Devadasu (1953 film)

Devadasu
Theatrical release poster of the Telugu version
Directed by	Vedantam Raghavaiah
Written by	Aluri Chakrapani (adaptation) Samudrala Raghavacharya (Telugu dialogues) Udayakumar (Tamil dialogues)
Screenplay by	Vedantham Raghaviah
Produced by	D. L. Narayana
Starring	Akkineni Nageswara Rao Savitri Lalitha
Cinematography	B. S. Ranga
Edited by	P. V. Narayana
Music by	Soundtrack: C. R. Subburaman Background score: Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy
Production company	Vinodha Pictures
Distributed by	Vinodha Pictures
Release date	26 June 1953
Running time	191 minutes
Country	India
Languages	Telugu Tamil

Devadasu is a 1953 Indian bilingual romance film, directed by Vedantam Raghavaiah and produced by D. L. Narayana for Vinodha Pictures. Aluri Chakrapani wrote the script based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel, Devdas. C. R. Subbaraman composed the film's music. The film was edited by P. V. Narayanan, while B. S. Ranga provided the cinematography.

The film focuses on Devadasu and Parvati, who have been in love since childhood. Parvati's father objects to the relationship and forces her to marry a middle-aged zamindar. Unable to cope with his failure to win Parvati, Devadas turns into a drunkard, and the rest of the film is about whether or not Devadas meets Parvati again.

The film was produced in Telugu and Tamil languages (the latter titled Devadas) with slightly different casts. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, and Lalitha played the lead roles in both versions; supporting roles were played by S. V. Ranga Rao, Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu, Dorasamy and Surabhi Kamalabai in the Telugu version, and by M. N. Nambiar, Sachu and Chandrakumari in the Tamil version.

Devadasu was released on 26 June 1953, and the Tamil version was released three months later, on 11 September 1953. Both versions were critically and commercially successful. Devadasu is the inaugural recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu. It has since achieved cult status, with terms and phrases from the film being widely cited. Both versions proved to be a major breakthrough in Nageswara Rao's career, although they also led to him being typecast in similar roles.

Plot

Devadasu, the son of Ravulapalle zamindar Narayana Rao, and Parvati, daughter of his poor neighbour Neelakantham, are childhood friends. The zamindar enrolls his son in a boarding school in the city. When the grown-up Devadasu returns to the village after finishing his education, his childhood friendship with Parvati turns into love.

When Parvati's grandmother talks of the alliance, the zamindar refuses the proposal. Irritated, Neelakantham vows to find a wealthier prospective son-in-law and arranges Parvati's marriage with the zamindar of Durgapuram, an elderly widower with children. However, Parvati secretly meets Devadasu and asks him to accept her as his wife.

Devadasu is surprised at her visit, sends her away, and goes back to the city. He writes to Parvati that he cannot defy his parents, so Parvati marries the old zamindar. Unable to forget her, Devadasu is despondent. He takes to drinking alcohol excessively and is encouraged by his friend Bhagawan, who also introduces him to Chandramukhi, a prostitute.

While Parvati settles into her new house, Devadasu chooses the path of self-destruction. On the advice of Chandramukhi, he leaves for his village, but goes to Durgapuram to keep a promise he had made to Parvati that he visit her before his death. Devadasu breathes his last in front of her house. Parvati rushes to see him, but the door is closed by her family and she collapses.

Cast

Telugu version

• Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Devadasu
• Savitri as Parvati
• Lalitha as Chandramukhi
• S. V. Ranga Rao as Narayana Rao
• Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu as the zamindar of Durgapuram
• Doraswamy as Neelakantham
• Surabhi Kamalabai as Parvati's grandmother
• Peketi Sivaram as Bhagawan
• Master Sudhakar as young Devadasu
• Baby Anuradha as young Parvati

Tamil version

• M. N. Nambiar
• Sachu
• Chandrakumari

Production

When people saw me on screen in Devadasu, they assumed that I starved myself to look like the heartbroken, alcoholic that I played on screen. Truth is far from it. I was actually healthy with robust looks. After watching myself I realised that no matter how hard i tried, I didn't look like a drunkard because my eyes were clear. So, I requested the director to shift the shooting schedule to the night. I used to stuff myself with heavy dinner and then shoot overnight ... even as my eyes were dropping, heavy with sleep. The effect was excellent and that's how I pulled Devadasu off.

 – Akkineni Nageswara Rao, on his character in an interview with Suresh Kavirayani of The Times of India in April 2013.

D. L. Narayana signed Vedantham Raghaviah to direct a bilingual film Devadasu in Telugu and Tamil languages under the production banner of Vinodha Pictures. The film's script, which was written by Aluri Chakrapani, was based on Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story of Devadasu revolves around a feudal lord's son Devadas falling in love with a poor girl Parvati. Due to differences in their social and economic status, Devadas cannot marry his childhood love and Parvati marries an old man. Unable to forget her, he becomes alcoholic. Devadasu was the first Telugu adaptation of Chattopadhyay's novel, and Devadas was the second Tamil adaptation of the same, following the 1937 film of the same name directed by and starring P. V. Rao.

