Varakatnam (1969)

Anti-dowry melodrama in which Meesala Venkaiah (Nagabhushanam), who wants his son Devasimha (NTR) to marry in a manner befitting the father’s social status, demands a dowry of Rs 50,000. The marriage is stopped just before the ceremony is completed. Eventually the groom marries the bride, after overcoming the oppressive attitudes of his family. The film includes a parallel narrative of another groom who, in a situation similar to the hero’s, marries the bride anyway, which leads to the woman being exploited by her husband’s family in various ways.