Movie Stories
Iddaru Mitrulu Story
The film begins with two doppelgangers, Ajay and Vijay, who meet in an accident and share their miseries. Ajay, a tycoon studying abroad, returns after his father’s death. During this plight, his malevolent and sly manager, Bhanoji Rao, who counterfeits as a loyalist, throws him into debt to usurp his wealth. Meanwhile, Vijay is a penniless graduate suffering from unemployment; his in-laws discard his sister Meena for dowry, and his devout father Ramadasu does not support them. Both decide to swap lives for a year with a mutual agreement. Ajay enjoys the affection and family bonds at Vijay’s residence. At this time, Ajay’s blind paternal aunt discerns Vijay and rages, but after learning the truth from Ajay, she aids them. From there, Vijay foils Bhanoji Rao’s ruses when he discovers that Bhanoji has stolen their family jewelry and forged documents stating Ajay must marry his daughter Sarala. To resolve these troubles, Vijay grows close to Sarala but, understanding her virtue, truly falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Ajay joins as a mechanic for livelihood and falls for his colleague Prakash’s sister, Padma. Seeing Meena’s grief, he threatens his callow brother-in-law Bujji to bring her back. Terrified, Bujji secretly visits his in-laws without the knowledge of his greedy father, Parandhamaiah.
After some time, Meena conceives, leading society to suspect her chastity. Ajay negotiates with Parandhamaiah in vain, so he approaches Vijay, who, with Sarala, attempts to uncover the mystery behind the stolen treasure. Helpless, Ajay forges his signature, withdraws the required amount, and sends Meena back to her in-laws’ house but is apprehended. Meanwhile, Bhanoji Rao captures the agreement and plots to trap Vijay and hasten his marriage with Sarala. Vijay, however, astutely counters him and exposes the truth. At last, Vijay is about to leave when Ajay stops him and shares half his wealth. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriages of the two couples.

Director: Adurthi Subba Rao
Cast (highlights): Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Rajasulochana, E. V. Saroja, Relangi
Genre: Drama
Notability: Adaptation of Bengali story/novel ‘Tasher Ghar’ (1957)
Critical Reception: Well-regarded in retrospectives; noted by The Hindu for its engaging treatment of identity-swaps.
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