If Alfred Hitchcock had spent a summer sipping cutting chai in rural Maharashtra while binge-watching Vadh, he might have dreamed up something like Devmanus. Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, this Marathi crime drama, a remake of the 2022 sleeper hit, offers a wild concoction of murder, morality, and middle-class mayhem—seasoned with a generous dash of emotional ras and spicy cinematic masala.
Mahesh Manjrekar delivers a restrained and haunting performance as Keshav, shedding his usual swagger for creaky slippers, a permanently furrowed brow, and the aura of a man marinated in despair. Opposite him, Renuka Shahane brings luminous strength as Laxmi, a sari-weaving goddess whose sighs carry more weight than most monologues.
But it’s Siddharth Bodke’s Dilip who steals scenes with peak sleaze—gold chains, slimy grins, and an aura of ghee-soaked menace. When he demands Keshav pimp out a neighbour to clear a debt, you instinctively want to leap through the screen and clobber him with a thesaurus full of curses. Keshav responds with cinematic flair—cue murder and a deliciously messy fallout.
What follows isn’t a tight crime thriller but more of a morality play dressed in a Lavani costume, complete with mythological metaphors, a pilgrimage to Pandharpur, and a glitter-bomb dance number by Sai Tamhankar that feels delightfully chaotic. It’s inconsistent at times, but undeniably fun.
The screenplay occasionally trips into melodrama, yet the sharp dialogues and Subodh Bhave’s portrayal of a morally ambiguous inspector keep the momentum lively. The climax packs a twist—not quite Nolan-level, but enough to make you mutter a satisfied “Oho!” while reaching for another chakli.
Devmanus may not be flawless, but it’s bursting with flavour. Picture a pressure cooker of simmering guilt, suppressed rage, and sharp social critique—ready to whistle its way into your guilty pleasures list. Watch it for Manjrekar’s transformative act, Shahane’s poise, and a plot that asks: how saintly can a “man of God” remain when the world around him crumbles?
Devmanus
Director: Tejas Deoskar
3.5
