| | 7 | After P.V. Rao’s 1937 film, this is the 2nd Tamil and the first Telugu version of Saratchandra’s oft-filmed novel about unrequited love. Nageshwara Rao is the weak hero Devadas and Savitri is his tragic beloved Paro while Lalitha takes the role of the golden-hearted prostitute Chandramukhi. The hit film was shot mostly at the Narasu Studios in Madras. The 11 songs (in both languages) of Subburaman’s last film are regarded as among his best and most popular works, while Narayana Kavi’s lyrics enhanced the popularity of the Tamil songs, one of them later providing the title for a Kamalahasan film, Vazhve Mayam (1982), an update of the Devdas plot. |