Year: 2021
Runtime: 143 mins
Language: Telugu
Director: G. Nageswara Reddy
A young man with aspirations of becoming a prominent figure in the rowdy world seeks to honor his grandfather’s legacy. He assists a seasoned professional who's facing trouble with a land dispute. Meanwhile, a police officer investigates a murder and begins searching for the person responsible. The story follows the intertwining lives of these characters as they navigate a world of conflict and consequences.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Gully Rowdy (2021), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Vizag serves as the opening frame for a tale that follows a clash between tradition, fear, and a young man torn between loyalty and his own conscience. On a sunlit coast, CI Raghu Nayak spots a tense confrontation between Vasu and Head-constable Pattapagalu Venkatrao, a moment that hints at deeper currents guiding the city’s underworld and its police. Vasu is introduced as the grandson of a notorious but justice-driven figure, Meesala Simhachalam, a man who built his reputation by standing up to criminals. Standing in the shadows of this legacy is the feared goon Bairagi Naidu, whose hunger for power drives him to seize control of Vizag. Naidu’s influence grows as he clumsily but relentlessly pushes for dominance, even as Simhachalam publicly challenges him and humiliates him in a display meant to warn the city. The scene makes it clear that the city’s fate will be decided by the tug-of-war between old loyalties and new ambitions.
As years pass, the balance of power shifts in the city’s criminal ecosystem. Bairagi Naidu consolidates his rule by aligning with his son Nandu, creating chaos that gnaws at the everyday lives of ordinary people. Into this turbulent backdrop steps Vasu, a bright student who becomes entwined with a more personal crisis when he falls for a software professional named Sahitya. Sahitya is not just any love interest; she is the daughter of Venkatrao, the city’s respected head of a prominent family, which ties their romance to the land and money battles that threaten both sides. The conflict over land intensifies when the family learns that a property valued at millions is being encroached upon by Naidu, who uses force to press the price down. The price tag, initially towering at ₹2 crore, is slashed dramatically to ₹50,000 through intimidation and threats, leaving Venkatrao and his kin fearful for their safety and their future.
Driven by love and a sense of duty, Vasu vows to help Sahitya’s family and to reclaim the money Naidu has wrongfully extorted. The plan they devise is bold: abduct Naidu to extract the ransom money, a move that requires careful reconnaissance and flawless execution. They assemble a team and execute a complex scheme, moving through moments of suspense and close calls. Yet Naidu is sharp and aware, and just as the operation edges toward its critical moment, a mysterious man in disguise fires a shot that ends Naidu’s life at point-blank range. The act shifts the investigation back onto the foreboding streets of Vizag, with Venkatrao and his family fleeing with the money, but leaving behind crucial forensic traces—shoes, fingerprints, spectacles, and even strands of hair—that will strand the case in a labyrinth of clues for the authorities.
Reinstated and restless, Raghu Nayak is reappointed to lead the case, though he is initially labeled reckless and inconsistent after his suspension. The film then threads together a tense cat-and-mouse game: Simhachalam, blissfully unaware of the full truth, assumes that Vasu has slain Naidu and believes the matter is settled. Meanwhile, Sahitya’s feelings for Vasu deepen, and she becomes an ally who helps him navigate the murk surrounding the evidence. To complicate matters further, Vasu and Venkatrao engineer a way to influence the forensic findings by planting a bug in Nayak’s shoe, a trick designed to keep Nayak focused on Naidu’s enemies rather than their own complicity.
Another twist surfaces when Nayak’s investigations reveal a painful lineage fact: Nayak is secretly connected to Bairagi Naidu as the son of Naidu’s second wife, a revelation that intensifies the stakes and motives on both sides. With this knowledge, the trio—Vasu, Nayak, and Venkatrao—confront Nandu, the dangerous force on Naidu’s side who has captured Venkatrao’s family. In the ensuing confrontation, Nayak’s plan culminates in a calculated strike that leaves Nandu dead, a result that appears to be part of a larger trap set by Vasu.
The truth behind the night of Naidu’s death finally surfaces when Simhachalam overhears that Vasu might have been the one to kill Naidu, a fact that questions Vasu’s intertwining of justice and vengeance. The elder Simhachalam also begins to suspect that Vasu may have played a role in events that led to his own father’s apparent downfall, an accusation that could shatter the fragile future the young man hopes to build. Faced with these revelations, Vasu confronts his grandfather, acknowledging the tension between his instinct to protect Sahitya and his reluctance to embrace a life of rough justice. Simhachalam, wary of the path of violence but moved by his grandson’s steadfast love and the genuine good he has shown, chooses mercy. He permits Vasu to live life on his terms, offering a final gesture of forgiveness and granting him a chance at a new start.
In the closing moments, the film shifts into a tone of relief and cautious optimism. Venkatrao, embodying a mix of fatherly pride and stubborn hope, carries a relieved Vasu toward a fresh horizon—a new settlement that promises peace and the chance to begin anew, away from the blood-streaked shadows of the old feud. The city’s cycles of intimidation and retaliation begin to loosen, and the romance between Vasu and Sahitya stands as a quiet beacon of trust amid the chaos. The narrative closes on a note of reconciliation and tentative celebration, a reminder that loyalty to family and love can endure even when the past continues to haunt the streets of Vizag.
Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:24
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