Tale-twister

Is Dev.D going to be Kashyap mocking Sanjay Leela Bhansali? Will he turn Sharat Chandra8217;s tragedy on its head? Will Kashyap survive if the box office rejects it and the critics pan it? But Kashyap is at peace. 8220;Four of my films are releasing within the next two months. This is my final outpouring of all the baggage of these years. It8217;s been a long journey,8221; he confesses. Alongside Dev.D, Kashyap has also finished work on another, Gulal, a political drama; Pramod Bhai 23, a short film part of the Mumbai Cutting series and of course, Paanch 8212; the film that nearly led Kashyap down the path of ruin.

We leave his office for the buzzing, youthful, Versova streets. Neon signs, pretty people and tacky candle lit cafeacute;s litter the place. Before I know it, Kashyap leads me to Hakim Alim8217;s Hair and Tattoo Lounge. 8220;Alim and I go back a long way. He was the stylist for Paanch. It was his first film. The film of course didn8217;t work. But he moved on. I am still where I started out,8221; Kashyap says with a cynical smile.

Part of a small clique of young filmmakers and writers in the industry Kashyap is at the forefront of a breakaway from the formula methods in Bollywood. His latest film Dev.D is a contemporary rendition of Sharat Chandra8217;s Devdas. 8220;The film is nothing like the original; it just uses elements from the story. The equivalent of Chandramukhi for example, is a big fan of Madhuri Dixit. So she watches her performances in the movie,8221; he explains. Dev.D, he says is a film about the youth of today. And that obviously includes the fast lives they lead and the many taboos they break. The film is a musical, featuring a whopping 16 songs and found a supporter in Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle, who helped with the photography.

8220;In Dev.D you will see a brass band that plays a background observer. This of course is my tribute to the Bosnian master Emir Kusturica. I also pay tribute to Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin.8221;

FAVOURITE FILMS
Bicycle Thief 8212; Vittorio De Sica
Taxi Driver 8212; Martin Scorcese
Head On 8212; Fatih Akin
Black cat, white cat 8212; Emir Kusturica
400 Blows 8212; Francois Truffaut

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