Devi 1999

Devi, a Nagini from Nagaloka, comes to Earth on the day of a solar eclipse with her friends to perform a sacred pooja. The elders warn that naginis must return before the eclipse begins, or their powers will wane until the eclipse ends. Devi’s attention is drawn away, however, by Dantra, a malevolent Naga who had been punished by Nagadeva and banished to hell. He pursues a cruel strategy and traps Devi in fire during the eclipse while her companions hurry back to Nagaloka.

Devi is saved by Suseela’s father, though he is killed by Dantra in the process. Grateful yet grieving, Devi resolves to repay the gesture by protecting Suseela from her turbulent relatives. She schemes to consolidate the two families by arranging a marriage between Suseela and her cousin, Raghava, and the plan succeeds as the lovers eventually wed after Devi helps mend the rift between their clans.

Nagadeva himself steps into Devi’s path, urging her to return to Nagaloka. Devi, however, refuses the ultimatum, intent on staying to safeguard Suseela. She pledges to come back only after Suseela bears a child, believing the newborn would be a blessed Godly presence that could shield Suseela from Dantra. Nagadeva grants her a power capable of restoring life itself, and a tendentious dynamic develops as Vijay, Raghava’s younger brother, falls for Devi, a feeling she avoids.

As time passes, Suseela becomes pregnant and the community rejoices. Yet Dantra, aided by another dark force, tightens his hold on Devi, imprisoning her for a spell and launching an assault on Suseela. The danger escalates when Suseela falls and the baby dies after a fall down the stairs. Devi, wielding Nagadeva’s power, resurrects the child and brings new life into the world—an event celebrated with a naming ceremony. But Dantra resurfaces, challenging Devi with the revelation that the child’s birth time is inauspicious, threatening Raghava’s life.

To safeguard Raghava, Devi arranges for Suseela to perform a pooja honoring the eight manifestations of Goddess Lakshmi. The blessings promise a long life for the couple, but the danger continues to loom. Devi then arrives with the information that Dantra’s curse is real and offers a possible remedy: a Durga pooja performed in the Himalayas would shield them from all evils. Humans, however, cannot endure the heights for long, and the Ashta Lakshmis declare that only a member of Suseela’s family can perform such a sacred rite.

Undeterred, Devi asks Suseela to carry out a nine-day home pooja while Devi herself departs to undertake a Durga ritual in the mountains. She hastily marries Vijay and leaves, though he does not know the full plan. Vijay’s happiness turns to bewilderment as he searches for Devi, whom he eventually finds at a small Durga shrine high in the mountains. Devi nears the end of the nine-day ritual, but on the final day—the day of the solar eclipse—Dantra, in a cruel ruse, disguises himself as Raghava and arrives at Suseela’s home, attempting to lure her away.

A tense confrontation unfolds between Vijay and the disguised Dantra posing as Raghava, while Devi’s hope that Durga will appear fades. In a devastating moment, Devi believes Durga has not answered, and she sacrifices herself by setting herself alight. Durga then materializes, revives Devi from the ashes, and, together with Devi, defeats Dantra. Raghava is saved by a friend during the ordeal, and Nagadeva arrives as the crisis resolves. Devi bids farewell and prepares to depart, but a final turn of fate returns her to Vijay, for she is no longer an unmarried Nagini.