Vivaha Bhojanambu 2021

Anitha Aarjavee hails from a wealthy family that owns a string of hotels and lives a life of luxury. Her lover, Mahesh Satya, is an insurance agent who will do anything to save a little money. When her family first meets him, they are put off by his appearance and shocked by his sparse home, with Anitha’s father Radhakrishna Srikanth Iyengar particularly antagonistic toward him. Yet Anitha’s grandfather approves of the match, because they share the same caste. As the COVID-19 pandemic tightens its grip on India, the wedding is scaled down to a simple, elegant affair with only the two families present. Anitha’s grandfather is injured and has to stay for a couple of days, adding a note of urgency to the celebrations.

Then the nationwide lockdown is announced with only hours’ notice, leaving the in-laws stranded. A tyre puncture forces them to stay at Mahesh’s house during the lockdown. Antics ensue as Mahesh is shocked by the cost of feeding his in-laws while they chafe at his stingy ways and cramped living conditions, all within the shadow of the pandemic. During Deepavali, someone asks how Mahesh and Anitha met. Mahesh suffers an accident and his blood group is rare. Anitha Aarjavee donates blood to him anonymously. Later, he has to take an English night class, which she coincidentally teaches, deepening their bond.

Present day complications rise when Mahesh tries to smuggle his in-laws back home using a fake ambulance run by Nellore Prabha Sundeep Kishan. His temper, reckless driving and occasional hallucinations cause an accident and land them in police custody, forcing Mahesh to bail them out at the cost of his gold necklace. Over time, Radhakrishna suspects that Mahesh is not truly his son; a trap reveals that Mahesh is an orphan who has been living with a friend who is the biological son of his supposed parents. The reason behind his stinginess becomes clear: years of poverty have taught him to save for a house of his own. Radhakrishna cautions that the truth could reach Anitha’s caste-conscious grandfather, but relents because of his own heart problems. Later, the hotel manager reveals that an employee stole their money, causing a shock that triggers a heart attack in the grandfather. With no external help due to the pandemic, Mahesh uses the money he had saved for a house to pay for the surgery, and Radhakrishna still rebuffs him. Anitha speaks up, praising him for his generosity and declaring that he is the right person for her.

Finally, the lockdown ends and the family can head back home, Mahesh in tow. But a final crash—caused when Nellore Prabha, now cured of his hallucinations, collides with their vehicle—tests the family once more. In the aftermath, Radhakrishna accepts Mahesh as his son-in-law, and the still-angry Prabha is cooled as the two families begin to move forward together.