Shah Rukh Khan Reveals ‘Devdas’ Rights Acquisition at Locarno Screening

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan revealed that his production company Red Chillies Entertainment has acquired the rights to Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s 2002 film “Devdas.” Khan starred in the 2002 film, which appeared at the Cannes Film Festival.

Khan was at the Locarno Film Festival to accept a career achievement award and deliver a masterclass. He made the announcement during a special screening of the film. “We as a production company bought the rights of this film back, and I’m very, very proud that it belongs to our company now,” Khan told the audience before the screening The 2002 adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel is just one in a long line of film versions of the tragic tale.

Khan acknowledged this rich history, noting, “By the time I got to see the film, I think they’d made 18 films based on the same novel, or 20, and lots of other plays and songs.” The story follows Devdas Mukherjee, a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood sweetheart, Paro.

However, his family rejects the match due to class differences. Heartbroken, Devdas descends into alcoholism and finds solace with a courtesan named Chandramukhi.