Sita Kalyanam (1976 film)

Seetha Kalyanam
Seetha Kalyanam
Directed by	Bapu
Written by	Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
Based on	Ramayanam; by Valmiki
Produced by	Pinjala Ananda Rao; P.Subba Rao
Starring	Ravikumar; Jaya Prada; Gummadi; Dhulipala; Mikkilineni; Kaikala Satyanarayana; Mukkamala; Jamuna; Hemalatha
Cinematography	K. S. Prasad
Edited by	Kandaswamy
Music by	K. V. Mahadevan
Production; company	Ananda Lakshmi Art Movies
Release date	8 October 1976;
Running time	125 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu

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.

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.