Sita Kalyanam (1976 film)

Last updated

Seetha Kalyanam
Seetha Kalyanam.jpg
Directed by Bapu
Written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
Based on Ramayanam
by Valmiki
Produced by Pinjala Ananda Rao
P.Subba Rao
StarringRavikumar
Jaya Prada
Gummadi
Dhulipala
Mikkilineni
Kaikala Satyanarayana
Mukkamala
Jamuna
Hemalatha
Cinematography K. S. Prasad
Edited byKandaswamy
Music by K. V. Mahadevan
Production
company
Ananda Lakshmi Art Movies
Release date
  • 8 October 1976 (1976-10-08)
Running time
125 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Seetha Kalyanam is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by Bapu from a screenplay written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. It is an adaptation of Ranganatha Ramayanam in Telugu. Based on the Bala Kanda, the ensemble cast film relates events from the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, up to his wedding to Seetha, incarnation of Lakshmi.

Contents

The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Direction (Telugu). [1] It was screened at the BFI London Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, San Reno and Denver International Film Festivals in 1978, and is part of the course work at the British Film Institute. [2] [3]

Plot

Granted several boons by the gods Brahma and Shiva, Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, uses his many powers to plague all creation, notably molesting women, many of whom he kidnaps. At the appeal of the gods and the sages, Vishnu assures them that he shall take an incarnation as a mortal, as the arrogant Rakshasa had never sought protection from men (or apes).

The goddess Lakshmi chooses to accompany her divine consort, first as the ascetic Vedaavati (who is insulted by Ravana), then as a baby who appears from a golden lotus in Ravana’s own palace in Lanka, and finally as the child who is discovered when Janaka, king of Videha, is performing the ritual of ploughing the ground before a sacrifice.

The film then describes the events that reunite the divine couple, stringing along the way various tales, in song and dance form, from the Rāmāyana that are tangentially related to the main narrative, including the creation of Lord Shiva’s bow, Vishnu’s avatar as Vamana, and the descent of the Ganga.

The movie ends with Parasurama, Visvamitra, and Vasishta being granted a vision of Rama, Seetha, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna in their true, celestial, forms.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film has music composed by K. V. Mahadevan with lyrics written by Thyagaraya Swamy, Bhakta Ramadasu, Arudra, and C. Narayana Reddy. Playback singers P. Susheela, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, V. Ramakrishna, Vasantha, and P. B. Sreenivas gave vocals.

Release

The film was released in Hindi with the title Sita Swayamvar and Malayalam as Seetha Swayamvaram.

Awards

Filmfare Awards South

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravana</span> Primary antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana

Ravana is a demon-king of the island of Lanka and the chief antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Ravana is described as the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Kaikasi. He abducted Rama's wife, Sita, and took her to his kingdom of Lanka, where he held her in the Ashoka Vatika. Rama, with the support of vanara King Sugriva and his army of vanaras, launched a rescue operation for Sita against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana was subsequently slain, and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmana</span> Hindu god and Ramas brother in epic Ramayana

Lakshmana, also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and is known for his loyalty and dedication towards Rama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bapu (director)</span> Film director from India (1933-2014)

Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, known professionally as Bapu, was an Indian film director, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, screenwriter, music artist, and designer known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Hindi cinema. In 2013, he was awarded the Padma Shri, for his contribution to Indian art and cinema. He has garnered two National Honors, two National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Awards South, a Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South.

<i>Ramcharitmanas</i> Awadhi poem about Rama by Tulsidas

Ramcharitmanas, is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas. It has many inspirations, the primary being the Ramayana of Valmiki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandodari</span> Chief wife of Lanka king Ravana in Hindu epic Ramayana

Mandodari was the queen consort of Ravana, the king of Lanka, according to the Hindu epic Ramayana. The Ramayana describes her as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is extolled as one of the Panchakanya, the recital of whose names is believed to dispel sin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sita</span> Major goddess in Hinduism and consort of Rama

Sita, also known as Siya, Janaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vedavati</span> Previous birth of Sita in Hinduism

Vedavati is the previous birth of the goddess Sita in Hindu mythology. She is an avatar of the goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi.

The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated cultures’ traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Hinduism all in one place.

