Watch a Cop’s Revenge in Rosshan Andrrews’ “Deva”!

Deva Re Deva!! Shahid Kapoor makes his comeback as a daredevil cop in a much-hyped Bollywood remake. Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and directed by Rosshan Andrrews, the action-thriller stars Shahid Kapoor in the titular role alongside Pooja Hegde and Pavail Gulati.

Starring Shahid Kapoor In And As “Deva”!

An honest police officer, who was to be honored for his bravery, gets shot dead. Now, who is going to avenge his murder? It’s his police officer brother, ACP Dev Ambre (Shahid Kapoor), who sets on a quest to track down the murderer and seek vengeance.

Deva (2025) Official Trailer:

The Good:

When it comes to maddening roles, you can rely on Shahid Kapoor. Shahid had enthralled the audiences as the eccentric Kabir Singh back in 2019. In 2025, he returns on the big screens as ACP Dev Ambre a.k.a Deva, another freaky yet heroic character.

Shahid completely steals the show. He is a romantic hero-turned-action star who is apt for massy roles. No other actor can beat him in that. How he places himself into the shoes of violent and vengeful heroic characters is indeed thrilling to watch. Moreover, the screenplay of Deva is loaded with twists and turns and you will have to use your brains when watching this action-thriller. This is a revenge story, not the usual police-criminal encounter, but it is about a police officer’s vengeance for his brother’s death. The screenplay is fast-paced even though it is 2 hours and 40 minutes, and contains some intense and chilling Bollywood-style action sequences including hand-to-hand combats, car and bike chases, and gun violence.

Aaya Re Aaya “Deva” Aaya!

In fact, Deva is more likely an edgy suspense thriller, touted as an action thriller. The climax is utterly beyond imagination. It contrasts with what happens in the movie. You will even find unimaginable incidents occurring within the story, where Deva loses his memory and comes back to the police station the very next day to solve the murder case. Such unexpected twists captivate the audiences even more. Moreover, I would say that the Indian police have a thing to learn from Deva. If we have a few cops in real life as daring and determined as Deva, then many pending cases would be solved within no time!

A gangster in a cop’s uniform, that’s what describes Deva the best! Don’t go by his identity as a police officer. He is the kind of officer who has the aura of a ruffian. Deva has some daring and intimidating dialogues in its suspenseful and thrilling screenplay. The cinematography has a realistic appeal as most of the film was shot in actual locations throughout the Mumbai city in India. Very few scenes involved sets.

The Bad:

Now the spoiler! You may be wondering what an amazing movie Deva is. But wait! This movie will be exciting only for those who haven’t watched the 2013 Malayalam-language neo-noir thriller “Mumbai Police” by Rosshan Andrrews.

For those who have watched Mumbai Police, the entire story gets predictable. They will get to know the complete story of Deva just by watching its first few minutes. Unfortunately, Bollywood rarely has something new in its basket. It mostly copies South Indian films. Deva is one such exact remake where the entire suspenseful story of Mumbai Police has been converted and given the shape of an action hero-centric narrative. Deva has been directed by Andrrews as well.

The Verdict:

A thing that disappoints me is that Bollywood initially markets its movies with enormous hype. Audiences get deceived after watching the trailers that something unique and exciting is coming for them. But sadly, when that film is released, it turns out to be a copy of either some South Indian movie or a Hollywood movie. In fact, this way, Hindi cinema is cheating its audiences by selling remakes in the name of unique content.

But you may argue that the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Kabir Singh(2019) was a mega-hit when it was actually a remake of the South’s Arjun Reddy. Then how come I am saying that all remakes spoil the thrill? The truth is, both Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy were directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, a director known for bringing a unique essence of animosity in his heroic characters which makes them highly intriguing, no matter how many times you watch them.

Even though Andrrews has made his narrative hero-centric, he fails in his presentation that would have made Deva strikingly unique as a Hindi movie when compared to its South Indian counterpart. In short, whether a remake will appeal to its viewers or not actually lies in the concept as well as the presentation of that movie.

For those who haven’t watched Mumbai Police, Deva is only for them. They would find it thrilling. But for those who have already watched that Malayalam movie, I must tell you that you would find it very difficult to sit throughout this Hindi remake inside the theater hall because you would already know what’s coming up next.