were burned alive in a train.

No wonder kareena kapoor khan is part of the movie.

amazing , awesome, inspiring ( minor spoilers)

[hellisotherpeople · 10/10 · 13 June 2004]

The best movie i have seen in a long long long time..

The movie is loosely based on the gujarat riots and the machinations thereof..i.e the complicit role of the chief minister of the state with communal elements and collusion of the police force with the rioters ..But it is an extremely balanced look at the communal politics behind riots in India, with elements in both communities inciting such events for their own personal gains..

What can i say about Mr Bachhan, the more i see this man on screen, the more awestruck i am. He is perfectly cast as an honest cop, battling the system( reminiscent of khakee) except as he himself said, this movie is an implosion rather than an explosion. He doesn't go out in a blaze of glory taking down the bad guys with him.. Thats what makes this movie so startlingly different.

Om puri is an ideal foil as the morally bankrupt but conflicted cop who is friends with mr bacchans character. he is such a great actor..

Kareena is amazing .. she looks and acts "real" in an almost irridescent manner, and not like an overmade up glam doll .. the look suits her so well. she has immense guts to take on this role and i commend her for that.

Fardeen was nothing special..but the kareena fardeen scenes exude chemistry .

Direction was superb..Govid Nihalani excels as usual .

Dev - a par excellence movie

[vinodsharmalic · 10/10 · 9 July 2007]

I generally don't watch movies these days, due to the age (68) and not very good health. But when on very rare occasions, I get a chance to watch a movie and to my luck, it turns out to be a master piece. In this process, first I watched Page 3 (by Madhur Bhandarkar), and then Satta (again by Bhandarkar) and after viewing these movies, I realised that I indeed was missing some thing in life. Last night (8 July), I happened to watch Dev (starring Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri and Kareena Kapoor) and realised how great director Govind Nihalani was. After watching such great movies, one feels that there is no dearth of good talent in the country. Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri are great assets to the film industry in India and their work needs no introduction or word of praise. Om Puri is such a versatile actor that to compare him with the acting skills of Amitabh would surely be doing injustice to both of them. After watching the movie, one feels ashamed to be living in India where religion always plays a dirty role. But India is not the only country to suffer from this malice. The late Amrish Puri (as Chief Minister of the state), exhibits his acting skills in great style, though his role is very small. Kareena Kapoor though still very young, plays the role of a matured person and quite admirably. I wish every one who has not watched this movie, to do so at the earliest.

Best of 2004

[bantatha · 10/10 · 12 September 2021]

One of the best films of Kareena Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan their acting skills are just awesome only bad thing is Fardeen Khan he was bad while others around him stole the show.

govind nihalani's masterpiece

[anjshaik · 10/10 · 11 December 2005]

this was such a great movie the climax my gid what a climax so great this movie focuses on the Muslim-hindu riots and the friendship of Dev (Amitabh Bhachchan)and Tej (Om Puri) and how Dev has a compulsion to act which makes up for the climax i didn't predict the climax what it would be but Nihalani shows us that being human is more important than anything and if you fail to be one or fail humanity for that matter death will come to you only then basically this movie is adapted from a specific incident from gujarat and some riots that took place there in some life-taking incident overall songs aren't that good except Rang De Ni" it's basically a good movie with everybody delivering a better performance as the movie progresses and the action just keeps you there

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet... Go see it!

[tumharabaap · 10/10 · 25 March 2005]

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet... Go see it! It will move you; not in the English sense, but the Hindi one... It will Hilao you! And it'll strengthen your will to stay on in this country despite all kinds of devilish plans! And you will learn why Govind Nihalani is one of our best directors.

And even if this is stating the obvious, you will want to fall at Amitabh Bachchan's feet for being the actor he is. If it is possible to dwarf Om Puri, it's been done by Mr. Bachchan in this movie! In the Bandstand scene, he makes an actor of Om Puri's ability & stature look completely insignificant & pitiful. He's khaoed him!!!

That's one point of view though. Another point of view is that Om Puri being the actor he is understood the Bandstand scene very well & enacted the scene in line with the story & the characters.

Fardeen doesn't disappoint - he is as bad as he is in all his other movies. This is one actor who still hasn't learned to act, and probably never will.

