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Devdas was India's entry in the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The story concentrates on a wealthy young boy who falls in love with a low-born girl. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that the girl has more strength of character than the boy. It is this, rather than the cultural gap between them, that dooms the romance of the two principals. At 95 minutes, Devdas is unusually short for an Indian film, which proved to be an advantage when it was distributed to the U.S. Though the story is both familiar and downbeat, Devdas is elevated by the effortless professionalism of the two leading players.