Devdas Father and Son

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The last three books I read in 2017 were about bad vibes between father and son.  I found it surprising because I was under the impression that most cultures prefer sons, since it is believed that they perpetuate the family name.

Devdas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film is one of the Hindi films where actor Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai made an indelible mark.  It also demonstrates the negative side of ‘like father like son.’
Granted, Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) becomes a lawyer like this father, but he is very abusive.  He used to hit his childhood sweetheart Paro (Aishwarya Rai), something we discover later in the film. 

His father used to beat him all the time because he disapproved of his relationship with her.  There is also some dialogue where Paro says something to the effect, what are you going to do, beat me? 

When he comes back from the United Kingdom Devdas gives Paro his grandmother’s bracelet, but later writes her a letter saying there is nothing between them. 
Paro’s mother (Kirron Kher) accepts an alliance with a rich man.  Devdas turns up on her wedding day and hits her on the forehead with a pearl necklace, leaving a scar. Devdas finally destroys himself, but it was not because of Paro.  It was because of the poisonous relationship he had with his father.

When Paro got married, Devdas left home and went to live with Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit) where he was always on the bottle.  When his father died, his mother sent people to the brothel to fetch him.  He turned up at the cremation drunk as a lord.
The positive side about the son following in the father’s footsteps is that it created Indian cinema, the biggest film industry in the world.  It has always been a family business whether it is the surname Barjatya, Chopra, Dutt, Ghosh, Johar, Kapoor, Kumar, Mehta, Murkhejee, Roshan, Sippy, Khan and many more. 

Amitabh Bachchan, in one of his blogs outlined the Kapoor dynasty, most of whom he has worked with.  Critics mistakenly call it nepotism, when it is basically, succession or family inheritance.  That is why most Hindi movies start with a dedication to parents that have passed away.
By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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