Chandramukhi
Devdas character
Vyjayanthimala as Chandramukhi in Devdas
Created bySarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Portrayed byChandrabati Devi
Vyjayanthimala
Supriya Devi
Kalki Koechlin
Anwara
Madhuri Dixit
For more "Performers"
In-universe information
AliasChandrika
NicknameLeni
RaceIndian people
GenderFemale
OccupationTawaif (courtesan)
SpouseDevdas Mukherjee
ReligionHindu

Chandramukhi is one of the pivotal characters in the 1917 Bengali novel Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Her character was inspired by the Hindu mystical singer Meera, who devoted her life to Lord Krishna; similarly Chandramukhi devoted her life to Devdas.[1] Chandramukhi is portrayed as a tawaif in the novel and its film adaptations.[2] Chandramukhi means "moon faced" or "as beautiful as the moon" in Sanskrit.[3]

In the novel

Chandramukhi is a courtesan (tawaif) who lives in Calcutta also known as Kolkata. She is considered the most beautiful and richest prostitute in the area of Chitpur.[4] She is first introduced to Devdas by Chunnilal, who returns to Calcutta heartbroken after the marriage of Parvathi "Paro". Devdas, disgusted over Chandramukhi's profession insults her and leaves her kotha. Chandramukhi, impressed by Devdas's attitude, later falls in love with him after realizing his steadfast love for Paro. She leaves her profession for Devdas and convinces him to marry her; he, however, has to reluctantly reject her offer as he has devoted his life to Paro. In return, Chandramukhi does not force him to be with her but waits patiently for him. Subsequently, she also moves to Ashthajhari village, where she lives in a muddy house located at the bank of a river and helps the needy. After some struggle, she meets with Devdas again, who now accepts her love.

In the film

Chandrabati Devi as Chandramukhi and Pramathesh Barua as Devdas in the 1935 Bengali film Devdas

In most of the film adaptations of Devdas, the story of Chandramukhi is similar to the novel. However, in most of the films her humanitarian work in helping the needy is not depicted. Unlike in the novel, a scene in which Chandramukhi and Parvathi meet was added in Bimal Roy's 1955 version when Paro, played by Suchitra Sen riding in a human rickshaw, comes across Chandramukhi, played by Vyjayanthimala, who just stares at Paro without a single word being exchanged between them.[5] The meeting scene of Paro and Chandramukhi in the 1955 version was still regarded as one of the memorable scene in Bollywood with the background music adding the impact to the scene.[6] In the 2002 version, the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, extended the interaction between Paro and Chandramukhi, also showing them dancing together to the hit song "Dola Re Dola".[7]

Performers

Year Title Portrayed by LanguageOther cast Notes Ref.
Devdas Paro
1928DevdasNiharbala / Miss ParulSilentPhani SarmaTarakbala
1935DevdasChandrabati DeviBengaliPramathesh BaruaJamuna Barua
1936DevdasT. R. RajakumariHindiK. L. SaigalJamuna Barua
1937DevdasMohiniAssamesePhani SarmaZubeida
1953DevadasuLalithaTelugu, TamilAkkineni Nageswara RaoSavitri–
1955DevdasVyjayanthimalaHindiDilip KumarSuchitra Sen
1955Good Bye My LoverMolly LimMalayS. Roomai NoorChang Lai LaiMalaysian film; also known as Selamat Tinggal, Kekasihku[8]
1965DevdasNayyar SultanaUrduHabib TaalishShamim AraPakistani film
1974DevadasuJayanthiTeluguKrishnaVijaya Nirmala
1978Muqaddar Ka SikandarRekhaHindustaniAmitabh BachchanRaakheeloosely inspired by Devdas
1979DevdasSupriya ChoudhuryBengaliSoumitra ChatterjeeSumitra Mukherjeealso known as Debdas
1980Prema TarangaluJayasudhaTeluguKrishnam RajuSujatharemake of Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
1981Amara KaaviyamSripriyaTamilSivaji GanesanMadhaviremake of Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
1982DevdasAnwaraBengaliBulbul AhmedKaboriBangladeshi film
1989DevadasRamya KrishnanMalayalamVenu NagavallyParvathy
2002DevdasIndrani HaldarBengaliProsenjit ChatterjeeArpita Pal
DevdasMadhuri DixitHindiShah Rukh KhanAishwarya Rai
2004DevdasSreelekha MitraBengaliParambrata ChatterjeeMonami Ghosh [9]
2009Dev.DKalki KoechlinHindiAbhay DeolMahi Gillmodern-day take on Devdas
2010DevdasMeeraUrduNadeem ShahZara SheikhPakistani film
2013DevdasMoushumiBengaliShakib KhanApu BiswasBangladeshi film
2017DeviShataf FigarBengaliPaoli DamShubh Mukherjeemodern-day take on Devdas
genderbent versions of characters
2017 – presentDev DDSanjay SuriHindiAsheema VardaanAkhil Kapoorweb series
modern-day take on Devdas
genderbent versions of characters
2018Daas DevAditi Rao HydariHindiRahul BhattRicha Chadhamodern-day take on Devdas