A very good movie

[pankajshakya · 9/10 · 29 July 2005]

Dev is no doubt one of the class of titans of Hindi cinema. basically story of two people with belief in their respective different ideologies. I love this movies for various reasons. The 1st because it shows the fact and is realistic cinema. It shows the real picture of our society and it really is thought provoking. What happens if dirty politics is played and politicians uses their power for their selfish reason and exploits masses. Govind Nihalani no doubt beautifully portrays these all. Massmerizing Performances are another part which compliments this movie so wonderfully. Be Kareena Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri or Fardeen Khan everyone portrays there part so well in fact they were 1st time so close to their respective profession of acting. What to say about brilliant performances given by Mr. Bacchan & Om Puri. About Mr. Bacchan I must say this is his best performance till date along with Black. Hats off Mr. Nihlani & Bacchan. Even great actor like Puri seems he was learning the A,B,C of acting from Bacchan. Oh god! what a terrific actor Mr. Bacchan is along with Tom Hanks, Jim Carry, James Stewert, De Nero and Pacino. Plot is very simple, Amitabh is a cop who believes in the constitution of India even though his son Armaan was killed by terrorist. Rati Agnihotri played his spouse and Om Puri played his senior officer cum best Free. Om Puri and Mr. Bacchan both wants perfect situation of law and order in the country but their ideologies are different. Om Puri wants it happen by the means of power but Bacchan wants it to happen accordingly by constitution. Bacchan hates crime and Puri hates criminal. Fardeen Khan played a Muslim youth who believes his father was killed because of Dev Pratap Singh. Kareena played his love interest. We can see further in the movie crime and violence at its extreme. It further remind us what happened in Gujarat a years back. But thankfully there we can see in the movie life has some good aspects too and also some nice people like Dev Pratap Singh who help people like Farhaan, Fardeen in the movie get back into the right track. The climax is shocking, Amitabh became the victim of dirty politics and gun down by them. Finally Rati ask a question to Mr. Puri who is responsible for the murder of Mr. Bacchan. Atlast Om Puri gun down himself in front of Fardeen as he said Amitabh was his father and Puri killed him for his ego. I recommend 9 out of 10 for this movie, really this movie is must see one.

Nice attempt by Govind nihlani.

[pankajchandnani · 8/10 · 15 May 2020]

Must watch movie, shows the Nexus of police and politics.

Angry old man

[nadkarnisumeet · 8/10 · 11 June 2022]

Dev review :

'AMITABH BACHCHAN IS DEV' screamed the posters of Govind Nihalani's first film with Bachchan. They were to do Ardh Satya (1983) earlier but things didn't work out then.

Amitabh played a honest and sincere joint police commissioner (JCP) for whom law and justice is above everything else...politics and religion included!! Om Puri was his friend cum senior colleague who doesn't subscribe to this secular ideology and is particularly biased against Muslims. Fardeen Khan was cast as the educated Muslim who is misguided to become a terrorist but soon realises he is being merely used as a political pawn...Nihalani utilised his innocent face perfectly here.

Dev brings back the nostalgia of Amitabh's Zanjeer (1973) and Om Puri's Ardh Satya (1983) where both the actors played the central character of an angry young cop. It is as if the film is a continuation of these two cops after they aged...

Govind Nihalani's execution was hard hitting as ever and Dev lay bare the dirty politics behind the Hindu Muslim divide. The riot scenes were effectively choreographed and the performances were expectedly first rate. Fardeen-Kareena shared a crackling chemistry and their passionate smooches were much talked about in those days. I always loved this jodi and they invariably created a certain sparkle together in all their films including the twisty zany Fida (2004) and the over the top hammy (!!) Khushi (2003).

Surprisingly, Dev didn't achieve the success it deserved and was declared a box office flop. The audience found it overlong and those serious conversations between Amitabh and Puri over a couple of drinks made the aam aadmi bored. A pity indeed as those scenes capture the essence of communal disharmony and offers its solutions so very effectively. Unfortunately, the audience wasn't interested!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

thought provoking cinema for once from Bollywood!!!

[The8thone00 · 23 June 2004]

Dev storyline is so ordinary but the packaging and the cast makes it so extraordinary. Movie's title character has been inspired from the verses of Gita. A man not worried about the outcome but only believing onto doing his duty. As far as the director to goes, I had heard so much about him but only got to see few of his films. He is truly a genius when it comes to portraying real life issues on the celluloid. As far as the acting is concerned, the Dev belonged to the Dev (Amitabh Bachchan), some scenes that he had given were marvelous and moving. One where Dev seems disgusted when they burned the Muslim building down, and he goes back and sits and chats with his wife is the highlight of the film. All the scenes, where Om puri and Bachchan both talks about their ideologies and conflicts are beautifully executed and dialogues and written so well that it compliments each scene well. Om puri was good and complimented Bachchan well on each step. Kareena plays her part with maturity and confidently. Fardeen tries real hard to match up to the stalwarts in front of him, but fails in several sequences, but his sincere efforts were showing on the screen. Spoilers*** Despite the great story telling, realistic sets and cinematography, thought provoking dialogues and instrumental direction the movie lacked the pace. Nihalani went for realism to the core, which evidently does not bring out the entertainment one seeks when going to the cinema houses. At last, if the movie had masala bollywood entertainment it wouldn't be Govind Nihalani's Dev would it. A nice movie which asks it viewer a question, where do you stand with your ideologies and your gita? One just wonders, if Bachchan were to work with such profile directors again and again then what will we may get next time, as far as the "actor" within the Bachchan is concerned.

