Happy Birthday! You turn 29 on Christmas; what are your plans for the year ahead?

I want to work harder. I want to do different kinds of films. Opportunities are few, in terms of offers. But in 2013 I am planning to experiment a hell of a lot. I am doing Kamalesda’s (Kamaleswar Mukherjee) Chander Pahar (written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay) where I play Shankar. There will be a long workshop for three months and I will sport a different look. It will be shot in Africa in 40 days. We start shooting from February. It’s going to be a period piece. The story is set in the Thirties. It’s an adventure film where I will have to fight with a lion, an elephant and a python and all I keep asking my director is whether the lion is a vegetarian!

What else is keeping you busy?

Shooting for Rajib’s Khoka 420 with Subhashree and Nusrat.

Okay, time to bare your heart to t2: What’s your relationship status with Subhashree?

To be honest, I was going around with her for the past four years.

Let us get this straight, you are finally admitting that you were together?

Yes, we were dating. But right now, we are just friends. We are not dating anymore. We are both single. She is still a good friend of mine and I hope I’m a good friend of hers too (smiles)... not that we don’t talk to each other. I still call her to share any good news because for the past four years she was the only person I’ve shared it all with. But yes, things have changed now. When we talk, it’s not that personal or intimate as it used to be before....

She was very close to me, the closest person in my life. I think I too was the closest person in her life.... But I didn’t expect this kind of a climax to my love story (smiles)... life is so unpredictable. We were so serious about each other. But let’s not point fingers at each other. We should move on.

Yes, we were dating. But not anymore. right now, we are just friends. But I have my fingers crossed... let’s see, we might be together again! life is so unpredictable.... It’s difficult for me to live without her. And I know it’s difficult for her to gather herself and start a new life with someone else. I can’t think of anybody else apart from her. — Dev on Subhashree

The two of you had even planned marriage, right? What went wrong?

Yes. Even she knew that we would marry, whenever that happened. But things happen. We never fought. It’s difficult to pinpoint what went wrong. I had a girlfriend in Bombay before Subha and we called it off after a huge fight. But with Subha, I don’t know what went wrong. You never know why bad things happen to you.

I think it was my mistake, I couldn’t clarify a lot of things to her. Maybe I couldn’t give her the space she was expecting from me. I take all the responsibility on myself. It was completely my mistake. I couldn’t give her much time. Maybe I wasn’t as transparent as I should have been... not intentionally though. I was too busy and I couldn’t answer nine out of 10 questions of hers. I thought she would understand... but things didn’t work out my way.

When I wanted to hold her back, I realised that things had gone out of control. And then I heard that she wanted to concentrate on her career. She has done five films with me and I think that’s too much for any heroine, when I am doing films with other heroines. I can understand that. She needs to do more work and work with different heroes.

Subha is one of my favourite co-stars and she is very talented. I know that more than anybody else. She has been the underdog for a long time. She hasn’t got what she deserves. I think the new year should be good for her and I hope to see her team up with different actors.

So who talked break-up first, you or she?

Subha came to me one day and said it was getting difficult to carry on. So I said okay, do whatever you want to do. She said, let’s be friends. I agreed. That was the best thing to do, I think. There was no point in sitting her down and explaining because we are, after all, two different individuals even though we have known each other for four years.... Actually, you know, I must have come so far that I had lost the need to explain things to her. Or maybe she had gone so far that she was not ready to understand what I wanted her to understand.

But I have my fingers crossed... let’s see, we might be together again! I am still hopeful, you know. As I said, life is so unpredictable.... It’s difficult for me to live without her. And I know it’s difficult for her to gather herself and start a new life with someone else. I can’t think of anybody else apart from her.

DEV

Were you as committed to Subhashree as she was to you in your four years together?

Very much. The whole world knew that we were committed to each other.

How would you define your relationship with Challenge 2 co-star Puja?

Well, she is my co-star and yes she is a friend like any other co-star. Just because I was committed didn’t mean I wouldn’t talk to my co-stars. I am a very down-to-earth person. All my heroines knew about my relationship. I never hid my love story from them. I am very kyabla... that’s why I am being linked up with every heroine! Basically, I’m a fun-loving guy. I can’t be serious on the sets. I have to make my team comfortable with me. I play pranks on my spotboy too. Why don’t you write about that? Just because I am not gay?! You might hear a lot of things about me but everything is not true. All my heroines are so sweet to me and I respect them a lot.

Okay, back to your career. Jeet’s Awaara has been the biggest hit of the year. Your views?

Good thing. After Sathi, I think, it’s the biggest hit in Jeetda’s career. But believe me, Khokababu did much better and Challenge 2 did extraordinary business. It may not be the biggest hit but it has done very good business, better than many other films. Jeetda is a bigger star than I am. He has been around for the last 10 years... not a matter of joke. I am just seven years old in this industry. It’s not easy to hold on to your position year after year and Jeetda is a fighter and he still looks so fresh. I am proud of Jeetda.

Kushali Nag

Should Dev and Subhashree patch up? Tell t2@abp.in