''Devudu'' () is a 1997

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

-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 and co-written by

Ravi Raja Pinisetty Ravi Raja Pinisetty is an Indian film director known for his works in the Telugu cinema with actors such as Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Mohan Babu, Rajasekhar (actor), Rajasekhar and Daggubati Venkatesh. Some of his major hits include ' ...

. It stars

Nandamuri Balakrishna Nandamuri Balakrishna (born 10 June 1960), also known as Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, film producer, politician and philanthropist known for his works in Telugu cinema. Balakrishna is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative A ...

Ramya Krishna Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna, is an Indian actress predominantly known for her work in Telugu and Tamil films, along with appearances in Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films. Early life Ramya was born ...

, and Ruchita Prasad with music composed by

Sirpy R. Narayanan Sirpy, known by his stage name Sirpy, is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil films apart from working in Telugu and Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languag ...

. A. Gopinath, M. Venkatrao and C. Krishna Rao produced the film under the Sri Chitra Creations banner.

Plot

The film opens with a couple abandoning their newborn baby at a temple near a village, unable to witness his death due to a congenital abnormality. However, the child miraculously survives, blessed by the Goddess. Rayudu, a compassionate leader of the region, adopts the child and names him Devudu. Over the years, Devudu grows into a naive yet kind-hearted young man, beloved by the entire village. Despite his popularity, he harbors a fear of marriage, believing that it was the cause of his parents’ abandonment. Meanwhile, Ganga Raju, who resents Rayudu for ostracizing his brother Linga Raju over his second marriage, seeks revenge. During a visit to the city, Devudu rescues Madhavi from a group of goons, and they become friends. Around the same time, Sarweswara Rao, an MLA seeking re-election, approaches Rayudu for support. Rayudu declines due to Sarweswara Rao's declining reputation. In retaliation, Sarweswara Rao orchestrates a plot by sending his daughter, Santhi, to Rayudu’s home under the guise of seeking shelter, secretly intending to manipulate the situation to his advantage. Unaware of her father's plans, Santhi grows fond of Devudu, impressed by his innocence and virtuous nature. After winning the election, Sarweswara Rao fails to honor his promises. When the village decides to punish Santhi for perceived dishonor, Devudu takes her to the city. Santhi eventually learns the truth about her father’s deceit and confronts him, forcing him to admit that he used her for political gains. In a turn of events, Santhi compels Devudu to tie a sacred wedding chain around her neck to protect her dignity. Devudu, unaware of its significance, complies, believing it to be a divine locket. The narrative takes a twist when it is revealed that Madhavi is Sarweswara Rao’s other daughter, a fact unknown to the public. Santhi and Devudu devise a plan to expose Sarweswara Rao and bring Madhavi back to the village. Madhavi, upon realizing her father’s malice, reconciles with Santhi and willingly returns. Sarweswara Rao, now aspiring to become Chief Minister, strikes a deal with MLA Pundarikakshayya to marry Madhavi to the latter's son. He sends his henchmen to retrieve Madhavi and eliminate Devudu. In a bid to protect Madhavi, Devudu ties a wedding chain to her, complicating matters further. Accused of bigamy by Ganga Raju, Devudu faces a village panchayat. However, the villagers rally behind him, affirming his integrity. As the conflict escalates, Sarweswara Rao kidnaps Rayudu and Madhavi, attempting to forcefully marry Madhavi off. Devudu, guided by divine intervention, confronts Sarweswara Rao and his men. In the climactic battle, Santhi sacrifices her life to save Devudu, ensuring his union with Madhavi. The film concludes with Devudu fulfilling his destiny, bringing justice and peace to the village.

Cast

as Devudu *

as Santhi * Ruchita Prasad as Madhavi * Satyanarayana as Rayudu * Allu Ramalingaiyah as Babu Rao *Atluti Pundarikakshayya as M. L. A. Pundarikakshayya *

Kota Srinivasa Rao Kota Srinivasa Rao (born 10 July 1942) is an Indian character actor known for his work primarily in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He has also starred in a few films in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi cinema, Hindi, Kannada cinema, Kannada and Ma ...

as Ganga Raju * Raja Krishna Murthy as M. L. A. Sarweswara Rao *

Kazan Khan Kazan Khan (22 June 1972 – 12 June 2023) was an Indian actor who predominantly appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu films. He was best known for his villain roles. Career Kazan made his acting debut in the year 1992 with Tamil f ...

as Sarweswara Rao's brother-in-law *

Maharshi Raghava Raghava Gogineni, better known as Maharshi Raghava, is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films and television. Raghava acted in more than 170 films in various roles. He shot to fame as a lead actor with his first film '' Maharshi'' (1987), w ...

as Pundarikakshayya's Son *

Sivaji Raja Sivaji Raja (born 26 February 1962) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Telugu films and television series. He appeared in more than 400 films. He is also known for his work in TV serials '' Amrutam'', ''Alasyam Amrutham Visham'', ''Mr.R ...

as Bangaru Raju *Narayana Rao as Surayya *

Visweswara Rao Visweswara Rao was an Indian actor who worked in Telugu films apart from a few Tamil films. Personal life and career Originally from Kakinada, he moved to Chennai and pursued a career in films. He started out as a comedic child artist and st ...

as Shocko Shekar *Junior Relangi as Kavi *

Annapurna Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...

as Durgamma *

Rama Prabha Rama Prabha is an Indian actress who performs in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She has acted in more than 1,400 films and is credited as a character artist who shared screen space with superstars across most generations of South Indian Cin ...

as Babu Rao's wife *

Sana The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) () is a Syrian state-owned news agency, linked to the country's ministry of information. It was established in June 1965. SANA publishes more than 500 news stories and 150 photos on a daily basis and operate ...

as Lakshmi *Raja Kumari as Rani * Y. Vijaya as Ganga Raju's wife

Soundtrack

Music composed by

. Music released on

T-Series T series or T-Series may refer to: Technology * Apple T series, a family of processors * Canon T series, a line of single lens reflex cameras * Juniper T series, a core router * Sony Ericsson T series, a series of cell phones * SPARC T series, ...

Music Company.

Reception

The film was reviewed by ''Zamin Ryot''. A critic from ''Andhra Today'' wrote, "''Devudu'' is yet another meaningless movie with the pranks of a mentally immature person. The role is very uninspiring and is sure to disappoint Bala Krishna's fans".

References

External links

* {{Ravi Raja Pinisetty 1997 films 1990s Telugu-language films Indian action drama films Films directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty Films scored by Sirpy 1990s action drama films Telugu names Telugu given names