Ongole Githa 2013

The film opens with Narayana and his son fleeing from the ruthless gangster Durga, who intends to kill them, setting a tense tone of pursuit and survival. The story then shifts forward to 2001, introducing a young, resourceful orphan named White as he enters the busy Ongole market. White quickly draws the attention of many in town, including the market chairman Adikeshavulu, a powerful figure revered by the community for his sharp business tactics. Though admired, Adikeshavulu’s public persona masks a harsher, more calculating truth that only a few glimpse.

Years pass, and White has grown into a leading merchant in the market, owning four shops and wielding considerable influence. At the grand opening of his fourth shop, he crosses paths with Sandhya, also known as Sandy, Adikeshavulu’s daughter, and a spark of romance begins to glow between them. The local MLA, eyeing the market as a strategic prize to repurpose land on the outskirts, starts weaving a plot to take control of the market. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Adikeshavulu is not the benevolent figure he presents to the public; his generosity is a carefully crafted façade designed to keep others dependent on him.

Behind the scenes, Adikeshavulu maintains his calculated image, and when he is alone, the cracks in his facade show in stark fashion. The MLA’s maneuvering soon reaches a head: White is installed as the market chairman, ostensibly as a political favor, while Adikeshavulu bluntly asserts his own dominance. White looks to Sandy as a partner, agreeing to the engagement with the understanding that she will marry him, a condition that Adikeshavulu accepts in exchange for securing the market under White’s leadership.

The night after the engagement, White visits Sandy’s home, but she escapes with her mother and grandmother, voicing complaints about the arrangement. Adikeshavulu enters inebriated but composed, and White senses danger; however, a revelation from White’s close associate—who speaks while drunkenly venting about a supposed father figure—unravels White’s hidden lineage: White’s father lives in Tripura, and White himself is Dorababu. This revelation shatters the illusion of White’s identity and complicates loyalties, as White’s business ally blames him for belonging to the family that allegedly murdered his own.

To uncover the truth, White unpacks his past in a series of revelations. He learns that Narayana, once the market’s chairman, was opposed by Adikeshavulu’s father, a rival who envied Narayana and sought his post. After the envious man’s suicide, Narayana takes pity and places Adikeshavulu in a position of influence, allowing the market to flourish while Adikeshavulu pretends to be virtuous. Tensions escalate when Adikeshavulu begins collecting money from sellers supposedly for shelter and meals, a scheme Narayana tries to prevent. A rival in the market accuses Narayana of prompting Adikeshavulu’s fundraising, but the community remains loyal to Adikeshavulu, to the point of tragedy: the rival is killed alongside Durga, exposing Adikeshavulu as the killer of his own brother. This revelation lights a fuse of vengeance in White, who vows to right these wrongs.

With this history in hand, White—whose true name is Dorababu—seeks revenge against the man who has manipulated the market for years. Adikeshavulu’s ruthless ambition drives a brutal plan: he abducts Narayana, stuffs him into a sack inside the market, and sets the market ablaze to collect insurance money and profit from the destruction. The blaze becomes a turning point, and White arrives in time to intervene, chasing Adikeshavulu into the market’s announcement office. There, Adikeshavulu lays bare his entire gaudy resume, even admitting the murder of his own brother, a confession that White inadvertently broadcasts over the announcement mike. The crowd outside hears the confession, surging forward to seize Adikeshavulu as his sins come to light.

In the aftermath, the people rally behind Narayana, welcoming him back as market president and restoring a sense of order to Ongole. Adikeshavulu, confronted by the weight of communal anger, pretends to be a madman in a last-ditch bid to escape judgment. The narrative unites past with present, showing how generations of ambition, deceit, and longing for power have shaped the market—and how one man’s courage can reclaim a community’s trust. The resolution reestablishes Narayana’s leadership and leaves Adikeshavulu to face the consequences of a life spent manipulating others, underscoring themes of legitimacy, loyalty, and the price of greed.