What is Dev D?
- A very smart movie. It is a contemporized version of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas
- While S C Chattopadhyay’s novel was a critique of the social customs prevalent in Bengal at that time, how they led to a man’s lengthened suicide (a man who had it all by those days measures.), the movie is a commentary on the current misogynistic stereotypes in northern India.
- It highlights these almost in a dark satire by the use of Emosanal Atyachar and Duniya. But if you dig a little deeper you find an unwinding setup of paradoxes fuelled by addictions.
Who are the main characters?
- Dev – A confused selfish Child whose only motivation is to seek temporary relief from whatever is bothering. Growing up as a kid who had it all, he is used to scratching his itches as soon as they arise. He has no long-term vision and is thus chided and worse punished by society for not conforming to the rules set out. His only responses are withdrawal and when confronted with the truth a rebel attitude to hide his insecurities. It is only when he accepts the system, that the system is willing to give him another chance but not without penance.
- Paro - The scheming lover or the ambitious girl, Paro is one of the gifted Indian girls who have so well understood how the system works but feel trapped by their station in it. They try to maximize their payoffs from the system by keeping everyone happy and even ignoring Dev's antiques when conflict would've been appropriate. It is only when she sees that her investments are failing because of rumor that questions her "purity" that she gets frustrated but she still keeps all her anger in, only to unleash it at her ex-lover when he is at his weakest. This obviously hurts her a lot too.
- Chanda/Lenee – The playful child who didn't understand the rules and got punished for getting caught. Jesus showed that we are all sinners. We all have private lives that we keep hidden in closets, hers got exposed and she was shamed by society for setting an example. So beware that while you are having fun with "friends". Their incompetence or disregard for your privacy might haunt you for a while. The world seems to be all rosy at the moment but there are a lot of jealous greens that are only too happy to see you fall.
- Sattu – Sattu was Dev’s dad and one of the reasons that he became what he was. A lack on his part to instill a reverence to the social rules and then feeling guilty for the same, he tried to buy his way out of penance by giving whatever his son asked for.
- Chunni - The Pimp, the man who cashes on Dev’s addiction and Chanda's misery.
What is Emosanal Atyachar?
- Aah, Emosanal Atyachar is one of the ways the movie shows the paradoxes created due to addictions
- It is a constant denial of one's own responsibility and blaming others for one's own misery and then asking the world for sympathy as one is the victim of the cruelties of others.
- It is an addiction to a lover, who makes you feel something when life feels empty and meaningless, even if in the most negative of ways. The world has become more and more impersonal and thus histrionics are one way many of us get emotional satisfaction. That is what you get when a generation grows up on Television and Movies that exaggerate reality rather than real human connections. The dysfunctional child wants either that perfect home, that perfect scheme of events, or a complete opposite of it. Just so that life becomes easier, just so that we know exactly how to feel.
- Making decisions about life is a lot easier when things are black (jalwa) and white (Pyar). Grey takes too much cognition. And since white is too hard to achieve. Give me Black. Give me Emosanal Atyachar. Tragedy, Tragedy ;)
- The question here is “Are you addicted to Emosanal Atyachar?”
What are Addictions?
- Addictions are things that you have a strong craving for, they often make you dependent on them as they are either psychologically or physically habit-forming. They are often viewed as negative, but they aren’t always.
- We all are addicted to one thing or another. While alcohol, smoking, and food are some of the commonly known ones. Love, Sports (Physical exertion), Sex, Hardwork, and many others are often ignored. Discipline and Obedience are examples of addictions that are often seen as positive.
- Too much of anything is bad, the same is the case here. Addictions give you a great psychological or physical reward when you repeat them. There are points when they can begin to control you. So Beware
How Do I know whether I am addicted?
- The question is not whether you are addicted. It should be what am I addicted to?
- We all have addictions, you need to find out what you are addicted to. It is quite simple too. It is a simple act of finding patterns. What are the things you spend a lot of time in? We invest in things where we expect the highest gains and since these are the things you are doing a lot, You must obviously gain a lot from it.
- This can be done on a simple daily basis, a weekly or a monthly basis. Choose different periods and you will get different levels of addictions.
- You might even see a pattern in life where you repeat the same things over and over. History Does not repeat itself, We make it repeat because we are addicted to certain things. History rhymes in the melody of histrionics.
Why do you need to know your addictions?
- Well for one, if you find paradoxes in your life.
- We have been trained to work hard and attain our goals. But how many of us do? It is because many of us are so addicted to the patterns that when we are right next to our goals; we are so dazed and confused as to what to do that we simply keep following our natural addiction vs. what needs to be done! And then we're surprised at the Icarian fall we experience... I was so close!! Tragedy! Tragedy!
- Addictions are like programs that can stand between you and success. Inculcate an addiction of challenging your addictions to see if you can achieve what you always thought was your true potential
When do I know my addictions are the ones causing Emosanal Atyachar?
- Well for one, even I don’t know the answer. One plausible sign could be that you are living patterns, especially paradoxical patterns where your motivations and goals are quite antagonistic. Try to find out what you're doing that is counterproductive.
Where do I start?
- Aah, well finding the addiction obviously is the first step. And don’t be too keen to jump to conclusions. It might not necessarily be as negative as you take it to be. It is one of the reasons you are who you are. So be ready to see the positive as well as the negative outcomes it brings to you. Be sure that if it is a long-lasting addition, it gives you a lot of sense of security. Thus weaning away would be tough.
What is the key takeaway from Dev D?
- Dev loves Paro but fucks up due to his insecurity & hypocrisy (He is now addicted to any stimulation from her even if feels like emosanal atyachar). To wean away from her he moves to alcohol. But it is only when he replaces these negative addictions with a positive one (Chanda) that his life begins to make sense.
- You might be too keen to give up or lean on such negative additions because there are Pimps (Chunni) out there, who seem to want to help you out but are merely cashing in on your negative addictions, beware!!
- All narcissistic Men really need a Chanda (that impure caretaker) who helps them come to terms with the impurities, but they are so addicted to their regret of losing the pure
Hope this helps you find your Chanda and mine too ;)
