Rao Bahadur

Rao Bahadur

Bhuvanam Ramappa Rao Bahadur is an aging, alcoholic, and mentally unstable aristocrat suffering from terminal liver cancer at his ancestral manor, Bhuvanalayam. Although doctors predict he has less than four months to live, Ramappa outlives his prognosis, sustained entirely by a parasitic obsession: the suspicion that his deceased younger son, Kusumappa aka Kusuma, was not his biological child. Ramappa's wife, Renuka, has retreated into a permanently dark room in self-imposed isolation, while their elder son, Lavanappa aka Lavana, struggles under the weight of his father's illness and his mother's emotional distance. Only Ramappa's close friend and family physician, Dr. Srinivasa Achari, is aware of his obsession. Flashbacks reveal that in 1961, Ramappa was a progressive young man estranged from his conservative father. He returns home at Achari's request to care for his paralyzed father and falls in love with Renuka, a free-spirited nurse attending to him. Following his father's death, Renuka rejects Ramappa's marriage proposal, confessing she loves another man. Heartbroken and depressed, Ramappa experiences a surreal vision where the apparitions of his ancestors brainwash him to adhere to the clan's customs and uphold its lineage by producing heirs. Transformed by his obligation, Ramappa renews his proposal through Achari, and Renuka accepts. Years later, Kusuma is born with dark skin, prompting widespread rumours of illegitimacy.

Director

Venkatesh Maha

Release

3 Jul 2026

Run time

169 min

Language

Telugu