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- My Name is Not Devdas by Aayush Gupta, a fast-paced, savagely funny novel that turns a well-loved literary classic on its head
15 September marks the birth anniversary of the immensely popular Bengali novelist, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. Over a hundred years ago, Saratchandra wrote his most enduring work, Devdas. Great actors from K.L. Saigal to Dilip Kumar and Shahrukh Khan have essayed the role of Devdas in era-defining film adaptations.But we have not seen a literary adaptation of this iconic novel. Until now.
Aayush Gupta’s My Name Is Not Devdas is as much a product of its time as the original was of its own. What if Devdas was a woke Marxist? What if Paro was an entrepreneurial capitalist? What if Chandramukhi was the daughter of a jailed separatist? This is the story of a self-destructive generation, absolute in its beliefs, convinced of its own righteousness, and doomed to repeat the mistakes of its antecedents. We follow the three characters as they traverse the ideologically divided landscape of Delhi’s college campuses.
Aayush Gupta says, ‘In the increasingly divisive times we live in, where each of us absolutely knows that we’re right, can love survive ideological differences? This is the question at the centre of My Name Is Not Devdas. It is set in campuses that resemble warzones, flitting in and out of the defining movements of student consciousness in the last decade, affecting relationships that survive on a mutual adherence to ‘isms’. This is equal parts each the story of Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi, and their struggle to overcome identity in the pursuit of happiness.’
Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins India, says, ‘Over the years, Devdas has become something of a trope – for unrequited love, for longing, for pain, for self-destruction. In My Name Is Not Devdas, the hugely talented Aayush Gupta takes the century-old triangle of Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi and brilliantly sets their story in today’s Delhi – so that the angst, turmoil and lack of self-fulfilment that haunts the characters is familiar, yet completely contemporary. This is an extraordinary reimagining, a tragic tale told with savage humour, as the terrible tales of our times perhaps deserve to be. This Diwali, we at HarperCollins India are thrilled to bring this bright, fiery novel to readers everywhere.’
About the Book
A slick and contemporary reimagining of an enduring classic, My Name Is Not Devdas brings together the participants of a skewed love triangle. But…
Devdas is not the tragic, misunderstood lover of yore; Paro is not the spurned woman who’d shut herself in; and Chandramukhi is not your next-door hooker with a heart of gold.
As each narrates their own version of events, a tale of half-truths emerges that swiftly boils to a crescendo with bruised egos, deadly obsessions and electrifying revelations. Turning a page is all the time you will get to catch your breath.
About the Author
Aayush Gupta holds an MA in English Literature from Kirori Mal College, and a BA (Hons.) in Journalism from Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi. Under his banner, Guddi Productions, he’s directed documentary series on Indian handicrafts and rural innovations for India’s public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati. His debut novel, Toppers, a YA political thriller, was published in 2016. Subsequently, he’s worked as a screenwriter in multiple writers’ rooms, writing over twenty-five episodes of Sony’s iconic C.I.D. He’s also the writer of Yash Raj Films’ The Railway Men.
You can write to him at aayush.kaamshaam@gmail.com.
About the Book - My Name Is Not Devdas
The first literary adaptation of Sharatchandra's most enduring tragedy, MY NAME IS NOT DEVDAS takes you into the unforgiving, ideologically divided landscape of Delhi's college campuses.What if Dev was a woke Marxist? What if Paro was an entrepreneurial capitalist? What…
About the Author - Aayush Gupta
Aayush Gupta is an author-screenwriter who oscillates between Delhi and Mumbai depending upon the medium he’s working on at the moment. His debut novel Toppers, a YA political thriller, was published by Penguin Random House. Since then, he’s been a…
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