Ramudu, the thief) is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language drama film co-written and directed by K. V. Reddy.

It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, Jamuna, and Jaggayya with music composed by Pendyala.

One day when his destitute mother Subbamma is ailing and needs expensive medications, he steals the medicine and lands at a reformatory.

Years later, a grown-up Ramudu (Akkineni Nageswara Rao) is released and goes in search of his sister.

He rescues a child, the son of a rich miser Veerabhadrayya (Relangi) from a local thug Babulu (R. Nageswara Rao) and gets the job of a servant in his house.

Lakshmi is hospitalized where she meets a benevolent doctor Mohan (Jaggayya) who helps the poor.

After serving his sentence, Ramudu meets Seeta who is angry with him but forgives him after he explains his predicament.

Lakshmi comes forward, to tell the truth, that Ramudu is her brother and was present at the wedding during the time of the murder.

[1] He suggested that he pen a story on a brother-sister sentiment with the brother going to any extent, even giving up his life for the sake of his sister.

Taking that point replacing the younger brother with a sister, Narasaraju, Madhusudana Rao and K. V. Reddy wrote the story of Donga Ramudu.

[7] Donga Ramudu established Annapurna Pictures as a top banner in Telugu cinema.

Narasaraju created catchy words such as ‘gas’ for telling a lie which remains popular to this day.

R. Nageswara Rao’s famous dialogue, Babulu gaadi debba ante Golconda abba anali, also became popular.