I first saw this movie in 1970 and have to this day never forgotten the haunting and beautifully tuned climax.Many years later the recent Shah Rukh blockbuster came to view which to my mind defamed the essence and spirit of the tale.Bimal Roy's dignified classic took one to the root of the matter.It is hard to imagine a film with so much realism.I have never seen an actor so deeply immersed in the character he's playing like Dilip Kumar and to bring that piece of fiction to life.Suchitra Sen embodies her role beautifully but Vyjantimala is simply superb.The other parts are skillfully played; an attribute to sound casting.The photography and music like in all Bimal Roy films are an accolade to nature.Forget about the lavish Khan extravaganza and see Devdas as it really should be : a man who gives up all even his life for his bitterment but still evokes admiration from the world.I had seen the Bengali Uttam Kumar in some films and it is my regret he never played this role but Dilip Kumar will never be bettered.I felt he was totally lost in the character!!!

Bimal Roy directs one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life in a very brilliant and poignant way. There are no elaborate sets as in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas but Roy's Devdas has in it the pain that would melt one's heart. The acting by the main characters…and not so main characters is brilliant and heavily analyzed. Dilip Kumar is not called the 'tragedy king' for no good reason. He underwent psychological assistance after playing Devdas. Suchitra Sen brings the perfect essence into Paro with her weighted words and Vyajantimala is perfectly cast as Chandramuki. Every actor/actress has the potential to bring you to tears. I have watched Devdas 2002 and it compares in no way to this movie. I agree this movie is not in colour and is not elaborate but I think that it what makes it realistic. Roy makes you believe that what you are watching is a village and not a palace (as Bhansali depicted in his version). Calcutta is shown as it should be and Chandramukhi's kotha or clothes are not that elaborate either. (We must remember that she is no queen like Madhuri Dixit in Bhansali's version). I have also seen Oriya villages (that are very similar to Bengali ones) because I originally come from one and I can say that Roy makes the village perfect. No Zamindar in a village had sparkling houses (as in the new Devdas). Apart from the realism in location, Roy's Devdas thrives in making the characters real. Sorry to say, Shahrukh was Shahrukh and not Devdas in the new movie whereas Dilip Kuman epitomises the real Devdas as he brings the character to life. There is no melodrama as in the new one and the actors succeed totally into delivering dialogues with deep meaning and weight. Everything is irreplaceable.The music is brilliant. Every song seems to haunt you. The lyrics are deep and probing and perfectly suited to the story. Everything in this movie is perfect.I can go on forever because there is so much I can say. Nothing can explain the depth in this movie; be it the dense story or the excellently portrayed and perfectly realistic emotions expressed by the actors. I get pulled into the movie whenever I see it and I always end up crying. This is one of the rarest and absolutely perfect movies I have seen. Bhansali's Devdas is in no way comparable to this movie except for the fact that it can boast stunning colour and lavish and glamorous sets. But personally, that does not appeal to me. That is not realism; it is a dream world which we should not aspire to achieve. Aesthetic elements do not make a movie great if the actors haven't acted well and the story loses realism. I would choose Roy's Devdas anytime and give it 10/10. Nothing can surpass the talent and understanding of the material by the director in Roy's Devdas. Allow me to quote what Elvis Mitchell of THE NEW YORK TIMES said for The Two Towers (obviously that film also deserved this praise)- 'Never has a film so strongly been a product of a director's respect for its source… Creating a rare perfect mating between filmmaker and material.'. This also applies perfectly for Roy's Devdas. We will never be fortunate to see a movie like it if Bollywood continues to be clichéd and not adventurous. I RECOMMEND EVERY MOVIE LOVER TO WATCH THIS MOVIE!

Like "Gone With The Wind" and Wuthering Heights, Devdas is based on a literary classic and is a landmark in cinema. Pre-independence Bengal and Calcutta come alive in this movie but it is not a pretty picture. The story itself verges on bathos, with a young man, Devdas (Kumar), drinking himself to death after his childhood chum and beloved Paro (Sen) marries another (older) wealthy man. That marriage happens only because Devdas' wealthy father and older brother refused to allow him to marry Paro, the middle caste girl next door. The pain is, she loves Devdas too, but cannot act on it.The parallel story has Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala), a dancer & call girl from Calcutta, falling in love with Devdas as well while he is drinking away his sorrows. But he is so focused on Paro and so negatively judges Chandramukhi's profession, he cannot notice her. When Devdas finally appreciates Chandramukhi's devotion, for her own safety he dare not take her home.This is a sorrowful classic, but with the overwrought pain, it plays more like "Wuthering Heights" than like "Gone With the Wind".

I have seen this movie and no doubt it is a master piece of Dilip Kumar's acting. The respect for him in both co-stars really impressed me.I think no one can act like as he has done in that film in this kind of script.I have heard that Shahrukh Khan is also playing a role of Devdas in Sanjay Leela's new movie but I do not think he can act so well. Dilip Kumar got the Film Fare Award of Best Actor for year 1955. The script of this movie was very sad and I have never seen this type of script in any other movie. The script was actually taken from a novel. I have given 10 marks to this movie. The acting of other cast was also very impressive. The music was also excellent.