| Director | Krish Jagarlamudi |
|---|---|
| Genre | war film |
| Country | India |
| Budget | ₹18 crore |
| Box office | ₹20 crore |
In 1936, Dhupati Haribabu and Rachakonda Sitadevi meet at the Madras Cultural Club in Madras Presidency on the latter's birthday and realise that they are studying at the same college, the University of Madras. Sitadevi is the princess of the Rachakonda estate, whereas Haribabu belongs to a lower caste and is the grandson of a local barber. By the time they graduate, they have fallen in love, and leave for their native town, Devarakonda. Haribabu is introduced to Sitadevi's brother Eeswar and they become friends.
Eeswar, and his grandfather Pedababu, learn of Haribabu and Sitadevi's affair and instigate a fight between people of both castes. Hundreds of people from both sides die and a fence (Kanche) is erected to separate the two groups forever. While Eeswar and Pedababu decide to marry off Sitadevi to a boy of their choice, Haribabu arrives back from town and is stabbed. Sitadevi looks after him secretly in her bedroom, and on the wedding day, a frustrated Haribabu marries Sitadevi, in the presence of her grandmother, and leaves. That evening, Eeswar and Haribabu duel, and in the process Sitadevi is killed accidentally.
During World War II, as a member of the allied nations, the British Raj send over two and a half million Indian volunteer soldiers to fight under British command against the Axis powers. Haribabu joins them as a captain and Eeswar, now a colonel, is his commanding officer. In May 1944, the Nazis attack the Indian army in the Italian Campaign, and capture them. Haribabu, his friend Dasu, and three other soldiers escape. They decide to save the captured troops and follow the Nazis. They take shelter in an Italian baker's house and his granddaughter saves them from the Nazis. She reveals that the Nazis want to kill a little girl whose parents were a German doctor and a Jew.
The Nazis find the doctor and a group of civilians, and Haribabu, along with his cohorts, rescues them. The soldiers find the captured troops in an old building and rescue them from the Nazis. When Eeswar asks Haribabu why he saved him despite the rivalry between them, he replies that Sitadevi's love for Eeswar made him do so. They leave with the civilians and find a German base near a river which they can use to escape.
When Haribabu formulates a plan, Eeswar, who still hates him, points out that the plan is flawed. Haribabu reminds him that World War II commenced because of racism and he does not want to see the same bloodshed repeated here that happened in their village. The soldiers raid all the tents and find a boat in which the civilians and the other soldier board. To divert the German army's attention, Haribabu continues to fight alone until the boat reaches safety. Severely injured, Haribabu dies with a smile, thinking of the memories of his life with Sitadevi.
Eeswar is shocked to see Haribabu die and carries his body back to his village. He also reads the letters Haribabu had written to Sitadevi during the war and realises that humans should not be divided by caste. He reaches the village and asks Haribabu's grandfather to dig the grave. Eeswar calls Haribabu a great human, soldier, lover, son and mainly a good friend whom he never recognised. He acknowledges that without the borders of caste, Haribabu would have been happy with Sitadevi and salutes him. Pedababu orders the fences' removal and the people continue to live in peace.