| Devil: The British Secret Agent | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Abhishek Nama |
| Written by | Srikanth Vissa |
| Produced by | Abhishek Nama Devansh Nama |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Soundararajan |
| Edited by | Tammiraju |
| Music by | Harshavardhan Rameshwar |
Production company | Abhishek Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 144 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Box office | 22.59 crore[2] |
Devil: The British Secret Agent is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language period spy film[1] written by Srikanth Vissa and directed by Abhishek Nama and Naveen Medaram (uncredited).[3] Produced by Abhishek Nama and Devansh Nama under Abhishek Pictures,[4] it stars Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Samyuktha Menon and Elnaaz Norouzi.[5][6] The film was theatrically released in India on 29 December 2023.
Plot[edit]
In pre-independent India, Devil is an officer of the British Secret Service who is sent undercover as a police officer to investigate the death of Vijaya, the daughter of a landlord in Rasapadu. Vijaya’s father is arrested as the killer owing to his shame in Vijaya falling in love with Bhuma, a domestic worker in their house. Devil’s investigation almost immediately leads him to believe that the landlord is innocent and that Vijaya’s death is part of a much bigger conspiracy. Bhuma is revealed to be missing and a cook in the house, Rani, is also discovered to be dead.
Simultaneous to the investigation, Devil falls in love with Nyshadha, the niece of the landlord who resides with the family. Nyshadha however, is hostile towards Devil. Based on accounts by the landlords neighbor and business partner, Patwari, and his wife Rosy, Devil discovers that Patwari informed the landlord of his daughter’s affair after discovering his own wife’s affair with the landlord. However, Patwari had witnessed no murder take place and that rather, Vijaya subdued her own father, rendering him unconscious and asked Bhuma to go some place far away. However, Bhuma and his father are soon discovered to be dead as well. Devil finds Nyshadha having a rendez-vouz with a stranger in her room and confronts them. The stranger is revealed as a man named Samudra and Nyshadha reveals that she and Samudra are a part of the Azad Hind Fauj, colloquially referred to as the INA. Devil discovers that Netaji Subhash Candra Bose is due to land in India soon and the whereabouts of his landing are to be known only to Trivarna, Bose’s closest ally. Clement, a British officer, is later assassinated by Trivarna, revealed to be Congress leader Manimekala.
Nyshadha begins to fall in love with Devil after he is successful in acquitting the landlord from Vijaya’s murder. It is revealed that Devil was sent undercover to Rasapadu to investigate Nyshadha as she was revealed to have decoded and sent out the message which specified details of Netaji’s landing. The codes were leaked and bought to General Kenneth Bracken, who assigned Devil to go behind Nyshadha should his team be unable to crack the codes. After the first part of the codes, which specifies the time and location of the landing, are cracked, Bracken deems Nyshadha useless to them and has orders sent out for her to be raped and killed by tribals. However, she is saved by Devil. The latter tells Bracken that he managed to crack the second part of the code, which says Nyshadha has to meet Trivarna and exchange the “All Clear” message for Netaji to land in India and therefore, Nyshadha must remain alive. Nyshadha is arrested but is rescued by Devil, rendering her a fugitive and leaving her unable to contact Trivarna. She entrusts Devil with the task of contacting Trivarna. Devil posts a letter with the decoded message, which is attained by Manimekala.
INA allies in Rasapadu, including Samudra, are captured and brought to Bracken, who then discovers that Manimekala is Trivarna. An attempt to capture her is made and she is brought to Bracken by Devil. However, in a turn of events, Devil kills all of the soldiers who were handed the task of killing Manimekala and the other allies, revealing himself to be the actual Trivarna. It is revealed that he took up work in the British Secret Service on Netaji’s orders and arrived in Rasapadu not to investigate Nyshadha but to find out who leaked the codes. After solving the death of Rani, the landlord’s cook, Devil realizes that Samudra is Agent Trojan, a British spy working with the INA. Samudra simultaneously reveals Devil’s identity to Bracken and goes to Nyshadha, revealing to her that Devil is not a police officer but a British spy and has been working against their organization. He takes her and heads to the location where Netaji is to land, but is stopped enroute by Devil, who is shot by Nyshadha before he can reveal the truth. At the location, Bracken intercepts Nyshadha and Samudra, who reveals his identity as Agent Trojan. However, Nyshadha reveals that Devil had communicated to her in Morse Code that he is in fact, Trivarna and warned her to divert Samudra. Devil arrives, taking down all of Bracken’s troops and eventually killing Bracken. Netaji successfully lands in Mahabalipuram and Devil, his true identity unrevealed to the public, resumes his work for the British Secret Service.
Cast[edit]
- Nandamuri Kalyan Ram as Trivarana alias Agent Devil
- Samyuktha Menon as Nyshadha, Trivarana's love interest and INA's code receiver
- Ester Noronha as Rani the cook
- Malvika Nair as Manimekala
- Elnaaz Norouzi as Rosy
- Satya as Trivarana's assistant
- Srikanth Iyengar as Police Officer in Rasapadu
- Ammu Abhirami as Vijaya
- Seetha as Vijaya's mother
- Nithin Mehta as Zamindar, Vijaya's father
- Vasishta N. Simha as Samudra/Agent Trojan
- Ajay as Patwari
- Shafi as Editor, member of INA
- Edward Sonnenblick
- Mark Bennington
