Deva Movie Review: Shahid Kapoor shines as an angry cop

Deva, a remake by director Rosshan Andrrews of his own Malayalam film Mumbai Police (2013) starring Prithviraj Sukumaran – albeit with a changed climax – is a homage of sorts to two iconic Amitabh Bachchan films, Zanjeer (1973) and Deewaar (1975). Shahid Kapoor plays an angry cop, much like Bachchan did in Zanjeer, though his Deva is more of an amoral character. To drive the reference home in case we miss it, the building where he lives features Bachchan’s famous coolie image from Deewaar as a mural. Pavail Gulati plays the straight-laced Ravi to Shahid Kapoor’s bent Vijay. Pavail’s Rohan D’Silva admires his childhood friend from afar but lacks the former’s bravado or die-hard spirit. However, he makes up for it with his honesty and grit. There’s even a Deewaar-like close-up shot of them facing off towards the end. In your mind, you can almost hear, Mere paas maa hai, but alas, that moment never comes. It’s also the best scene of the film, arriving at the fag end of its 156-minute runtime. The two actors feed off each other, evoking major 70s vibes, where face-offs between characters were a common feature. You sympathise with Deva when he talks about his tortured childhood. It’s a testament to Shahid’s pedigree as an actor that he draws you into Deva’s life through clever use of facial expressions and dialogue. Pavail’s moment of greatness comes in his impassioned speech, which he records for his fiancée. It’s a heartfelt tribute to friendship and brotherhood, adding an emotional dimension to the tragedy that occurred earlier.

The film also pays homage to the camaraderie among cops. Pravesh Rana plays Farhan Khan, their senior, mentor, and even related to Deva by marriage, as he’s married to the latter’s sister. Pooja Hegde plays investigative journalist Diya Sathaye, whose father is a police constable. Hence, she understands the kind of pressure Deva works under and is able to look beyond his anger. We wish we had witnessed a better-paced love story between them, rather than this hurried version that rushes by. Kubbra Sait plays an honest cop who admires her senior from afar and, thankfully, doesn’t harbour romantic feelings towards him.

Deva is a police procedural, a murder mystery, a suspense film, and an actioner all rolled into one. Director Andrrews employs the tried-and-tested partial memory loss trope to drive the story forward and backward, giving us glimpses of the person Deva was before he lost his memory. The layers peel off bit by bit, and the hero slowly transforms into an anti-hero with whom you still empathise. The film rests squarely on Shahid Kapoor’s shoulders, and he gives his all to the role – punching, kicking, screaming when needed, and remaining quiet, letting his eyes speak when necessary. Pavail Gulati provides ample support as the straight-laced cop. Our grouse is that there should be more sequences featuring them both, driving forth the contrast between them.Pooja Hegde too makes an impact in her brief role of a hardy journalist. As said earlier, there should have been more of her in the film. Girish Kulkarni plays the corrupt neta Jairaj Apte, a power-drunk politician whom the audience will love to hate.

The film is well-shot by Amit Roy, and A Sreekar Prasad’s editing keeps the pace brisk. While Andrrews has rectified the absurdity of his original film’s climax, making the ending more logical, the screenplay deserved better treatment. We also wish there were more emotional moments for Shahid, given his forte as an actor.

All in all, watch Deva to see Shahid Kapoor’s take on playing an angry cop. We’re sure Rohit Shetty would be pleased with the result…