The establishing shot of Devi reveals the annual akālabodhana ritual of the Hindu goddess Durga in her Dhakeshwari idol-form, with prominent iconographic details-elongated eyes, the third eye open on her forehead, ten armed hands, accessorized with the mukut, jewellery, chandmala, chaalchitra and a calm smile on her face assuring Abhaya. The silhouette of a man appears in front of the goddess. The scene situates the film in rural Bengal, specifically in an old Hindu-zamindari household where the venerable patriarch is a Shakta-worshipper and bhakta who embraces the sacredness of the divine feminine energy.