''Devaraagam'' is a 1996 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
-language film directed by
Bharathan
Bharathan (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) was an Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Padmarajan and K. G. George, in th ...
and starring
Sridevi
Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan (13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018), professionally credited with her stage name Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "First Female ...
and
Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swamy (born 18 June 1970) is an Indian actor, model, entrepreneur and television presenter known for his work in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. He was introduced as an actor by Mani Ratnam with the blockbuster ...
. It also had
KPAC Lalitha
Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...
,
Kozhikode Narayanan Nair
Kozhikode Narayanan Nair is an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema, who has acted in more than 300 films. He entered the "Malayalam" movie industry (Mollywood) through a drama troupe.
His first film was ''Aabhijathyam'' (1970), and he is also reme ...
,
Zeenath
Zeenath A.P is an Indian actress and dubbing artist. She was a prominent supporting actress during the 1990s in Malayalam films.
Background
Zeenath was born to Abu Achippuram and Fathima in Nilambur, Malappuram district. She had her primary edu ...
, and
Nedumudi Venu
Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...
in supporting roles. The film was famous for its music which was composed by
M. M. Keeravani. All the songs topped the hit charts. This was the movie in which actress Sridevi came back to Malayalam Industry after a long gap, as she was concentrated on her Bollywood career. A Tamil and Telugu dubbed version of the film was also released. Sridevi was reported to do a sequel titled as Sree Sree Devaraagam but the project was shelved post her untimely demise. This was also Sridevi's last Malayalam film to date.
Plot
The film opens with a young child climbing into a bullock cart and insisting that he also go with the cart to pick up the 'Shavundi' - a person who performs funeral rites and lives amongst the cremation grounds. Though essential to the funeral ceremonies, he is often considered frightening or unlucky. He certainly looks that way too - covered in ash and grime, sleeping in a bat-infested grove, and given ominous background music. The 'Shavundi' and child begin talking in the cart ride to the funeral, and then a flashback takes us to meet Lakshmi.
Life for Lakshmi (Sridevi) turns head over heels when Vishnu (Aravind Swamy), the new priest's son and priest-in-training, shows up in her village. Lakshmi is instantly intrigued by the new young man in town and strives to start a relationship with him. Certain antics and innocent clashes follow, and both of them fall in love.
Later, problems arose due to Vishnu's status in society; i. e. he is a brahmachari and cannot marry. Later, Lakshmi visits an astrologer who says that Lakshmi and Vishnu's life together is full of difficulties. He also suggests that if Lakshmi and Vishnu visit a particular temple, all their sins in this life will end, and it is believed that a new life begins. So as he suggested, they both go ahead while Vishnu and Lakshmi secretly get married. They also get intimate with each other as they are married secretly now.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi's aunt visits her, and she decides to fix her marriage with her son. Lakshmi's marriage is fixed with her cousin, Parthasarathy(Rajiv Krishna). When Lakshmi opens up about her love for Vishnu to her father, he blackmails her, threatening to kill himself. He also asks Vishnu to help him get Lakshmi married as he decided.
It was presumed that Vishnu's father would perform the rituals. But as he is ill, he forces Vishnu to perform the marriage rituals. Even though Vishnu hesitates, his father unknowingly forces him. Vishnu is forced to perform marriage rituals of his wife whom he secretly married. Seeing this, Lakshmi is heartbroken and helpless. She has to go through the ordeal. After marriage, Lakshmi's husband is informed that she loved Vishnu, and he says it's not a problem for him. Later, Lakshmi becomes pregnant. Lakshmi asks her husband to forgive her, and she will inform the others later. Lakshmi's husband says to her that he is impotent, and so he does not want anyone else to know the truth that Lakshmi is pregnant with another person's child.
Broken and distraught, Vishnu leaves his home and travels to many temples, hoping to find peace. He visits his father's old student and stays in his house. The student is now a renowned priest and impressed by Vishnu. He is interested in marrying his daughter Kokila to Vishnu, Kokila an advertisement actress, also likes Vishnu, but Vishnu is unable to forget Lakshmi and does not want to marry anyone else. Due to illness Kokila's father ask Vishnu to perform a puja which he was to perform. Even though he is hesitant, Vishnu agrees to go. The sudden view of kolam in front of the house reminds Vishnu of his Lakshmi, and when the door opens, he sees none other than Lakshmi itself he performs the puja for the child without knowing that it is his son, later due to grief and pain he returns to his father, he yells him about his journey and all about Lakshmi learning that Vishnu had performed the mangalyapuja for his own wife his father, a true brahmin curses that let Vishnu be unfit to perform any pujas and let him become a shaundi which is considered a sinful duty and due to his guilty feelings Vishnu leaves and becomes a shaundi.
