Devata (1941 film)

Last updated

Devata
Devatha 1941.JPG
Poster
Directed by B. N. Reddy
Screenplay by Samudrala Sr.
Story by K. Ramnoth
Produced by Moola Narayana Swamy
B. N. Reddy
Starring V. Nagayya
Kumari
Mudigonda Lingamurthy
C. H. Narayana Rao
Tanguturi Suryakumari
Cinematography K. Ramnoth
Music byV. Nagayya
Production
company
Release date
  • 4 July 1941 (1941-07-04)
Running time
186 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Devata is a 1941 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by B. N. Reddy. The huge success of this film led to the making of more films with the same title in 1964 by B. Padmanabham and in 1982 by D. Ramanaidu. [2] The film was remade in Malayalam as Pavappettaval (1967). [3]

Contents

Plot

The film follows Venugopala Murthy "Venu" (Nagayya), who returns to his village after completing his studies in England to become a barrister. His mother Mangamma (Parvathi Bai) and sister Sita (Tanguturi Suryakumari) are overjoyed by his return. Lakshmi (Kumari), a poor servant girl living with them, wins everyone's affection, and her brother Rangadu (Aswatthama) also works in the household.

Venu’s wealthy uncle Balaramayya (Subba Rao), a prominent zamindar in Madras, wishes to marry his daughter Vimala (Bejawada Rajaratnam) to Venu. Vimala, a poetry and music enthusiast, becomes entangled with Sukumar (C.H. Narayana Rao), a manipulative man trying to gain her father's favour.

In a turn of events, Venu succumbs to desire and assaults Lakshmi, promising marriage but later abandoning her. Venu moves to Madras to practice law, where his uncle invites his mother and sister to discuss his marriage. Lakshmi, pregnant with Venu's child, also arrives in Madras, but Venu offers her money to leave. Heartbroken, Lakshmi and her brother return to their village but face societal rejection. Fearing backlash, Lakshmi leaves her home.

While Venu grapples with guilt, Vimala elopes with Sukumar. Meanwhile, Lakshmi finds refuge with a kind Haridasu (R. Satyanarayana), but local villagers accuse him of harbouring an outcast, forcing Lakshmi to leave again. She eventually ends up in a brothel run by Tripuramba (Seshamamba) in Madras. When her child falls ill, Lakshmi seeks help from Tripuramba but later attacks her in desperation to escape. Arrested by the police, Lakshmi is exonerated when Tripuramba testifies to her innocence and character.

In the end, Venu repents and accepts Lakshmi as his wife, reuniting their family. The film explores themes of societal norms, repentance, and redemption, portraying the struggles of marginalized individuals and the consequences of moral failings.

Cast

Music

There are about 14 songs in the film. The lyrics are written by Samudrala Sr. and music score is provided by V. Nagayya. [4]

  1. "Adigo Andiyala Ravali" – Bezawada Rajaratnam
  2. "Bhajane Modajanakamura" – G. Vishweswaramma and Suryakumari
  3. "Ee Vasanthamu Nityamu Kadoyi" – M. S. Rama Rao
  4. "Enno Nomulu Nochinagani" – G. Vishweswaramma
  5. "Evaru Makinka Saati" – Bezawada Rajaratnam
  6. "Jagela Verapela Travumu" – Bezawada Rajaratnam
  7. "Kroora Karmamulu Neraka Chesiti" – G. Vishweswaramma and Suryakumari
  8. "Lokamantha Lobhule Kanare" – Ashwathama
  9. "Nijamo Kado Yamuna Thatilo" – Bezawada Rajaratnam
  10. "Oogeda Uyyala" – Tanguturi Suryakumari
  11. "Rade Cheli Nammarade Cheli" – Bezawada Rajaratnam
  12. "Raitu Janamula Panduga" – Tanguturi Suryakumari group
  13. "Rave Rave Bangaru Papa" – Nagayya, Kumari, Suryakumari
  14. "Vendi Kanchalalo" – Tanguturi Suryakumari