Humanity Against All Odds

[farsid88 · 9/10 · 10 November 2004]

On the surface, Dev is about the continual struggle of Muslims and Hindus to co-exist with each other in post 911 India. It highlights how narcissistic politicians play on naive constituents to create chaos, mayhem and oppression. Looking beneath the surface we can see that Dev is also about friendship and it's boundaries. It shows how two friends drift apart as one spirals towards madness brought on by shear hatred while the other finds redemption through forgiveness and tolerance. All things considered, perhaps Dev is most about how a man matures in the most adverse conditions inspired by the the woman he loves and the courage she displays.

Amitabh Bachchan gives a tour-de-force performance as Dev reminding us once again that he is in a class by himself. The rest of the cast including Fardeen Khan, Om Puri, Rati Agnihotri and Amrish Puri perform more than capably but special mention must be made of the performance turned in by Kareena Kapoor who continues to show great range. Simply put, she has IT! There are only a couple of songs, which are more background fodder than anything else. In the end, Dev is about what it means to be a human being against all odds.

Great movie which does not get the respect it deserves

[harineem-209-525488 · 8/10 · 14 March 2022]

Dev is a masterpiece on how the youth are manipulated by politicians and how a policeman's role has to be impartial under all circumstances. The inspiration for the movie is clearly the "Best Bakery case" where a building was burnt down by a angry mob.

Amitabh Bachchan gives a master performance as Dev,ca cop who is impartial and just in every situation even when he has suffered a personal loss because of an act of terror. He understands the insecurity created in a young man by radicals Om Puri shines as a cop who hates an entire community for the same loss that Dev has endured. Two cops reacting in different ways to same situation. Kareena Kapoor proves she has great acting skills when given a good role and director. The weak point is Rati Agnihotri. And the weakest is Fardeen Khan, just don't understand why he was picked for such a key role when he does below average even in ordinary roles.

Highly recommend a watch for the subject and Amitabh and Kareena's outstanding performance.

Muslims vs. Hindus

[jahangirhussain74 · 21 April 2013]

Dev explores the age-old communal riots between the Muslims and the Hindus. Fardeen Khan plays a rebellious unemployed youth who is outraged by the death of his father in a violent peace demonstration. A corrupt politician takes advantage of the situation and sets Fardeen against the Hindus, telling him that an upright police commissioner played by Amitabh Bachchan was the cause of the death of his father. Therefore, Fardeen takes on the path of violence, trampling on the values of his father who taught him the lesson of non violence and peace. Dev tests a topic that has been tried numerous times in Bollywood. We know that parity exists between the Hindus and Muslims as shown earlier in Bombay but Dev lacks the novelty to carry off the topic well. I mean what new is shown in the movie that will engross viewers to be able to keep glued to their seats till the last frame?

The script of the film is so contrived. Much of the film's time is employed in developing the tensions between the two religions and the resulting violence. Amitabh Bachchan as usual is brilliant. His chemistry with Om Puri is mesmerizing as it is the first time that these two veterans have shared screen space. Fardeen Khan is and always will be a bad actor. Only can hardly see the spark of anger in his eyes and his anglicised voice only makes the situation worse. An actor like Bobby Deol or Hrithik Roshan would've made a much greater impact in the role of an angry young man. The only actor who puts her best effort in an otherwise boring movie is Kareena Kapoor. I always wondered whether this girl can ever be big in this industry. After Chameli, Kareena proves once again that she has what it takes to be a commanding personality in Bollywood. Her emotional scenes in Dev truly stand out, especially the scene where she openly points out a corrupt cop responsible for the death of her family in the riot. Om Puri is in his terrific form once again. Rati Agnihotri fulfills what she has to do in her short role. Amrish Puri had nothing to do.

Overall, Dev is a one time watch! I give it 3.5/10.

Another Ardha Satya (half-truth) by Nihalani

[Pankaj-3 · 28 June 2004]

have always admired Govind Nihlani's movies such as Droha Kaal, Aakrosh, Ardha Satya.

Dev is in the same tradition of depicting the hard hitting facts. How politicians and police force collaborated with rioters in Gujarat for killing the minorities as a reaction to an act of violence first done by minority community itself.

Even though I agree that police and politicians must follow the rule of law and must protect all sections of society against violence. Right to survive and to live is a basic human right and not only our constitution but also all our scriptures say that innocent lives cannot be taken for any reason whatsoever.

Only problem is when minority is target of violence it becomes headlines in all the newspapers, great movies and documentaries are made about it and shown in all international conferences and universities.

But when majority Hindus are targeted in Kashmir, Bangladesh or at the time of partition in Punjab, NOBODY TALKS ABOUT IT.

And this imbalance is what annoys us. What Govind Nihlani has shown in DEV is very similar to what Gulzar showed in Maachis how police atrocities turn innocent minority youth to become terrorist. What they both did not show is how their own religious fanatic leaders spew hatred against Hindus in many of their religious schools and other places of worship.

Therefore, Dev is a story half told and cannot be appreciated.