Pelli (film)

Pelli  is a 1997 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film stars Vadde Naveen, Maheswari and Pruthvi. The film was commercially successful and won a Filmfare Award and two Nandi Awards. It was a remake of Sleeping With the Enemy (1991) and later was remade in Tamil as Aval Varuvala (1998), in Kannada as Maduve (2000) and in Hindi as Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002).

Plot
Naveen, a UTI Bank manager sees Maheswari, a sales girl in a shopping mall and promptly falls in love and wants to marry her. Soon he goes in search of her, only to find her in a colony living with Janakamma, who he believes is her mother. Naveen, with the help of the colony residents, tries to win her love. Learning of his intention, Janakamma tries to convince Maheswari to marry Naveen to which Maheswari refuses. It is revealed that Janakamma is the mother-in-law of Maheswari to whom she married off her only son Pruthvi. After enduring physically and emotionally abusive marriage, Mahewsari fatally wounded Pruthvi, knocking him unconscious. Both Janakamma and Maheswari flee from the scene and start a fresh life as mother and daughter thinking that he is dead. Maheswari falls in love with Naveen and agrees to marry him.

Pruthvi finds them and shows up at the engagement party and blackmails Maheswari to get his ten lakh loan sanctioned by Naveen, or else he would tell everyone the truth that they are still married. Meanwhile, Janakamma is convinced that the only way of stopping her son from ruining Naveen and Maheswari's wedding is to kill him. The wedding and Pruthvi's birthday fall on the same day. Janakamma makes payasam for Pruthvi as she always does on his birthday and puts poison in it. Pruthvi, suspicious of his mother being with him instead of at the wedding, asks her to drink the payasam first to which she obliges. He then drinks it and dies. Janakamma arrives at the wedding in time and dies just after the ceremony.

Production
Pelli is loosely based on the 1991 American film Sleeping With the Enemy (1991).

Reception
The film was reviewed by Zamin Ryot. A critic from Andhra Today said that "The movie, a good entertainer until the arrival of Prithvi on the scene takes on a serious turn. The director Kodi Ramakrishna proves an expert in combining humor and sentiment".

Awards

 * Filmfare Awards
 * Best Male Playback Singer – Telugu - Mano - "Rukku Rukku Rukmini"


 * Nandi Awards
 * Best Character Actress - Sujatha
 * Best Villain - Prithviraj

Remakes
The film was remade in Kannada as Maduve (1998), in Tamil as Aval Varuvala (1998) and in Hindi as Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002).