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By Shantiswarup Tripathi
- Rating: 1.5 Stars
- Producers: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Pawan Kumar Bansal
- Writers: Bobby Sanjay, Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal, Arshad Sayed, Sumit Arora
- Director: Rosshan Andrrews
- Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Pooja Hegde, Pavail Gulati, Pravessh Rana, Kubbra Sait, Aditi Sandhya Sharma, and others.
- Duration: 2 hours 36 minutes
In 2013, Malayalam film director Rosshan Andrrews made the Malayalam film Mumbai Police, which was a massive success. Now, Rosshan Andrrews is back with the Hindi remake of that film, titled Deva. This marks Rosshan Andrrews’ first directorial venture in Hindi. In this Hindi remake, some changes have been made to the original film, particularly in the climax and Shahid Kapoor’s character. There are rumors that these changes were made at Shahid Kapoor’s suggestion, as he didn’t want to play a police officer character that was portrayed as effeminate.
Story:
In 2013, Malayalam director Rosshan Andrrews made a successful Malayalam film called Mumbai Police, which was a huge hit. Now, Rosshan Andrrews is back with the Hindi remake of the same film, Deva, marking his first directorial venture in Hindi. In this Hindi remake, some changes have been made, including a modified climax and a few alterations to Shahid Kapoor's character. The rumors suggest that these changes were made at Shahid Kapoor's suggestion, as he didn't want to portray a police officer who was shown as effeminate.
The story follows Dev Ambre, aka Deva, a hot-headed cop who is constantly angry. On the other hand, there's a corrupt politician, Aapte (Girish Kulkarni), who doesn't believe in following the rules and encourages violence. The film starts with Deva meeting his sister Alka, whose marriage is being arranged with a fellow police officer, Farhan (Pravessh Rana,). During this event, Deva meets Diya Sathe (Pooja Hegde), a constable working in the police department.
As the story unfolds, it is revealed that a criminal, Prabhat Jadhav, has escaped from jail, and Deva's team is assigned to capture him. Meanwhile, there’s a mole in the police department who keeps leaking information to Jadhav. Deva's unorthodox approach to policing results in an article being published that questions whether Deva is a police officer or a mafia agent, written by Diya Sathe herself. This sparks a romance between Deva and Diya.
The plot thickens when Deva and his team raid Prabhat Jadhav's hideout, but during the raid, several police officers, including Diya's father, are injured in a bomb blast. Diya suspects that there's a traitor in the police force who is tipping off Jadhav. Later, Deva and his colleague Roshan (Pavail Gulati) raid Jadhav's place, and Roshan kills Jadhav in a staged encounter. Roshan is rewarded for the kill, but before he can accept his award, he is murdered. The investigation is handed over to Deva, and the film delves into the investigation, leading to a tragic turn of events.
Review:
Rosshan Andrrews, while remaking his successful Malayalam film into Hindi, made several mistakes along the way. The film struggles to maintain coherence, and its pacing is off. For the first half, it’s unclear what’s happening or why, and the story drags unnecessarily. Shahid Kapoor’s swag-filled number in the early minutes of the film confuses the audience about the tone and direction of the film.
The romance between Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde feels forced and out of place. If Pooja Hegde's character were removed entirely, the story wouldn't have been affected. The slow pace and weak suspense further drag the film down, and the characters lack depth. The potential emotional conflict of Deva losing his memory after the accident could have been a strong plot point, but the writers fail to exploit it fully.
The film feels dry and lacks any emotional engagement. The director's style also fails to bring anything new to the table or even properly conclude the story. Moreover, the film features Deva as a chain-smoker, which feels out of place, especially with anti-smoking campaigns being prominent in today's society.
Some of the camerawork by Amit Roy stands out in certain scenes, but it isn't enough to save the film.
Acting:
As Deva, Shahid Kapoor disappoints once again. His character, though a criminal, shows no signs of guilt or remorse on his face. He often gets stuck in delivering lines with a flat expression, failing to bring any depth to the role. As for the other cast members—Pooja Hegde, Kubra Sait, Pavail Gulati, and Pravessh Rana—none of them get substantial screen time or roles to showcase their acting skills, making it hard to discuss their performances.
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