Devdas

Devdas (Bengali: দেবদাস, transliterated as Dēbôdās) is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat
Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha
(separation); Paro, his forbidden childhood love; and Chandramukhi, a reformed courtesan (tawaif).[1]
Devdas has been adapted on screen 20 times for film and 5 times for single song.

The character of Parvati was based on a real life

Devdas
second wife of zamindar Bhuvan Mohan
Chowdhury,[2] It was said that the writer had even
visited that village.[3] According to sources, the
original village was called Hatipota.[3]

Plot

Devdas is a young man from a wealthy Bengali

family in the British Raj in the early 1900s. Parvati
(Paro) is a young woman from a middle-class
Bengali Brahmin family. The two families live in a
Devdas – front cover
village called Taalshonapur in Bengal, and Devdas
and Parvati are childhood friends. Author Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Devdas goes away for a couple of years to live and
Language Bengali
study in Calcutta (now Kolkata). During vacations,
he returns to his village. Suddenly, both realise that Genre Novel
their easy comfort in each other's innocent
Publisher GCS
comradeship has changed to something deeper.
Devdas sees that Parvati is no longer the small girl Publication date 30 June 1917

he knew. Parvati looks forward to their childhood

Publication place India
love blossoming into a happy lifelong journey in
marriage. According to prevailing social custom, Media type Print (hardback and

Parvati's parents would have to approach Devdas's paperback)

parents and propose marriage of Parvati to Devdas

as Parvati longs for.

Parvati's mother approaches Devdas's mother, Harimati, with a marriage proposal. Although Devdas's
mother loves Parvati very much, she isn't so keen on forming an alliance with the family next door.
Besides, Parvati's family has a long-standing tradition of accepting dowry from the groom's family for
marriage rather than sending dowry with the bride. The alternative family tradition of Parvati's family
influences Devdas's mother's decision not to consider Parvati as Devdas' bride, especially as Parvati
belongs to a trading (becha-kena chottoghor) lower family. The "trading" label is applied in context of
the marriage custom followed by Parvati's family. Devdas's father, Narayan Mukherjee, who also loves
Parvati, does not want Devdas to get married so early in life and isn't keen on the alliance. Parvati's
father, Nilkantha Chakravarti, feeling insulted at the rejection, finds an even richer husband for
Parvati.

When Parvati learns of her planned marriage, she stealthily meets Devdas at night, desperately
believing that he will accept her hand in marriage. Devdas has never previously considered Parvati as
his would-be wife. Surprised by Parvati's boldly visiting him alone at night, he also feels pained for
her. Making up his mind, he tells his father he wants to marry Parvati. Devdas's father disagrees.

In a confused state, Devdas flees to Calcutta. From there, he writes a letter to Parvati, saying that
they should simply continue only as friends. Within days, however, he realises that he should have
been bolder. He goes back to his village and tells Parvati that he is ready to do anything needed to
save their love.

By now, Parvati's marriage plans are in an advanced stage. She refuses to go back to Devdas and
chides him for his cowardice and vacillation. She, however, requests Devdas to come and see her
before he dies. He vows to do so.

Devdas goes back to Calcutta and Parvati is married off to the widower, Bhuvan Choudhuri, who has
three children. An elderly gentleman and zamindar of Hatipota he had found his house and home so
empty and lustreless after his wife's death, that he decided to marry again. After marrying Parvati, he
spent most of his day in Pujas and looking after the zamindari.

