''Devata'' is a 1941 Indian Telugu-language

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

B. N. Reddy Bommireddi Narasimha Reddi (16 November 1908 – 8 November 1977), professionally known as B. N. Reddi, was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was an early figure in the Telugu cinema. Many of his earlier films like Vande ...

. 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. The film was remade in Malayalam as '' Pavappettaval'' (1967).

Plot

The film follows Venugopala Murthy "Venu" ( Nagayya), who returns to his village after completing his studies in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to become a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

. His mother Mangamma (Parvathi Bai) and sister Sita (

Tanguturi Suryakumari Tanguturi Suryakumari (13 November 1925 – 25 April 2005), 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 States and union t ...

) 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 A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, 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 ''Harikatha'' (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam(), is a form of Hindu ...

(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

V. Nagayya Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma (28 March 1904 – 30 December 1973), popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya wa ...

as Venugopala Murthy * Kumari as Lakshmi, daughter of Venkayya *

Mudigonda Lingamurthy Mudigonda Lingamurthy, shortly Lingamurthy ( Telugu: ముదిగొండ లింగమూర్తి) (10 October 1908 – 24 January 1980), was an Indian film character actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and theater. Life s ...

as Venkaiah * Bezawada Rajarathnam as Vimala, daughter of Balaramayya * Goberu Subba Rao as Balaramayya, uncle of Venu * C. H. Narayana Rao as Sukumar *

as Seeta, sister of Venu * Master Aswathama as Rangadu * Parvathi Bai as Mangamma, mother of Venu * R. Satyanarayana

Music

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

. # "Adigo Andiyala Ravali" – Bezawada Rajaratnam # "Bhajane Modajanakamura" – G. Vishweswaramma and Suryakumari # "Ee Vasanthamu Nityamu Kadoyi" – M. S. Rama Rao # "Enno Nomulu Nochinagani" – G. Vishweswaramma # "Evaru Makinka Saati" – Bezawada Rajaratnam # "Jagela Verapela Travumu" – Bezawada Rajaratnam # "Kroora Karmamulu Neraka Chesiti" – G. Vishweswaramma and Suryakumari # "Lokamantha Lobhule Kanare" – Ashwathama # "Nijamo Kado Yamuna Thatilo" – Bezawada Rajaratnam # "Oogeda Uyyala" – Tanguturi Suryakumari # "Rade Cheli Nammarade Cheli" – Bezawada Rajaratnam # "Raitu Janamula Panduga" – Tanguturi Suryakumari group # "Rave Rave Bangaru Papa" – Nagayya, Kumari, Suryakumari # "Vendi Kanchalalo" – Tanguturi Suryakumari # "Ananadham ananandham vere kalade"-Nagayya, Kumari,Tanguturi suryakumari # "Ennallundedavu iha sukhamulalo"-Nagayya # # ''

Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 was not publishe ...

'' 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. en 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". B. Vijayakumar of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' 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."

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0033529 1940s Telugu-language films 1941 drama films 1941 films Films directed by B. N. Reddy Indian black-and-white films Indian drama films Telugu films remade in other languages Films scored by V. Nagayya