Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a tawaif.
Acting
K.L. Saigal's drunken despair became the template for 90 years.
Direction
Barua invented the visual language of Indian romantic tragedy.
Production
Surviving fragments reveal stunning pre-Independence Calcutta splendor.
Director
P.C. Barua
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Most prints were lost to fire and neglect; what survives is cobbled from multiple damaged sources.
This film made Devdas a household name and created the 'tragic drunk hero' archetype that dominates Hindi cinema to this day.
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