Devdas

Storyline

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 grand operatic romantic tragedy Devdas, adapted from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic 1917 novella, premiered to thunderous acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, swept a record 10 Filmfare Awards and five National Film Awards, and was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 10 greatest movies of the millennium. Shah Rukh Khan delivers one of his most emotionally devastating and celebrated performances as Devdas Mukherjee, a wealthy, sensitive aristocrat returning from ten years studying law in London to unite with his childhood soulmate Parvati 'Paro' (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the zenith of screen radiance). However, when Devdas's arrogant, caste-conscious aristocratic family cruelly rejects the alliance, a spineless Devdas abandons Paro in a moment of cowardice, forcing her into an arranged marriage with a wealthy elderly widower. Consumed by inconsolable guilt, grief, and unrequited love, Devdas descends into severe alcoholism in the brothels of Calcutta, where he finds solace in the compassionate, selfless devotion of courtesan Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit in a spellbinding, Kathak-infused performance). With Nitin Chandrakant Desai's breathtaking stained-glass sets, Ismail Darbar's immortal classical soundtrack, and the iconic dance face-off 'Dola Re Dola', Devdas is an unforgettably lavish, heartbreaking masterpiece on the tragic destruction of unfulfilled love.