Aks International Minorities Festival bring the cult classic Devdas to SCENE —a landmark film embraced by Desi queer communities.
In Bhansali’s lavish world of love and loss, the film overflows with spectacle and longing, inviting queer readings where Devdas’s self-consuming devotion becomes a portrait of unlivable desire, and Chandramukhi emerges as its emotional heart.
As an artist and courtesan, her Mujras embody resilience and dignity forged through performance and exclusion, while her kotha becomes a space of chosen kinship and alternative belonging beyond respectability. Moments like “Dola Re” and Chandramukhi’s performances shimmer with camp excess, choreography, and embodied femininity -scenes continually reclaimed as queer celebration rather than tragedy.
Before the film, join us for live Devdasiaan dance performances adding extra sparkle, movement and magic to a night of queer celebration, cinematic spectacle and pure drama.
timings
Start 6pm
TICKETS
This event is free to attend and no ticket is required.
As capacity is limited, entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.
MORE information
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Producer: Bharat S. Shah
Screenwriters: Prakash Kapadia, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Talent: Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit
Country of origin: India
Language: Hindi
Release year: 2002
Age Rating: PG
Content guidance: References to alcoholism, class/caste prejudice, and mental health issues.
Runtime: 182 minutes
WHY NOT MAKE A NIGHT OF IT?
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🎁 Freebies and surprisesour Stay and Join the Celebration!