Abhay Deol starrer Dev D marks 15 years after its release yesterday February 6. The drama opened to positive critical reviews from critics and audiences, offering a modern-day take on  Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel Devdas. Marking the milestone, the actor penned a note revealing that he pitched a different plotline and ending to the director, leaving him shocked and excited to make the film.

Abhay Deol recalls exciting trivia about Dev D

Taking to Instagram, the actor shared the poster in which he recalled pitching the idea of a contemporary, musical version of Devdas to the director while sitting at the Juhu Marriott. However, the ending he presented was different - he wanted Dev to be shot dead by the cops outside Paro's house because, by the end of the film, he was a drug dealer. The director didn't stick to Abhay's ending and changed as seen in the film.  

He started the note with these words, "It’s 15 years today since the release of Dev.D. I still remember pitching the idea of a contemporary, musical version of Devdas to Anurag, at the Juhu Marriott. The shock and excitement on his face is etched in my memory."

He added, "My ending was different from what he made though, I had Dev get shot by the cops outside Paro’s house because by the end of the film he’s a drug dealer. But the happy ending gave my character redemption, and it clearly worked. I still wonder where we would be had we killed him off. Dev the drug dealer, the original chauvinist, he was always far beyond redemption for me from the start lol!

He concluded the note by writing, "Either way, I have never pitched another idea to anyone in the industry since then. Maybe I should start focusing on development once again 🤔? #dev #character #movie #film #adaptation #writer #actor"

About Dev D

The film is set in contemporary Punjab and Delhi, where familial ties are negotiated by the traditional system and marriages are a game of power and a matter of honour. In the film, the story revolves around the character Dev, who breaks up with his childhood sweetheart and finds solace in drugs. Meanwhile, a teenage girl (played by Kalki Koechlin)is caught in the world of prostitution.

Upon its release, the film earned Rs 15 million. However, soon it picked up its pace and recovered its budget of Rs 60 million in a few weeks. The film's final domestic gross was Rs 215.0 million with a distributor share of Rs 65.5 million.