Arjun Reddy

Arjun Reddy

Year: 2017

Runtime: 187 mins

Language: Telugu

Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

DramaRomance

A brilliant but impulsive young surgeon spirals into self-destruction after a painful breakup, struggling to cope with love, loss, and the consequences of his own temper.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Arjun Reddy (2017) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Arjun Reddy (2017), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Arjun Reddy Deshmukh is a brilliant but fiercely impulsive house surgeon at St. Mary’s Medical College in Mangalore. While his academic prowess earns him praise, his short fuse and intense personality create ripples of trouble at college and beyond. After an off-the-field clash during an inter-college football match, the dean gives him a stark choice: apologize and stay, or leave. Arjun walks away, yet a chance encounter with Preethi Shetty, a first-year Tulu-speaking student, draws him into a bold and all-consuming romance that he cannot resist.

From the moment they meet, Arjun and Preethi begin a relationship that feels urgent and electric. She provides him a rare sense of grounding, and he, in turn, awakens a raw, protective side of himself. Early on, Arjun’s possessive streak surfaces as he warns others away from Preethi, insisting she is his. The relationship deepens quickly, and Preethi responds with trust and affection, inviting him into a sphere of intimacy and closeness that he has rarely allowed himself to feel. In a moment of protective fury, Arjun fights back against Amit, a member of the rival team who crosses a line with Preethi, signaling that he will guard her like family when he is not around.

After earning his MBBS, Arjun heads to Mussoorie to pursue a Master’s in Orthopedic surgery. Time passes, and the bond between Arjun and Preethi strengthens, turning into a serious, lifelong attachment that his family begins to recognize, even as they worry about his volatile temperament. Meanwhile, the social pressures around caste and family honor intrude on their happiness. Arjun’s father, Dhanunjay Reddy, and the wider clan rally around the upcoming wedding of his brother Gautham, but the couple’s future remains uncertain as Devdas Shetty, Preethi’s father, strongly disapproves of the relationship. Arjun’s blunt bluntness and his brash nature clash with family expectations, and his grandmother tries to counsel him on the complexities of marriage and family lineage, urging him to be patient and persuasive with Devdas.

Desperation and heartbreak converge when Devdas rejects Arjun after a failed attempt to win his consent. Arjun’s anger boils over: he pushes Preethi to choose, giving her a six-hour deadline to decide between him and the world around them. When her parents pull her away and arrange a marriage to a caste-match, Preethi secretly resists and makes her own move. She travels to the groom’s house, only to be consumed by the weight of a painful situation, as the groom, heavily intoxicated, ends up in a coma. News of the forced marriage reaches Arjun through Shiva, and a distraught Arjun confronts the repercussions, culminating in a violent fallout that lands him in police custody and leads to his estrangement from his father. The strain drives Arjun toward a self-destructive spiral.

Shiva steps in, helping Arjun establish a life in a new flat and a position at a corporate hospital as a surgeon. To cope with the trauma and loneliness, Arjun retreats into drinking, smoking, and other self-destructive habits. He finds himself drifting between flashes of success and perilous slips, his reputation as a surgeon growing alongside concerns about his temper and his coping mechanisms. In a complicated turn, he begins a casual relationship with Jia Sharma, an acclaimed actress who seeks help for emotional distress but is drawn to him personally. The arrangement remains non-committal at first, but Jia Sharma develops genuine feelings, which complicates Arjun’s efforts to keep his life in balance.

Even as he tries to compartmentalize his life, a high-stakes surgery tests his limits. Despite being on leave, he agrees to a critical operation but collapses from dehydration after being intoxicated. A routine check uncovers cocaine and alcohol in his system, triggering a formal case and the suspension of his medical license for five years. Gautham enlists an astute advocate, Vipul, to mount a defense, and Arjun is forced to face the consequences of his choices. Homeless and adrift, he endures humiliation as he fights to reclaim his life. Then comes a turning point: his grandmother’s death marks a somber moment of reflection that brings him back toward his family.

As the family gathers around the grandmother’s funeral, Arjun begins to repair the rift with his father and recommit to a healthier path. A vacation moment clears the air, and a surprising encounter in a park reveals that Preethi is not out of his life—she is preparing to become a mother, and she reveals that the child is his. The revelation prompts an emotional reunion, and with the support of Arjun’s family, the couple eventually marries in a ceremony that acknowledges their love against immense obstacles. Devdas, who once stood as a gatekeeper to their relationship, comes to see the value of their bond and offers a quiet apology for his earlier rigidity.

What remains central is Arjun’s journey: a gifted, troubled surgeon who learns the hard way how love, responsibility, and forgiveness can reshape a life defined by rage and longing. The story blends intensity with tenderness, showing how resilience and reconciliation can emerge from the most challenging circumstances, and how a complex relationship can endure—and ultimately triumph—through mutual respect, patience, and renewed commitment.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:04

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