Year: 1989
Runtime: 137 mins
Language: Telugu
Director: Mani Ratnam
Prakash, a man with a terminal cancer diagnosis, meets Geethanjali, who is also gravely ill. They fall in love, sharing hopeful moments despite fragile health. When Geethanjali learns of Prakash’s condition, she decides to distance herself, believing she should not be part of his remaining days.
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At his graduation party, Prakash, a carefree and mischievous student, celebrates with his friends. During the celebration, he is involved in a minor road accident. However, routine medical tests following the incident reveal that Prakash has chronic myeloid leukaemia, with only a few months left to live. Overwhelmed by his mother’s constant grief, Prakash decides to spend his remaining days in peace and seclusion at his family’s vacation home in Ooty.
In Ooty, Geethanjali is a lively young woman known for her playful pranks and love of pulling off elaborate tricks to scare people. One of her favorite pastimes is to stage ghostly scares, and she even convinces a young man to meet her near a church after sundown, supposedly to elope with her. When the man arrives, Geethanjali and her friends, disguised as ghosts, frighten him away. She tries to repeat the maneuver on Prakash, unaware that he has already heard of her antics. But Prakash turns the tables, dressing as a vampire and performing a dramatic set of aerial wire stunts that scare her instead.
Frustrated by his apparent immunity to her tricks, Geethanjali crafts another scheme. She falsely accuses Prakash of asking her to elope, informing her grandmother. Outraged, Geethanjali’s grandmother publicly confronts and humiliates Prakash, despite his attempts to explain the truth. Enraged by the false accusation, Prakash drives Geethanjali to a remote hillside and leaves her there. Later that night, Geethanjali’s youngest sister informs Prakash that Geethanjali has not returned home and that the family is worried. Realizing the gravity of his actions, he searches for her and finds her shivering in the cold. He brings her back to her family, where Geethanjali’s grandmother scolds him and reveals that Geethanjali has a terminal illness. It’s further revealed that Geethanjali’s father is a cardiologist, and she suffers from tetralogy of fallot. This revelation astonishes Prakash and makes him wonder how she keeps such a positive, sunny outlook in the face of her condition.
Geethanjali explains to Prakash that she is not afraid of death, believing that everyone must face it eventually. She chooses to live in the moment, savoring life rather than worrying about what the future may hold. Inspired by her perspective, Prakash begins to embrace his own mortality and resolves to live his remaining days to the fullest.
As time passes, Prakash’s feelings deepen and he falls in love with Geethanjali. He begins to pursue her romantically, but she initially resists, thinking his advances are just another one of his pranks. Eventually, she reciprocates, and their relationship grows stronger. However, the moment of vulnerability arrives when Prakash’s mother visits him and inadvertently reveals his terminal illness to Geethanjali, who had remained unaware of his condition. Heartbroken, Geethanjali urges him to leave her, unable to bear the thought of losing him. Prakash tries to comfort her, reminding her that death is inevitable for everyone, but Geethanjali insists that his life matters more to her than her own and pleads with him to stay away so she won’t have to witness his death.
That night, Geethanjali’s health deteriorates and she is rushed to the hospital. Prakash attempts to visit, but her father—also a doctor—asks him to leave out of respect for Geethanjali’s wishes. Devastated, Prakash decides to leave town. Meanwhile, Geethanjali undergoes a critical heart operation. After the surgery, she regains consciousness and immediately asks to see Prakash. Her family, realizing that he is about to depart, rushes to the railway station.
At the station, Prakash is preparing to depart when he sees Geethanjali approaching. Overcome with emotion, he runs back to her, and the two are reunited. The film closes on a tender note, with Prakash and Geethanjali sharing a kiss, having found solace and love in each other despite the fragility of their circumstances.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:32
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