<i>Sita Kalyanam</i> (1934 Tamil film) 1934 film

Seetha Kalyanam is a 1934 Tamil-language film produced by Prabhat Film Company. It was the first film for musicians Papanasam Sivan, S. Rajam and S. Balachander. The film was remade in Telugu in the same year under the same name. The film is known to be the first ever Tamil film to be released in colour.

<i>Sri Seeta Rama Jananam</i> 1944 Indian film

Sri Seeta Rama Jananam is a 1944 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramayya under the Pratibha Productions banner. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Tripurasundari, Vemuri Gaggayya, Rushyendramani. Music was jointly composed by Prabhala Satyanarayana and Ogirala Ramachandra Rao. The film marks the debut of Akkineni Nageswara Rao as a lead actor. It is also the debut of Ghantasala as a chorus singer and in a character role. The film was a commercial failure.

<i>Sri Rama Rajyam</i> 2011 Indian film

Sri Rama Rajyam is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language devotional film directed by Bapu who co-wrote the film with Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, and produced by Yalamanchali Saibabu. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Nayanthara, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Srikanth, and its music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, which won him Nandi Award for Best Music Director. Sri Rama Rajyam is a remake of the 1963 blockbuster film Lava Kusa.

The Adbhuta Ramayana is a Śāktaḥ Sanskrit work. It is considerably more obscure than both the Valmiki Ramayana as well as Tulsidas’ Awadhi version entitled Ramacharitamanasa, northern India's most popular version of the Ramayana story.

<i>Ramayanam</i> (1997 film) 1997 Indian film

Ramayanam, also known as Bala Ramayanam, is a 1997 Indian Telugu-language mythological film directed by Gunasekhar and produced by M. S. Reddy. Based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, the film features overs 3000 child actors. It stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. as Lord Rama and Smitha Madhav as Sita.

<i>Sita Rama Kalyanam</i> (1961 film) 1961 Indian film

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.

Jai Hanuman is a 1997 Indian television series based on the life of the Hindu deity Hanuman, an avatar of Shiva, in Hindi. It was directed by Sanjay Khan. The series was initially shown on the state-run DD National, and was later shown on Sony Entertainment Television in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Sita</span> Illusionary duplicate of the Hindu goddess Sita

In some adaptations of the Hindu epic Ramayana, Maya Sita or Chaya Sita is the illusionary duplicate of the goddess Sita, who is abducted by the demon-king Ravana of Lanka instead of the real Sita.

<i>Siya Ke Ram</i> Indian mythological television series based on Ramayana

Siya Ke Ram is an Indian television series on Star Plus produced by Nikhil Sinha under the banner of Triangle Film Company. This show presents the epic Ramayana, the story of Rama and Devi Sita from Sita's perspective. The show features Madirakshi Mundle and Ashish Sharma playing as Goddess Sita and Lord Rama, respectively, and Karthik Jayaram as Raavan. It premiered on 16 November 2015 and ended on 4 November 2016.

Shrimad Ramayan is an Indian Hindi-language television series that premiered from 1 January 2024 to 9 August 2024 on Sony TV and airing on Sony SAB since 12 August 2024. Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary under the banner of Swastik Productions, the series is based on the epic Ramayana. It stars Sujay Reu as Rama and Prachi Bansal as Sita.

<i>Sita Kalyanam</i> (1934 Telugu film) 1934 film directed by Chitrapu Narasimha Rao

Sita Kalyanam is a 1934 Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by Chitrapu Narasimha Rao and produced by Pinapala Venkata Dasu under the banner of Vel Pictures. The film stars Bezawada Rajaratnam, Master Kalyani, and Madhavapeddi Venkatramayya, with music composed by Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao. It is considered the first Telugu talkie to feature outdoor sequences and the first Telugu talkie produced in Madras. Additionally, it was the second Telugu talkie film produced by a Telugu person. Released on October 6, 1934, Sita Kalyanam was a commercial success.

References

  1. "Seeta Kalyanam (1976) - IMDb".
  2. Arts / Cinema : Preview: Epic comes full circle. The Hindu (2011-11-12). Retrieved on 2013-01-25.
  3. m.l. narasimham (12 November 2011). "Arts / Cinema : Preview: Epic comes full circle". The Hindu (Press release). Retrieved 27 August 2012.