DC Movie Review

Arun Matheswaran is one of the very few directors in India’s current generation who make films that depict harsh societal realities with brutal honesty. After making Captain Miller (2024) with Dhanush, he teamed up with the director-turned-actor Lokesh Kanagaraj for DC, a film based on Devdas, a hugely popular novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Wamiqa Gabbi and Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, played the female lead roles, while Anirudh Ravichander, scored the music and Sun Pictures produced the film. After generating a lot of curiosity among the audience with the announcement, posters, teaser and trailer, the film was released in theatres today. Did the film live up to all the expectations created by the promotional content? How did Lokesh Kanagaraj, perform in a full-length lead role as an actor? Did Anirudh, come up with superb music yet again for a Lokesh Kanagaraj film? Did the director, Arun Matheswaran, score his first unanimous commercial success? How did Wamiqa Gabbi and Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, do in female lead roles? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

Don’t we all know the story of Devdas already? Yes, it is about Das(Lokesh Kanagaraj), Chandra(Wamiqa Gabbi) and Parvathy(Sanjana Krishnamoorthy). Under what circumstances did Das meet Chandra and Parvathy? What are the backstories of each one of them? Why did Das end up becoming a gangster? Why did Chandra end up becoming a sex worker? Why did Parvathy end up becoming a singer at bars? How did each one of them struggle because of the evil in society? They maybe are flawed but are they bad? Doesn’t they deserve to have a peaceful normal life like all of us? How did Das and Chandra defy all the odds? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

Lokesh Kanagaraj in the role of Das is excellent. He did a full-length lead role as an actor for the first time but he never appeared as a first-time actor. He looked believable as a gangster and performed well as a person who has his own share of inner demons to deal with. After Anirudh without a doubt Wamiqa Gabbi is the second-best thing that happened to the film. In the role of Chandra, she delivered an amazing performance. Especially, during an episode at the hospital, she came up with an exceptional performance and almost made us believe that she indeed possesses uncontrollable rage. The chemistry between Lokesh and Wamiqa looked very good on screen and it is one of the reasons why we end up supporting their characters unconditionally.

Sanjana Krishnamoorthy in the role of Parvathy came up with a good performance. She did emote very well through his expressive eyes. She got a limited role when compared to Lokesh and Wamiqa but she made sure to leave a mark with her performance within the given screen time. The film had quite a few actors who played crucial roles and almost all of them performed well. Especially, the actor who played the role of Chunnilal, did a superb job with his performance. He generated quite a few laughs through his performance and dialogue delivery. The actor who did the antagonist(i.e. The police officer) role did well but any well-known actor would be better suited for the role.

Technicalities:

Is it possible for a music director to make a good film into a very good film with his background score? Yes. It is possible. The latest proof of this is ‘DC’ and the music director’s name is Anirudh Ravichander. Undoubtedly, he is the STAR of the film. The adjective ‘Exceptional’, is a small word to define his work in the film. He made us feel the rage, love, and pain the characters go through with his spellbinding background score. There are at least five to six BGMs in the film that are sure to haunt the audience for a very long time.

Every technician who worked appeared to have given their best to the film. We can see their desire to give their best to bring the director’s imagination to the screen, in every frame. The cinematography by Mukesh G, is first-rate. His frames and colour palettes, instantly grab us into the world of Das and Chandra. It is so refreshing to see the majority of the film in real locations. The cinematographer succeeded with distinction in giving the film a very aesthetic look and feel. Editing by Prasanna GK is very good in most parts. However, a bit more care should have been taken in editing. A few chase sequences between the gangsters and cops appeared repetitive.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Background Score
2.⁠ ⁠Screenplay & Direction
3.⁠ ⁠Actors Performances
4.⁠ ⁠Dialogue Writing
5.⁠ ⁠Utmost Honesty In Narration
6.⁠ ⁠Pre-Interval to Climax

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Editing In Parts
2.⁠ ⁠Excessive Violence

Analysis:

