Poola Rangadu is a 1967 Tollywood film that is loosely based on A. J. Cronin

A. J. Cronin

Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...

's novel, Beyond This Place

Beyond This Place

Beyond This Place is a 1953 novel by Scottish author A. J. Cronin. A serial version appeared in Collier's under the title of To Live Again.-Adaptations:...

. It was directed by Adurthi Subba Rao

Adurthi Subba Rao

Adurthi Subba Rao is a prominent old-time director of Telugu & Hindi Films. He also produced few films.-Early life:...

 and stars ANR

Akkineni Nageswara Rao

Akkineni Nageswara Rao , also known as ANR, is a Telugu cinema actor from Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh. Nageswara Rao has worked in several genres of films in his 70-year acting career, including mythological, social, and drama films...

 and Jamuna

Jamuna Ramanarao

Jamuna is a veteran Telugu actress, a director and a politician.-Early life and background:Jamuna was born in Nidamaru, Guntur to Nippani Srinivas Rao, a Madhwa Brahmin business man, and Kausalya Devi, an Arya Vysya. She grew up in Duggirala, Guntur District in Andhra Pradesh state,...

. It is a commercial hit film with some good songs.

The plot

Rangadu (ANR) is called 'Poolarangadu', because of his purity of life. His father Veerayya is a manager at a mill, and is framed for the murder of one of the partners, Purushotham. He is sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Rangadu works hard to get his sister Padma educated. She marries a doctor, Prasad, who happens to be Purushotham's son. When he finds out she is Veerayya's daughter, he leaves her. Rangadu is enraged and beats the guy who informs Prasad. Rangadu is sent to jail. There he meets his father, learns about his innocence and vows to get him out. Once Rangadu is released, he earns the goodwill of the other two partners and finally exposes them. Veerayya is released, Rangadu marries his lover Venkata Laxmi (Jamuna) and Prasad takes Padma back.