Devatha Review

Devatha is a typical religious movie. It does not stray from the time tested path - miracles, pious devotees, non-believers, the Devil and the fight against evil. Like most films of this genre, it is glaringly familiar, and the only difference is that this time around it is a different religious icon. The story revolves around Kovelamma (Meena), an incarnation of goddess Durga, and her errant devotee Shanti (Kamki). The Goddess blesses Shanti with a child who is to save the world from reign of an evil sorcerer Prince. This sorcerer is none other than the Anti-Christ, with the feared three sixes (the sign of Satan) marked on his head.

Shanti does not keep her promise after the Goddess grants her a child, and this leads to her being taught a lesson in faith and the fear of God. After scenes and scenes of magic and religious sermons, Shanti realizes her mistake and atones for her sin by performing some rather bewildering rituals like walking on burning coal. The Goddess is appeased in the nick of time and She saves the world from total annihilation.

The graphics and computer animation bring something unique to this film, but the rest is just 'same story, different God'. This is director Ramnarayan's 105th film, and it appears like it is a tribute to the Divine for getting this far rather than a proper film in itself. You wouldn't say the same of Annamayya. An interesting feature is that Meena has, for the first time in her career, donned the role of a goddess. But she fails: she sadly doesn't have the physical presence, and her facial expressions simply don't deliver the required impact.

This is a movie strictly for the religious.