Budget Padmanabham 2001

Budget Padmanabham is a man of quick wit who reads every situation with sharp clarity. His eccentric thriftiness makes people think he’s a skinflint, but there’s a deeper motive behind it. In his childhood, a ruthless loan shark named Vaddila Reddy drives Padmanabham from his beloved home after the death of his parents. The court sets a strict deadline to repay the debt, and Padmanabham dedicates himself to scraping together every rupee to reclaim his house.

Now a senior employee at a private firm, his spendthrift colleague Ramya sees in him a partner who can help her navigate life’s twists. She proposes a bold deal: she will hand over her entire salary and agree not to have children until the loan is cleared. Padmanabham accepts, and the two marry under this arrangement.

Trouble arrives quickly as a storm of family complications tests their pact: his cousin Vijaya and brother-in-law Totti Subramanyam weigh on the finances, along with Ramya’s brother Ravi. The pressure mounts, and Ramya soon conceives, giving birth to triplet boys, a development that raises both hope and new concerns.

Ramya contemplates resigning from work as the burdens grow heavier. To help, Padmanabham hires a maid named Sonali. But Ramya grows uneasy about Sonali’s presence, and her suspicions intensify when Sonali becomes pregnant. In a startling reveal, Anil — the son of Padmanabham’s boss, Jaganatha Rao — confesses that Sonali is his wife, a fact he keeps secret.

Anil explains that he fell in love with Sonali in college and married her, a history that his father once tried to erase by causing harm and then finding shelter with Padmanabham. He begs Padmanabham to shelter Sonali for a few days and asks him to keep quiet, fearing Ramya will tell Jaganatha Rao everything.

Undeterred, Padmanabham continues his struggle to raise the money. He even reaches a moment of shared joy with Ramya about the possibility of paying off the debt, but she refuses to accompany him. Meanwhile, Sonali goes into labor, and Padmanabham hurries to the hospital, leaving the money tucked away in his shirt.

On the road, they are attacked by goons loyal to Jaganatha Rao, yet Padmanabham reaches the hospital and helps his boss through the crisis. When he returns home, the money is missing; Vaddila Reddy has stolen it to prevent Padmanabham from clearing the loan.

Facing another blow, Padmanabham is ready to surrender his house, but Anil steps in to support him, and he ultimately wins back his home. Ramya learns the truth through Anil and begs forgiveness for her earlier doubts. In the end, the repentant moneylender returns the money, and the film closes on a hopeful note with Sonali giving birth to triplet girls.