Devdas (1953 Telugu film)

Devdas
Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Devadas
Directed by	Vedantam Raghavaiah
Written by	Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay Samudrala Raghavacharya
Starring	Akkineni Nageswara Rao Savitri S.V.Ranga Rao
Music by	C. R. Subburaman
Cinematography	B. S. Ranga
Distributed by	Vinoda Pictures
Release date(s)	1953
Running time	191 min.
Language	Telugu

Devdas also known as Devadasu (Telugu: దేవదాసు), is a 1953 social film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella, Devdas. Samudrala Raghavacharya wrote the dialogue and screen adaptation. It is a film of Vinoda Pictures produced in Black and White produced in Telugu and also dubbed in Tamil. The Tamil version is named as Devadas.

Devadasu was one of the most memorable films for Telugu people. The songs in this film are popular even today. 'Jagame Maayaa', 'Palleku Podam .. Paarunu Chuddaam Chalo Chalo', 'Kudi Edamaithe' are the few unforgettable song of Devadasu. Major credit goes to Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, the singer and C. R. Subburaman, the music director. It is said that singer Ghantasala had observed a fast for 41 days in order to get the right effects to represent a grief-stricken Devadasu while singing the song 'Jagame Maaya Brathuke Maaya'.

Plot

Devadas (Akkineni Nageshwara Rao)is a well educated guy who returns to his village after spending several years in London for his education. Parvathi (Savitri) is his childhood sweet heart and both of them make a very adorable pair. Things take a bad turn when Parvathi's family proposes for marriage to Devadas's family and get rejected on the grounds that they are of inferior caste and social status. Devadas upon persistence and threatening from his father rejects Parvathi when the latter meets him personally and asks for his love. A dejected Devadas returns to the city while Parvathi gets married. Devadas realizes that he is deeply in love with Parvathi but comes to know that she is already married when he returns to his village. To forget her he becomes alcoholic and spends his time with a courtesan named Chandramukhi (Lalita) who falls in love with him. As time pass by Devadas condition worsens due to heavy drinking and after knowing that he doesn't have much time left and plans to meet Parvathi for one last time. In a fitting climax he dies even before he meets Parvathi ending the movie on a sad note.

Cast

Actor	Character
Akkineni Nageshwara Rao	Devadas
Savitri	Parvati
Lalitha	Chandramukhi
S. V. Ranga Rao	Zamindar Narayana Rao
Chilakalapudi Seetha Rama Anjaneyulu
Doraiswamy	Neelakantham
Aarani Satyanarayana	Dharmanna
Peketi Sivaram	Bhagawan
R. Nageswara Rao
Chandrakumari
Bellary Lalitha
Sitaram	Bandivadu
Kanchi Narasimha Rao

Crew

• Producer : D. L. Narayana, Vedantam Raghavaiah, C. R. Subburaman and Samudrala Raghavacharya
• Production Company: Vinoda Pictures
• Director : Vedantam Raghavaiah
• Music : C. R. Subburaman assisted by M. S. Viswanathan & T. K. Ramamoorthy
• Screenplay: Vedantam Raghavaiah
• Dialogue: Samudrala Raghavacharya (Telugu) and Udayakumar (Tamil)
• Lyrics: Samudrala Raghavacharya (Telugu), Udumalai Narayana Kavi & K. D. Santhanam (Tamil)
• Art Direction : Godgaonkar
• Editing : Narayana
• Choreography: Vempati Chinna Satyam
• Cinematography : B. S. Ranga
• Makeup : Mangayya
• Playback singers : Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, Jikki Krishnaveni, K. Rani and Raavu Balasaraswathi.

Soundtrack

Telugu songs

• Andaala Aanandam - R. Balasaraswati Devi.
• Antha Bhranthi Yenaa Jeevitana Velugintena - K. Rani.
• Cheliya Ledhu Chelimi Ledhu - Ghantasala and K. Rani.
• Jagame Maaya Bratuke Maya - Ghantasala.
• Kala Idani Nijamidani Teliyadule Bratukintenule - Ghantasala
• Kudi Yedamaithe Porapatuledoy - Ghantasala.
• Oh Devada - Ghantasala and K. Rani
• Palleku Podam Paaruni Choodam Chalo Chalo - Ghantasala
• Thaane Marenaa by R. Balasaraswathi Devi

External links

• Summary of Devdas films.
• Devdas at the Internet Movie Database

Awards
Preceded by None	Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) 1953	Succeeded by Raju Peda