Devdas (1955 film)

For other uses, see Devdas (disambiguation).

Devdas
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBimal Roy
Written byScreenplay: Nabendu Ghosh
Dialogue: Rajinder Singh Bedi
Based onDevdas
by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Produced byBimal Roy
StarringDilip Kumar
Suchitra Sen
Vyjayanthimala
Motilal
Narrated byBimal Roy
CinematographyKamal Bose
Music byS. D. Burman
Production
company
Bimal Roy Productions
Distributed byBimal Roy Production
Mohan Films
Release date
  • 30 December 1955 (1955-12-30)
Running time
155 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹5 million[1]
Box office₹10 million

Devdas is a 1955 Indian Hindi-language period drama film directed by Bimal Roy, based on the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel Devdas.[2] It starred Dilip Kumar in the title role, Suchitra Sen in her Bollywood debut as Parvati "Paro", Vyjayanthimala in her first dramatic role where she played tawaif named Chandramukhi. Motilal, Nazir Hussain, Murad, Pratima Devi, Iftekhar, Shivraj were playing other significant roles along with Pran, Johnny Walker in extended cameo appearances.

In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[3] Devdas was also ranked at #2 on University of Iowa's List of Top 10 Bollywood Films by Corey K. Creekmur.[4] The film was also noted for its cinematography and lighting under Kamal Bose, that enhanced the emotional torment of the tight-lipped protagonist played by Dilip Kumar.[5] Forbes included Kumar's performance in the film on its list, "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".[6] Although Devdas was a moderate success at the box-office when initially released, partly due to its heavy theme and release of several Kumar's films around the same time including Azaad (1955), Uran Khatola (1955), and Insaniyat (1955), it found greater success in re-releases in subsequent years up till 1980s.[citation needed] The subsequent popularity of the film made the role essayed by Kumar amongst his most famous.[7] The particular version of Devdas is considered to be the best-known and finest rendering of the novel.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali – Devdas". Filmfare. April 2003. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Devdas over the years …". YouthTimes.in. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013.
  3. ^ Kanwar, Rachna (3 October 2005). "25 Must See Bollywood Movies". Indiatimes movies. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  4. ^ Corey K. Creekmur. "Top 10 Bollywood Film". University of Iowa. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  5. ^ Dinesh Raheja (9 December 2002). "The perceptive camera of Bimal Roy". rediff.com, Movies. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. ^ Prasad, Shishir; Ramnath, N. S.; Mitter, Sohini (27 April 2013). "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  7. ^ "10 Iconic films that made actor Dilip Kumar a Bollywood legend". Gulfnews.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Devdas | Indian Cinema - The University of Iowa". indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Why Bimal Roy's Devdas remains the first among equals". ThePrint. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021.
  10. ^ "8 Reasons Why Bimal Roy's Devdas Beats Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hands Down!". IndiaTimes. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2021.