Devasthanam

When a film has big star cast like K Viswanath and SP Balasubrahmanyam, immediately any one can forecast that the film has nothing big to offer but some good message. In addition, the film is being directed by a writer like Janardhana Maharshi. Generally, such films will not have regular entertainment, hence people don’t prefer to watch such movies. Let us see what this film, Devasthanam is going to give and how many people could digest it.

Srimannarayana (K Viswanath) stays in Chittoor and he is a Good Samaritan but nobody is there to take care of him. He spends his time in a temple and his job is to answer the questions of the devotees. Being an old man, he fears that what is his fate and who will perform his last rites after his death. He finds one middle-class man called Sambamurthy (Balu) and assigns him of performing his final rites.

Murthy had a wife called Saraswati (Amani). Though Murthy refuses to do the job, he accepts to perform the last rites as it was his last wish. As both of them move together for some time, Sambamurthy understands the real meaning of life. Meanwhile, Sambamurthy turns a writer and he starts penning some lyrics, which could be rendered in the mode of Harikathas in a little modern fashion. As Srimannarayana too liked those songs, he starts rendering like Harikathas at public functions and religious events. They become very popular in no time and they start earning thousands of rupees. So, these two start a trust named ‘Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu’ and the money is being diverted to help purohits of temples and to renovate temples. At this juncture, a tragedy strikes and Srimannarayana becomes dumb-struck, as he alone has to continue the Harikathas. What is the tragedy? How Srimannarayana alone managed it? Answers to these questions form part of the climax.