Devudu Chesina Manushulu

Devudu Chesina Manushulu (“God-made Humans”) is a 1973 Telugu action drama directed by V. Ramachandra Rao, produced by G. Hanumantha Rao under the Padmalaya Studios banner and presented by Krishna. It brought together N. T. Rama Rao and Krishna with Jayalalitha and Vijaya Nirmala, with music by Ramesh Naidu. Released on 9 August 1973, it was a commercial success and was later remade in Hindi as Takkar (1980) by the same banner.

What the story is about

Ramu is a daring young man who has fallen in with a gang that steals valuable antique idols from temples. During a plane hijacking to seize a precious statue, the courage of a passenger, Sujatha, changes him: he turns on the gang to protect the passengers, and the two fall in love. Ramu then lands at the estate of Zamindar Dasaratharamaiah and discovers that he is the zamindar’s long-lost son by his first wife, a truth he hesitates to reveal because of his criminal past. As he takes charge of the household and tries to straighten out his half-brother Gopi, the idol thieves come closer to home, and the zamindar’s own family heirloom becomes their next target.

Cast and crew

• N. T. Rama Rao as Ramakrishna “Ramu”
• Krishna as Gopi
• S. V. Ranga Rao as Dasaradharamayya
• Jayalalitha as Sujatha
• Vijaya Nirmala as Vijaya
• Jaggayya as Hari Prasad, in a double role
• Kanchana as Geeta
• Kanta Rao as Suresh and Satyanarayana as Ranganna
• Allu Ramalingaiah as Lingam and Sakshi Ranga Rao as Papa Rao
• S. Varalakshmi as Varalakshmi, with special appearances by Jamuna and Manjula

Director: V. Ramachandra Rao. Producer: G. Hanumantha Rao (Padmalaya Studios). Music: Ramesh Naidu. Runtime: 177 minutes.

Music

The best-remembered song is “Masaka Masaka Cheekatilo”, sung by L. R. Eswari and picturised on Kanchana. It became popular and was later remixed in the 2004 film Xtra.

Reception and box office

Giddaluri Gopal Rao, reviewing the film for Zamin Ryot on 24 August 1973, was mixed: he praised the production and cinematography but criticised its unrealistic scenes and poorly written characters. Audiences were more enthusiastic. According to Cinegoer‘s box-office records, the film ran for more than 175 days in two centres, Vijayawada and Nellore.

Where to watch Devudu Chesina Manushulu

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for Devudu Chesina Manushulu on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Devudu Chesina Manushulu (1973 film) and the sources it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.