Devadasu is a 1974 Telugu romance film, Krishna in the titular roll and directed by Vijaya Nirmala, also as her 100th film in lead role. It is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdas, produced by S. Raghunath and presented by Krishna under the Sri Vijaya Krishna Movies banner, with music was composed by Ramesh Naidu. Kotagiri Gopala Rao edited the film, while V. S. R. Swamy provided the cinematography. The film was a commercial failure at the box office.^[2]

Plot

The film begins at the village Ravulapalli, where two infant neighbors, Devadas & Parvati, share a camaraderie. He is the son Zamindar Narayana Rao, and she is a peasant Neelakantham’s daughter. Since Devadas’s naughtiness increases, his father enrolls him in a boarding school. Years roll by, and Devadas backs when Parvati is under beatitude as the astral love rises with them. Knowing it, Zamindar warns & mortifies Neelakantham about their low level of caste & status. Enraged, Neelakantham declares to get hitched above them. Parvati covertly walks to Devadas that night and begs him not to let go of her when he asks for time.

The following day, he affirms his decision to Zamindar but loses the ability as his father shows the danger of suicide. Ergo, muddle Devadas, flies to the town and notifies Parvati of his failure to denote. Parallelly, Neelakantham arranges an aged alliance with Zamindar of Durgapuram, Bhavana Babu, which Parvati accepts. Till then, Devadas regrets & retrieves, telling Parvati he is bolder for espousal. She rejects it as her self-reverence is offended and presides over the wedding of her father’s choice. Devastated, Devadas returns when his carousing mate Bhagawan introduces him to a courtesan Chandramukhi for relief. Nevertheless, his suffering is intense, and he loathes, throwing money in her face. At that moment, she feels a sense of worship, ends her past, and devotes herself to him.

Thus, Devadas hits the bottle to get out of grief and turns into an alcoholic. Hearing it, his father passes away under contrite when Devadas forwards. Parvati settles into her new house, adores her husband, revives his disintegrated family, and showers motherly affection to his progeny. Currently, she visits her parents’ home and implores Devadas to stop drinking but pleads not to withdraw a little peace. Plus, she seeks to bless his ministry, which he bestows to fulfill before leaving his breath. Now, he is back in town again when lonesome Devadas journeys to Chadramukhi. He views her relinquishing all luxuries and expresses her adoration for him. Chadramukhi petitions Devadas to knit a fine match and post her as their maid. Then, Devadas states that if he does so, he will tie the knot only with her.

Following this, he starts self-destruction as a drinking spree, and his health deteriorates. Once, spotting him on the streets, Chandramukhi carries him when the doctor declares it’s his last stage. On his advice, Devadas leaves for his village. Chandramukhi is about to join him, which he denies with an oath to conjoin her in his next life. Midway, Devadas discerns his fast-approaching death and moves to Durgapuram to keep up his vow. After great difficulty, Devadas lands at his destination and becomes flat before Parvati’s residence. At last, mindful of his death, Parvati rushes towards the door, which her family members thwart by closing it, and she collapses. Finally, the movie ends with Devadas’s funeral.

Cast

Soundtrack

Soundtrack composed by Ramesh Naidu is owned by Saregama music label.^[3] Lyrics were written by Aarudhra.^[1]

Reception

Devadasu was released on 6 December 1974. It opened with a tepid response in theatres. In 2022, Srivathsan Nadadhur of OTT Play wrote, "There are several theories surrounding the film's non-performance at the ticket window. While some claim that the film neither offered any new insight into the novel nor had any pathbreaking performances, another reason behind its failure is believed to be the re-release of ANR's Devadasu at the same time, that proved counterproductive to its fortunes."^[2]