Oohalu Gusagusalade 2014

N. Venkateswara “Venky” Rao works at UB TV with a clear dream: to follow in the footsteps of his father, a long-standing news reader whose career was cut short by channel changes and a paralytic setback. In a world where opportunities flicker between new channels and old loyalties, Venky finds himself stuck for four years as the face of Teleshopping, while his boss, Uday Bhaskar, keeps a watchful, often jealous eye on him. Uday’s social awkwardness with women makes him feel inferior, and this insecurity colors every move he makes, turning him into a gatekeeper who blocks Venky’s ascent to the coveted anchor seat. Venky remains hopeful, throwing himself into every broadcast, interview, and moment of public attention, even as a strong competitor looms in the form of Vamana Rao, a rival who also eyes the same dream.

Behind Venky’s professional struggle lies a tangle of family dynamics. Venky’s mother, Pragathi Mahavadi, and his uncle, Rao Ramesh, watch with a mix of pride and concern as Venky navigates the choppy waters of love and career. Venky’s father figure remains a distant memory in the workplace, but his influence lingers in Venky’s desire to prove himself and honor the family’s legacy. The tension at UB TV intensifies when Uday, sensing Venky’s popularity with women, looks to use that charm for his own advantage and to secure a future partnership with a proposed wife, Sirisha, a dentist whose first meeting with Venky’s rival keeps everyone guessing. The moment Sirisha enters the story, the stakes are raised: Uday convinces the marriage broker to push Venky aside, offering Venky a path to the evening news if he plays along.

To bridge the gap between fear and opportunity, Venky shares a personal memory with Uday, a tale that transcends the office walls. He recounts a late-2000s summer in Visakhapatnam, where he met a Delhi-based nineteen-year-old named Prabha—Prabha for short—an encounter that would shape his heart and his choices. Prabha, a quiet presence who visits Vizag to find peace as her parents undergo a divorce, becomes more than just a crush; she is a symbol of what Venky hopes to protect and nurture. The two form a friendship that blossoms into something deeper, but Prabha’s youth—she is just nineteen at the time—causes hesitation and a painful parting when Venky pushes too hard, or at least is perceived to have done so. The memory is tender, honest, and tinged with the ache of a missed chance.

As the plot thickens, the plan to orchestrate a union becomes a dangerous chess game. The brokers and power players at UB TV devise a strategy that would swap Venky’s image with Uday’s, painting Venky as the squandered, unworthy groom while presenting Uday as the reliable friend. The aim is not simply to win a spouse but to influence Sirisha’s decision and, in the process, secure Venky’s career. Venky’s reluctant participation is coerced by the threat of losing his job and, with it, any chance at national television. The pressure forces Venky into a web of deception, including a temple meeting where a friend poses as a prospective groom to test Prabha’s resolve—an elaborate ruse meant to nudge Prabha back toward the man who seems to have a better shot at winning her heart.

Throughout these trials, a high-tech thread runs through the story. Uday equips Venky with a Bluetooth device and a smartphone so Venky can coach Uday as he converses with Prabha in real time. The two men rely on this fragile line of communication to move their plans forward, with Venky guiding the conversation from behind the scenes. It is a delicate dance of signals, timing, and withheld truth, where the risk of exposure could end Venky’s broadcasting dreams and ruin his best chance at love.

The emotional center of the story remains Prabha, whose feelings for Venky continue to evolve even as she becomes entangled in Uday’s scheme. The plan unfolds over a sequence of meetings—dinners at the Necklace Road, intimate moments in a mall, and a pivotal moment when Prabha reads a love letter reframed as a poem and sung as a song. The tension crescendos when Venky and Prabha reconnect in a moment of mutual vulnerability, and she begins to see beyond the deception to the man she has come to care for. When Prabha eventually accepts Venky’s sincere affection, the room in which Uday tries to stage a confession becomes a turning point, forcing Venky to confront the moral cost of the plan and to choose honesty over manipulation.

A turning point arrives at the UB TV studio, where Venky’s own resilience and truth-telling win over both the audience and the people who doubted him. A fire in Uday’s chamber becomes a dramatic catalyst that draws attention away from the covert operation and toward Venky’s genuine ability to connect with viewers. The weather forecast, once a backdrop for a career made complicated by scheming coworkers, becomes Venky’s platform to reveal the truth about his long summers in Visakhapatnam and his enduring love for Prabha. The revelation, coupled with the public thrill of Venky finally taking the evening news by storm, cements his place on the air and marks a bittersweet victory: the strategies of manipulation fail in the face of true connection and integrity.

As the dust settles, Venky’s family and mentors witness a dramatic reversal of fortune. Venky’s resignation from the office becomes a real, tangible act of courage, only to be followed by a dramatic turn of events that reassigns the anchors and hands Venky a new spotlight. The climax sees Prabha and Venky choosing each other in a setting that feels both earned and emotionally honest, a testament to patience, persistence, and the enduring power of authentic connection. The final act of the story reaffirms Venky’s dream: to be a trusted voice on television, to guide viewers with clarity, and to help Uday navigate his own missteps, all while Venky remains steadfast in his own truth.

The film closes on a note of playful resilience. Venky, now established as a beloved presence on the evening bulletin, helps Uday flirt with a woman—an echo of the Bluetooth days, but stripped of deception and performed with genuine charm. The credits roll with a sense of earned happiness, a reminder that romance and career can converge in unexpected ways when honesty, friendship, and a little bit of courage lead the way. The audience is left with the feeling that love, loyalty, and a commitment to truth can reshape not just destinies, but the very fabric of a TV newsroom.