In Mishra's revisionist version of the re-located classic the doomed hero not only gets Chandramukhi, he also lives, arguing that life without Paro is as good as death.
But Devdas without his death?!
The film's producer Pritish Nandy seems pretty prepared to take on the purists. "Classics mutate with time. They change so many colours. I had decided to do our own version of Devdas after I had seen Sanjay Leela Bhansali's version.
As a Bengali I couldn't connect with his lavish operatic mood. Saratchandra's version of the tale was all about austerity, holding back rather than unleashing a torrent of emotions."
The kingpin of Pritish Nandy Communication seems undaunted by the criticism that's awaiting him. "Fear of falling has never stopped me from climbing higher. Our Devdas goes back to its literary roots, though it's set in contemporary times."