Samudrala Raghavacharya and Udaykumar wrote the dialogue for the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively. B. S. Ranga was recruited as the director of photography, and P. V. Narayanan edited the film. Vali and Kotwankar were the art directors.

Nageswara Rao and Sowcar Janaki were chosen as the lead pair. Arani Sathyanarayana portrayed the role of Devadasu's man Friday. Peketi Sivaram, who went on to become a famous director, portrayed the role of Bhagawan. S. V. Ranga Rao, Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu, and Surabhi Kamalabai were selected to portray supporting roles. Seetharam appeared in a minor role as a cartman. Lalitha of the Travancore Sisters was signed to play Chandramukhi, the prostitute.

After a week of shooting, the film was shelved due to the view that such a story might not succeed in Telugu; the production company then produced Shanti, which became a failure. D. L. Narayana decided to revive the film after being encouraged by the success of Stri Sahasam. Janaki, who was originally chosen for the character of Parvati, was then replaced by Savitri.

Principal photography commenced with Nagaraja Rao, a still photographer shooting some stills of Nageswara Rao in the guise of Devadasu, with a glass in his hand and the looks of a drunkard. Rao also took shots of Savitri in Parvati's make-up in Naarsu's Studio. Impressed with these stills, Narayana decided to use the same make-up for the real shooting of the film. He showed these make-up stills to Mangaiah, the make-up man, who followed the same. Nageswara Rao, who portrayed the titular character, recalled that Vedantam, being a Kuchipudi dance exponent and an experienced stage actor, used to enact the scenes before the actors, thereby making their job easy. He even recalled that the character's half asleep makeup was a result of hard work by the make-up man Mangaiah, and that the director shot him only at night so that he could get a "natural" feel to the hero's drunken look; those scenes were shot over 53 days.

Music

Untitled

The official soundtracks of Devadas were composed by C. R. Subbaraman. The lyrics were written by Samudrala Raghavacharya and Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass and K. D. Santhanam for the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively. There was a controversy regarding crediting the lyricist in the film. Though Samudrala is credited as the lyrics writer in the film, the researcher V. A. K. Ranga Rao claims that Malladi Ramakrishna Sasthri actually wrote some of the lyrics. C. R. Subbaraman died before the film's release, and the remaining songs were composed by his assistants M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy.

The soundtracks of the Telugu and Tamil versions were released on 31 December 1953; both were marketed by HMV. The soundtracks were a huge commercial success, with "Jagame Maaya" and "Kala Idani", in particular, achieving cult status. Songs like "Ulage Maayam" and "O Devadas" became popular among the Tamil diaspora. The song "Kudi Yemaithe" was composed using the Kalyani raga. The song "Intha Telisi" is composed in various ragas. The song "Palleku Podam" was later remixed by Anup Rubens for Aatadukundam Raa (2016).

The soundtracks received positive reviews from critics. Reviewing the Tamil version, Randor Guy of The Hindu noted that the songs "contributed to the [film's] success". Reviewing the Telugu version, M. L. Narasimham from the same newspaper also praised the songs, noting, "The major contribution to the film's success, however, came from the music director, a genius called C. R. Subbaraman. Every song he composed is a hit to this day." S. Theodore Baskaran in his book The Eye of the Serpent noted, "One factor that sustains the popularity of this film to this is the songs [sic]". On "Intha Telisi", Dakshinamurthy M. of The Hans India noted, "The 'pallavi' and 'charanam' are in Kharaharapriya, second 'charanam' is in Ranjani and the last one is in Mohana. The switching from 'charanam' to 'pallavi' and vice versa is so smooth, one forgets to notice the change in 'ragam' and 'bhavam'."

Track list of the Telugu version

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Andaala Anandam"	R. Balasaraswathi Devi	3.17
2.	"Antha Bhranthi Yena"	K. Rani	03:02
3.	"Chelitya Ledhu"	Ghantasala, K. Rani	04:05
4.	"Jagame Maya"	Ghantasala	03:17
5.	"Oh Devada"	K. Jamuna Rani, Udutha Sarojini	02:51
6.	"Intha Telisiyundi"	R. Balasaraswathi Devi	03:32
7.	"Kudi Yedamaithe"	Ghantasala	03:08
8.	"O Devada"	Ghantasala, Jikki	02:51
9.	"Palleku Podam"	Ghantasala	02:27
10.	"Thane Marena"	R. Balasaraswathi Devi	03:16
11.	"Kala Idani"	Ghantasala	03.08

