Devudu (transl. God) is a 1997 Telugu-language drama film directed and co-written by Ravi Raja Pinisetty. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Ramya Krishna, Ruchitha Prasad and music composed by Sirpy. A. Gopinath, M. Venkatrao and C. Krishna Rao produced the film under the Sri Chitra Creations banner.^[1]

The film begins with a couple walking away, leaving their newborn baby in a temple near a village. Since he is congenital abnormal, they are unable to witness his death. However, with the blessing of the Goddess, the child survives. Rayudu, a benignant and forefront of the region, adopts him and calls him Devudu. Years roll by, and Devudu, a callow simpleton with a golden heart, grows up under the pampering of the village and becomes their heartthrob. However, he detests and runs off by the name of marriage because he believes that his parents deserted him owing to it. Ganga Raju a sly begrudges Rayudu as he ostracizes his sibling Linga Raju for marrying twice and waiting for an opportunity to avenge.

Once, on his visit to the city, Devudu saves a girl, Madhavi, from the goons, and they befriend her. Now it’s time for the general election in their constituency; Sarweswara Rao MLA, who accorded four times, again seeks Rayudu’s support due to the loss of faith he denies. Hence, Sarweswara Rao employs a stratagem by detaining his daughter Shanti under the aegis of Rayudu and proclaims to have her home following the completion of his allegiance. He also requests Rayudu to conceal the agreement before Shanti. In those days, Shanti endears the innocence and divinity of Devudu.

Despite triumphing in elections, Sarweswara Rao fails to prove his fidelity when the village decides to penalize Shanti. So, Devudu absconds to the city with Shanti. The next, Shanti is stunned to learn the facts and understand the foul play. In reality, she is Sarweswara Rao’s first daughter, which is an unknown fact to the world. One day, fortuitously, Shanti comes forward and compels him to accept that he utilized her for political gain. Here, conscious of the status quo, Sarweswara Rao makes the Police ride out of their hotel. Shanti forces Devudu to tie a wedding chain on her neck to fight back. Being unaware of its sanctity, he does so, assuming it is an omnipotent locket. Afterward, they plan to kidnap Sarweswara Rao’s original daughter, who is not anyone else other than Madhavi. She realizes the vileness of her father, embraces Shanti, and voluntarily proceeds to the village.

Meanwhile, Sarweswara Rao hits the jackpot to become Chief Minister with the support of MLA Pundarikakshaiah, conditionally, to knit Madhavi with his son. Hence, Sarweswara Rao sends his henchmen to retrieve his daughter by eliminating Devudu. Devudu ties the wedding chain to Madhavi, which coerces Sarweswara Rao to accomplish his covenant and escape the difficulty. Getting wind of Devudu’s wedlock with two, Ganga Raju accuses him before Panchayat, and when Rayudu is about to verdict, the entire village stands in favor of Devudu. Devudu hides in the temple by mystifying, where he becomes usual with the illusion of the appearance of the Goddess. In tandem, Sarweswara Rao onslaughts abduct Rayudu & Madhavi and forcibly tries to perform her espousal. At last, Devudu ceases baddies and protects them. Finally, the movie ends with Shanti sacrificing her life while guarding Devudu and uniting him with Madhavi.