Vishvamitra is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mantra (3.62.10). The Puranas mention that only 24 rishis since antiquity have understood the whole meaning of —and thus wielded the whole power of — the Gayatri Mantra. Vishvamitra is supposed to have been the first, and Yajnavalkya the last.
Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the Adi Parva, the first of eighteen parts of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaptation being Kalidasa's play Abhijñānaśākuntala.
Menaka is a apsara in Hindu literature.
Dushyanta is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar) dynasty featured in Hindu literature. He is the husband of Shakuntala and the father of Bharata. He appears in the Mahabharata and in Kalidasa's play, Abhijnanashakuntalam.
Abhijñānaśākuntalam, also known as Shakuntala, The Recognition of Shakuntala, The Sign of Shakuntala, and many other variants, is a Sanskrit play by the ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa, dramatizing the story of Śakuntalā told in the epic Mahābhārata and regarded as the best of Kālidāsa's works. Its exact date is uncertain, but Kālidāsa is often placed in the 4th century CE.
Bharata is a legendary emperor featured in Hindu literature. He is a member of the Chandravamsha dynasty, and becomes the Chakravarti. He is regarded to be the ancestor of the Pandavas, the Kauravas, Brihadhrata, and Jarasandha. The Bhāratas, a prominent historical tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, are regarded in Hinduism to be the descendants of Bharata and Bharat name is taken from Bharatas tribe.
Lava Kusa is a 1963 Indian Hindu mythological film directed by C. S. Rao and his father C. Pullayya. The film was scripted by Sadasivabrahmam, Samudrala Sr. along with C. S. Rao and C. Pullayya. The film was produced by Sankara Reddy under Lalita Sivajyothi Films. Lava Kusa is the first full-length colour film of Telugu cinema.
Shakuntala is an Indian television series that premiered on 2 February 2009 and aired until 6 July 2009. The show was based on characters in Hinduism where Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the Mahabharata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play Abhijñānaśākuntala(The Sign of Shakuntala).
Satya Harishchandra is a 1965 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, based on the life of Harishchandra, produced and directed by K. V. Reddy under the Vijaya Productions banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and S. Varalakshmi, with music composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao.
The Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple is a Hindu temple located in Titwala, a small town in the Kalyan taluka of Thane district – near Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu, elephant-headed god of wisdom Ganesha. Titwala is believed to be the putative site of the hermitage of sage Kanva, foster parent of Shakuntala who was born here. The place is steeped in ancient legend and the temple is frequented by a very large number of devotees on account of the belief that separated married couples could be united and marriages of desired people could be fixed easily if the Ganesha image installed in the temple is worshipped with devotion.This temple is frequented mostly on Tuesdays.
Chandraharam is a 1954 Telugu-Tamil bilingual swashbuckler film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao in his debut. It was produced by Nagi Reddy-Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri and Sriranjani Jr., with music composed by Ghantasala. The film was not commercially successful.
Rahasyam (transl. Secret) is a 1967 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, B. Saroja Devi, Kanta Rao, Krishna Kumari and S. V. Ranga Rao, with music composed by Ghantasala. The film was produced by Allareddy Shankar Reddy under the Lalitha Siva Jyothi Films banner.
Panduranga Mahatyam is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Pundarika, produced by N. Trivikrama Rao under the National Art Theatres banner and directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Anjali Devi and B. Saroja Devi with music composed by T. V. Raju. The film was dubbed into Tamil as Annaiyum Pithavum Munnari Dheivam (1959) and it was again remade as the Telugu film Pandurangadu (2008).
Sita Rama Kalyanam is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by N. T. Rama Rao in his directorial debut. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Haranath, Geetanjali, B. Saroja Devi, Kanta Rao, Sobhan Babu. The film was produced by N. Trivikrama Rao on 'National Art Theatres' banner. The music composed by Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao.
Raja Rishi is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film directed by K. Shankar and produced by N. Sakunthala. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Prabhu, M. N. Nambiar and Nalini. It is based on the play Viswamithran by A. S. Prakasam, which is about the sage Vishvamitra. The film was released on 20 September 1985, and failed at the box office.
Kathanayakudu is a 1984 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced D. Ramanaidu on Suresh Productions banner and directed by K. Murali Mohana Rao. Starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayashanti and music composed by Chakravarthy. The film was remade in Hindi as Dilwaala (1986).
Brahmarshi Viswamitra is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film based on the life of the sage Visvamitra, which is written, directed and produced by N. T. Rama Rao. It stars him in his comeback film after a 7-year hiatus from acting after leaving for politics completely- along with Nandamuri Balakrishna, and Meenakshi Seshadri, with music composed by Ravindra Jain. This film marked the debut of Jr.NTR as a child artist.
Shakuntala is a 1943 drama film based on Kālidāsa's Sanskrit drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam, directed by V. Shantaram. It was the first film made under the newly formed Rajkamal Kalamandir banner that Shantaram had started. It was the first film to be shown commercially in US. Adapted from the Shakuntala of Kalidas the screenplay was by Diwan Sharar. Music was composed by Vasant Desai with lyrics by Diwan Sharar and Ratan Piya. The cinematatography was by V. Avadhoot and the film starred Kumar Ganesh, Jayashree, Chandra Mohan, Ameena, Shantaram, Zohra and Nana Palsikar.
Bhakta Raghunath is a 1960 Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Raghunatha dasa Goswami, produced by G. Sadasivudu under the G.V.S. Productions banner and directed by Samudrala Sr. It stars Kanta Rao, Jamuna and N. T. Rama Rao in a special appearance, with music composed by Ghantasala.
Shaakuntalam is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language historical romantic drama film written and directed by Gunasekhar. It is produced by Neelima Guna under Gunaa Teamworks and distributed by Sri Venkateswara Creations. Based on a popular play Abhignyana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa, the film features Samantha in the title role of Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyanta, the king of Puru dynasty along with Mohan Babu, Jisshu Sengupta, Madhoo, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla in supporting roles. In the film, Shakuntala and King Dushyant marry, but Dushyant forgets all about Shakuntala due to a sage's curse.