At present, due to some circumstances, it is shown that Lakshmi's husband is dead, and Vishnu is the one who is performing funeral as Shavundi. Seeing this, Lakshmi becomes furious and reveals the secret that her only son cannot perform the last rites as his father is alive and he is none other than Vishnu, the one who blessed her son once as a pujari for long life. Hearing this, everyone is shocked. Knowing the truth, Vishnu refused to become the shaundi and take Lakshmi and his son away from society to lead a happy life.
Cast
*
Sridevi
Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan (13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018), professionally credited with her stage name Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "First Female ...
as Bhagyalakshmi
*
Aravind Swamy
Arvind Swamy (born 18 June 1970) is an Indian actor, model, entrepreneur and television presenter known for his work in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. He was introduced as an actor by Mani Ratnam with the blockbuster ...
as Vishnu Narayanan
*
KPAC Lalitha
Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...
as Alamelu
*
Nedumudi Venu
Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...
as Shankaran
*
Chippy as Indhu
*
Janardanan
Janardhanan Nair (born 5 May 1946) is an Indian actor, producer and a former Indian Airforce personnel who predominantly acts in Malayalam films. He acted in his first feature film '' Adyathe Kadha'', directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan in 1971, h ...
as Harihara Subramanya Iyyer
*
Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
*
M. S. Thripunithura
*
Kozhikode Narayanan Nair
Kozhikode Narayanan Nair is an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema, who has acted in more than 300 films. He entered the "Malayalam" movie industry (Mollywood) through a drama troupe.
His first film was ''Aabhijathyam'' (1970), and he is also reme ...
*
Narendra Prasad
Raghava Kurup Narendra Prasad (26 December 1946 3 November 2003) was an Indian actor, playwright, director, teacher and literary critic. He was born at Mavelikkara in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. Appreciated for his body language and ...
as Ramadhanapadikal
*Priyanka Anoop
*Reena
*
Ravi Menon
Chalappurathu Raveendranatha Menon (1950 – 24 November 2007), popularly known as Ravi Menon was a veteran Indian film actor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was born in Sreekrishnapuram, Palakkad in 1950. He completed diploma from the Film a ...
*
Zeenath
Zeenath A.P is an Indian actress and dubbing artist. She was a prominent supporting actress during the 1990s in Malayalam films.
Background
Zeenath was born to Abu Achippuram and Fathima in Nilambur, Malappuram district. She had her primary edu ...
as Malathy
*
Ravali
Ravali is an Indian actress who has appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi Language films. She is probably best known for her performances in '' Subhakankshalu'', ''Pelli Sandadi'', ''Vinodam'' and '' Mard''.
Career
In the la ...
as Kokila
*Par
*
Rajiv Krishna
Rajiv Krishna is an Indian actor from Bangalore. He has appeared in Tamil films in leading and supporting roles.
He also wrote the screenplay for the Hindi films ''Woodstock Villa'' and ''Soundtrack''. He is the nephew of producer Suresh Meno ...
as Parthasarathy
Production
Kasthuri was initially considered for the lead role, before the makers chose
Sridevi
Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan (13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018), professionally credited with her stage name Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "First Female ...
. The reason that Sridevi accepted the role was because Sridevi's mother, Rajeshwari Ayyappan, had told Bharathan that Sridevi would act in one of his films. Sridevi dubbed for herself in the Tamil version as she was comfortable with Tamil being her native language. Revathi dubbed for Sridevi in the Malayalam original
Soundtrack
The music was composed by
M. M. Keeravani and the lyrics were penned by
M. D. Rajendran.
; Malayalam version
; Tamil version (Dubbed)
; Telugu version (Dubbed)
Awards
*
K. S. Chithra
Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963), always credited as K. S. Chithra or Chithra, is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over four decades, she has recorded over 25,000 songs in various In ...
won the 1996
Kerala State Film Awards
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
for
Best Play Back Singer for the song "Sasikala Charthiya".
Reception
The film was not well received at the box office and was mostly panned by film critics. However, the film's music was universally praised and the lead cast received mostly favorable reviews. The last Malayalam film of late Indian actress
Sridevi Kapoor as heroine, it was a return to form for Sridevi, who started her career as a child star in several Malayalam films. Sridevi's performance in the film, her look (especially her effortless, glamorous song and dance routines) was well appreciated by the audience. Sridevi dubbed for her character in the Tamil version, while Revathi dubbed for Sridevi in the Malayalam original.
References
External links
*
''Devaraagam Soundtrack'' at Raaga
{{Bharathan
1996 films
Indian drama films
1990s Malayalam-language films
Films directed by Bharathan
Films scored by M. M. Keeravani
Love stories