The filmmaker’s modern-day retelling of the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay classic has a female protagonist while men take over as Paro and Chandramukhi
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 25, 2016)

After Bimal Roy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor is gearing up to roll with a bold retelling of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic novel, Devdas. To be made into a web series titled Dev DD for her soon-to-be launched app, ALT Balaji, the series, set in modern times, will have a female protagonist and will be directed by Ken Ghosh. It traces the life of the young and rebellious Devika and her journey through love, passion, heartbreak, sex, self-destruction and redemption.

“It’s the female, younger version of Devdas and has a cool, modern look with a different approach. The title comes from the protagonist’s name, Devika Dharam Dwivedi. Instead of Paro and Chandramukhi, we have two men,” Ken told Mirror, adding that the show’s concept and script came from Ekta who wanted him to direct it.

Ken refused to divulge details about the acting lineup but revealed that 90 per cent of the cast comprises of new faces. “I must have seen at least 700 auditions for the 20-odd characters I have in my film. Before starting work, I had a workshop with all of them,” he informed.

The team will start shooting in Mumbai in the next few days after a long September schedule in Jaipur. “There are about eleven episodes but we are shooting it like a film. It’s top quality,” Ken promised.