Is Shahid Kapoor's Deva a remake of Prithviraj's Malayalam movie Mumbai Police?

Shahid Kapoor in Deva; Prithviraj in Mumbai Police

Ever since Malayalam filmmaker Rosshan Andrrews announced his film 'Deva' with Shahid Kapoor, it has been speculated that it is the remake of the Malayalam film 'Mumbai Police' (2013). However, the filmmaker or writer Sanjay-Bobby who made 'Mumbai Police' never commented on the same. Now, with the trailer of Shahid Kapoor's Deva unveiled, the speculations have only gotten stronger. Scenes in the trailer have similarities with the Prithviraj and Jayasurya starrer.

What is Mumbai Police about?

It is a Malayalam language neo-noir psychological thriller film. It has been written by Bobby-Sanjay and directed by Rosshan Andrrews who has also teamed up for Deva. The popular writer-director team has given several hits in Malayalam cinema but Mumbai Police is a stand-out piece of cinema and was said to be way ahead of its time. Prithviraj plays the role of ACP Antony Moses aka Rascal Moses while Jayasurya plays the role of Assistant Commissioner Aaryan John Jacob. Moses was investigating the murder of his dear friend Aaryan John Jacob when he met with an accident. The accident causes him partial memory loss. Before his accident, he had informed his brother-in-law Farhan Aman (Rahman), Commissioner of police that he had solved the case. However, after the accident he cannot recall the findings of his case. With the help of his near and dear ones he starts to solve the mysteries of his past.

Mumbai Police and Deva similarities

Shahid Kapoor, in the title role of Dev Ambre, is a force to be reckoned with, delivering electrifying performances and intense stunts. In the movie, we see him go all out as a cop letting no one come in his way. But we also get glimpses of a memory loss and lack of clarity of his past. Pavail Guati is seemingly playing the role of Jayasurya, the cop whose murderer is being investigated by Dev Ambre. There is a small scene in the trailer where Pavail's character tells Shahid that his anger is actually his fear. Mumbai Police too has a similar scene between Jayasurya and Prithviraj.

The 2013 film was pegged as a film which was way ahead of its time. The plot twist and the narrative connected with the audience and was a massive hit. Now that the film is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar, many are aware of what happens in Mumbai Police.