Reception

Ananda Vikatan wrote, "Oh gods and goddesses! We wanted to portray you as heroes and heroines in our films. That's what we said when we produced talkies. No god/goddess objected to that. [T]hen we came down to Puranic characters – on to bhaktas, maharajahs, zamindars, millionaires and thence to the common man. But none had thought to make the servant maid the heroine of a film". [5] B. Vijayakumar of The Hindu wrote, "Even if the story is simple and artistic, technical brilliance can bring unusual success for a film. B. N. Reddy’s black and white classic Telugu film Devata is a best example for this." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Aradhana</i> (1962 film) 1962 film

Aradhana (transl. Devotion) is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language romance film produced by V. B. Rajendra Prasad and D. Ranga Rao, and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Savitri, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. It is a remake of the Bengali film Sagarika (1956). The film was released on 16 February 1962, and emerged a box office success.

<i>Bhakta Pothana</i> 1943 film

Bhakta Pothana is a 1943 Telugu-language biographical film directed by K. V. Reddy in his directorial debut. Based on the life of poet-saint Pothana who translated Bhagavatham into Telugu language, the film was scripted by Samudrala Sr. The film had celebrated Jubilee runs all over the South India including Mysore state and Kerala. It was remade in 1966, starring V. Nagayya as Pothana.

<i>Mangamma Sabatham</i> (1943 film) 1943 Indian film

Mangamma Sabatham is a 1943 Indian Tamil-language film, starring Vasundhara Devi, Ranjan, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram. The film was produced by S. S. Vasan and directed by T. G. Raghavachari, credited as Acharya. The film was remade in Hindi and Telugu as Mangala and again in Telugu as Mangamma Sapatham (1965).

<i>Viswa Mohini</i> 1940 Indian film

Viswa Mohini is a 1940 Telugu-language romantic thriller film in the backdrop of Indian motion picture world, directed by Y. V. Rao. The ensemble cast starring V. Nagayya was written by Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi, and was screened at the Venice Film Festival. The production design was handled by T. V. S. Sarma, and cinematography was handled by Pandurang Naik.

<i>Padandi Munduku</i> 1962 Indian film

Padandi Munduku: The Dandi March is a 1962 Telugu-language political thriller film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao, and produced by Jaggayya. The film is touted to be the first Indian film based on the Salt March and India's independence movement as its core theme.

<i>Varakatnam</i> 1968 film by N. T. Rama Rao

Varakatnam (transl. Dowry) is a 1969 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by N. Trivikrama Rao under the banner Ramakrishna & NAT Combines and directed by his older brother N. T. Rama Rao. It stars Rama Rao, Savitri and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by T. V. Raju. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suryakumari</span> Indian singer, actress and dancer

Tanguturi Suryakumari, also known by her married name Suryakumari Elvin, was an Indian singer, actress and dancer in Telugu cinema. She sang "Maa Telugu Thalliki", the official song of the State of Andhra Pradesh. She was the winner of Miss Madras 1952 pageant and runner-up of the Miss India 1952 pageant. She was the niece of activist and politician Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, who served as the first chief minister of Andhra state and previously as the chief minister of Madras.

<i>Mugguru Maratilu</i> 1946 Indian film

Mugguru Maratilu is a 1946 Telugu-language historical drama film produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramayya under the Pratibha Productions banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, C. H. Narayana Rao, Bezawada Rajaratnam and Kannamba, with music composed by Ogirala Ramachandra Rao. The film was recorded as a Super Hit at the box office and established Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the Telugu film industry.

<i>Kodalu Diddina Kapuram</i> 1970 Indian film

Kodalu Diddina Kapuram is a 1970 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by N. Trivikrama Rao under the NAT & Ramakrishna Cine Studios banner and directed by D. Yoganand. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, Vanisri and music composed by T. V. Raju. The film was a box office success, and ran for more than 175 days in theatres.