Social impact

Chandramukhi is one of the first characters in an Indian novel to deal with prostitution.[10] She was often depicted as a tawaif with a heart of gold.[11] The character of Chandramukhi had paved the way for other portrayals of prostitutes and tawaifs in films like Pyaasa (1957), Sadhna (1958) and Pakeezah (1972).[12] Actresses such as Nargis, Suraiya and Bina Rai refused to enact the role of a Chandramukhi in the 1955 film of Devdas, which later went to Vyjayanthimala.[13]

Legacy

Chandramukhi was well-received in India by critics. In 2006, Rediff listed Chandramukhi in their list of "Bollywood's Best Tawaif".[14] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India also ranked Chandramukhi at #5 in his list "Tart with a heart", saying that "The egotistical Paro may have given her boy friend the goby, but self-sacricficing Chandramukhi was willing to put everything on hold — her livelihood too — for her lover".[15]

Awards

There are many actresses who have portrayed Chandramukhi in film adaptations of Devdas. The first notable award was won by Vyjayanthimala in 1956 when she won the Filmfare Awards, known as Bollywood's Oscar,[16] in the Supporting Actress category. However, she was also the first person to decline the award, as she thought that her role was not a supporting one but was of equal importance and parallel to that of Parvathy in the 1955 version.[17] Other actresses who played Chandramukhi in Hindi versions of the novel have also won this award.[14]

The following are awards and nominations received by actresses who have played the role of Chandramukhi in film:

Year Film Nominee Award Result Note Ref.
1957 Devdas Vyjayanthimala Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Won She refused to accept the award as she thought that Chandramukhi and Parvathi were parallel roles and not a supporting role [18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
2002 Devdas Madhuri Dixit Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress
Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female Nominated
IIFA Award for Best Actress
2010 Dev.D Kalki Koechlin Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female Nominated
2013 Devdas Moushumi Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress Won
Meril-Prothom Alo Award for Best Film Actress (people’s choice) Nom [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Guha, Srejara (2002). Devdas: a novel. Penguin Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-14-302926-7. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Vidya Pradhan (21 January 2008). "Heart of gold, speckled with sin". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Ghose, Anindita (August 2006). "Of Names of Women in Hindi Cinema: An Exploration in Semantics" (PDF). e-Social Sciences. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012. Madhuri Dixit in 'Devdas' (2002) is Chandramukhi which means 'moon faced'.
  4. ↑ Shubha Tiwari (2005). Indian fiction in English translation. New Delhi Atlantic Publication. p. 151. ISBN 978-81-269-0450-1. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Corey K. Creekmur (13 December 2001). "The Devdas Phenomenon". University of Iowa. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Vijay Lokapally (20 February 2009). "Devdas (1955)". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fighting Queens". Outlook (magazine). 13 December 2001. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  8. ↑ Allan Koay (2 April 2007). "A new era". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Screen On & Off". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Lindsay J. Proudfoot, M. M. Roche (2005). (Dis)placing empire: renegotiating British colonial geographies. Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 160. ISBN 0-7546-4213-5. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Sumita S. Chakravarty (1993). National identity in Indian popular cinema, 1947-1987. Harward Academic Publication. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-292-71156-3. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Meghnad Desai (2004). Nehru's hero Dilip Kumar in the life of India. Lotus Collection, Roli Books. p. 95. ISBN 978-81-7436-311-4. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  13. ↑ Lata Khubchandani (5 July 2002). "'I did not approve of Vyjayanthimala as Chandramukhi'". Rediff. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  14. 1 2 Dinesh Raheja (30 October 2006). "Bollywood's top tawaifs". Rediff. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  15. ↑ Nikhat Kazmi (16 January 2006). "Tart with a heart". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  16. ↑ Mishra, Vijay, Bollywood Cinema: A Critical Genealogy (PDF), Victoria University of Wellington, p. 9, archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2012, retrieved 18 February 2012
  17. ↑ Sheela Bhatt (22 June 2012). "A star spangled evening". Mumbai, Maharashtra: Rediff. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  18. ↑ "Vyjayanthimala". Upperstall. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  19. ↑ "The Winners – 1956". Indiatimes. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  20. ↑ Subhash K. Jha (22 February 2003). "Shah Rukh, Ash, Ajay Devgan's rich haul". Rediff. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  21. ↑ Raymond Ronamai. "The winners of the 55th Filmfare Awards are..." Oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  22. ↑ "Nominations for Max Stardust Awards 2010". Bollywood Hungama. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  23. ↑ "মেরিল—প্রথম আলো পুরস্কার ২০১৩" [Meril Prothom Alo Award, 2013]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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