That's how you make a misogynistic character!
For the longest possible time, I have always loved this movie. Watching it tonight after a long time made me reminisce why I loved the movie and the director. That is how you make a misogynistic male lead (not appreciating the misogyny but the representation of it as a cinema lover), not someone/movie who simply calls himself/itself an Animal.
You really show what misogyny actually is and don't glamorise it because the female leads have their own arcs and their emotions and the way of dealing with life. This story is simply about a loser who could have gotten the world but could not. I love the moments when Dev realises he doesn't love Paro anymore, the moment when Paro shows that she's moved on with her life and is okay with whatever it is despite the fact that she might or might not be content with it, and the moment when Chanda falls for Dev.
I always loved the childlike affection Chanda showed for Dev, despite knowing that he’s still in love with Paro.
This is the second best movie, for me, from Anurag Kashyap, after Black Friday, of course.
This is a story that's been interpreted a lot of times in the Indian film landscape- sort of like the Macbeth/Spiderman of Hindi cinema- but this movie stuck with me- probably because I belonged to the same generation when the movie was released.
This movie is perfect in all aspects despite its shortcomings- right from the story, the music, the editing (the best from Aarti Bajaj, IMO), the protagonists (best work from all the 3 leads), the use of reflections in the movie (which is something in itself), and everything else.
This is just an appreciation post from someone who'd loved this movie and watched it after a long time. I'd definitely love to hear from others what they feel about the movie.