The original Indian cinema heartbreak that started a 90-year obsession with self-destruction.
Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a tawaif.
Acting
K.L. Saigal's drunken despair became the template for 90 years.
Direction
Barua invented the visual language of Indian romantic tragedy.
Production
Surviving fragments reveal stunning pre-Independence Calcutta splendor.
Director
P.C. Barua
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
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