Deva (2025) Review

The 2013 Malayalam film Mumbai Police was a critically and commercially successful psychological action thriller. It was later remade in 2023 in Telugu as Hunt, which failed badly. Now, the original has been remade in Hindi as Deva. Not remade per se, but adapted to suit the Bollywood audience.

While Hunt was a faithful remake in terms of screenplay, Deva introduces several changes, including an altered climax. Many of these changes were done to make it massy, resulting in the sanitisation of certain taboo sequences and some loss of subtlety. But it still manages to do justice to the original. Deva is a better remake than Hunt, and integrates well with the Mumbai setting.

ACP Dev Ambre (Shahid Kapoor) of Mumbai loses his memory in an accident. Just before the crash, he was on a call with his brother-in-law, Commissioner Farhan Khan (Pravesh Rana), revealing that he had solved the murder of his friend, another ACP Rohan D'Silva (Pavail Gulati). Rohan was shot dead during a gallantry awards ceremony, but before Dev could name the killer, the accident wiped out his memory.

Farhan reminds Dev of his past and Rohan's murder. Impressed by Dev's skills as an officer, he reassigns him to the case despite the latter's memory loss. The story follows Dev as he retraces his steps to uncover the killer.

The opening sequence of Deva grips you immediately - a high-stakes chase, a burst of frenetic energy and a brooding protagonist who exudes defiance. And the movie doesn't let up on that. Rosshan Andrrews crafts a film that straddles the fine line between raw action and psychological depth, making Deva more than just another cop thriller.

At its heart, the film is a story of a man grappling with his own troubling past while attempting to unearth the truth behind his friend's murder. The screenplay oscillates between pulse-pounding (but not physics-defying) action and poignant emotional moments, ensuring that you are constantly engaged. Deva's investigation unravels like a puzzle with unbelievable layers of deception and betrayal, and the film maintains a gripping pace for the most part. Only a few moments - particularly around the interval - teeter on the edge of redundancy. Still, just when the tempo threatens to dip, Andrrews injects a twist that reignites the intrigue, keeping the film on course. You keep guessing but you can't predict the next scene until the last minute. The suspense is spot on (if you have not seen either Mumbai Police or Hunt).

The best thing about Deva is that, except for the central character, Deva - who, of course, is a larger-than-life rogue cop - the rest of the characters, especially the police, look, talk and act like real officers. The police characters are fallible and human. If you take away the unrealistically sleek action sequences - clearly designed to appease some viewers - you'll find the movie surprisingly grounded. Even Deva, unlike countless Indian movie cops, is neither purely good nor entirely bad. He is a complex character with traits of greed, ego, love, lust and idealism.

Shahid Kapoor is the backbone of Deva, embodying a rebellious rogue cop with an unfiltered attitude and an emotional undercurrent that adds depth to his character. In only a few scenes he does some Kabir Singh mannerisms and bursts into anger. But for the rest, his portrayal is a balancing act - swaggering yet sensitive, reckless yet introspective. Though his rugged, disheveled look often reminds you of Kabir Singh, Deva is an entirely different beast. Unlike the destructive rage of Kabir, Deva's turmoil is layered, his arrogance offset by a compelling vulnerability that makes him hard to dislike. Shahid's ability to seamlessly shift from intense action to moments of wry humour elevates the performance, proving once again that he thrives in roles that demand complexity.

Pavail Gulati, as Deva's buddy Rohan, delivers a performance that tugs at the heartstrings. His camaraderie with Shahid feels natural, making his character's tragic demise all the more impactful. Pooja Hegde and Kubbra Sait, while introduced in somewhat underwhelming sequences, hold their own as the story progresses. Their understated performances lend a necessary counterbalance to the testosterone-heavy narrative.

The film's antagonists, especially Apte (Girish Kulkarni), though slightly stereotypical, succeed in creating a sense of real threat, ensuring that Deva's mission remains one worth rooting for. Kulkarni's performance as a crooked politician is eerily similar to the one he did in the Sacred Games web series.

The cinematography is a visual feast, with dark, moody tones amplifying the noir-esque quality of the narrative. The action sequences are unpolished yet visceral, designed not for spectacle but for emotional impact. Each fight feels necessary, each punch carrying the weight of Deva's internal battle.

The background score is another triumph, heightening the suspense and emotion without ever overpowering the scene. Andrrews' direction is sharp, particularly in moments of silence - when glances convey more than words, and the tension simmers beneath the surface. The film's biggest gamble - a protagonist suffering from memory loss - pays off handsomely, adding a fresh dynamic to the investigative thriller format. But remember, the memory loss concept in this movie is no way related to or executed like Ghajini. Here the screenplay is refreshingly different.

Deva is a must-watch for those who appreciate layered storytelling and powerhouse performances. Yes, the pacing stumbles briefly, and certain characters could have been better developed, but these are minor blemishes on an otherwise compelling narrative. Action, mystery and psychological depth - Deva delivers on all fronts. This memory-loss movie is one of the most engaging Bollywood thrillers in recent memory.