Kushankurr

Terrific, Violent, Screaming. What would externally appear as a mere judge's verdict has been portrayed brilliantly as a take on The Jury of the human mind. Doubt creeps in beyond all convincement, combatting against unshakable biases and beliefs of what's true and false, and in the end, the truth loses its existence! How the Jury of the mind has to go through a violent frenzy, conflicting with each other, delving deeper layers and finally uncovering the surface together, an individualistic aggressive tussle becoming unanimous to arrive at the final verdict regarding anything for that matter. Once again, a masterpiece worth of justice none other than the Aantel of Bengali Cinema, Srijit Mukherji!

A real test of the lacrimal apparatus as I write this review with wet cheeks and blurry eyes, Devdas is undoubtedly one of Shah Rukh Khan's most fervent performance with unmatched intensity and puissance. Sanjay Leela Bhansali comes on the big screen with a timeless love- story, comprising a star-studded crew, potent visual scores and adept cinematography.

Set in venerable Bengal, "Devdas" leaves no stone unturned to depict the richness and regalia of the Bengali tradition, culture and belief. Right from the beginning, we see a yearning Bengali mother Kaushalya revelling in ecstatic exuberance on news of her son, Devdas Mukherjee returning home after 10 years from England. This love and envious possessiveness of a Bengali mother is amplified when Devdas first meets his mi amor Parvati Chakravarti, his Paro. His Paro, none other than the timeless Aishwarya Rai, does justice upon the role, enrapturing the eyes of the beholder with her beauty, captivating drama and expressions, Issh!

But alas, owing to the screenplay's perfection, the Bengali culture would never permit a marriage between Dev's rich and conservative Zamindar family and Paro's family, a lineage of nautanki performers, throwing light on the Bengali taboos of drinking, going to nautch girls and trampling the love between different castes. And hence began Devdas' spiral of self-annihilation. Jackie Shroff's Chunni Babu, "Priyo Bondhu" of Devdas, delivers canorous consonances of alliteration rather than his usual blows and punches, while also introducing his Bondhu to the golden venom of liquor, and to Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), a charming courtesan with a golden heart. She loves Devdas, caring for him unconditionally while he kept forbidding her care and pricking his bosom with Paro's needles.

Another notable distinction was the portrayal of the Bengali woman, the ideal example of veneration, admiration and awe. Notwithstanding Aristocrats, Zamindars or Courtesans, the Bengali woman has always been adorned with honour, magnificence and dignity.

A tale of ultimate love, a sad story that doesn't meet her zenith and glory, shrouded in challenges and vows, yet has an essence of completion. Chandramukhi got the love she yearned, Paro's family got the dignity they were disgraced of, Kaushalya's family got the labefaction they provoked, and Dev? He fulfilled his last vow of coming to Paro before his death, to see only her blurred figure before breathing his last. The weeping Paro can do nothing but watch her Deva depart as her Diya finally flickers out.

• Kushankur.