In Calcutta, Devdas's carousing friend, Chunni Lal, introduces him to a tawaif (courtesan) named
Chandramukhi. Devdas takes to heavy drinking at the courtesan's place; she falls in love with him,
and looks after him. His health deteriorates through excessive drinking and despair – a drawn-out
form of suicide. In his mind, he frequently compares Parvati and Chandramukhi. Strangely he feels
betrayed by Parvati, though it was she who had loved him first, and confessed her love for him.
Chandramukhi knows and tells him how things had really happened. This makes Devdas, when sober,
hate and loathe her very presence. He drinks more and more to forget his plight. Chandramukhi sees
it all happen, suffering silently. She senses the real man behind the fallen, aimless Devdas he has
become, and can't help but love him.
Knowing death approaches him fast, Devdas goes to Hatipota to meet Parvati to fulfill his vow. He
dies at her doorstep on a dark, cold night. On hearing of his death, Parvati runs towards the door, but
her family members prevent her from stepping out of the house.

The novella powerfully depicts the customs of society that prevailed in Bengal in the early 1900s,
which largely prevented a happy ending to a true and tender love story.

Film, TV, and theatrical adaptations

2:11:30

Kundal Lal Saigal and Jamuna in

Devdas, Barua's 1936 Hindustani
version

The novel has been made into films in many South Asian languages languages, including Bengali,
Hindustani, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Assamese and Malayalam.[4][5][6] It is the most filmed non-epic
story in India.

Notable film versions of the novella include:

 Cast
Year Title Language Director Notes
Devdas Parvati Chandramukhi

Niharbala/Miss
1928 Devdas Silent film Naresh Mitra Phani Burma Tarakbala
Parul

Jamuna
1935 Devdas Bengali P. C. Barua P.C. Barua Chandrabati Devi
Barua

Jamuna
1936 Devdas Hindustani P. C. Barua K.L. Saigal Rajkumari
Barua

1937 Devdas Assamese P. C. Barua Phani Sarma Zubeida Mohini

Vedantam Akkineni
Devadasu Telugu Savitri Lalitha
Raghavayya Nageswara Rao
1953
Vedantam Akkineni
Devadas Tamil Savitri Lalitha
Raghavayya Nageswara Rao

Suchitra
1955 Devdas Hindi Bimal Roy Dilip Kumar Vyjayanthimala
Sen

Khawaja Shamim
1965 Devdas Urdu Habib Taalish Nayyar Sultana Pakistani film
Sarfaraz Ara

Vijaya Ghattamaneni Vijaya

1974 Devadasu Telugu Jayanthi
Nirmala Krishna Nirmala

Muqaddar Prakash Amitabh loosely inspired

1978 Hindustani Raakhee Rekha
Ka Sikandar Mehra Bachchan by Devdas

Soumitra Sumitra Supriya also known as

1979 Devdas Bengali Dilip Roy
Chatterjee Mukherjee Choudhury Debdas

remake of
Prema S. P. Chitti
1980 Telugu Krishnam Raju Sujatha Jayasudha Muqaddar Ka
Tarangalu Babu
Sikandar

remake of
Amara
1981 Tamil Amirtham Sivaji Ganesan Madhavi Sripriya Muqaddar Ka
Kaaviyam
Sikandar

Chashi Nazrul Kabori Bangladeshi

1982 Devdas Bengali Bulbul Ahmed Anwara
Islam Sarwar film

Crossbelt
1989 Devadas Malayalam Venu Nagavally Parvathy Ramya Krishnan
Mani

Shakti Prasenjit
Devdas Bengali Arpita Pal Indrani Halder
Samanta Chatterjee
2002
Sanjay Leela Shah Rukh Aishwarya
Devdas Hindi Madhuri Dixit
Bhansali Khan Rai
 Cast
Year Title Language Director Notes
Devdas Parvati Chandramukhi

Parambrata Monami
2004 Devdas Bengali Sreelekha Mitra
Chatterjee Ghosh

Anurag modern-day
2009 Dev.D Hindi Abhay Deol Mahi Gill Kalki Koechlin
Kashyap take on Devdas

2010 Devdas Urdu Iqbal Kasmiri Nadeem Shah Zara Sheikh Meera Pakistani film

Chashi Nazrul Bangladeshi

2013 Devdas Bengali Shakib Khan Apu Biswas Moushumi
Islam film

modern-day
take on Devdas
Shubh
2017 Devi Bengali Rik Basu Paoli Dam Shataf Figar genderbent
Mukherjee
versions of
characters

