Story
Devil (Kalyanram) is a British secret agent who operates from Madras. There is a twin murder in Rasapadu village. Nyshada (Samyuktha) is a cousin of a deceased girl. Manimekala (Malavika Nair) is a young congress leader. The British government intercepted a cryptic message that had the arrival details of Subhas Chandra Bose on the shores of India in 1945. Rest of the story is all about how these three prime characters are related to the arrival of Netaji.

Artists Performance

Nandamuri Kalyanram is very impressive in the role of a secret services agent Devil. He has mixed class and mass in his body language and in dialogue delivery. He looks pretty stylish in costumes that mix both Indian and Western attire. Samyuktha has a meaty role and she does it convincingly. Malavika Nair played a vital role and she is very good (she doesn't have any love interest). Satya is good as an assistant to the hero. He provides some relief with minute sarcasm in dialogues. Shafi has a notable character and he performs well. Mark Bennington is a good as a British officer. Ajay has a small part to play. Elnaaz Norouzi is not confined to a special song, but has a few scenes as well. Shrikanth Iyyangar and Estar Noronha are fine.

Story - screenplay - direction: Story of the film is very interesting. It’s written in thriller format with an engaging screenplay by Srikanth Vissa. This film started off with Naveen Medaram as director and he was later replaced by the producer Abhishek Nama who took credit for the direction. Naveen has released a statement that he has directed the film for 25 days and it's his baby. Whoever has directed this film has done a fairly decent job. I liked the way mass elements are mixed with the sophisticated character of a british agent. The director has succeeded in maintaining suspense consistently throughout the movie. On the flipside, the 2nd half should have been more crisp and more arresting.

Other departments: Cinematography by Soundar Rajan.S is impressive. He has captured the lanes and the interiors of buildings very well. Background music by Harshavardhan Rameshwar is very good. However, songs doesnt make an impact as there is no scope for duets in a thriller like this. Dialogues written by Srikanth Vissa are good. He has used good Telugu in the film as it belongs to the pre-independence era. Art direction (Production design) is quite impressive. The palatial mansions of Karaikudi, exteriors of British Residency (for exteriors of British Secret services office) and other locations are used very effectively. Editing by Thammiraju is decent. Acion sequences by Venkat Master are fine. VFX work of the film is also decent. Production values by Abhishek Pictures are excellent.

Analysis: Devil is an action thriller that happens in the pre-independence era. The makers have succeeded in hiding Netaji part of the story while promoting the film. It has added a bit of surprise to the film. The patriotism aspect is also injected in the 2nd half organically. Technical aspects of the film are good. Though there are some minor issues, Devil movie makes an engaging watch with a bit of suspense and a bit of action elements.