13 years in Bengali cinema! Dev and some of his career defining films in recent times

It’s been 13 years in this Bengali film industry. There have been so many films - some good, some average, few are critically acclaimed, along with awards, ups, and downs. It’s a mixed bag for Tolly heartthrob Dev. But, over the last few years, he has tried to break the stereotype and explore the depths of contemporary movies, be it 'Bunohaansh,' 'Chander Pahar,' 'Zulfiqar', ‘Chaamp’ or ‘Kabir’. It seems with every single film the popular actor is just getting better reinventing his acting skills. As Dev completes 13 years in the Bengali film industry, here are few of his career-defining performances in recent years.

The adventure drama, based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novel of same name, is touted to be one of the finest works of Kamaleshwar Mukherjee. It gained a strong cult following from the audience and critics alike as this was the first time Bengali cinema witnessed such vibrant cinematography, especially the wilderness of Africa. Dev's portrayal as Shankar remains his most recognizable work till today. He charms as a typical young Bengali village boy who dre­ads clerkdom and decides to wangle a job as station master in Uganda, where only one train stops each day.

Dev has often received critical flak for his performance. But in ‘Kabir’, he begins with a well-appreciated calm image, and there are few moments where he excels as the mysterious, charming yet dangerous stranger that a young lady would often regret befriending. Also one of the significant highlights of his performance can be seen early on. He takes a dig at himself admitting that his character can’t speak proper Bengali. It’s not that easy to laugh at oneself, but Dev pulled off this gracefully and wins our heart. Unfortunately, he failed to maintain the much-needed reserve of his character as the film progressed. But no doubt this is a whole new and much-improved Dev you’ll get to see after a slew of average performances.

Srijit Mukherji's attempt to adapt two of Shakespeare's tragedies to the underworld of the Kolkata docks came off superbly. Splitting up Mark Antony's character into two different personas – Dev and Parambrata was a brave move. Dev did his best to enact a shady character like Markaz Ali. Be it the action sequences, good story line, sentiment tinkling dialogues or a fabulous screenplay; Zulfiqar has everything you look for. It was quite challenging for Dev to portray a man who can’t speak and at the same time show his expressions with silent reactions.

It’s the first Bengali sports oriented film that has delved into the harsh world of boxing, unimaginable. It follows the ups and downs of a simpleton who believes in his ability. Dev essayed out the central character Shivaji Sanyal superbly. You can feel the dedication and hard work on screen which may even inspire you. This is also the first time, the Tollywood hero was seen flaunting his Six Pack. The physical transformation was not so easy. He first had to put on weight and then he was told to reduce those extra kilos to make himself appear as a professional boxer.

Despite few sluggish executions in the middle, all the actors in Cockpit did justice to their characters to keep the film at the top gear. It’s not extraordinary but the unique content makes ‘Cockpit’ a must see. Just like his earlier films, here also Dev remains the show winner. His portrayal of Captain Dibyendu Rakshit was appreciated by both the audience and critics. The popular actor once again proved he has the credibility to fit in any role he is being offered.

The thriller, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, is based on a novel by Samaresh Majumdar of the same name. Dev played the lead sharing screen space with Srabanti Chatterjee and Tanusree Chakraborty. The plot deals with the darkest side of underworld and the story revolves around Amal (played by Dev), who gets involved into a smuggling business and soon finds himself as the part of a dangerous game. Dev was seen as the most incredibly passive guy you could ever come across, perhaps too much passive. His friend convinces him to join smuggling business and then a pretty lady on the run convinces Amal to take decisions that are even crazier. In both the cases, the character expresses very little and soon finds himself pulled along by others.