This is an undisputed Epic:
Sharat Babu is a famous Bengali writer whom Telugu People embraced as their own and almost made him a Telugu person! Devadasu is undoubtedly the main reason for this to happen. Based on this Bengali novel, twelve films have been made in Indian Cinema. The first movie was a silent film; it was made thrice in Bengali and Hindi, twice in Telugu and Tamil and once in Malayalam respectively. Of all these movies, the film featuring ANR and Savitri as Devadasu and Parvathi earned high accolades from the critics and still continues to reign the number one position - making every Telugu person proud.
Making:
ANR said many times acting in Devadasu was like working for a PhD. It is true because the film got him the highest accolades- but before that it tested him in all aspects thoroughly. It challenged him and threw obstacles as well. Initially many a hero names came into discussion during the casting. The production was postponed on the day of muhutram. There was a notion that a story like Devadasu would not be appreciated by the audience and even if attempted, ANR is a misfit for the role. Shavukaru Janaki was cast initially, who was replaced by Savitri. Amidst these troubles, ANR took Devadasu as a sheer challenge. He carefully studied the translated version of Devadasu written by Chakrapani in Telugu. He also took Chakrapani’s timely advices. In order to extract the best of the drunken scenes, he participated in shooting during the nights.
Finally, he earned praises from those people who called him unfit for the role of Devadasu! He proved this amazing fact in Telugu and Tamil languages with his memorable acting. Even the Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who played the lead role in Hindi version of Devadasu, openly confessed that he can never match ANR as Devadasu. Dialogues and Songs by Samudrala, Music by Subburaman, Voice by Ghantasala, Photography by B.S.Ranga, Direction by Vedantam Raghavayya, and finally ANR-Savitri combination made this film stand out unique.
Brief Storyline:
Devadasu is the son of a zamindar from Ravulapally and Parvathi is their neighbor who belongs to a middle class family. Devadasu and Parvathi are childhood friends. Devadasu used to be very mischievous in his childhood and bunked school to roam around with Parvathi. Devadasu leaves the city for higher studies and returns after growing up. He still loves Parvathi and sincerely wants to marry her. Economic differences between two families take center stage. Due to financial reasons, Parvathi’s parents get her married to Durgapuram Zamindar, who is a widower by then.
Right from then, Devadasu becomes crazy as the estranged lover. With the coaxing of his friend Bhagavan, he becomes addicted to drinking. He even goes to the house of a prostitute. Unable to forget his love for Parvathi, he sings philosophy on the streets. As a result, Devadasu’s health gets worse and he realizes that his last days are near. He wants to spend his last moments by seeing Parvathi and starts off to Durgapuram. The journey begins in the presence of a cyclone with heavy rain and winds.
Finally, Devadasu dies tragically in Durgapuram - almost like an orphan. Looking at the death of her lover, Parvathi is devastated. By seeing this, one would definitely feel that no other lover in this world should get such a tragic fate like Devadasu.
Accolades:
When the word Devadasu is uttered, the first two people one remembers is ANR and Savitri. Along with that, it is Samudrala’s dialogues and Subburaman’s music. Of course Ghantasala’s eternal voice - ‘Palleku Podam Parunu Chuddam…’, ‘O Devada..O Parvathi’, ‘Kalayidhani...Nijamidani’, ‘Andala Anandam’, ‘Kudi Yedamaithe’, ‘Jagame Maaya’, ‘Antha Bhranthiyena’- songs will remain etched forever.
During the recording of ‘Jagame Maaya’, the composer Subburaman died of sudden death. It was when his assistant, M.S.Vishwanathan composed the tune for it. The background music for the film was composed by Vishwanathan - Rammmurthy.
The film was a big success with the initial release itself and created new records every time it was re released! Devadasu is a memorable milestone in the history of Telugu Cinem
