DEV MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Rajath Ravishankar's Dev, that stars Karthi, Rakul Preet Singh, Amrutha, and Vigneshkanth in crucial roles, is your usual romantic drama, but updated on various levels. The male and female leads have decent character arcs and even the comedian and supporting characters have something to do, rather than stand there as mere props. Ramya Krishnan's character Padmavathi does not come across as yet another tiring rehash of Neelambari from Padayappa (a really overexploited stereotype of Tamil cinema), which is a noteworthy change.

One of the major reasons that makes Dev a watchable one is the way the film is shot (cinematography is by Velraj). There is a certain sense of freshness that each frame breathes, due to it vibrant use colour in each frame. The dialogues too elevates the impact created by every scene. Another highlight is a scene where Karthi and Rakul Preet go on a road trip from Bangalore to Chennai. Before the trip starts, a few minor characters discuss whether this specific route is dangerous or not. This line could almost be missed because of the faint volume. But this seemingly throwaway line becomes significant later. The film would've been way better if there had been more such smartly written situations.

The way Rakul Preet Singh's character has been written certainly deserves a special mention. Not every day do we see the female lead as a CEO of an organisation. She almost pulls this off, except for a few scenes where the conviction of a CEO is missing.

However the film is let down by the extremely predictable plot. The story almost has no twists due to which, the film doesn't engage you beyond a point. While the story is not melodramatic, Harris Jayaraj's Background Score gives you that feel at a lot of places. The songs, despite being popular and catchy, become speedbreakers after a point.

The film starts with Vigneshkanth narrating the story of Dev in his standup comedy show. Therefore, you expect him to tell the audience a funny story. There are a few well choreographed fight sequences in the film, but when that doesn't affect the story in any way, why have them? Due to such scenes, a lot of questions arise about what the film intends to do.

There is a sequence where Karthi is seen scaling Mount Everest. He starts the trek well, but loses track mid way. Similarly, the film too starts off well, and ends up like the trek. But, the film is watchable for the fresh elements that are sprinkled at various places.

DEV VIDEO REVIEW