Set in the 1970s in Vijayawada, this sprawling political saga centers on Ratna Kumari [as the wife of Vangaveeti Ranga] w/o Vangaveeti Ranga, a figure whose life becomes entangled with the city’s ruthless street politics. The story follows the rise of Radha, also known as “Bustand Radha,” who forges an alliance with the Communist Party of India and quickly embeds himself within the local power structure, working alongside Vijayawada’s party secretary Venkata Rathnam. As the years pass, a grinding power struggle unfolds over control of the crucial Vijayawada transport network, a resource that both sides crave and weaponize to expand their influence.
In a brutal turn of events, the year 1972 sees Venkata Rathnam murdered by Vangaveeti Radha and his supporters, igniting a fierce retaliation that culminates in the retaliation group’s murder of Radha himself. With Radha dead, Mohana Ranga steps forward to lead the United Independent Organization, drawing backing from student leaders Devineni Gandhi and Devineni Nehru. The power dynamics within this alliance prove unstable, and internal rivalries fracture the organization, paving the way for bitter feuds that splinter the political movement.
The fracture deepens when Mohana Ranga’s circle kills Devineni Gandhi in 1979, a blow that signals the dangerous shift from internal strife to raw political maneuvering. Mohana Ranga’s ascent continues into the early 1980s, as he launches a municipal campaign in 1981 after the Indian National Congress withdraws its official candidate in his favor. Meanwhile, Nehru becomes a rival voice, backed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a group strongly associated with the Kamma caste, while Ranga cultivates a base among the Kapu community and frames himself as a champion of the downtrodden.
By 1985, Ranga is an MLA for the Congress Party, while Nehru secures a TDP seat and rises to ministerial power. The conflict intensifies in the early to mid-1980s as both leaders become deeply entangled in gang warfare, with the clash between Kamma and Kapu factions shaping the political map of the region during N. T. Rama Rao’s tenure as the first Kamma chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. The violence persists into 1988, when Devineni Nehru’s younger brother, Devineni Murali, is killed by Mohana Ranga’s associates in retaliation for earlier killings of Ranga supporters.
Tensions peak during a hunger strike in support of farmers, when a night-time attack on Mohana Ranga’s camp on December 25, 1988, is carried out by a group of rivals. The film traces how these titanic feuds—driven by shifting loyalties, caste dynamics, and shifting political allegiances—reshape local power and leave an enduring mark on the city’s history.
The film features performances by [Shri Tej], [Sandeep Madhav], and [Vamsee Chaganti], bringing the complex web of relationships and loyalties to life with contemporary energy and a sense of realism. The cast forms a backdrop to the central narrative, helping to illuminate how personal ambition, community identity, and political strategy intersect in a volatile era of Andhra Pradesh politics.
