Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas is not only a visual masterpiece but a film that is full of love, longing and raw passionate emotions. From the opening shots alone the camera (in a long take) adopts the position of a ghostly presence in the film through whose eyes you witness the events and love unfold. The first thing that strikes you is Binod Pradhan's masterful camerawork that sweeps and rises above shots, creating atmosphere and hovering like watchful eyes over the two families that are central to the story of doomed love that continues to keep promise.

Devdas's story is, simply put, of a man who loves but does not get to be with the one he loves. So deep is his affection that he begins his descent down a self-destructive path, not knowing life without his beloved who he has grown up with. I'll let other reviewers divulge the story, too much has been written about it anyway, I'd rather concentrate on the film and its merits, and the performances.

The narrative structure of the film is seamless, and void of any redundant comedy tracks, token songs or side-storylines that distract from what is central to the plot, which is essentially the love of Devdas for Paro. The script and dialogues are wonderful. It is rare in Indian cinema to find such a quotable film such as Devdas. Be it references to how 'no-one turns to drink for salvation' or the moon descending on earth; Devdas's dialogues are to die for. Couple good dialogues with excellent delivery and execution courtesy of ace thespian Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai or Madhuri Dixit and you have scenes that haunt you, their dialogues echoing in your mind long after the film is over. The way the story, atmosphere and lighting are in sync are superb. How the scene is lit dictates where it's heading in a way never-before seen in Hindi cinema. Be it the bright exterior cuts or the interior confines of a bedroom or lakeside rendezvous, lamps are always present and the manner in which characters faces are brought to life with the use of lighting is simply brilliant. The background score too beats in tune with the film, with each crescendo steering your breaths' staccato and informing each one at what pace to exhale. So haunting is the background score, it reminded me of The Godfather theme, which stirs memories and a feel that cannot be associated with any other film. It has that kind of an aura surrounding it.

Performance-wise Shah Rukh Khan has excelled like never before, venturing into new territory breaking barriers where acting is concerned. Such intensity, raw passion, longing, love and desolation has yet to be seen on the big screen, as is portrayed by the one man wonder that has single-handedly revolutionised Indian cinema. His portrayal of the journey undertaken by Devdas from a romantic lover with a temper to the outcast son who knows nothing but pain, drink and memories gone is breathtaking, compelling and par excellence. His stature and the way he carries himself from his introduction scene alone throws you into Devdas's world, so in no time you understand the character and where he's coming from. This is without a doubt Shah Rukh's most romantic and violent film to date. Romantic, because the hero is a failed one who seeks triumph in his falling and what he feels for Paro is a universal and extremely intense love that leads to his own destruction.

Devdas is without a shadow of doubt the epitome for die-hard romantics everywhere, who will no doubt relate to him in some way or the other. It's also Shah Rukh's most violent film to date because it completely massacres your emotions. The gut-wrenching performance weaves silently into your heart then begins to spontaneously combust with broken glass that cuts with each trouble the fateless lover experiences. By the end of the film, the Devdas we see is not the same one that was introduced. It is a fallen man who has read his own funeral rites, become physically weaker and incapable and has broken down in every way physically and emotionally because of how much he feels for one girl. Shah Rukh's intense and devastatingly shattering performance leaves a mark on Indian cinema that will surely be looked back on for decades to come. Among the highlights are all his scenes with Aishwarya and Madhuri, the confrontational scenes with his father (whether he is present or not) and the drunken stupor he portrays so elegantly and realistically of a man who is in that state because of a crushed and massacred heart. Delivering an award winning performance, Devdas is definitely Shah Rukh's finest hour to date, proving there's so much more to the man who has been consistently questioned after any one film does not match critical expectations.

Aishwarya Rai has yet again come up trumps with a performance that is as subdued as Nandini was extroverted in Bhansali's last film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Her character is much more difficult to play than any of her previous on-screen incarnations, as it requires a depth of understanding of the history of her character, the background and traditions of the family. Then she must emote and react to all around her as one of that background would while playing a resilient, wanting lover to Devdas who must not only display naïveté and simplicity, but also empowerment and grandeur, while consistently walking with grace. Such a role is as complex to describe as it is to assay, and so Devdas's Paro is a role that is an extremely challenging one…a challenge Aishwarya rises to and meets head on, effortlessly displaying why her name will be etched in history forever as Paro's pain is reflected through her glazed and inferno-ridden eyes showing love, anguish, respect and the burden of responsibility. Much has been written about Aishwarya's acting credentials and this film nails the coffin of detractors firmly shut, as she not only matches every gaze of Shah Rukh's with equal intensity (but more subdued in tune with the character), but also matches histrionics with a legend of Indian cinema, Madhuri Dixit.

Madhuri's role of the courtesan who falls for the man who's hopelessly intoxicated on love and his first flame, while breaking out of a cocoon created around her, purpose-built to trap her and her view of the world since an early age is by far one of her most daring roles to date. Madhuri fans will not only be taken aback but delighted with her performance that oozes a mesmerising magic that only Madhuri has captured and held for over a decade. Her screen presence with Shah Rukh is spellbinding and her moments with Aishwarya are a dream. Seeing the two screen beauties together, both who hold great capabilities and talent and have worked their way into celluloid appreciation, one is reminded of how natural the progression is of the Hindi film heroine. At any one time in Indian cinema, there has only been one actress who has captivated and become the quintessential heroine for that period and Devdas shows how Aishwarya will carry on wherever Madhuri leaves off. Both are vessels of talent that have an untapped reservoir within them, bound only by the restrictions of a role, and both have proved time and again they can create cinematic magic. Madhuri may have less screen-time than Aishwarya and may not be the central character, but her pivotal Chandramukhi is charming and a great balancing factor in the film and characters' lives. She aptly delivers a once-in-a-lifetime performance in a role that allows scope to make each of the twenty four frames that pass per second hers, while she dominates the screen.

Nitin Desai's sets are a feast for the eyes, intoxicating the audience as much as Shah Rukh's character indulges in on-screen. The palace, the stairs, the pillars and the lights, all appear in an all-too-real-looking world that makes you wonder if you really are living in the right side of town. The costumes are heavy and glittery, Madhuri's Benarus saris and Ash's traditionally bordered Dhakai cotton saris adorning each beauty while adding glow to both actresses.
Direction by Sanjay Leela Bhansali pays attention to detail be it in the environment or in the character traits. Bhansali has dared to dream an epic on celluloid and successfully transcribes his vision from imagination to big screen in what really is a grand saga of timeless love. The saga tells the story of a man, a woman and fate. Destiny ensures the man's unfulfilled love ends in a timeless manner that will immortalise it forever. Devdas is a film that's intense, emotionally driven and packed full with feasts for the eye and laden with top performances that rank in the finest of Indian cinema history. Witness for yourself the love, the pain and the salvation. Cinema doesn't get any better than this.

Fuad Omar.