Daas Dev trailer: Sudhir Mishra's Devdas mired in lust and politics, lacks intensity

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic novel Devdas has been adapted into many films, most famously by Bimal Roy in 1955 and then by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 2002. Maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had a modern take on the subject in his Dev. D (2009). Now it's the turn of filmmaker Sudhir Mishra to delve into the subject with Daas Dev (2018).

The title itself suggests that this will not be like the Devdas that we have been exposed to before. Mishra’s film is set against a political backdrop with his protagonist Daas Dev (Rahul Bhatt) carrying on his political legacy.

The keywords to look out for in the trailer are ‘from Daas to Dev’. At the beginning of the trailer there is a tragedy. It appears though that someone dear to Dev passes away in the tragedy, leaving the man depressed, who then takes to alcohol. However, he has to carry on the family legacy, and so political obligations require him to be in a sober state. Dev seems reluctant, but has a job to do.

Now one would have assumed the deceased to be Dev’s Paro, but director Mishra gives a twist as his Paro (Richa Chadha) is a close associate who loves Dev, is ready to marry him, but the man has no emotional bond with her. Enter Chandni (Aditi Rao Hydari) who is perfectly fine being used by Dev as a sex slave. So, effectively, Mishra has reduced Paro and Chandni to just Dev’s objects of pleasure.

With the guy not keen on having any emotional bond with the ladies, where is this story heading? It’s the political drama around the two relationships of convenience that are likely to drive the film.

We see Kashyap briefly. What does he bring to this story? Saurabh Shukla comes across as Dev’s political mentor, while Vipin Sharma is a foe. Then there is Vineet Singh, who warns Dev about looking after Paro. Mishra's Daas Dev seems to be mired in lust and dirty politics.

On the face of it, Mishra does seem to have many stories to tell in Daas Dev, but the trailer is not very convincing. It’s fairly cut, but the three protagonists don’t inspire much confidence.  

The way the characters played by Bhatt, Chadha and Hydari are portrayed in the trailer, don’t hold your attention. It's only Shukla and Singh who pack a punch. Their (protagonists) lives are engaging, but the trailer is not entertaining enough. It lacks intensity.

The film is set to be released on 23 March where it will compete with Rani Mukerji’s Hichki.

Watch the trailer below: