Aradhana (1962): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1962, Aradhana is a drama and romance film directed by V. Madhusudhan Rao, running about 150 minutes.

What it’s about. Dr. Murali Krishna loves Anuradha in college but keeps to himself. Anuradha becomes the victim of her classmate Sarala's jealousy and trickery and complains about Murali to Principal. The event results in hatred between them and Murali losing scholarship. Murali gets help from his uncle Lingaiah and goes to London for higher studies. Lingaiah in return plans to give his daughter Lakshmi to Murali upon his return. Lingaiah appoints Anuradha as caretaker of innocent Lakshmi. Anuradha comes to know about their plan and sacrifices her love for her cousin Lakshmi. Lakshmi has different plans; She is in love with her cousin Yoganandam and not interested in Murali. She asks Anuradha to write replies to Murali's letters on her behalf. Anuradha goes through a lot of struggle in the process.

Who’s in it. Aradhana stars Nageshwara Rao Akkineni as Dr. Murali Krishna, Savitri as Anuradha, Girija as Lakshmi and Jamuna, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Aradhana sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Aradhana page.

If you liked it. Fans of Aradhana tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.