Pooja Phalamu

During the days of the Vijayanagara Empire there was a system to bring willing women to the royal palace and render them official residents. This was called 'Rani Vasam'. According to this royal tradition, they sent palanquins to their houses, after they presented the family with gifts and jewelry. These Rani Vasam women should never have any contact with any man or let any man see them without permission. If any one violated the law, they were beheaded. Malleswari (Bhanumathi) was taken to this Rani Vasam. She was forced to accept this, for lure of money and jewelry by her parents. But she was already in love with her 'Bava' Nagaraju (N.T. Rama Rao), a sculptor. He stealthily got into the garden of the palace to meet his beloved and was caught. He was to get the death penalty. Krishnadevaraya for once pardoned the hero and allowed Malleswari to go with him.

Kotayya (Ranga Rao) is a kind man. He marries Rami. She succumbs to pressure from Gopala Swamy and elopes with him, leaving her husband. Rami and Gopala successfully plan and send Kotayya to jail. After returning from jail, Kotayya becomes a rowdy drunkard. He plans to take revenge and kill Gopala Swamy.

Venu Gopal is an engineer who travels to various places as part of his projects. In his travel he meets a girl Neela. They both fall in love, and get married. But Venu's uncle wants him to marry his daughter. So he makes various plans and creates mis-understanding between Venu and Neela.

Foreign-educated Venu falls for Lakshmi, his servant's daughter. However, he leaves for the city and forgets all about her only to discover that she is pregnant with his child.

Murthy and Kalyani are happily married till Murthy watches a street play in his village and notices the beautiful Subbalaxmi in that troupe. He advises Subbalaxmi's father to take her to Madras, where she could possibly become a big theatre artiste. After traveling to Madras, Subbalaxmi is offered the lead role and changes her name to Sujatha. Murthy falls for Sujatha's charms and neglects his family.

An elaborate melodrama presenting the problems of uneven development through the separation of an innocent feudal rural wife from her well-educated, but unemployed urban husband.