Movie Stories
Abhimanam Story
The film begins with Venu, a graduate, civilized by the efforts of his impoverished mother, Lakshmi Kanthamma. He falls for his colleague Radha and approaches her wealthy father, who, upon receiving the proposal, affronts them due to the status barrier. As a result, Radha marries Venu against her father’s wishes. Radha is unable to acclimatize to poverty and behaves haughtily towards them. Moreover, she cannot accept the dominance and derision of Venu’s sister Kamala. Meanwhile, Venu secures a job as a bank officer and resides in the city. Since Radha is restrictive, Lakshmi Kanthamma and Kamala stay back. At that juncture, Venu meets his childhood friend O.S. Rao and his wife Suguna as neighbors. Currently, Venu cannot manage Radha’s expenses and is unable to allocate a budget for his mother. Hence, the lenders auction their house for debt. Helplessly, Lakshmi Kanthamma and Kamala reach Venu, where Radha humiliates them. Once, when Venu is away at camp, she accuses Kamala of theft, forcing them to leave the house. On the way, Lakshmi Kanthamma encounters an accident caused by Kaasulu, who shelters them despite the resistance of his stingy father, Singaraju Lingaraju, a millionaire. During this time, Kaasulu falls in love with Kamala.
Soon after Venu’s return, he realizes the truth and searches for his family. Meanwhile, Radha misuses his bank’s funds to maintain her false prestige. Grief-stricken, Venu rebukes her, but he is arrested for the offense. Radha seeks her father’s help, which he initially denies but later reconsiders after learning the true value of love and affection from Suguna. In desperation, Lakshmi Kanthamma attempts theft at Lingaraju’s house, but Kaasulu notices and provides the required amount instead. She secretly hands it over to Rao and proceeds to commit suicide but is caught by the police. Eventually, Lingaraju discovers the attempted theft and drags Kamala to the police station, where Kaasulu intervenes and admits the truth. By the time Rao secures Venu’s release, Radha arrives, and they learn of Lakshmi Kanthamma’s plight. At last, Radha pleads for pardon, and even Lingaraju repents. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriage of Kaasulu and Kamala.

Director: C. S. Rao
Cast (highlights): Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, Krishna Kumari; with V. Nagayya, Relangi, Chalam
Genre: Family drama
Notability: Sri Productions; music by Ghantasala; released 26 Aug 1960; runtime ~165 min.
Critical Reception: Contemporary review (The Indian Express, 26 Aug 1960) noted director C. S. Rao handled the team ably.
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