Dev.D (2009)
Bollywood’s saddest boy gets the artsiest midlife crisis.
Movie Stats
- Movie: Dev.D (2009)
- Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
- Runtime: 144 minutes
- Release Date: February 6, 2009
- Language: Hindi
- Starring: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin
- Episode: Fear of Stairs — EP 2
What We Talked About
In this episode, we tackled Dev.D (2009), a grimy, neon-soaked indie take on the classic Devdas story — but with more cocaine, more nudity, and a lot more bad decisions. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, this was one of Bollywood’s first big indie hits, dragging an old tragedy kicking and screaming into modern India.
The movie follows Dev, played by Abhay Deol, a privileged jerk spiraling into substance abuse after screwing up his relationship with childhood love Paro. Winnie pointed out that Dev might be the worst main character we’ve seen so far — casually cruel, emotionally stunted, and yet totally believable as a rich, self-destructive dude.
Khilli explained the significance of Dev.D in Bollywood history — how Kashyap was part of the indie cinema wave that broke away from melodrama and instead leaned into messy, realistic characters. The movie assumes the audience already knows the Devdas story but retools it into a commentary on modern relationships, class, and male fragility.
We loved the movie’s structure — split into three chapters, showing perspectives from Dev, Paro, and Chanda (played by Kalki Koechlin), a sex worker with a traumatic past who ends up being the only truly likable character. Nicky was especially fascinated by Chanda’s storyline and how the film handled her sexual agency — rare in Bollywood at the time.
Visually, the movie is a trip. Adam loved the psychedelic cinematography, the use of neon, and the offbeat soundtrack by Amit Trivedi. One of our favorite podcast moments was screaming about the infamous sugarcane field scene — where Dev and Paro awkwardly try to hook up surrounded by mosquitoes and farm equipment. Peak romance.
Khilli pointed out that Dev.D is also a rejection of the traditional Bollywood love story. There’s no epic reunion. No grand gesture. Just people dealing with their mistakes — or failing to. Adam was also impressed that the movie never romanticizes Dev’s behavior — he’s portrayed as pathetic and broken, not tragically misunderstood.
In the end, we agreed that Dev.D felt like the spiritual opposite of the typical Shah Rukh Khan movie. Instead of longing looks and dance numbers, it’s alcohol-soaked regret and emotional stuntedness. And somehow, that made it one of the most honest movies we’ve seen so far.
The movie follows Dev, played by Abhay Deol, a privileged jerk spiraling into substance abuse after screwing up his relationship with childhood love Paro. Winnie pointed out that Dev might be the worst main character we’ve seen so far — casually cruel, emotionally stunted, and yet totally believable as a rich, self-destructive dude.
Khilli explained the significance of Dev.D in Bollywood history — how Kashyap was part of the indie cinema wave that broke away from melodrama and instead leaned into messy, realistic characters. The movie assumes the audience already knows the Devdas story but retools it into a commentary on modern relationships, class, and male fragility.
We loved the movie’s structure — split into three chapters, showing perspectives from Dev, Paro, and Chanda (played by Kalki Koechlin), a sex worker with a traumatic past who ends up being the only truly likable character. Nicky was especially fascinated by Chanda’s storyline and how the film handled her sexual agency — rare in Bollywood at the time.
Visually, the movie is a trip. Adam loved the psychedelic cinematography, the use of neon, and the offbeat soundtrack by Amit Trivedi. One of our favorite podcast moments was screaming about the infamous sugarcane field scene — where Dev and Paro awkwardly try to hook up surrounded by mosquitoes and farm equipment. Peak romance.
Khilli pointed out that Dev.D is also a rejection of the traditional Bollywood love story. There’s no epic reunion. No grand gesture. Just people dealing with their mistakes — or failing to. Adam was also impressed that the movie never romanticizes Dev’s behavior — he’s portrayed as pathetic and broken, not tragically misunderstood.
In the end, we agreed that Dev.D felt like the spiritual opposite of the typical Shah Rukh Khan movie. Instead of longing looks and dance numbers, it’s alcohol-soaked regret and emotional stuntedness. And somehow, that made it one of the most honest movies we’ve seen so far.
Our Takeaways
“Dev is the worst boyfriend in Bollywood history — and that’s saying something.”Adam
“This movie feels like getting lost in an indie music video at 2 AM.”Khilli
“I did not expect the sugarcane field to be the most cursed location in Indian cinema.”Nicky
“Chanda deserves so much better than every man in this movie.”Winnie
Weirdest Tangent
We went deep on whether you can really call someone a tragic romantic hero if they’re just a giant asshole with a drinking problem. Verdict: No.
About Fear of Stairs
Fear of Stairs: Desi Films Decoded is a podcast where logic takes a backseat to dance numbers — and every staircase could be a death trap.
We’re four wildly different movie nerds diving into the chaos of Indian cinema. Sometimes we’re charmed. Sometimes we’re confused. Always entertained.
New episodes drop regularly covering the boldest, weirdest, and most unforgettable films from across Indian cinema — not just Bollywood.
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