DNA (February 2, 2018)

Sudhir Mishra’s DaasDev, which was supposed to open in cinemas on February 16, will now finally release on March 9. With Padmaavat hitting the marquee on January 25, the makers had to postpone the unconventional love story which features Rahul Bhatt, Richa Chadha, and Aditi Rao Hydari. The film, which reprises the fascinating story of Devdas (one of author Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s most famous works), has a unique contemporary twist to it. Mishra gives us an insight into the movie, which is set against a political backdrop.

Since Padmaavat opened in cinemas on January 25, you moved the release date of DaasDev...
Everybody had to shift their films because suddenly Padmaavat announced their date. We will now hit the marquee on March 9, which is a good date. Hate Story 4 is coming on the same day but there is always place for two movies. We are very excited as we have a good film on our hands.

Tell us a bit about it…
It all started when one of my friends suggested, ‘Why don’t you make Devdas?’ I started working on it with a fellow writer and suddenly things started changing. I began to feel that Hamlet and Devdas were similar stories. Then, the Indian political scenario came in. So, if the original was the story of a man from a noble family who becomes a slave (a Daas) to his addiction, this is like a reverse journey. My film’s hero has the same lineage as Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Devdas, but the movie is about how he breaks free at the end. Our view point also includes Paro, who had to stay behind closed doors in the original. In my movie’s second half, she confronts Dev. So, DaasDev explores if love is possible in today’s corrupt times.

It features Rahul Bhatt, Richa Chadha and Aditi Rao Hydari as the lead cast...
I loved Richa’s performances in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (where she had a small part), Gangs of Wasseypur, Fukrey, and Masaan. I always wanted to see her playing a spunky, modern and rooted character. Paro is exactly like that. So, she came to my mind when I was casting for this role. Luckily, she agreed to do the film. Chandramukhi is an independent-minded woman who delivers a fatal blow to Dev. DaasDev, which is about Dev and Paro, is told through Chandramukhi’s point of view. I immediately thought of Aditi, whose first major part was in Yeh Saali Zindagi. I had seen Ugly and really liked Rahul’s (Bhat) acting in it. He has that air of a khandaani man, who is vulnerable but has a natural arrogance.

The ensemble cast is an interesting mix too...
Saurabh (Shukla) is a must in all my films. He plays the antagonist here. Then, there are actors like Vipin Sharma, Vinit Singh, Sohela Kapoor, Deepak Rana and Anil George who had a pivotal role in Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely. Anurag Kashyap will also be seen in a special appearance. So, the cast is outstanding.

How is the story relevant in today’s times?
It is set in the present scenario. The characters are modern and the women are independent. They can betray you just as you can betray them, they don’t ask for mercy. Dev is a modern man trying to find his way in this mess as he is the heir to a political legacy. I think it’s very rare that a parallel can be drawn with contemporary politics. The movie is about addiction — power being the most dangerous one. Dev Chauhan, the character of my film, moves from alcohol to power and he discovers that power is a far more lethal addiction.

How come your muse, Chitrangda Singh, is not in this film?
Scripts find their actors. Chitrangda was in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, but she wasn’t there in Khoya Khoya Chand. Why wasn’t this question asked at that time? She may be seen in my another film, if she wants to do it.