Pelli Kanuka

Pelli Kanuka
Poster
Directed by	Kodi Ramakrishna
Produced by	Nannapaneni Anna Rao
Written by	Posani Krishna Murali (dialogues)
Screenplay by	Kodi Ramakrishna
Story by	N. V. S. Unit
Based on	Pardes (1997)
Starring	Jagapati Babu Lakshmi Bhanumathi Ramakrishna
Music by	M.M. Keeravani
Cinematography	Kodi Lakshmna Rao
Edited by	Tata Suresh
Production company	N. V. S. Creations
Release date	1998 (1998)
Running time	142 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Pelli Kanuka (English: Wedding Gift) is a 1998 Telugu drama film produced by Nannapaneni Anna Rao on N. V. S. Creations banner, directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film stars Jagapati Babu, Lakshmi, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna in the lead roles and had music composed by M.M. Keeravani. The film was a blockbuster at the box-office. The film is remake of the 1997 Bollywood film Pardes, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Mahima Chaudhry.

Savitramma (Bhanumathi Ramakrishna), a wealthy woman living in Delhi, visits her village after so many years and meets her old family friends Sitaramaraju (Mallikarjuna Rao) and family. During her stay at the conservative, traditional Indian household, she gets to know Sitaramaraju’s daughter, Ganga (Lakshmi), who shares her love for the village and its culture. Savitramma asks Sitaramaraju to promise Ganga as a bride for her westernized grandson, Srinivasa Prasad / Chintu (Viren Chaudhury). He is convinced that Ganga will be not only a perfect bride but the way treasured Indian values are revived and passed on in her westernized family. Sitaramaraju’s family accepts the proposal. Savitramma knows he will have a tough time trying to convince her grandson to marry or even meet Ganga. She asks her foster son, Sagar / Airport (Jagapathi Babu) to help his plan along. Sagar comes to village ahead of Chintu to set the stage for him to meet Ganga, when Chintu arrives, he also acts offensively; sometimes intentionally, and sometimes because he has no idea of anything Indians consider rude or inappropriate. But Sagar, despite his own attraction to Ganga, smoothens the way out. In his determination to help the marriage come to pass, Sagar deceives Ganga about Chintu's character and habits; he assures her that Chintu is a "nice guy"; he also covers up for Chintu’s bad habits. Chintu and Ganga agree to the wedding.

After the engagement, the families agrees that Ganga should come to Delhi before the wedding. Ganga arrives in Delhi and is hurt to hear her traditional dress and "foreign" manners despised by Chintu's snacky father & mother at a party in her new home. In her new surroundings, her only friend and confidant is Sagar, with whom she begins to form a special bond. Little by little Ganga realizes that Chintu isn't the person Sagar portrayed him to be. He smokes, gets drunk and acts like a bully. Later, Ganga is shocked to discover pictures of Chintu with his girlfriends that clearly show he has had a sexual relationship with them. When she asks Chintu regarding this he misbehaves with Ganga and Sagar comes to her rescue, revolts on Chintu. Chintu reverses the situation before Savitramma that Sagar is trying to marry that’s why he is creating misunderstandings between them. Savitramma sends Sagar from the house to their Agra branch. Ganga decides not to marry Chintu and go back to her village. Chintu makes a plan he promises Ganga to send back, before that he will take her to Agra to show her favorite spot Taj Mahal, after reaching there Chintu makes a rape attempt on Ganga however she escapes. Sagar comes to her protection, both of them meet near Taj Mahal and he decides to take her back to the village. Before they reach there, Chintu and his parents create a new story to Ganga’s family members that Ganga eloped with Sagar. Ganga’s family members beat Sagar very hard and again surrender Ganga to Chintu. At the same time Savitramma arrives, reveals all the truth and she disowns her family members and accepts Sagar as her heir. Now, she decides to go ahead with Ganga’s marriage with Sagar.