Lankeshwarudu 1989

Shankar Chiranjeevi and Revathi Revathi are siblings who grow up as orphans, bound by a shared hunger and the stubborn hope for a better life. When a hungry day pushes Shankar to steal a crust of bread from a nearby tea stall to feed his younger sister, fate places another hungry child in his path—a boy named Kalyan Chakravarthy. Moved by the boy’s plight, Shankar shares his meal and vows to look after both the sister and the new orphan, taking on a daily grind of makeshift jobs and small schemes to keep them fed.

As time passes, Shankar’s sense of duty hardens into something tougher: a rise from petty thief to a local gang leader. He becomes somebody whom the nearby village starts to respect, almost treat as a guardian whose presence brings protection. His growing influence doesn’t go unnoticed, and when he crushes a gang led by Dada Kaikala Satyanarayana, the powerful criminal’s world begins to shift in response. Impressed by Shankar’s nerve, Dada offers him work, but Shankar initially refuses. The moment Dada offers a partnership, however, the choice becomes murkier, and Shankar allows himself to be drawn deeper into the crime network.

Beyond the grim business, Shankar possesses a dancer’s grace, and his skill in movement earns him fans. Radha Radha becomes a devoted admirer, drawn to the rhythm of his performances and the charisma he radiates. Their shared moments add color to a life already tangled in crime, even as Shankar’s heart anchors itself to more personal loyalties. Meanwhile, another romance threads through the tale: Revathi, the sister, discovers that she loves Kalyan Chakravarthy, and Shankar quietly arranges their wedding, hoping to give both siblings a semblance of happiness amid the dangers surrounding them.

Kalyan Chakravarthy rises to the rank of police officer with Shankar’s help, and during one bold act he uncovers information about Dada’s criminal involvement. Yet the moment he seeks Shankar’s aid to dismantle Dada’s gang, he does so without realizing that Shankar himself is entrenched in the same syndicate. This entanglement tests loyalties to the limit: Shankar contemplates quitting Dada’s company and confesses his thoughts, only to be met with a blunt warning from Dada that he cannot be held responsible if his “brother-in-law” meets trouble in the line of duty. The tension peaks when Shankar, unable to fully sever ties, remains at the helm of the syndicate as tensions boil over within the crime world.

Rexon and Michael, two uneasy rivals, are unhappy with Shankar’s ascent and recruit another gang to wipe out Shankar and Dada. As the plot thickens, Kalyan Chakravarthy and Revathi confront Shankar about the life he leads, begging for honesty while also hoping to salvage the family they share. Shankar attempts to explain the circumstances that shaped him, but the couple leaves him to his fate, torn between love and truth.

The violence erupts when Michael, Rexon, and their new gang strike, killing Dada and the villagers who had once trusted Shankar’s protection. The vengeance is brutal, and Shankar, enraged by the loss and the betrayal, eliminates the attackers one by one. In the end, he surrenders himself to his brother-in-law, acknowledging the cost of a life built on crime and the fragility of the loyalties that sustain it. The story leaves viewers with a meditation on duty, love, and the heavy burden of choices made in the name of family.