Sudigundalu

Sudigundalu

Year: 1968

Runtime: 180 mins

Language: Telugu

Director: Adurthi Subba Rao

Drama

Judge Chandrasekharam, renowned for his compassion, loses his wife in childbirth and his son Raja is murdered by youths Prasanna Rani and Vijayachander. He later defends the culprits, exposing the true motives. Sudigundalu (Whirlpools), a 1968 Telugu drama, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and features Nagarjuna Akkineni’s cameo.

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Sudigundalu (1968) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Sudigundalu (1968), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Justice Chandra Shekaram is a noble and generous judge who shelters the families afflicted by his judgments. Under his loving care, these households grow into a close, conjugal unit and raise Raja, a motherless infant, with an outpouring of affection. As Raja blossoms into a bright, beloved boy, the home becomes a beacon of warmth and trust, where the line between dispense of justice and personal duty blurs in the best possible way.

Years pass, and Raja attends school on his birthday, only to vanish without a trace. The sudden disappearance throws the family into a tremor of fear and confusion, and the next day the police recover Raja’s body, shattering the peace that had surrounded them. The community reels from the tragedy, and a profound inquiry begins to peel back the layers of this quiet, prosperous world.

The investigation uncovers two minors, Vikram Kumar and Sandhya Rani, who come from starkly different corners of high society. Vikram is the son of Panakala Rao, a politician who speaks for the poor, while Sandhya is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Koteswara Rao. The two are romantically involved, adding a complicated dimension to the case. Vikram’s world includes his stepmother Pankajam, who is around his age, and the two share a tense, uneasy relationship.

In a dramatic courtroom turn, Justice Chandra Shekaram steps forward to defend the accused, startling everyone. He dismantles the surface appearances and presents a chilling motive, arguing that the killings were acts born of madness rather than malice. He reveals that a school-play moment—where Raja and Sandhya’s younger brother competed for a prize—seeded jealousy, and Vikram had vowed to kill Raja to win Sandhya’s affection. To justify the crime, Vikram mimics the method he had read in crime novels that Pankajam had read, planning to lure Raja to a swimming pool and drown him. He confesses that the act began as a sensation-seeking spree and grew into a grim certainty.

Through relentless cross-examination of Panakala Rao, Koteswara Rao, and their wives, the judge demonstrates that the youths’ fates were shaped by their upbringings. Vikram’s parents failed to instill morality, while Sandhya’s household used wealth and influence to shield her from consequence, letting her drift toward vice even as a minor. The defense underscores a larger truth: the environment forged the children’s choices more than any single act of rebellion.

Chandra Shekaram’s proclamation that parents bear a fundamental duty to raise responsible, moral citizens resonates with the jury and the audience. His words prompt a moment of self-reflection among the accused families, and the jurors revise their stance in response to the moral reckoning he presents. Yet, even as the courtroom drama points toward reform, the film grounds its tragedy in the personal cost borne by the judge himself.

The narrative culminates in a heartrending climax as Chandra Shekaram’s moral crusade ends in tragedy within the court hall, reminding viewers that justice and sacrifice can coexist with personal ruin. The story remains a stark meditation on duty, privilege, and the responsibilities of parenthood in shaping the next generation.

The film also features a notable cameo by Nagarjuna Akkineni and includes the presence of two Gumasta officers, Nageshwara Rao Akkineni and Sakshi Ranga Rao in the cast, reinforcing the social and institutional landscape that frames the drama.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:26

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Sudigundalu

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