Beladingala Baale 1995

Revanth, the chess prodigy who becomes the first Indian to win the world championship by defeating Polonski, returns to Bangalore as a national hero in theory, yet he finds himself oddly invisible in practice. He works as an assistant executive at Kanara Advertising Service, where his triumph earns him polite applause from colleagues and a warm, supportive nod from his boss and close friend James, Ramesh Bhat. Despite the triumph, Revanth feels the sting of having no real fan base, scant press coverage, and almost no recognition from the public, a paradox that gnaws at him as he tries to re-enter ordinary life.

Early triumph becomes a strange, almost private romance of sorts when a mysterious woman declares herself a fan and reaches out by phone to congratulate him, but refuses to reveal her name. She challenges him to identify her within half an hour, offering only one clue: her name begins with the letter R. Revanth embraces the puzzle and, with James, starts listing Hindu names that begin with R. The two swing between work and the challenge, as Revanth handles an interview batch by asking candidates to write Hindu names starting with R, hoping for a breakthrough. Yet, in a tense moment, the mystery woman disconnects after Revanth suggests a name—Rasikapriya—an idea that comes from James’s input and offends her. The incident leaves him unsettled but still fascinated by the voice on the other end of the line.

Days pass and the calls resume. Revanth, now more enthralled than ever, vows to meet his unknown admirer. The woman agrees to reveal her number only if he can decipher a two-minute puzzle. A sequence of missteps follows: he guesses wrong, visiting the wrong phone booth, and gets dragged into trouble. The plan to trace the calls through the telephone exchange also fails, though James continues to assist, even as he flirts with a handsome telephone operator. The pursuit grows deeper and more dangerous when Revanth is arrested after being found in a room where a girl has committed suicide, and he undertakes a string of extreme tasks—like measuring the angle of Dr. Ambedkar’s hand in front of Vidhana Soudha (88 degrees)—in a bid to locate the mystery woman’s phone number and address. He eventually nicknames the woman Beladingala Baale, and she gives him one month to uncover her whereabouts. In parallel, clues in a letter point him toward the name Ramya, suggesting a possible identity.

Meanwhile, a major tournament looms: Revanth must face Polonski again, this time in India, but before that he has to prevail against a local chess master named Prabhakar (Avinash). On the day of the match, Revanth is accused of hypnotizing Prabhakar with a lemon hidden in his pocket—a ploy said to have been planted by the novelist Seetharam, who seeks revenge because Revanth refused to write a testimonial for his book. Revanth is disqualified and forced to resign from his job, a crushing turn for a man who has already faced public indifference. Yet Beladingala Baale calls him with encouragement, insisting that he not give up. She urges him to challenge Prabhakar and six other players in a high-stakes, simultaneous blindfold match, which Revanth accepts and ultimately wins, clearing his tainted image and earning widespread admiration as a true champion.

In the aftermath, James reveals plans for his upcoming marriage to Sulochana, the telephone operator who helped them during the investigation. Revanth, meanwhile, continues to chase Ramya. He tells Ramya he is happy for James and expresses a strong desire to meet her, to which she responds by asking him to decode her address before a looming deadline of four days. The atmosphere tightens as the countdown begins.

With just a few days left, Revanth travels to Delhi for a new match against Polonski. Ramya calls again, this time proposing a rapid meet-and-greet at the Ashoka hotel with her friends, but only if he can arrive within five minutes. Revanth hurries to the hotel and finds only the hand of a woman adorned with jewels in a room full of friends. He phones James for help, who arrives with five of his bike-riding friends. The plan backfires as Revanth’s friends become entangled with Beladingala Baale’s crew, and the pursuit spirals into a chaotic chase that forces him to leave for his crucial match in Delhi.

Back at the board, Revanth faces Polonski under intense pressure, with the added distraction of Ramya’s address still unresolved. His moves begin to unlock the clues Beladingala Baale had laid out, and he finally pinpoints Ramya’s address in JP Nagar, Bangalore. Polonski wins the game, but Revanth proclaims, “You have won this match, but I have won the match of my life.” He phones James to search for ramified clues—the name Ramya seems to be echoed in posh houses across JP Nagar, and Sulochana is enlisted to find anyone whose name or company begins with Ramya in that area. The sought-after number appears: 6137336.

Rushing toward Bangalore’s airport to beat the deadline, Revanth is confronted by Ramya’s father, who reveals that Ramya’s last wish was that her dead body should not be moved unless Revanth comes to her. Ramya’s illness is disclosed—she had a rare disease and only six months to live—shattering Revanth. He experiences a wave of devastation, choosing not to meet her body, deciding instead to carry her memory forward. The film closes on a rain-soaked, solitary walk as Revanth leaves the house, keeping Ramya alive in his imagination and moving on with his life.

You have won this match, but I have won the match of my life