The day Shah Rukh Khan took over the legacy of Dilip Kumar, and ‘Devdas’ re-emerged

‘Devdas‘, a legacy created by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, a tragic hero whose story was told and re-told on the silver screen, again and again. From the screens of Bengali cinema, this hero even came to Bollywood, and it was then, that Dilip Kumar immortalised the role as he stepped into the shoes of Sarat da’s Devdas. Years later, in the year 2002, Sanjay Leela Bhansali re-created the magic. On this day, July 15, 2002, ‘Devdas’ hit the screens again, nearly 48 years after Bimal Roy’s version starring Dilip Kumar. Only now, the hero was the superstar of today, someone who revered Dilip Kumar as much as we do, Shah Rukh Khan.

After the stupendous success of his film ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999), filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali went a step ahead to create one of his most ambitious and a dream project with ‘Devdas’. It was the third film adaptation and first coloured adaptation of late Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel of the same name.

This timeless and tragic tale of love found and lost saw Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Paro, and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi, and won many accolades for the legendary performances of the stars, that are remembered even today. (Also Read: Do you know AbRam is the one behind Shah Rukh Khan’s dance moves? Read to know…)

Recently, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan once again presented the film at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Well, it did make quite an  impression there as well.

‘Devdas’ will also be re-released in 3D version on the occasion of it completing 15 years in Indian cinema. Definitely, ‘Devdas’ is a film that will remain iconic for various reasons, and that’s why, today is special. How time flies.

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.