A review by ns3153
देबदास Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

3.0

In stark contrast to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's adaptation, Devdas' character in the original leaves a taste in one's mouth more bitter than the most bootleg Calcutta liquor he manages to find. Irrationally abusive towards Parvati nearly from birth, his comeuppance elicits so little of the sympathy typically appropriate for a weary anti-hero; instead, the reader will likely feel his grisly end justly deserved. I was also surprised to learn that many of the film's pivotal scenes and characterizations were innovations on the part of Bhansali; such is the case with Sumitra's dishonorable nautanki lineage and her public embarrassment at the hands of Kaushalya (not even named in the normal, as far as I remember). The novel is left with little to its merit in contemporary readers' eyes besides historical novelty. Gripping as it is in plot structure, the psychological motivation of many of its characters remain poorly addressed or buttressed by misogynistic violence. Perhaps I would've enjoyed it more if Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's intent of narrative as social commentary was evident beyond the shock-and-awe depiction of alcoholism's evils.