Track list of the Tamil version

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Santosham Vendrum"	R. Balasaraswathi Devi	3.17
2.	"Ellam Maayai"	K. Rani	03:02
3.	"Uravum Illai"	Ghantasala, K. Rani	04:15
4.	"Ulagaae Maayam"	Ghantasala	03:17
5.	"Oh Devatha"	K. Jamunarani, Udutha Sarojini	02:51
6.	"Paramugam Enaya"	R. Balasaraswathi evi	03:32
7.	"Thunintha Pin"	Ghantasala	03:08
8.	"O Devadas"	Ghantasala, Jikki	02:51
9.	"Santosham Tharum"	Ghantasala	02:27
10.	"Anbe Pavama"	R. Balasaraswathi Devi	03:16
11.	"Kanavithuthan"	Ghantasala	03:08

Release and reception

The Telugu version, Devadasu, was released on 26 June 1953, and the Tamil version was released three months later on 11 September 1953. Both versions were released with an approximate final reel length of 5,260 metres (17,260 ft) and were given a "U" (Universal) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification, with a run time of 190 and 192 minutes, respectively. Both versions were commercially successful, with the Telugu version completing a run of 100 days. The film is the inaugural recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu.

Devadasu received positive reviews from critics upon its release. M. L. Narasimham of The Hindu praised the performances of the film's cast, particularly that of Nageswara Rao. He added that B. S. Ranga's "excellent" cinematography and C. R. Subbaraman's music were the film's highlights apart from Vedantham Raghavaiah's direction. Reviewing Devadasu, Randor Guy wrote that the film was remembered for "empathetically brilliant performance of Nageswara Rao in the title role and equally impressive acting by Savithri". Cinegoer wrote, "The superb direction by Sri Vedantham Raghavaiah made [Devadasu] an immortal classic". Hindustan Times stated that Nageswara Rao's performance "remains a classic portrayal of the character that has been adapted on-screen several times".

Legacy and influences

Devadasu and Devadas are regarded as among the most successful films in Telugu and Tamil cinema respectively. Upon release, the dialogue Thaagithe maruva galanu, thaaganivvaru, marichipothe thaagagalanu, maruvanivvaru ([If I drink, I can forget, but they don't let me drink; if I forget, I can drink, but they don't let me forget] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) became famous. The film proved to be a major breakthrough in Nageswara Rao's career. The success of the film made him known as the "Tragedy King" of Telugu cinema and also led to his becoming typecast in similar roles. In order to shed the tragic-romantic hero image, he accepted a comic role in Missamma (1955). Savitri too appeared in Missamma, and her character in that film was described by Pa. Dheenadhayalan of Dinamani as an antithesis of her role in Devadasu.

In July 2007, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight Tamil directors to list ten of their favourite films. Balu Mahendra named Devadas as one of his top ten Tamil films. He added that the film had "superb lighting by B. S. Ranga, excellent performances by A. Nageswara Rao and Savithri, and haunting music by C. R. Subbaraman". Actor Sivakumar stated, "You can’t reproduce movies like Parasakthi, Pasamalar, Devadas, Veerapandiya Kattabomman or Ratha Kanneer [...] By remaking such films, you are lowering yourself, while it enhances the original artists’ image." YVS Chowdary titled his 2006 comedy film Devadasu, though it had no similarity with this film. In May 2012, Radhika Rajamani of Rediff.com mentioned Devadasu for the letter D in her list, "The A to Z of Telugu Cinema". During a programme titled "Telugu Cinema Prasthanam" organised by the film society of Vishakhapatnam, writer and actor Ravi Kondala Rao placed Devadasu among other Telugu films like Raja Harishchandra (1913), Bhakta Prahlada (1932), Mala Pilla (1938), Pathala Bhairavi (1951) and Lava Kusa (1963) during a speech on the role of Telugu cinema in the hundred years of Indian cinema. In April 2013, CNN-News18 included the film in its list of "100 greatest Indian films of all time". Indo-Asian News Service described Devadasu as one of Nageswara Rao's "best films". Dilip Kumar, who portrayed Devadas in the 1955 film directed by Bimal Roy, admitted that Nageshwara Rao's performance as the character was better than his own, remarking, "There is only one Devadas (1953), and that is Akkineni Nageswara Rao." A scene from Devadasu, in which the title character converses with a street dog while drunk, was parodied in a promotional still from Majnu (2016), where the male lead (Nani) humorously converses with a stuffed puppy, while imitating Devadasu's mannerisms.

Bibliography

• Baskaran, Sundararaj Theodore (1996). The eye of the serpent: an introduction to Tamil cinema. East West Books. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Dhananjayan, G. (2014). Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013. Blue Ocean Publishers. ISBN 978-93-84301-05-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-563579-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Devdas at IMDb