Devadas (2018 film)


Devadas is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film produced by C. Ashwini Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies banner and directed by Sriram Adittya. The film stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Nani, Aakanksha Singh, Rashmika Mandanna and music composed by Mani Sharma. It was released on 27 September 2018. It is dubbed in Hindi as Don Aur Doctor by Zee Studios in November 2019.

Plot

M. K. Das, a M. S. holder, joins Medimax, a corporate hospital in Hyderabad, as one of the surgeons designated to work in the mortuary. Four days later, he attends a patient whose medication was prescribed by Dr. Bharadwaj, his senior. Noticing improper medication, Das asks for change in prescription without prior approval from Bharadwaj. Though the patient recovers, Bharadwaj, having an ego, fires Das from the job on the grounds of unprofessional behaviour. With no option left, Das starts a clinic in his locality at the dilapidated Shantabhai Memorial Charity Hospital.
On a parallel note, the police are searching for Deva, a crime boss whose identity is unknown. Deva returns to Hyderabad after the death of his mentor Dada, who was killed by his rival David. Dada's son Ajay helped David in the murder and earns Deva's ire. One day, Deva is injured in a shootout between his gang and the police, and escapes from the scene hiding his identity successfully. He enters Shantabhai Memorial Charity Hospital, where Das treats him and removes the bullet. Das later realises that his patient is a crime boss, but chooses not to reveal his identity to avoid breach of trust, which is part of Das's profession.
Deva is impressed with Das' honesty and naivety, and befriends him, calling him "Gold". He and his men renovate the clinic, and the inflow of patients increases. As Das gets busy as a practising physician, he is equally baffled by the number of gangsters and criminals surrounding him on a daily basis. He also falls in love with Pooja, unaware that she is an undercover police officer working on Deva's case. Deva, meanwhile, reveals that he had feelings for Jahnvi, a journalist, which were never communicated.
As Das makes attempts to bring Deva and Jahnvi together, Deva finds himself more "humanised". Pooja, in an attempt to arrest Deva, asks Das to bring him to a meet at a restaurant for dinner. As Pooja waits there along with the police, Deva learns Ajay's whereabouts and murders him as Das watches. Das questions Deva's lack of humanity and leaves, rejoining Medimax after promising to organise a successful organ donation camp.
Deva is left heartbroken due to the rift caused in his friendship and meets a child at a party, who is aware of his identity. The child asks Deva a favour: to scare death as he is dying soon due to blood cancer. Deva arranges for his treatment, but the child dies. With Deva's help, the organ donation camp at Medimax turns successful, which brings a change in Bharadwaj's opinion on Das.
The child's death depresses Deva, who calls Jahnavi to arrange a live telecast. He reveals his identity as the crime boss for whom the police is searching, and credits Das for the change in him. However, he receives a call from David, who kidnapped Das, and asks him to meet in private for one last time. Deva goes to David's place and the police follow them. In the shootout that ensues, Deva is fatally injured.
Das, with the help of Bharadwaj and two other surgeons, fakes Deva's death. The film ends with Deva and Das enjoying a holiday on a cruise along with Jahnavi and Pooja, recalling the previous happenings.

Cast

;Principal cast
;Supporting cast
Devdas was the first film to be shot in Hyderabad Metro.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Mani Sharma and on Aditya Music label. The Audio launch was held on 21 September 2018, on the occasion of legendary ANR's birthday anniversary between in the presence of industry stalwarts. Sify termed the album lackluster, stating that although "Vaaru Veeru", "Chettu Kinda Doctor", and "Emo Emo" were good songs, the rest were lacking when it came to Mani Sharma's expectations.

Critical reception

Times Of India rated the film 3.5 stars and said, "Devadas certainly has its moments with some cracking humour and solid performances by its two stars. A tad too long, with some avoidable melodrama and a weak climax prove to be troublesome, but it doesn't take it away from a hilarious first half which makes it worth your while. If you're somebody who enjoys Nani's brand of humour - Devadas is a must-watch."
The News Minute wrote, "All this leaves you wishing that the director, for a brief moment, had realised the pot of gold he had at his disposal. It displays a certain brash level of amateurishness if your actual comedians in the movie, the sidekicks, almost get as much screen time as your protagonists. Food for thought! So, if you want to watch a comedy featuring Nani, watch it. Don’t watch if you are hoping for an ‘action’ comedy."
Greatandhra gave the film 2.75 stars and wrote, "While it’s not preachy, the film surely gets a tad bit tiresome in the second half, especially since the director kind of restraints himself from making an out-and-out over the top film with loads of comic capers."
Sify gave the film three stars and stated that "DevaDas has a not-so-engaging story. But the comedy works very well in the first half. The second half falters with many dull moments. A violent don becoming a good man is an oversimplification. Nice technical output needs a pat."
The Hindu criticized the film for poorly etched characters and wrote, "Despite all this, if Devadas holds attention, it’s because Sriram Adittya knows how to utilise its two leading actors and serve up plenty of fun moments. In the end, he gets Deva and Das to look at life from each other’s perspectives with some melodrama."
Deccan Chronicle gave the film three stars and said that it was "Nag and Nani's show all the way".

Awards and nominations