There was quite a buzz around Shahid Kapoor starrer Deva directed by Rosshan Andrrews and the film is finally here for us to witness. Shahid stars as the angry and unhinged cop Dev Ambre in this remake of the 2013 film Mumbai Police. Pooja Hegde aces the role of a journalist, Pavail Gulati plays the honest cop and Kubbra Sait also stars in the supporting role of a cop. Deva is massy with some good shot action set pieces and a strong performance by Shahid Kapoor. But well, at the same time, the film is very stretched in its storyline and the suspense is intact till the climax, the overexplained plot kills the thrill of it. Now, read the review!
Plot
Shahid Kapoor as Dev Ambre is a very rogue kinda police officer who does things of his own will. For example, he has the guts to enter a politician’s house and hit his goons to let everyone know that the police hold a lot of power if anybody hampers their work. Well, just opposite to his character is Pavail Gulati’s Rohan D’Silva. Rohan is honest and a good police officer who does everything as per the book. Pooja Hegde is a journalist and Farhan Khan played by Pravessh Rana is a senior cop and Dev’s brother-in-law.
Deva is inspired by the 2013 Malayalam film Mumbai Police. The thriller is an investigative drama that begins with a chase to hunt down a gangster Prabhat Jadhav and this intense search is led by Dev and Rohan. However, after Rohan’s shocking murder in the middle of a police event, the plot is directed towards finding the truth behind this killing. Angry, disappointed and sad, Dev shoulders the responsibility of this murder investigation but things haywire after he meets with an accident and loses his memory. Well, post-interval Deva is all about Dev going into the roots of the investigation again and digging up the entire truth. The suspense around who, how and why was Rohan killed is maintained throughout.
Strong Points
Shahid Kapoor as Dev! Watching the actor play this angry, macho and bold cop on the big screen was quite a delight. Not that we haven’t seen Shahid Kapoor play similar roles before, but as an actor, his performance as Dev had a more interesting arc with a layered approach in terms of expressing emotions. The massy appeal of the actor in this film is quite evident with him taking centre stage in every scene. Shahid Kapoor was absolutely spot on in the hand-to-hand combat in the action set pieces where he fought the goons in style. Shahid Kapoor’s Dev also had his moments of realisation and regrets where the actor did a brilliant job in conveying these emotions to the audience. Shahid Kapoor has yet again given his best!
Action
Rosshan Andrrews made sure that the action sequences were short, crisp and definitely not boring. The scenes were well shot with a strong background score to elevate the impact of them. The best part was, that we were saved from the trauma of watching long action shots that a plot could do without.
The Suspense
Deva is a good thriller in terms of keeping the suspense intact till the very end, yes it does take a very long route to get there. The build-up in the first half is interesting and to a lot of extent engaging as well due to the storytelling.
What Fails
In the two-and-a-half-hour film, Deva deals with an overstretched plot which does not require the audience to put much thought into it. The slow-paced investigation in the first half does not give away much of the story, except Shahid Kapoor’s character taking the limelight as always. It’s like we don’t see much of the other characters even though they were good!
Pooja Hedge plays a journalist Diya in the film with little to do in terms of showcasing her acting chops. It’s another forgettable female character in a massy action thriller and that still is a disappointment. So is the case with Kubbra Sait’s cop who has the potential to shine but gets lost in the storyline.
Another annoying aspect of the film is the glorification of a cop who is more like a good, at times. I mean, Dev meets his fate in the end but it’s so evident that the film still wants us to root for his character anyway. Dev is wrong on so many levels, not just as a cop but also as a man who sleeps around with a married woman. We are back to asking why to make such characters look like heroic figures in the film, and can a plot not work by just making him look like a normal unethical cop?
Also Read: Nayanthara Reveals Compromising And Sacrificing Movies Because Of Then Partner Prabhu Deva. What!
Verdict: Shahid Kapoor Is The Strongest Point Of This Stretched Action Thriller!
Rosshan Andrrews directorial Deva starring Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hedge is not bad, but it is not very new either! The attempt to turn this thriller into a massy heroic good cop-bad cop narrative takes away from the thrill that it could have given with a more substantial and crisp plot. Shahid Kapoor brings his a-game as an actor and he was brilliant in this film. In every take, the actor shines and how. But, since the movie is so much about the lead character and his persona and glorification, the plot fails to give the desired impact in the end. Got to the theatres, watch Deva and let us know what you think about it.