Movie Stories
Dharma Daata Story
The film begins with Raja Raghupathi Rao, a generous Zamindar of Sripuram, well-renowned for his charity and humanity, who leads a happy family life with his wife Susheela, sister Lakshmi, and two sons, Shekar and Chakravarthy. Meanwhile, Bhageswaram Zamindar Bhujangam Rao, envious of Raghupathi Rao, wants to grab his property by coupling his son Raju with Lakshmi. During the wedding, Raja Raghupathi Rao cannot pay some part of the dowry as he is bankrupt from his charities. At that moment, Raghupathi Rao mortgages his palace Srinilayam, which he adores as a temple. Knowing it, Bhujangam Rao humiliates him by pulling his shoulder cloth. Enraged, Raghupathi Rao challenges to regain Srinilayam and make Bhujangam Rao touch his feet. After that, Susheela passes away after giving birth to a baby girl, Jaya, when Lakshmi refuses to attend the funeral and is bullied by Bhujangam. From there, Raghupathi Rao and his sons develop hatred towards her. Grief-stricken, Raghupathi Rao moves to the city and takes an oath from his children that they will retrieve Srinilayam.
Years roll by, and Shekar, Chakravarthy, and Jaya grow up. They all work hard and accumulate three-quarters of the required money. Meanwhile, Lakshmi tries to get close to her brother’s family, as it is her husband’s last wish. So, her daughter Padma befriends Shekar and cleverly accommodates herself in their house, hiding her identity. Later, Lakshmi proposes the marriage of her son Prasad with Jaya, which Shekar refuses. Parallelly, a love track develops between Chakravarthy and the princess of Vijayapur, Rani. After a while, Shekar learns the truth regarding Padma and expels her. Aware of Lakshmi’s intentions, Bhujangam Rao becomes furious when Padma reveals that Raghupathi Rao is almost on the edge of winning. So, he ploys to seize Srinilayam, makes the moneylender Seth Dayaram threaten Raghupathi Rao, and steals their hard-earned wealth. At that moment, Raghupathi Rao’s sons accuse and abandon him, which drives him insane. Later, through Padma, Shekar uncovers the evil designs of Bhujangam Rao and retrieves their money. By then, the deranged Raghupathi Rao reaches Sripuram to protect Srinilayam when Bhujangam Rao conspires to blast the building. At last, Raghupathi Rao, with the help of his sons, teaches Bhujangam Rao a lesson and regains his property. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriages of Raghupathi Rao’s progeny.

Director: A. Sanjeevi
Cast (highlights): Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Kanchana, Sowcar Janaki
Genre: Family drama (remake)
Notability: Ravindra Art Pictures (Tammareddy Krishna Murthy); music by T. Chalapathi Rao; remake of Tamil *Enga Oor Raja* (1968); Filmfare Best Film (Telugu, 1970); 100‑day runs in 13 centres.
Critical Reception: Major hit; The Hindu’s flashback calls it a memorable family entertainer.
ANR Related Movie Stories
-
List of ANR Movie Stories
