Mrugaraju 2001

In the jungle that encircles the village of Adavipalli, a government project aims to build a railway bridge to ferry ore-rich goods between two hills. But a man-eating lion haunts the area, having already claimed the life of the chief engineer. The railway department assigns Aishwarya,Simran to lead the project and resume construction, yet the predator keeps up its brutal campaign against the workers.

To neutralize the threat, Raju,Chiranjeevi, a renowned hunter from Adavipalli, is brought in. In the first half, Raju traps and kills the lion, but not without cost: his friend Appanna Dora, Nagendra Babu, dies in the process. The victory is bittersweet, and a second lion in the jungle, angered by its companion’s death, resumes wreaking havoc. On top of that, Raju must contend with a corrupt forest ranger, Surya Bhagawan Das, Surya Bhagawan Das, and a cunning local smuggler, whom he outwits before the interval.

It’s then revealed that Aishwarya is Raju’s estranged wife. In a flashback, Raju travels to the city to sell jungle herbs at a crafts fair, where he meets Aishwarya, who is engaged to a man named Vicky. After helping Aishwarya win a shooting game at the fair, she invites him to her engagement. At the ceremony, Raju sees Vicky flirting with another woman and confronts him, a moment Aishwarya witnesses. She decides to break off the engagement and marries Raju, convinced that he is a better man for her.

Yet happiness is fragile. Aishwarya’s father sows misunderstandings that drive a wedge between them, and during this difficult period, Aishwarya discovers she is pregnant and later gives birth to a daughter. When Raju learns of his child, he is overjoyed, but Aishwarya keeps the child away from him and his parents. One night, the lion returns and attacks again, and Raju’s parents heroically save their granddaughter, sacrificing their lives. Before dying, they reveal the truth about Aishwarya’s father’s deceit.

The next morning, the workers abandon the project. Raju and Aishwarya search for their lost daughter in the forest and eventually find her standing in front of the man-eating lion. Raju battles the beast and kills it, saving his daughter, and, at last, the family is reunited.