Pournami

Director: Prabhu Deva
Story & Screenplay n Producer: M.S. Raju
Dialogue: Paruchuri Brothers
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography: Venkat Prasad
Editing: K.V. Krishna Reddy
Lyrics: Sirivennela
Stunts: Peter Hein
Choreography: Prabhu Deva
Starring- Prabhas,Trisha,Charmi,Rahul Dev,Sindhu Tulani,.
Release date- April 20, 2006,.
The movie was released with a lot of hype because of Prabhas and Trisha’s earlier hit, Varsham. However, despite the huge cast, the film flopped miserably at the box office, mostly due to the untimely release of the movie Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu.

Story:
Once upon a time, many centuries ago, there was a great drought that befell a village. A dancer from a very traditional family comes forth to dance in the Temple of Shiva for many days and many nights. Her dedication to Lord Shiva and to her people of the village earn her the respect of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. They allow the rains to fall and the drought to cease. But for this to continue, a girl from that same traditional family must dance on pournami (full moon) every 12 years in front of Lord Shiva in his temple.
This brings us to present day. Pournami (Trisha), the oldest daughter of the traditional family has gone missing, rumors of her eloping are rampant among the villagers, much to her father’s chagrin. Pournami’s little sister Chandra Kala (Charmi) never did learn to dance and her father refuses to teach her.
Enter Shiva Kesava (Prabhas), the hero. He comes to live in the same house as Chandra Kala and he devises ways to tease her and torment her constantly. His disguise of a dance school is soon uncovered as he begins to tell Chandra Kala’s father who he really is. This flashback is not told to us yet, but it results in the father coming home to announce to the stepmother and an astonished Chandra Kala that she will be learning how to dance so that she can save the village come pournami.
When the stepmother hears of this, she uses it to fulfill a promise made to the Zamindar. She had promised him Pournami because he lusted after her, but when Pournami went missing, the stepmother was trying unsuccessfully to get the father to teach Chandra Kala how to dance. Now that her wish was granted, she could gift Chandra Kala to the Zamindar in the place of Pournami. Shiva Kesava comes to save Chandra Kala from the evil clutches of the Zamindar and announces that Chandra Kala is his life’s goal and then he proceeds to help her with her dancing. Soon, however, Chandra Kala falls in love with Shiva Kesava and much to her sorrow, finds his cousin, Mallika (Sindhu Tulani), at home announcing their engagement.
Chandra Kala begins to despise Shiva Kesava & neglects her dance practices. When confronted by Shiva Kesava, she says she does not care anymore. He then tells her his story. Pournami’s story. The story of love and revenge and how both of those resulted in the death of a beautiful young dancer that only wanted to live for herself, her family, her dance, and her Lord Shiva.
Pournami and her father realized the plans of the stepmother and so the father ushers Pournami out of the house telling her to go far away and to not return for a while. She goes to live with some traveling gypsies and is their troupe dancer. There, she meets Shiva Kesava, who had just come from killing a man for murdering his brother. Everyone shies away from him, not wanting to end up dead. Some drunkard decides to pick on Pournami, wanting to spend the night with her. She gets taken inside by her adoptive father but later in the night, she sneaks out to practice her classical dance. That is where Shiva Kesava sees her for who she really is, The friendship between Pournami and Shiva Kesava develops into love, but due to a family feud and the threats from Shiva Kesava’s cousin/fiancée, they are forced apart.
Shiva Kesava’s mother urges him to leave the feuding behind and go after his love, which he does and whom he marries. They spend their first night together, but in the light of the morning sun, Pournami hears the men from the feuding family sneaking up on them. She covers up Shiva Kesava (who was drugged the afternoon before by drinking some tea)in corn husks and throws on a black cloak. She runs into the woods, luring the murderers away from her husband. She is shot in the back and is killed, but Shiva Kesava comes to just in time to find her taking her last breaths. She then tells him her story, after promising long ago to tell him when they become closer.
The rest of the story is about how Chandra Kala strives to achieve her late sister’s dream of dancing in front of Lord Shiva in his temple.
The story ends with Chandra Kala and Shiva Kesava marrying and having a daughter, named Pournami.