Kanaka Simhasanam 2006

Kanakambaran [Jayaram] runs a humble drama troupe with his wife Bharati, pouring heart and soul into every performance while the company grapples with mounting losses. Their finances are precarious, debts pile up, and creditors close in, but the pair clings to a dream that keeps the stage lights burning and their spirits alive.

A surprising opportunity changes the course of their fate. Upendra Varma and Radhakrishna Varma invite them to stage a bold, real-life drama at the palace. Kanakambaran is asked to play Suryanarayanan, the heir to the throne and the childhood sweetheart of the princess Kanjanalakshmi [Lakshmi Gopalaswamy], who vanished twenty-four years ago. The stakes are high, the arena is grand, and the lure of a glorious stage tempts Kanakambaran to step into a royal saga that could redefine their lives.

As the plan unfolds, Kanakambaran’s path leads him to the palace kitchen, where he quietly recruits his wife, Bharati, to serve as the palace cook. This new proximity to the royal world deepens the intrigue, while a lurking threat grows louder: Narasimhan [Rajkiran], a wily figure with an eye on Kanjanalakshmi, moves pieces to undermine Kanakambaran at every turn.

Narasimhan advances a calculated campaign to prove that Kanakambaran is not the true prince, but his schemes repeatedly fall short. He doubles down by bringing in Indrasenan Reddy, the royal advisor, who can discern true intent amid palace politics. Indrasenan, aware of the danger posed by Narasimhan and the volatile Telugu-speaking factions within the court, quietly aids Kanakambaran in order to safeguard the princess and the fragile balance of power.

A revealing moment arrives when Gopalan [Suraj Venjaramoodu], Kanakambaran’s brother-in-law, drunkenly lets slip a crucial truth. The revelation pushes Indrasenan to a deeper yes-or-no assessment: Kanakambaran is indeed Suryanarayanan, the prince who was sent away and later raised by the palace cook after a devastating assault on the royal family twenty-four years earlier. Though the truth becomes evident, Indrasenan chooses discretion, guarding the secret as events unfold.

Meanwhile, Narasimhan and his faction, aided by Tripurasundari, uncover Kanakambaran’s secret life as a drama artist and weaponize it to shatter his credibility, driving a painful wedge between Kanakambaran and Kanjanalakshmi. The palace gates echo with the tension of a looming confrontation as love, loyalty, and ambition collide.

The next day brings a confrontation rooted in both courage and consequence. Narasimhan makes a bold, forceful bid to marry Kanjanalakshmi, but Kanakambaran and his troupe stand firm. The clash exposes the truth to all, and Narasimhan is repelled, wounded not just in body but in reputation.

With the truth laid bare, Kanakambaran returns to the world he knows best—the stage. The drama becomes a unifying force, and even Narasimhan, touched by the gravity of the events, begins to walk a gentler path. In the end, Kanjanalakshmi accepts a new future alongside Narasimhan, while Kanakambaran finds solace in the very art that sharpened his sense of identity. The story closes on a celebratory note, with the drama partners dancing in a final, hopeful refrain.