MUMBAI – Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan walked down the memory lane on the 19th anniversary of his period romance drama “Devdas” and thanked the audience for all the love over the years.
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film starred Khan in the titular character of the depressed and alcoholic lover.
“Devdas” released on July 12, 2002 to acclaim and also starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Kirron Kher and Jackie Shroff.
The 55-year-old star took to Twitter to celebrate the milestone.
“All the late nights, early mornings, problems worked out bcoz of the gorgeous @MadhuriDixit, the stunning Aishwarya, ever cheerful @bindasbhidu, full of life @KirronKherBJP & the whole team slogging under the masterful Bhansali. Only issue-the dhoti kept falling off! Thx for the love,” he wrote alongside a series of stills from the set.
Based on the 1917 Bengali novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the film narrates the story of Devdas Mukherjee (Khan), a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, Parvati “Paro” (Rai Bachchan).
However, the rejection of their marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration and him seeking refuge with the golden-hearted courtesan Chandramukhi (Dixit-Nene).
Shroff, who played Chunnilal, a friend of Devdas, also took to the microblogging site to mark the 19 years of the film.
“Aaj sirf ‘Y’ se yaad hi nahin, ‘Y’ se yakin bhi nahi ho raha 19 saal hogaye Devdas ko! Shukriya all the bondhu’s who were part of the Saga! #Devdas,” he added.
“Devdas”, which had premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, went on to win five National Film Awards — best popular film providing wholesome entertainment, best playback singer for then debutante Shreya Ghoshal, production design for Nitin Chandrakant Desai, best choreography for Saroj Khan and best costume design for Neeta Lulla, Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla and Reza Shariffi.
Written by Bhansali and Prakash Ranjit Kapadia, the film was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2002, and is still remembered for its soundtrack, sprawling sets and costumes.
