Thodi Kodallu

The film depicts a wealthy joint family. Kutumba Rao, an advocate, is the patriarch; he is an introvert and often oblivious to domestic matters. He lives with his wife Annapurna and their children. His younger brother Ramanaiah manages their village farms with his domineering wife, Anasuya. Kutumba Rao also raises his cousin Satyam, an idealist who marries the benevolent Susheela; they have a son, Babu. Annapurna is very fond of Babu, whom she raises as her own. As Annapurna is ailing, Susheela assumes the household responsibilities and manages them with discipline. Satyam is appointed manager of the family's rice mill, which is led by a malicious distant relative, Vaikuntam. Satyam soon resigns, unable to tolerate the fraud committed there. Ramanaiah's family is invited for the Dasara festival. Anasuya becomes envious of the respect Susheela receives and creates discord in Annapurna's mind, forcing Satyam's family to move to the village. Anasuya takes control of the household and usurps its wealth. Meanwhile, Vaikuntam traps Ramanaiah using his mistress, Navaneetam, and encourages his vices. Satyam and Susheela, guided by their ideals, transform barren land into communal farmland with the help of unemployed farmers. Anasuya plans for Ramanaiah and Vaikuntam to ruin the land. They also misappropriate funds belonging to a client, Tirupataiah, by forging Kutumba Rao's signature. Satyam resolves the issue by mortgaging Susheela's jewelry to protect his brother's honour and retrieves the forged document. Meanwhile, Anasuya's schemes are exposed, causing Annapurna to collapse in anger; this incident prompts Anasuya to reform. During the harvest, Ramanaiah and Vaikuntam plot to seize the crop in Kutumba Rao's name. Satyam prevents this, leading the government to seize the crop. Unaware of the truth, an enraged Kutumba Rao arrives in the village and attempts to expel Satyam. Ramanaiah and Vaikuntam try to destroy the evidence of their forgery but are caught. Kutumba Rao realizes Satyam and Susheela's virtue. He welcomes them back and permanently allocates their lands to the farmers. Ramanaiah's family is about to leave, but Susheela convinces them to stay. The film ends with the family's reunion. == Cast ==

Telugu cast • Allu Ramalingaiah as Ayomayam • Kameswaramma Tamil cast == Production ==

After the success of Donga Ramudu, producer D. Madhusudhana Rao wanted to continue his success by collaborating again with Nageswara Rao and wanted K. V. Reddy to direct the film. Reddy was busy with prior commitments and suggested Adurthi Subba Rao; however, Nageswara Rao claimed that he had suggested Subba Rao as the director. An avid fan of literature, Madhusudhana Rao bought the rights to the Bengali novel Nishkriti by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. He wrote the screenplay along with Acharya Athreya and Subba Rao, retaining the major characters and situations from the original novel but making changes to suit local sensibilities, such as changing the character of the second brother from a lawyer to a caretaker of farmland. The film was simultaneously made in Tamil as Enga Veettu Mahalakshmi with the same lead actors and a slightly different supporting cast, with Thangavelu and Nambiar replacing Relangi and Jaggayya. Athreya and Sridhar wrote the dialogues for the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively. Most of the filming took place at Janapastram, a village near Gudur. == Soundtrack ==

The music was composed by Master Venu. ;Telugu Track List ;Tamil Track List == Awards ==

At the 5th National Film Awards, Thodi Kodallu won the Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Telugu. ==Release==

Both Thodi Kodallu and Enga Veettu Mahalakshmi became commercially successful and ran for 100 days in five centres. == Notes ==