On Friday, January 17, the much-anticipated trailer of Deva, starring Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde was unveiled, with the Free Press Journal in attendance. Shahid’s high-octane action scenes and commanding screen presence leave a lasting impact, making his performance as a cop and the powerful action sequences unmissable.
At the trailer launch event in Mumbai, discussed his upcoming film Deva, stating, "It took us 3 years of making and 1 year of shoot. We have given everything, from our head and our heart to give the audience an experience that will stay for long. Deva is the most complex character I’ve played, and I’ve played a few, but if there was any character that challenged me, and I am capable of doing this is Deva. It was Rosshan Andrrews (director), who created the character and offered me."
Shahid further elaborated on his intense portrayal of Deva, saying, "As an actor, you always wait for the opportunity to take it to the next level, which isn't easy. I can't just do anything; I can only fulfill the requirements of the story, the character, and the world it's set in. Usse zyada karunga toh kharab kar dunga, hopefully usse kum nahi karunga, woh mera nature nahi hai. Deva gave me the chance to push myself as an actor after a long time. The character has a significant presence and aura, also an overwhelming personality jo Deva ki hai, which gives him that charisma and star quality, it needed to be a combination of both elements."
Pooja added, "I have to say, Shahid has done it outstandingly well. When I watched the trailer, I called him and asked, ‘How have you done it? I could literally see every vein on your forehead. Like, how?’ Even in the first half, when he delivers his lines, I thought it was dubbed but he said it wasn't. You're definitely going to see a new Shahid in this film. You’ve seen him play different characters before, but this one is so intense and amazing."
Hegde, who plays the role of an investigative journalist, talked about her role and said "I've always been drawn to investigative journalist roles. Films like Spotlight really resonated with me because I loved the intensity and the relentless drive to uncover the truth. For such characters, nothing else matters except finding the answers. Rosshan sir gave me one key brief: ‘I want to see Diya, not Pooja.’ That was my goal, to make her authentically herself—strong but not rude. Diya is someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's the perfect match for Dev’s character. We've seen alpha males plenty of times, but now it's time to see the alpha females."
Pavail Gulati, who will also be seen portraying a cop, said, "Deva meri ab tak ki sabse badi picture hai. The intensity is present in every scene of the film. It is a result of Shahid and Roshan’s vision."
Directed by Rosshan Andrrews, Deva is scheduled to release on 31 January 2025.
