Muddula Mamaiah (1989)

Hugely successful film casting Balkrishna in the role of Raju, the village pickpocket who also fights on behalf of the community against feudal oppression. Raju’s city-educated sister Lakshmi (Seeta) returns to the village and challenges the authority of the local landlord, Raja Rao. The landlord’s son marries Lakshmi, later abandons her and kills her shortly after she delivers a baby. The baby is raised (Master Amit) by the heroine Radha (Vijayshanti), while the hero, Raju, kills his brother-in-law, goes to jail, and returns to demolish the evil landlord. The film was remade by K.C. Bokadia with Amitabh Bachchan (Aaj Ka Arjun, 1990).