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Mythologies and their faithful adaptations are not new to Tollywood, or Indian cinema for that matter. The genre has a number of rich stories and mythologies — epics like Ramayana and Mahabharatha being the popular ones — that have been explored for years. These epics also have several sub stories that speak of morals, ethics, philosophy and more. Indian cinema has constantly explored its potential either through faithful adaptations of the stories in the form of costume dramas or mythology-inspired fantasy films.
While costume dramas seem to be a thing of the past, director Gunashekar brings his grand vision of Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shaakuntala alive with the upcoming Samantha starrer Shakunthalam. Ahead of its release, we put together a list of 12 Telugu films that explore the rich tapestry of Indian mythology.
This mythological magnum opus follows the characters from the Mahabharatha. Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu (Akkineni Nageswara Rao) and Balarama’s daughter Sasirekha (Savitri) fall in love and their family consents to the marriage. When the Kauravas cheat the Pandavas into giving up their livelihood, they refuse the alliance in favour of an alliance from Duryodhana’s son Lakshmana Kumara. Knowing the Kauravas’ schemes, Krishna (NT Rama Rao) and Ghatotkacha (SV Ranga Rao) hatch a plan to unite the two lovers without their family’s knowledge. Directed by KV Reddy, the film is known for its use of technology during the time as well as the excellent soundtrack by Ghantasala. Mayabazar has been made eleven times in various Indian languages, and the epic has two different Telugu versions (1936 and 1957), both of which are known for its technical expertise.
Another adaptation of the Ramayana, this film uniquely focuses on Ravana and the events that occur before his clash with Rama. The film gives another layer and a sense of destiny to Ravana who clashes with gods such as Shiva, Lakshmi and Vishnu and receives curses from all of them, eventually setting up his battle with Rama. While NT Rama Rao essayed the role of Ravana for the second time after Bhookailasa, he also turned director for the first time with this film.
Sri Krishna Tulabharam shows the story of Satyabhama and her possessive nature over her husband Lord Krishna. Satyabhama competes with Rukmini and tries to possess Lord Krishna’s love all to herself. With some advice from Sage Narada, she decides to perform a ritual where she pays an amount equal to the weight of Lord Krishna to show that she loves him more than Rukmini. Starring NT Rama Rao as Lord Krishna, the film is directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and also features Jamuna as Satyabhama and Anjali Devi as Rukmini.
The film follows the battle between Krishna and Arjuna after the latter gives protection to Gaya who angers Lord Krishna. The mythological drama is directed by KV Reddy and stars NT Rama Rao as Lord Krishna and Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Arjuna.
This mythological drama follows the story of Daksha, the king of all Prajapatis. Daksha marries his daughters off to Lord Chandra, but the latter only spends time with Rohini, ignoring the others. Enraged, Daksha curses Chandra who seeks help from Lord Shiva.
This leads to a lifelong enmity between Daksha and Lord Shiva, which is exemplified when Daksha’s daughter Sati falls in love with Shiva and marries him. The film stars SV Ranga Rao as Daksha and NT Rama Rao as Lord Shiva.
Based on a play inspired by the myth of the formation of Gokarna in Karnataka, Bhookailas follows the story of Ravana who gears up to conquer Lord Indra’s kingdom Amaravati. With the meddling of Narada, Ravana who seeks the Atma Linga from Lord Shiva, angers him and is cursed by him. Directed by K Shankar, the film stars NT Rama Rao as Ravana and Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Narada.
Based on the Narasimha Purana in the myths, the film follows the story of Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu and the son of the demon Hiranyakashipu. After strong penance, Hiranyakashipu receives immortality as a boon from Lord Brahma. Using it to his advantage, he tests his son’s devotion to Lord Vishnu through various torture methods and then is finally vanquished by Vishnu in the Narasimha avatar. The film stars SV Ranga Rao as Hiranyakashipu.
Directed by NT Rama Rao, Dana Veera Soora Karna follows the story of Karna in the Mahabharata. The firstborn of Kunti is abandoned by her and is adopted by a charioteer. Karna then befriends Duryodhana and joins the Kauravas in the battle against the Pandavas. The film shows the various insults and obstacles faced by Karna from the royal family for being the son of a charioteer and his eventual death at the hands of Arjuna. The film also stars NT Rama Rao as Karna, Duryodhana and Lord Krishna.
The film follows the Pandavas’ last year of exile after their defeat in a rigged game of dice against the Kauravas. In their 13th year, the Pandavas and Draupadi have to live incognito in King Virata’s Matsya kingdom. The issues they face from Kichaka and the need to stay incognito to avoid repeating another 12-year exile form the rest of the story. The film stars NT Rama Rao as Arjuna, SV Ranga Rao as Kichaka and Savitri as Draupadi.
Starring Sobhan Babu as Rama, this adaptation of the epic Ramayana follows the entire story of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. It follows Rama’s exile, his battle with Ravana and his eventual coronation as the king of Ayodhya. The film directed by Bapu went on to become a massive success, completing a 100-day theatrical run.
Directed by C Pullaiah and his son CS Rao, the film is based on the Uttara Kanda in Ramayana. It follows the events in Ayodhya after Rama’s coronation as king and the life of his twin sons Lava and Kusha, who are born after Rama banishes Sita. The film stars NT Rama Rao as Rama and Saroja Devi as Sita. It was rebooted in 2011 as SriRamarajyam with Nandamuri Balakrishna as Lord Rama.
Based on the events of the 12-year exile of the Pandavas, Pandava Vanavasam explores the lives of Pandavas following their ill-fated game of dice. It begins with the Rajasuya Yaga performed by the Pandavas and then focuses on the rigged game of dice plotted by Shakuni and Duryodhana. The film was directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and stars NT Rama Rao as Bhima and SV Ranga Rao as Duryodhana.