Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D is regarded as a classic film with a cult fan following. The film was headlined by Abhay Deol, who later criticised it for glorifying toxic male behaviour. However, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap does not agree with Abhay. In a recent interview, Anurag said that the film was based on what he has seen in life and he likes for his films to be real so he can test the audience.
He told Zoom TV, “For me, I have done what I wanted to do, and what I’ve seen. I like films to be very real. I don’t want to give unnecessary redeeming qualities to a character because…” Anurag said he tests his audience’s morals through his films and added, “In Kennedy, when people feel sympathy for the psychopath character, I’m saying, ‘Question yourself’. You get one redeeming quality, and you say, ‘Bechara’.”
Anurag also added, “The problem isn’t with the character; the bigger problem is with you. Ask yourself why you’re enjoying watching such behaviour. Ask yourself why you’re cheering for some things despite feeling uncomfortable about others. Those who point fingers should look inward. That’s how I test the audience. Filmmakers here are so dishonest, forget making grounded films, they have no idea if they’re even making Indian films…”
In 2009, Anurag Kashyap came up with his most unusual film Dev D, a modern retelling of the story of Devdas, the tale of a tragic and possessive lover. Set in modern-day Punjab and Delhi, the film tells this story by showing the protagonist not as a tragic figure, but as a flawed and chauvinistic man. Abhay Deol played the titular character. The actor prepared extensively for the role. When the film hit the theatres, it was praised, as was Abhay’s performance.
Abhay Deol later revealed what his attempt to get into the head of the flawed Dev cost him. Talking about the time he spent in New York after Dev D, Abhay told a media portal in 2023, “The Dev D role that I played, I couldn’t get it out of my head. So, for a year, I did what Dev D did in the film. I got a little more into it than Dev. I wasn’t on the streets in ragged clothes. I drank like a fool every day.” He also said that he even had memory lapses because of drinking so much. “I made some very good friends, so I remember some things. My whole life is one big blur,” he recalled.
Abhay had also mentioned in a social media post that his version of Dev D was quite different from Anurag’s version and he wanted the female characters to have more agency. “In my version, Dev gets shot by the police (he becomes a drug dealer) outside Paro’s house and dies just like in the book. Chanda does not fall in love with him, and neither is she ashamed of being an East European high class escort (again, in my version). She’s the strongest character of the three, and isn’t afraid of being judged. She does empathize with Dev, seeing how broken he is, and I went with the ‘prostitute with the heart of gold’ theme from the book,” he wrote.
He added, “Anurag felt a happy ending would make the film more accepted by the audience, and his twist was to have Dev and Chanda fall in love. My vision was too dark! I went with the flow…”
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