DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham 2017

Allu Arjun stars as Duvvada Jagannadham (DJ), a celebrated chef-caterer from Vijayawada who leads a double life as a compassionate vigilante, quietly aided by his mentor, CI Puroshottam Murali Sharma. By day he serves up menus for Brahmin families and by night he steps in to right wrongs, insisting on doing good in his own steady, calculated way. The film opens with the rhythm of a bustling city and a hero who keeps his true identity under wraps while upholding a strict code of nonviolence, even as he confronts criminals with a calm, forensic precision.

At his friend Vignesh’s wedding, Jagannadham crosses paths with Pooja Pooja Hegde, the daughter of a powerful Home Minister, and a spark of romance begins to glow beneath the surface of his busy life. The meeting is quickly complicated by the social expectations surrounding Pooja, but Jagannadham’s genuine warmth begins to soften the walls he and Pooja have built around their own lives. The wedding scene also threads in the bustling family dynamics of Jagannadham’s own world, hinting at the tension between public duty and private desire that will drive the film’s emotional arc.

Across town, Royyala Naidu—a builder who fronts two suspicious enterprises, Agro Diamond and Naidu Constructions—pulls strings in a sprawling scam that shakes the city’s faith in business and governance. Naidu’s operation appears tightly run, but the deeper rot is exposed when he appoints his secretary Stephen Prakash to chair Agro Diamond; Stephen’s decisions set off a chain of financial moves that even the company’s CEO notices is moving money away from rightful accounts. Stephen Prakash, portrayed by Sameer Hasan, becomes a key figure in the unraveling plot as Jagannadham’s world starts to collide with Naidu’s criminal network. The tale of deceit widens as Jagannadham learns that a close relative has been swept into the same web of fraud, and a suicide note reveals the human cost of chasing easy wealth.

The narrative deepens as Jagannadham discovers that his own uncle killed himself after discovering Agro Diamond’s deceit—he had invested savings into an 1800-square-foot flat, only to find the company’s promises hollow. This revelation hardens Jagannadham’s resolve to bring down Naidu, and it sets in motion a dangerous clash where personal loyalty, social status, and the law intersect. Pooja’s loyalties come into sharper focus as she learns of Jagannadham’s vigilante identity and the social pressures that pull them apart. Pushpam, the Home Minister’s wife who is entangled with Naidu’s schemes, schemes to manage the fallout by manipulating circumstances around Pooja’s future, which pushes Jagannadham to act with even greater resolve.

As the stakes rise, Naidu and his henchmen intensify their pursuit of Jagannadham. A tense sequence in which Jagannadham confronts Stephen and his hired hitmen shows the hero’s readiness to use cunning and force to protect those he loves. The tension escalates when Pooja travels to Abu Dhabi for a moment of truth, only to encounter Avinash—Pushpam’s associate with a severe mental disability—who becomes a volatile breakthrough in the story. Jagannadham’s love for Pooja matures into a plan that leverages Avinash’s vulnerability to uncover Naidu’s hideout, a perilous move that takes the narrative from the streets of Vijayawada to a high-stakes confrontation abroad.

In a pivotal turn, Naidu kidnaps Purushottam, and Avinash’s moral struggle returns to the foreground as he confronts the man whom he was taught to fear. The climactic showdown hinges on Jagannadham’s willingness to reveal his true identity to Pooja and to push Avinash into a decisive role. With the aid of Avinash and his own steady resolve, Jagannadham corners Naidu, and in a tense, calculated exchange, he uses Avinash’s condition to turn the situation in his favor. A final confrontation ends with Naidu’s defeat and the exposure of the scam, as Stephen Prakash temporarily signals a restitution plan for the victims.

The aftermath centers on accountability and closure: Stephen publicly pledges to compensate the scam victims and restore their homes and livelihoods, while Avinash’s fate takes him into police hands for questioning. The story closes on Jagannadham continuing his dual life—formally within the bounds of law, and informally as the city’s quiet guardian—leaving a lasting impression of a man who refuses to abandon those who cannot defend themselves, even as his own heart battles the weight of the choices he has made.