Narrator, Venkatesh, introduces a small, almost fateful trio: a ₹50 note, a green mango, and a nail, each bound to the fate of three men who cross paths with a cop.
A BBC journalist arrives at a jail in Delhi to interview Saleem Bhathkal, Chirag Jani, a convict responsible for the Mumbai blasts, but Saleem demands money from the interviewer, which, to everyone's astonishment, is just ₹50 (59¢ US). He explains that the investigator would have found a cheaper rent if he had rented a house that was ₹50 cheaper than the previous one, hinting at a larger web of control and fear that circles around him.
In 2010, the house Saleem rents at Kurnool for passport verification with fake details falls under the jurisdiction of Shankar, Ravi Teja as CI Shankar, a cop who notices that the details Saleem gave are fake. When Saleem tries to warn him about his background, Shankar beats him and arrests him, setting in motion a chain of confrontations that will echo across years.
Back in the present, Kadapa is ruled by a highly sadistic goon named Konda Reddy, P. Ravi Shankar, who occupies the land of a local doctor. During a meeting, a girl tries to pluck a mango from his yard, and his dogs are set loose in anger, injuring her. The mother files a suit, and the SP warns that this case could bring trouble for Konda Reddy because it will be handled by CI Shankar.
Konda Reddy is curious about Katari Krishna, Samuthirakani, who sits in a central jail in Rajahmundry but is clearly more than a prisoner. Katari recounts how he rose to power by sowing bloodshed in Ongole, and how a nail later landed him behind bars. The flashback returns to 2010, when Shankar is appointed as CI of Ongole and meets constable Kiran, Sudhakar Komakula. Jayamma, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, a close aide to Katari, has a habit of going to the cinema on Fridays, a detail that will connect to future events.
Jayamma notices Katari’s daughter with Kiran and arranges her grotesque murder through men from Vetapalem. Shankar investigates the murder while recalling memories with Kiran. He discovers that Katari was accused of a similar murder years earlier. At a village fair, Shankar attempts to bring Katari in for questioning; Katari warns him about his dangerous background, an exchange that pushes Shankar toward brash moves and consequences.
Katari is released afterJayamma secures a bail for him, but the shock comes when they learn that Katari’s daughter has married another police constable, a detail that tightens the circle of risk around both Katari and those who oppose him. That night at the cinema, her fiancé’s leg is pierced by a nail, and Kiran wheels her home. Unaware of the incident, Jayamma misreads Kiran as her daughter’s lover.
During their wedding reception, Katari’s wife begs the newlyweds to leave town for safety. She, however, conspires to kill her daughter’s husband, setting the stage for further conflict. Katari’s men attack at the bus station, but Shankar intervenes and saves them. A man they capture turns out to be Jayamma, the perpetrator of the earlier scheme. Knowing this, Katari orders his men to kill Jayamma to keep his name clean, but she is killed before Shankar can arrest her.
In the pursuit that follows, Shankar shoots at the attackers but accidentally kills an innocent bystander. He is suspended, yet in private investigation, he uncovers that Tilak, Devi Prasad, his associate, killed the bystander while working for Katari.
With the evidence now in hand against Katari, Tilak’s role is exposed, and Katari tries to warn Shankar by targeting his family. Kalyani, Shruti Haasan, a former police officer and Katari’s wife, defends them, and Shankar returns to duty. He leads a brutal confrontation against the Vetapalem gang, defeating them on the beach, and tracks Katari down to arrest him. Katari’s attempted escape on a lorry ends when a nail punctures a tyre, and he is finally caught.
After these events, Konda Reddy makes sure Shankar is treated with respect and forbids the word “background” in his presence, though an assistant blurts it out and is disciplined. Saleem, now transferred to the same jail, reveals he plans revenge against Shankar, and the two men share a dark, reluctant laugh as the tale comes full circle.