Devdas, the novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay published in 1917, is one of the most popular novels in India. Nineteen films have been made in India so far, in different languages, based on the story of Devdas. All nineteen films were made with different backgrounds, but none of them featured an out-and-out action backdrop. Arun Matheswaran’s DC is the twentieth film based on Devdas, and as expected, he came up with his own version of Devdas, which is entirely different from all previous adaptations of the novel. Yes, the film is based on the novel but what we get to see is a film which is very original. Every sequence, every dialogue and every visual in the film oozes originality. What happens when a filmmaker with unadulterated imagination and creativity, teams up with a music director, who has a habit of breathing fire with his background score? – The answer is ‘An excellent film like ‘DC’ will be made’.

Based on the work people do, society by default gives a certain reputation and a label to each individual. However, do people always live up to the reputation given by society? Does a policeman or a doctor or any other person in a well-known job, deserve and live by the label ‘GOOD’? Does a gangster or a sex worker, deserve to be labelled ‘BAD’? Don’t flawed characters possess a good heart? DC, talks about the philosophy behind all of the above-mentioned points but at no point does it appear preachy. The underlying philosophy was narrated most entertainingly, especially in the second half. The screenplay keeps getting better and better with each passing minute and hits its peak during the pre-climax(i.e. the payoff sequence between an elderly man and Das’ father). The best thing about the film is its brutal honesty. At no point did the director try to sugarcoat the narration and he never tried to downplay his imagination in order to cater to all sections of audience.

Read the following….

1.⁠ ⁠During his first interaction with Parvathy, Das walks with her until they reach her room and she enters her room, Das stands at the door and continues the conversation.

2.⁠ ⁠When Parvathy decides to go out on a date with Das, she sits in front of the mirror and starts to think whether she can use lipstick or not(i.e. She usually wears makeup as per the demand of her job but not by choice).

3.⁠ ⁠A policeman accidentally fires a few bullets at a woman. When his colleague suggests taking her to the hospital, he replies ‘If we save her now, the human rights commission will ask a lot of questions. So, let’s just treat her as collateral damage, kill her and say that she is also a part of the gangster group’.

4.⁠ ⁠Pointing to the rose flower Chandra always has in her hand, Das asks if it never gets dried. Chandra replies saying ‘It is plastic. Just as me’.

5.⁠ ⁠After taking shelter for a night at a house on the outskirts of the city, where a poor couple lives with their child, while leaving the place, Das wanted to give the couple some money for their help. When he was about to give the money to the man of the house, he got to know the man had called the police. And yet, Das hands over the money to the man.

6.⁠ ⁠A senior police official while handing over a crucial case to his team, says ‘Be Brutal’.

7.⁠ ⁠In a crucial moment in the film, Chandra says ‘Don’t you think people do anything and everything to save their name, fame in the society?

Each of the above-mentioned moments along with numerous other moments in the film hits you hard. They question our preconceived notions about people. It is one of those very rare films which is very thought-provoking and yet very entertaining. The first half of the film unfolds satisfactorily and right from the pre-interval sequence up until the climax, it pumps your energy, the adrenaline rushes into your blood, you would start to feel the rage of the lead characters, you would start to feel their pain, you would start to feel their need to be loved, you would start to feel their desire to be freed. The entire episode where Chandra uses a tactic to extort money from a few men, the episode where she displays her rage after killing a doctor, the episode where Das and his gang escape from a marriage hall, the brutally shot pre-interval action episode and the scene with Chandra and Chunnilal in the car, were made extremely well and Anirudh lifted all of these episodes to the next level with his mind blowing background score.

Overall, DC is a stunning addition to the list of films which are based on Devdas. It is brutal, honest, realistic, philosophical, poetic and yet very engaging and entertaining. Arun Matheswaran, Anirudh and the team came up with an emotional action spectacle that has every chance to touch your heart and make you root for the lead characters unconditionally. And yes, finally, the director, Arun Matheswaran, has every chance to score his much-deserved first commercial success with, DC. Go, watch it and fall in love with Das, Chandra and their unadulterated world.

Bottomline – Madness Meets Madness

Rating: 3.25/5