Krishna Murthy, the pampered son of industrialist Kasthuri Satyanarayana, lives a life shaped by luxury and a bout of friendly competition with his father. Since his mother died in childbirth, Satyanarayana has raised Murthy in a world of opulence, and he has built a mindset where every girl he encounters becomes a potential match for his son. The family’s unusual dynamic hinges on a promise Satyanarayana made to his late wife: Murthy should marry only with the blessing of both families, a condition that casts a long shadow over Murthy’s romantic life.
At a friend’s wedding, Murthy meets Padma and feelings quickly deepen. Yet he hesitates, fearing his father’s reaction and the consequences of such a match. His first attempts to introduce Padma to his dad are stymied by his loyal servant, Appanna, who remains steadfastly loyal to Satyanarayana and blocks Murthy’s early efforts. After a tense exchange, Murthy does manage to bring Padma into view, hoping for a favorable response, but his father’s reply lands like a challenge rather than a blessing.
Satyanarayana drops a revelation that shifts the entire plan: Padma is the daughter of Lakshmipati, a notorious miser in the neighboring village, and winning him over will not be easy. Murthy refuses to accept defeat and makes a bold wager with his father. If he can secure Lakshmipati’s consent to the match, Satyanarayana must concede. With that, Murthy heads to the village to pursue the impossible mission.
In the village, Murthy encounters Aragundu, Lakshmipati’s long-suffering bonded laborer. To gain access and maneuver within Lakshmipati’s world, Murthy rents a room in the neighboring home of Subba Rao and ingrains himself as part of their family. He then adopts the persona of a miser himself, presenting himself as the local head of an imagined “All India Miser Community.” He stages a string of comic schemes designed to illustrate how to save money, all while warding off Padma’s would-be suitors, whom Lakshmipati uses as leverage to threaten Padma’s future.
Murthy’s plan also includes coaching Sundaram, Lakshmipati’s son who loves Subba Rao’s sister Sita, helping him navigate his feelings as part of the broader plot. The path is not smooth: Subba Rao catches Sundaram and Sita together one day, and a fight seems inevitable until Murthy steps in. He offers to cover the dowry for Sundaram and Sita’s wedding, a gesture meant to placate the tense situation and demonstrate Murthy’s commitment to his own cause.
Meanwhile, Satyanarayana makes his own dramatic entrance, slipping into the village in disguise to disrupt Murthy’s progress and to test the depth of Murthy’s plans. On the day of Padma’s wedding, Lakshmipati declares the ceremony void, insisting that the dowry has not been paid and that Murthy has wronged him. He insults Murthy and creates a scene that seems to doom the match. Refusing to quit, Murthy asks his father for one last chance, a plea that rekindles a fragile hope.
Seeing the tide turn, Aragundu grows tired of Lakshmipati’s games and leaves to join Murthy, strengthening the alliance. Together, they enlist Kukkuteswarao to help bring reverse dowry into play, tempting Lakshmipati with a new round of financial pressure. A related twist arrives when Subba Rao’s transport company goes on strike, clogging the village with disruptions that, somewhat ironically, pave the way for the postponed wedding to proceed.
As four additional suitors emerge with increasing reverse dowries, Lakshmipati agrees to all of them, driven by a mix of greed and a stubborn belief that money can secure happiness. On the wedding day, the four grooms arrive and confront Lakshmipati, accusing him of deception. Padma challenges her father about treating people as commodities rather than human beings, and his wife even contemplates drastic acts in a bitter, money-driven world.
A turning point comes when Lakshmipati experiences a dawning clarity, prompted by Padma’s courage and the visible consequences of his greed. He asks the four suitors to decide among themselves who should marry Padma, but the response is unexpected: the grooms declare that Murthy is the one they all favor. Lakshmipati agrees to the choice and interrupts the ceremony to reveal this acceptance. Satyanarayana arrives, relieved and surprised, and candidly acknowledges his own relationship with Murthy, a revelation that shocks Lakshmipati but is greeted with a moment of light-hearted triumph when Lakshmipati offers to pay for the refreshments.
The story concludes with a warm, if cautionary, epilogue: Lakshmipati passes away peacefully after donating his wealth to charity, a final act that softens the edge of his former miserliness. Murthy and Padma go on to have a son, and the narrative ends with a humorous note: the child seems to have inherited his grandfather’s miserly tendencies, suggesting that some habits can be passed down through generations even when love and family have won in the end.
