Yamagola

Did You Know?

• The film was inspired by Rama Rao's own Devanthakudu (1960), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), and Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958).
• Principal photography began on 28 May 1977 and was completed in 27 working days.
• Yamagola inspired the 2007 Telugu film Yamadonga directed by S. S. Rajamouli, starring N. T. Rama Rao Jr.

Plot

The story begins in a village where Satyam, the local president, pushes for better living conditions and stands against the oppressive landlord Rudrayya. Satyam develops feelings for Savitri, who happens to be Rudrayya’s daughter. When Rudrayya learns of the romance, he arranges for a hired killer named Ram Sastry to do away with Satyam, disguising the murder as part of a traditional ceremony. After the killing, Ram Sastry instructs Rudrayya to hold off until his demonic prayers finish, but Rudrayya loses patience and buries the body in his own backyard. Satyam’s spirit ends up in heaven by mistake, where he creates disorder and meets Indra. He then gets sent to hell, where he leads a revolt among the hell soldiers and confronts Yama Dharma Raja and Chitragupta. Following talks, Yama agrees to change the laws, and both he and Chitragupta take human form on Earth to put the reforms into action, shutting down hell in the process. Satyam is brought back to life on the condition that he will die again when Yama and Chitragupta return. Meanwhile, the police start looking into Satyam’s disappearance and grow suspicious of Rudrayya. Satyam, now alive, shows up disguised as his lookalike Sundaram. Rudrayya, not catching on, hires Sundaram to pretend to be Satyam, and Sundaram uses the chance to make fun of him. On Earth, Yama and Chitragupta run into trouble and get arrested, but Satyam bails them out. Worn out, the two prepare to go back to the afterlife, which worries Satyam since it would mean his own death. He lures them to Rudrayya’s home by asking for a blessing for his wedding to Savitri. Savitri, unaware of the trick, respectfully serves them and asks for a blessing for her marriage. Yama gives it, which accidentally keeps Satyam alive. At the wedding, Satyam hides beneath the veil, and Yama blesses the couple with a long life. Rudrayya tries to shoot Satyam, but at that moment Satyam wakes up, showing the whole thing was a dream. When Rudrayya lunges again, Satyam stops him and reveals that Ram Sastry is actually his friend Ramana Murthy, and the entire plot was part of a bigger scheme. Rudrayya asks for forgiveness, and the film wraps up with Satyam and Savitri getting married happily.

Reception

Critics praised the film's dialogues by D. V. Narasaraju and the cast's performances, with one calling it a colourful entertainer for all. Another review described it as a light-hearted satire on society, highlighting the satirical dialogues, cast, and music. A third critic noted similarities to C. Pullayya's Devanthakudu, specifically praising Narasaraju's dialogues about Sanjay Gandhi and the Emergency, along with the performances and T. Rama Rao's direction.