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Sanjay Leela Bhansali defends Devdas and calls him ‘most noble’ character after Shah Rukh Khan claimed he was ‘spineless’: ‘My actors didn’t understand…’
Sanjay Leela Bhansali defends his admiration and understanding about the character ‘Devads’ from his film after Shah Rukh Khan criticised it.
Complex characters in Bollywood have been a reason for debate among filmmakers and actors, and one such character is Devdas. Sanjay Leela Bhansali made the film Devdas based on the 1917 novel of the same name. A few weeks ago, Shah Rukh expressed how he didn't like the character because it demanded women and had commitment issues. In a new interview, its director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, defended Devads and explained that he felt it was a noble and loved Paro with all his heart.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India and discussed the film and the titular character, Devdas, in detail. Over the years, several people considered it a toxic character, and the filmmaker agreed that many cast members held the same opinion. However, he has a different perspective on it.
He said, "My actors didn't understand why we're telling this story. They said, 'Oh, it's romanticizing alcoholism.' I said, 'This is the story of a man who was loved.' What is our biggest duty in this life? To love and give love. Does anyone love Devdas? I wanted to say, 'If you love somebody, that's how you love'."
Bhansali feels that Devdas was a noble character because he dared to fall in love, which was reflected in the countless times he said Paro. Overall, he feels that the film is a love story. In his words, "Devdas is a story of a man who loved. People have been making Devdas. Why? They say he's a loser. He's not a loser. He's the most noble of any of my characters. He loved Paro. If you asked him anything, he would say, 'Paro'. That is love. That is a love story."
The topic recently came into the limelight when Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role of Devdas in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, sat down for an interview with the Locarno Film Festival a few weeks ago. During the conversation, the actor mentioned that he had reservations about playing Devdas and didn't want the audience to like him as he dissed women and didn't commit to her.
The actor said, 'I wanted him to come across as a person who is spineless and not somebody you should look up to. Bhansali made the film beautifully, but I don't think anybody wants to be Devdas, it is not a character you take back home.'
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas was released in 2002 and became a massive commercial hit. The film is based on the life of Devdas, who falls in love with his childhood friend Paro but can't marry her because of his family's opposition. As a result, he deals with heartbreak and takes to alcohol to decrease his pain. It was one of the most expensive films made in Bollywood, with a cast that included Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit.
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