Sakunthala (1966 film)

The film begins with Saint Viswamitra and Menaka leaving a newborn baby in the forest, Kanva Maharshi finds the baby surrounded by birds, therefore, she is named Sakunthala and raises her. Once King Dushyanta encounters Sakunthala while hunting, he loves and marries her as per the Gandharva marriage. Before returning, Dushyanta gives his royal ring to Sakunthala as a symbol of his love. One day, Saint Durvasa, comes to the ashram but, Sakunthala is lost in her thoughts on her husband and fails to greet him properly when he curses her saying that the person, she is dreaming of will forget her. As he departed in a rage, Sakunthala's friends Anasuya and Priyamvada say sorry for their friend's deed and request him to pardon her. Now Durvasa modifies his curse saying that the person gets back his memory when he sees the personal token given to her.

Time passes, and Sakunthala becomes pregnant, so, Kanva Maharshi sends Sakunthala to her husband. On the way, they cross a river, and the ring slips off her finger and is swallowed by a fish. Arriving at Hastinapuram, Dushyanta is not able to recognize her, humiliated, Sakunthala returns to the forest and takes shelter at Kasyapa Mahamuni's Ashram, where she gives birth to a baby boy Bharata. Meanwhile, fishermen find a royal ring in the belly of a fish and take it to the palace where Dushyanta recollects the past. Immediately he set out to find Sakunthala, in the forest, he is surprised by a young boy playing with wild animals and amazed by his boldness and strength. At last, the boy takes him to his mother Sakunthala, and thus the couple is reunited. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the crowning ceremony of Bharata.

• N. T. Rama Rao as Dushyanta
• B. Saroja Devi as Sakunthala
• Nagayya as Kanva Maharshi
• Relangi as Achigadu, fisherman
• Ramana Reddy as Buchigadu, fisherman
• Padmanabham as Madhava
• Mukkamala as Visvamitra
• K.V.S.Sharma as Durvasa
• Geetanjali as Anasuya
• Sarada as Priyamvada
• Pushpavalli as Raja Maata
• E. V. Saroja as Menaka
• Nirmalamma as Arya Gowthami
• Baby Kutty Padmini as Bharata

Music was composed by Ghantasala.