DEVDAS

Devdas is a 2002 Indian romantic drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Hindi version and the first film version of the story in Hindi done in colour. Devdas was declared a hit in India by Box Office India and won the Filmfare Award for Best Film. The film also won five National Awards and a further nine Filmfare Awards, tied with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge with the most Filmfare Awards any film had won at the time (later beaten in 2005 by Bhansali's Black). It was received well by western audiences alike and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was also India's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was ranked #74 in Empire magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.The film follows Devdas (Shahrukh Khan), a wealthy law graduate, who returns from his studies in London to marry his childhood sweetheart, Paro (Aishwarya Rai). However, the rejection of this marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcohol, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration.The acting was seen by many as the primary factor for the film's success, with Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit all winning Filmfare Awards for their performances. The film's success was also attributed to the dance performances, with Dixit's "Maar Daala" considered one of the most iconic of her career and the song "Dola Re Dola" becoming a hit due to the unique dance duet between Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, two of the leading actresses of the epoch. At the time of its release, Devdas was the most expensive Bollywood film ever produced, with a reported budget of Rs 500 million.