Deva : Ek Atrangee

Story: Maya is struggling to find a good story for her next book. In the process of exploring new ideas, she comes across the story of Deva, a man with a heart of gold.

Review: Remakes of south Indian films have found favour among many Marathi viewers. After films like Vrundavan, Shutter and Classmates in the last few years, Deva, which is an official remake of the Malayalam film Charlie featuring Dulquer Salmaan and Parvathy, is the latest entrant in this list.

The film starts with the viewers being introduced to Maya Deshmukh (Tejaswini Pandit), an acclaimed writer who is trying to write her second book. After she learns that her mother is thinking of marrying her off, Maya runs away from home and stays with a friend for a few days. Through this friend, she comes to know of a place in Konkan that she can stay at for as long as she wants. With the hope of finding inspiration and getting some peace of mind, Maya goes to the place. There she learns of a man named Deva (Ankush Chaudhari), who owns the place and is somewhat a legend in the area due to his generosity. Deva is a vagabond whose only aim in life is to make people happy, whatever it takes. But he’s impossible to track down. Intrigued by this colourful character, Maya back-traces his journey to know more about his life.

Barring a couple of aspects, the film is ditto like the original. Ankush tries to translate his larger-than-life persona onscreen but the direction is a let-down, for him as well as the viewers. Deva doesn’t hold your attention for long. It falters in executing the story that has potential. Tejaswini and Ankush put in their heart in their roles but that doesn’t save the film from becoming a tedious watch. Even Spruha Joshi’s effort is wasted here.

A few scenes featuring Ankush stand out and those tell you the powerful screen presence he has. Another touching scene features the late Reema Lagoo, in a special appearance, along with Mohan Agashe and it melts your heart.

Deva promises entertainment but watch this one strictly if you are a Ankush Chaudhari fan.