Nagaraja Kumari Maddela, better known as Kumari, was a renowned Indian actress, playback singer, musician, beauty queen, and a model. She was the first Indian actress to play dual-roles in film. She pioneered the art of playing multiple roles in a single film. She was also one of the first Indian faces used by Lux (soap), a brand that pioneered female celebrity endorsement, and have since used famous faces such as Aishwarya Rai.

<i>Ramadasu</i> (1964 film) 1964 Indian Telugu-language film directed by V. Nagayya

Ramadasu is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Kancharla Gopanna, produced and directed by V. Nagayya. It stars Nagayya, with N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan and Anjali Devi in special appearances, with music composed by Ashwathama. The blockbuster film has garnered the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, and has garnered several state awards.

<i>Bangaaru Kalalu</i> 1974 Indian film

Bangaaru Kalalu is a 1974 Telugu-language drama film, produced by D. Madhusudhana Rao under Annapurna Pictures banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Waheeda Rehman, Lakshmi and music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. The film was based on Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani's novel of the same name.

<i>Raitu Kutumbam</i> 1972 Indian film

Raitu Kutumbam is a 1972 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by T. Rama Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Kanchana, with music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao.

<i>Abhimanam</i> 1960 film

Abhimanam is a 1960 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced by Sundarlal Nahatha and T. Ashwadanarayana under the Sri Productions banner and directed by C. S. Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, Krishna Kumari, with music composed by Ghantasala.

<i>Charana Daasi</i> 1956 film

Charana Daasi (transl. Wife) is a 1956 Indian Telugu-language drama film written by Vempati Sadasivabrahmam and directed by T. Prakash Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi and Savitri, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. The film is based on Rabindranath Tagore's 1906 Bengali novel Noukadubi. It was simultaneously made in Tamil as Mathar Kula Manikkam (1956)

<i>Sri Lakshmamma Katha</i> 1950 Indian film

Sri Lakshmamma Katha is a 1950 Telugu-language film, produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramayya under the Pratibha Productions banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Anjali Devi, with music composed by C. R. Subburaman.

<i>Mangala</i> (film) 1950 Indian film

Mangala is an Indian film produced by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. Filmed in Hindi and Telugu languages, it is a remake of the studio's own Tamil film Mangamma Sabatham (1943). The film stars P. Bhanumathi and Ranjan. The Hindi version, released in 1950 was directed by Vasan while the Telugu version, released a year later on 14 January, was directed by Chandru.

<i>Bhagyalakshmi</i> (1943 film) 1943 Telugu film by P. Pullayya

Bhagyalakshmi is a 1943 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by P. Pullayya and produced by Chittoor Nagayya. The film features Chittoor Nagayya, Malathi, Doraswamy, Tanguturi Suryakumari, and Giri in key roles. It is notable for being Nagayya’s first production under the Renuka Films banner. Bhagyalakshmi was recognized as the 100th talkie film in Telugu cinema, as noted in a souvenir published by the Film Federation of India to commemorate the silver jubilee of Indian talkies. It did not perform well at the box office.

<i>Sita Kalyanam</i> (1934 Telugu film) 1934 film directed by Chitrapu Narasimha Rao

Sita Kalyanam is a 1934 Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by Chitrapu Narasimha Rao and produced by Pinapala Venkata Dasu under the banner of Vel Pictures. The film stars Bezawada Rajaratnam, Master Kalyani, and Madhavapeddi Venkatramayya, with music composed by Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao. It is considered the first Telugu talkie to feature outdoor sequences and the first Telugu talkie produced in Madras. Additionally, it was the second Telugu talkie film produced by a Telugu person. Released on October 6, 1934, Sita Kalyanam was a commercial success.

References

  1. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 289.
  2. ↑ Narasimham, M. L. (16 October 2011). "Devata (1941)". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Vijayakumar, B. (7 June 2015). "Pavappettaval: 1967". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Lyrical details of Devata film at Ghantasala Galamrutamu". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 290.
  6. ↑ Sahithyam, Malayala Sangeetha (7 June 2015). "Old is Gold: Pavappettaval (1967)". Old is Gold. Retrieved 25 October 2022.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.