''Sakunthala'' is a 1966

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

-language

Hindu mythological film This is a list of genres of literature and entertainment (film, television, music, and video games), excluding genres in the visual arts. ''Genre'' is the term for any category of creative work, which includes literature and other forms of art ...

directed by

Kamalakara Kameswara Rao Kamalakara Kameswara Rao (4 October 1911 – 29 June 1998) was an Indian film director known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, and a few Tamil and Hindi films. Widely known as ''Pauranika Chitra Brahma'' (), Kameswara Rao directed f ...

. The film stars

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

and

B. Saroja Devi Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films over seven decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" ( Saraswathi of ...

, with music composed by Ghantasala. It is produced by Lakshmi Rajyam and Sridhar Rao under the Rajyam Productions banner.

Plot

The film begins with

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

's attempts to foil

Vishvamitra 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 Gay ...

's penance and edicts

Menaka Menaka ( ) is a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, celebrated as one of the most beautiful apsaras (celestial nymphs) in the court of Indra, the king of the gods. She is frequently sent by the gods to disturb the penance of sages whose growin ...

when the two are glad for a baby girl. Anyhow, they ostracize her, and

Kanva Kanva or Kanwa (, ), also called Karnesh, was an ancient Hindu rishi of the ''Treta Yuga'', to whom some of the hymns of the ''Rig Veda'' are ascribed. He was one of the Angirasas. He has been called a son of Ghora, but this lineage belongs to ...

raises her as

Shakuntala Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play '' Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD ...

because birds cover her. Years roll by, and

Dushyanta 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 (). Legend Acc ...

the empire of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain ...

once guests in their ashram while hunting in Kanva"s absence. Plus, he shields them from the impediments to their "Yaga" by the demons. Whereat, Dushyanta spots Shakuntala, crushes, and splices her as per the

Gandharva A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they ...

. Before returning, he gifts his royal ring to her as a token of love. One day,

Durvasa In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa (, ), also known as Durvasas (), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his short temper. Wherever he goes, he is ...

visits, but Shakuntala loses her thoughts and fails to greet him when he curses that the one she dreams of will forget her. Afterward, he calms and states that he will regain his memory by viewing his token. Time passes, Shakuntala conceives, and Kanva conveys her to Dushyanta. Midway, while crossing a river, the ring slips off Shakuntala" 's finger and is swallowed by a fish. After landing therein, Dushyanta fails to recognize her. Humiliated, Shakuntala exits, and

Kashyapa Kashyapa (, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Sa ...

shelters her, where she delivers Bharata. The anglers detect the ring in the belly of a fish and hand it to Dushyanta, who retrieves the past. He rushes for Shakuntala but in vain. In that state of his incompetence, Dushyanta turns into grievous. At that moment, Indra calls upon him to heaven for a battle in which he triumphs. Amidst return, Dushyanta enters Kashyapa's ashram, where he is startled to look at a boy playing with wild animals who carry him to his mother, Shakuntala. Dushyanta pleads pardon from her, and she too comprehends the mishap is due to Durvasa's curse. At last, the couple reunites, and Visvamitra & Kanva get here and bless Bharata as

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

's greatest ruler. Finally, the movie ends happily with the crowning ceremony of Bharata.

Cast

as Sakunthala * Nagayya as Kanva Maharshi * Relangi as Achigadu, fisherman *

Ramana Reddy Ramana Reddy (1 October 1921 – 11 November 1974) was an Indian character actor, comedian and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. In a career spanning 24 years, he acted in more than 200 movies. Ramana Reddy and Relang ...

as Buchigadu, fisherman *

Padmanabham Padmanabham mandal is one of the 46 mandals in Visakhapatnam District in India. It is under the administration of Bhemunipatnam revenue division and the headquarters is located at Padmanabham. The Mandal is bounded by Bheemunipatnam, Anandapu ...

as Madhavya * Mukkamala as Visvamitra *K.V.S.Sharma as

Geetanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' () is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, '' Song Offerings'', making him the first non-European and the fi ...

as Anasuya *

Sarada Sharada or Sarada (Sanskrit for "autumnal") may refer to: * the season spanning the months of Bhadrapada, Ashvin, and Kārtika of the traditional lunar Hindu calendar * Another name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati * Sharada script, abugida writing ...

as Priyamvada *

Pushpavalli Kandala Venkata Pushpavalli Tayaramma (3 January 1926 – 28 April 1991), known mononymously as Pushpavalli, was an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Telugu and Tamil films. She entered the film industry as a child actress with a sma ...

as Raja Maata *

E. V. Saroja E. V. Saroja (1935 - 2006) was an Indian actress and dancer. She belonged to Enkan village in Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu and died of a heart attack on 3 November 2006. She was known as Enkan V. Saroja. Her debut film was ''En Thangai (195 ...

Nirmalamma Nirmalamma (18 July 1920 – 19 February 2009) was an Indian actress in the Telugu cinema. She appeared in more than 1000 films and was well known for her grandmother roles in several films. She won two Nandi Awards. Early life She was born in ...

as Arya Gowthami * Baby Kutty Padmini as Bharata * Vangara as Raja Guru *

as Gautami *

Allu Ramalingaiah Allu Ramalingaiah (1 October 1922 – 31 July 2004) was an Indian character actor, comedian, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. In 1990, he was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema. In 1998, he rec ...

as Gold merchant *

Lanka Satyam Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

as Boatman

Soundtrack

Music was composed by Ghantasala.

References

{{Shakuntala Hindu mythological films Films directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao Films scored by Ghantasala (musician) Films based on the Mahabharata Films based on works by Kalidasa Works based on Shakuntala (play)