Mooga Manasulu Story

The film is a gorgeous love narrative built on the theme of reincarnation. It begins with newlyweds Gopi and Radha traveling on their honeymoon. Midway, they take a ferry across the river Godavari, where Gopi hallucinates due to the risk of a whirlpool ahead. Upon landing at the nearby shore, flashes of his past life appear in Gopi’s mind. There, they meet an old man who reveals that Gopi and Radha had died long ago. Gopi recalls Gowri, the naïve shepherd girl from his past life, who had pledged to die in his hands. Learning that she is still waiting for him at their graves, Gopi rushes to her. He finds an old woman lighting a lamp, who dies in his lap—it is Gowri. Radha is bewildered as Gopi recounts his past life. In that earlier life, Gopi was a boatman admired for his amicable nature, while Radha was the daughter of a Zamindar, raised in town. Gopi ferried her across the river daily, and their relationship grew deeper, with Radha silently loving him. Though Gopi reciprocated, Gowri devoted her life to him, longing to marry him. Rambabu, Radha’s wealthy colleague, desired her and expressed it in a letter, which angered Gopi, who slapped him.

Radha’s domineering stepmother involved her brother, Rajendra, who manipulated the situation for his own gain, fixing Radha’s marriage with Rambabu in exchange for a bribe. Radha, devastated, turned to Gopi, but his passive response forced her to accept her fate and marry Rambabu. Shortly after, Rajendra lusted after Gowri and attempted to molest her, but Gopi defended her, leading to enmity. Tragically, Rambabu fell ill and died, leaving Radha a widow. Saddened, Gopi tried to console her, but rumors spread, making people suspect their relationship, which even Gowri believed. Wracked with guilt, Gopi attempted suicide, but Radha rushed to save him, declaring that the rumors were indeed true and choosing to live with him regardless of society. Just as Gopi finally accepts, Rajendra incites the villagers, who attack them. To protect them, Gowri sacrifices herself by posing as Rajendra’s mistress. Ultimately, fate intervenes through a whirlpool, uniting Gopi and Radha in death. Finally, the film ends with their reincarnated selves paying homage at Gowri’s grave, completing the cycle of love.