Khaidi No. 150 2017

In Kolkata, the enterprising yet reckless Kaththi Seenu is arrested for a petty crime, but he unexpectedly helps the police nab an escaping prisoner, only to slip away himself once more. He sets his sights on Hyderabad, hoping to reach Bangkok, but a chance encounter with his childhood friend, Subbalakshmi, leaves him dizzy with a supposed reciprocation of feelings that isn’t truly there. The prospect of a quick escape turns into a tangled plan as Seenu tries to outsmart the system, driven by a mix of bravado and opportunism.

Seenu and his loyal sidekick Malli stumble upon a shocking scene: Seenu’s doppelgänger, Shankar, is assaulted by a gang of thugs. They rush him to a hospital and, struck by the opportunity, Seenu decides to impersonate Shankar to dodge the mounting police pressure. Under Shankar’s identity, the duo moves into an old-age home run by Shankar himself, with the audacious goal of stealing ₹25 lakh meant for the residents to finance a Bangkok escape. But as Seenu digs deeper, he uncovers that Shankar is on a far more consequential mission than a simple heist.

[Shankar] is revealed as a hydrology post-graduate from Neeruru village in Rayalaseema who uncovered groundwater that could irrigate his community. A powerful MNC, led by Aggarwal, coerces villagers into surrendering their land for a factory. Shankar is arrested, and six villagers commit suicide to force the media to shed light on the injustice and secure his release. Learning of Shankar’s plight, Seenu’s sense of justice—though warped by his own schemes—sparks a decision to fight for the villagers’ cause while still wearing Shankar’s mask.

With a mix of street-savvy tactics and impassioned speeches, Seenu, the old-age home residents, and their supporters press their case before a jury. Seenu even corners a bribed jury member to tilt the scales in their favor. A ruse involving a disguised ally tagging Aggarwal with a fingerprint escalates the danger, and Aggarwal answers by unleashing fifty armed men. Seenu fends them off using a cache of coins gifted by the Lion Club during a commemorative ceremony, turning a near-fatal ambush into a public spectacle of resilience.

Meanwhile, the real Shankar regains consciousness in the Kolkata prison where Seenu had been held. Through the help of a prisoner Seenu had previously captured, Shankar escapes and heads toward Hyderabad, accompanied by the prisoner’s henchmen, completely unaware of Seenu’s parallel pursuit.

As Seenu pushes his reformist agenda into the spotlight, media skepticism brushes aside their struggle as mere sensationalism. A high court ruling appears to tilt the balance in their favor, but it comes with a cruel catch: villagers who work abroad must retract Aggarwal’s false endorsements within five days. Faced with the ticking clock and the risk of losing ground, Seenu triggers a dramatic, if controversial, maneuver—blocking Hyderabad’s water supply by sitting atop the city’s pipelines along with Subbalakshmi, Malli, and the old-age home residents. The national outcry over the water crisis becomes a turning point, and Seenu delivers a fiercely emotive speech that reverberates across the country.

Across town, [Ram Charan] makes a brief but lively cameo, adding pulse to key moments, while the film’s musical heartbeat is kept alive by Devi Sri Prasad in a flashy appearance during the film’s energetic sequence. The narrative reaches its peak when Shankar finally arrives in Hyderabad, only to fall into Aggarwal’s grip. He watches Seenu’s impassioned public appeal on television and is deeply moved by the lengths Seenu has gone to for the villagers.

On the eve of the verdict, Seenu’s impersonation is exposed, yet he remains unwavering about his commitment to the cause and vows to rescue Shankar. In a daring sequence, Seenu infiltrates Aggarwal’s office and frees Shankar. The two confront Aggarwal together, and Shankar ends the tyrant’s menace just as he’s about to kill Seenu. With the antagonist defeated, the court rules in favor of Shankar and the villagers, and the Kolkata police detain Seenu. Yet even as he faces capture, Seenu assures Subbalakshmi that he will return soon, underscoring the film’s themes of sacrifice, courage, and the uneasy alliance between personal risk and communal good.