Devara: Part 1 is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva and produced by Yuvasudha Arts and N. T. R. Arts. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr in dual roles, alongside with an ensemble cast of Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, and Shine Tom Chacko. It marks the Telugu cinema debut of Khan and Kapoor. The plot follows Devara (Rao), chieftain of a coastal village who is engaged in bloody feud with his counterpart Bhaira (Khan) over arms smuggling. The conflict, which starts as a personal vendetta, quickly escalates into a much larger power play that threatens to disrupt the entire region.
The film was officially announced in April 2021 under the tentative title NTR30, as it is Rama Rao's 30th film as a lead actor, and the official title was announced in May 2023. In late-2023, the film was split into two-parts. Principal photography for this part commenced in April 2023 and wrapped in August 2024. Filming took place in Hyderabad, Shamshabad, Visakhapatnam, Goa and Thailand. The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by R. Rathnavelu and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad.
Devara: Part 1 was released worldwide on 27 September 2024 in standard, IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX, D-Box, MX4D and PVR ICE formats to mixed reviews from critics and audience.
In 1996, a high-level meeting is held concerning security threats to the 1996 Cricket World Cup in India from arms dealer Daya and his brother, Yethi.
The police capture Yethi's henchman and interrogate him. They learn Yethi was going to see Muruga, a politician-cum-smuggler. Going undercover as smugglers, the police led by Officer Shivam head to Ratnagiri to find Yethi. They approach DSP Tulasi, who tells them that Muruga is dead, and to visit the Red Sea villages in the Ratnagiri mountains on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border. They visit Bhaira, chief of one of the village, and threaten him to smuggle goods, only to be violently rejected by him. They find Singappa, who takes them offshore in a boat. Shivam tries to make an offer to him by showing off a diamond ring which is abruptly thrown into the sea by Singappa. As Shivam dives in to retrieve the ring, he finds human skeletons on the seabed, terrifying him. Singappa starts narrating the story which begins 12 years earlier.
Inhabitants of the villages were once warriors defending the seas, but after India got its Independence, they lose relevance, reduced to becoming smugglers in the infamous Red Sea. Devara is a chieftain of one of the villages and part of the group which smuggles for Muruga from the merchant ships, along with Bhaira. Unbeknownst to them, the loot is illegal arms which are used in robberies, and one such incident occurs near their villages. During a smuggling expedition, they are caught by the coast guard and the commander of the vessel, Irfan, reveals the items they were smuggling and how he expected honour among the descendants of warriors.
Devara has a change of heart and decides to cease their smuggling operations, which is not liked by the other chieftains, including Bhaira. They hatch plans to kill him but fail. Devara successfully stops the villagers from entering the seas for smuggling. He disappears after an attempt on his life and writes a message on a rock near the shore that he would continue to stop those who venture into the sea for smuggling. Years pass, and everyone adopts fishing to earn their livelihood as Devara stops those smuggling, while remaining invisible to the villagers. His son, Vara, grows up to be timid and soft-spoken, unlike his father, and believes Devara abandoned his family.
Vara's childhood friend, Thangam, is in love with him, but wishes he was more like Devara. On the other hand, Bhaira trains a private army to kill Devara. Tulasi and Muruga again offer an opportunity to Bhaira to smuggle for them along with killing Devara, the biggest thorn in their operations. When Bhaira's men harass Vara's sister, he beats them up in a drunken fury. The following morning, he is accused of killing one of the men, but Vara pleads to Bhaira that he is not responsible. Bhaira tells him to prove it by joining the smuggling operation with his men. He later reveals that he killed his own injured man to get Vara to join them so that he can draw out Devara at sea.
Meanwhile, Devara's wife comes to know about the smuggling operation and rushes to Singappa to ask him to stop Vara. However, Singappa reveals that Devara has been long dead, and the person who has been attacking the smugglers is actually Vara. He wrote the note on the rock 12 years ago and pretended to be timid so that everyone would think that Devara is still alive. Meanwhile, Vara attacks Bhaira's men at sea and brings their corpses back to the shore. To instill even more fear in the villagers, Vara also injures himself, in front of Singappa and Devara's loyal aides, as he "went against his father".
When Shivam asks Singappa about Devara's killer, a flashback reveals that he was killed by Vara on the day he supposedly disappeared.