2 season web
series
modern-day
2017– Asheema Akhil
Dev DD Hindi Ken Ghosh Sanjay Suri take on Devdas
2021 Vardaan Kapoor
genderbent
versions of
characters

Richa modern-day
2018 Daas Dev Hindi Sudhir Mishra Rahul Bhatt Aditi Rao Hydari
Chadda take on Devdas

Nayaka Ra Mrutyunjaya Bhoomika

2019 Odia Asit Patra Anu Choudhary
Na Devdas Sahoo Dash

In Guru Dutt's critically acclaimed film Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), a sub plot involves Dutt directing a
film titled Devdas with Waheeda Rehman playing Paro.

In Haath Ki Safai (1974), a song in the movie is about the play Devdas with Randhir Kapoor as
Devdas and Hema Malini as Chandramukhi.[7]

In the Tamil remake of the song, Kamal Haasan plays Devdas and Sripriya plays Chandramukhi.

A sequel of the 1953 Telugu version of Devdasu was released in year 1978, titled Devadasu Malli
Puttadu.

In the 2006 Kannada blockbuster Mungaru Male, a rabbit who is protagonist's pet is named after
Devdas.

In the 2012 Hindi film Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum, a dream sequence has Tusshar Kapoor as
Devdas, Neha Sharma as Paro and Sarah Jane Dias as Chandramukhi.
See also

Bengal Renaissance
Novels portal
Mujra dance

Parinita/Parineeta (1914)

References

1. "The DEVDAS Phenomenon" (https://uiowa.edu/indiancinema/devdas) . The University of Iowa.

Retrieved 2018-12-24.

2. Sen, Sukumar (1353 Bengali Year). Bangla Sahityer Itihas বাঙ্গালা সাহিত্যের ইতিহাস [History of
Bengali Literature]. V:3. Calcutta: Modern Book Agency. p. 552.

3. "শতবর্ষে দেবদাস" (https://www.prothomalo.com/onnoalo/article/1352486/%E0%A6%B6%E0%A

6%A4%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%
87%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8) . Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 27 October
2017. Retrieved 2018-12-23.

4. Sharma, Sanjukta (June 7, 2008). "Multiple Takes: Devdas's journey in Indian cinema – from the
silent era of the 1920s to the opulent Hindi blockbuster of 2002" (http://www.livemint.com/200
8/06/05234329/Multiple-takes.html) . Livemint. Retrieved 2009-02-22.

5. "The Hindu : The immortal lover" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100809095254/http://www.hin

duonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/31/stories/2002053100950300.htm) . Archived from the
original on 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2006-08-15.

6. Devdas phenomenon (http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/DEVDAS.html) Archived (https://web.

archive.org/web/20120113071438/http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/DEVDAS.html) January
13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

7. Peene Walon Ko Peene Ka Bahana Chahiye – Haath Ki Safai 1974 1080p HD (https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=T9C3E6Ge_Dk)

Further reading

Manzar, Benazir; Aravind, Aju (January 2018). "Devdas to Dev.D : Transformation in the Cinematic
World of Devdas" (https://books.google.com/books?id=ECVIDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70) . In Dominic,
K. V. (ed.). International Journal on Multicultural Literature (IJML). Vol. 8. Modern History Press.
 pp. 70–76. ISBN 978-1-61599-382-6. ISSN 2231-6248 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2231-624
8) .

External links

Penguin India book review (https://web.archive.org/web/20071016144547/http://penguinbooksind

ia.com/Books/bookdetail.asp?ID=4996)

The Hindu (newspaper) essay on the novel (https://web.archive.org/web/20090508093010/http://

[usurped]
www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/03/02/stories/2003030200180300.htm)

Devdas in Bengali Text (https://web.archive.org/web/20080414003251/http://barnamala.org/barn

amala/554)