Shah Rukh Khan, who recently presented his 2002 film Devdas at the 77th Locarno International Film Festival, called shooting for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali period drama “one of the best experiences of his life,” terming the movie “a modern-day masterpiece.” He also highlighted the challenges the makers faced while filming the magnum opus, including monetary crisis and producers backing out.
Shah Rukh, who was honoured with the Pardo Alla Carriera award at the Locarno Film Festival, said when Bhansali decided to make Devdas, which had already been made 18 times earlier, the general perception of the industry was that it was “outdated,” while it was the “most expensive film being in India” then. “It went through its own share of troubles. Money issues, and producers vanishing, we had to complete the film in a few days. It went over time, over budget,” he shared.
Shooting a film like Devdas, which had massive sets and elaborate costumes, meant that the makers required huge resources. Recalling an incident when the set had to be lit up, SRK shared that they had 90 generators on the sets at one time. “We used to have 90 gensets on the sets at one time to light up the area, and there were no generators left in the city of Mumbai because it had to be lit up so much. Very opulent, very lavish, very rich and very big and the costumes and the drama and everything of it,” he shared.
For Shah Rukh, working in Devdas was more of an emotional decision, who wanted to pay homage to his late mother, an ardent fan of Dilip Kumar. SRK had grown up watching Dilip Kumar’s portrayal of Devdas and despite his peers warning him against acting in the film, he went ahead and played the titular role. He equates working in Devdas to “fulfilling an unfinished dream.” “I had a great time doing the film because I felt it was kind of a tribute… memory to my mother who loved the film. A lot of actors in Mumbai told me not to do the film. ‘This is not your zone. You are more pop culture’. But I really wanted to do this because it was some kind of fulfilling of an unfinished dream and for my mother’s love,” he recalled.
SRK delivered a masterclass at the festival on the film inspired by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel, Devdas. The actor also revealed that his production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, has acquired the rights of Devdas.
Upon its release, Devdas, also starring Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Jackie Shroff, was not only a box office success but also remains of the most celebrated piece of work in Indian cinema which travelled to many international film festivals, including the prestigious, Cannes Film Festival.
Shah Rukh credited the success of of Devdas to Bhansali, stating that the film festival’s choice of screening Devdas was apt. “I think it’s one of the nicest films they’ve taken in my career, one of my favorite films of my own,” he shared.
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