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Director Satyajit Ray adapted his script for Devi from the collected works of Indian authors Prabhatkumar Mukherjee and Rabinranath Tagore. The teen-aged title character Doyamoyee, played by Sharmila Tagore, may not be a "goddess" at all, but try telling that to Kalikinkar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), her wealthy and influential father. He places Doyamoyee on an outside pillar for all to see; the townsfolk are at first inclined to go along with Roy's illusion because of his financial status, but soon they've convinced themselves that the girl does indeed have divine powers. The girl's husband Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) wants her to put an end to what he considers nonsense. As a result....well, the results depend on whether you see the film's original ending, or Ray's "rethought" climax, filmed a year or so after Devi's completion. In addition to writing and directing the film, Ray also provided the musical score.