Devdas

Devdas film poster for sale.

This is an actual surviving original Bollywood poster of the 2002 blockbuster Hindi film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali that starred the “King of Bollywood” Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role along with Madhuri Dixit and Miss World 1994, Aishwarya Rai.

Based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel by the same name, Devdas (2002) is the third Hindi film to be made on the subject and the first to be made in color. Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Dina Pathak, Milind Gunaji, Smita Jaykar and Tiku Talsania played supporting roles in this cult classic.

Devdas was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and won a staggering five National Awards and ten Filmfare Awards, tying with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for the most Filmfare Awards won by a single film. Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai all won Filmfare Awards for their stellar performances in the film.

At the time of its release, Devdas (2002) was the most expensive Bollywood film ever produced. It was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was also India’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Devdas was also listed in “The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema” in 2010 by Empire magazine.

Printed and circulated subsequent to the first release of the film (somewhere in late 2002 / early 2003), this Devdas film poster was originally designed for publicity of the film’s stellar success at the box office but never ended up being used.

Time Magazine selected Devdas (2002) as the best film released in 2002 (worldwide) and subsequently also included it in its prestigious top 10 movies of the millennium worldwide, making this Devdas film poster, highly collectible!

Superstar Shahrukh Khan is seen holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand at the center of this original Bollywood poster flanked by Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai on either side. The three appear inside a rectangular box against a black background, giving the poster a resemblance to a theater screen.

Typography used in this original Devdas film poster is entirely in English. The word “Forever,” which capitalizes on the timelessness of the film’s subject, appears in a stunning yellow font with a beautiful motif drawn below it on the top. The title of the film is seen below in a similar font.

A line at the bottom in white announces the massive success of the film at various award ceremonies: “Creates Records All Over.”

The film’s central character Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan), essays the role of a wealthy law graduate who descends into alcoholism when his parents oppose his decision to marry his love interest Paro (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). Heartbroken, he turns to a prostitute for solace – Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit Nene).

The soundtrack album of Devdas (2002) was composed by Ismail Darbar, his second collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000). It became a rage throughout the nation upon it’s release. Songs from the album such as “Maar Daala” sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy & KK and “Dola Re Dola” sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shreya Ghoshal & KK are played till today as well as watched on video for their stunning dance performances.