Deva Review: Shahid Kapoor Punches, Kicks And Pelvic Thrusts His Way To Rebel Cop Status In This Stylistic Actioner

Deva

Say what you want about Shahid Kapoor, but the actor has undeniable rizz. He kicks, smashes heads, and pelvic thrusts aplenty as Deva Ambre, a hot-headed, rebellious cop who uses his rage to rage against a system where the corrupt can virtually get away with anything. His buddy Roshan D’Silva falls prey to the twisted game played by those in power. Fueled with vengeance, Deva takes it upon himself to avenge Silva’s fate. Pooja Hegde is Diya, Deva’s lover. The two meet at Farhan’s wedding courtesy of Diya’s father (played by Girish Kulkarni), who also works with the police department.

Deva Movie: Plot

The film opens with Deva riding a bike with full swag, only to meet with an accident later, which wipes off his memory (or does it?). He wakes up in the hospital where Farhan (Parvesh Rana) greets him, only to discover Deva is all but lost now that he cannot recollect the events leading to Silva’s death. Meanwhile, gangster Prabhat Jadhav is wreaking havoc across the city after escaping Yervada jail. As Apte, the snooty politician trips on power, things come to blows.

Deva Movie: Performances

What piqued my curiosity is the underlying politics of the film. I was worried Rosshan Andrrews (a promising debutant director at that) might just go full Singham. I was worried Andrrews might just create another muscular cop with a God complex who thinks all the broken heads and punches serve a greater purpose; a cop who justifies his bloodlust under the garb of justice and vengeance. In a refreshing change, Andrrews and screenwriters Bobby–Sanjay, Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal, Arshad Syed, and Sumit Arora flip the script by offering a critique on the problematic protagonist.

Deva Movie: Writing And Direction

The dialogue is sharp, one-liners are aplenty. As is usually the case with writing hyper-masculine cop films, Kubbra Sait and Pooja Hegde get limited screen space. It is 2025, and given the direction the world is headed in, we need an Amitabh Bachchan ‘angry young man’ archetype more than ever. One who questions those in power, rebels against the oppressive societal structures, and takes an anti-establishment stance. To that extent, Deva works well. What I particularly liked was the psychological examination of Deva’s anger. In a scene, a character hints at the psychologically wounded child in Deva.

Deva Movie: What Works, What Doesn’t

“Ye jo tera gussa hai, ye tera darr hai”. The best bits in the film are where supporting characters psychoanalyze Deva’s anger. While we have seen many angry young men, rarely have filmmakers scratched beneath the surface to see where this anger stems from. Is it past trauma? Or is it the sheer injustice of living in a messed up world? Even then, the first half of Deva takes a while to establish the premise. Frankly, the groundwork is a bit shaky. The songs work well (as do Shahid’s charismatic dance moves). Pooja Hegde and Shahid Kapoor are convincing as a pair. Come second half and the final reveal, you might just want to stay glued to your seats.

Star rating: 3 / 5 stars

Deva is now playing in theaters.