Set in the early 1900s, this film follows a young man named Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) on his way home to India after having spent the past ten years in London. As the news reaches Devdas and his ex-love Paro's (Aishwarya Rai) respective households, the family matriarchs remember when the young couple were still children. When Devdas' mother found out the two wanted to get married, she refused to give her consent, and in doing so, set off a sequence of events which would lead Devdas into alcoholism. Though Paro has agreed to an arranged marriage with a wealthy landowner, she still loves Devdas, and is determined to lure him away from his constant drinking. Devdas is based on a classic Indian novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhye, and is the third feature directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide