- published: 08 Apr 2008
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Ratnavali is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha (606 C.E. - 648 C.E.). It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text.
The astute minister Yougandharayana plans Udayana's marriage with Ratnavali, the daughter of Vikramabahu. This plan is motivated by a sage's prediction that the person who would marry her would become a Sarvabhauma (emperor). But Udayana is already married to Vasavadatta, who happens to be Vikramabahu's niece. Naturally, Vikramabahu rejects Yougandharayana's plan for fear of wounding Vasavadatta's feelings.
Yougandharayana then spreads a rumour that Vasavadatta has died in a fire at Lavanaka. After hearing this, Vikramabahu agrees to the marriage of Ratnavali to Udayana. The marriage takes place with great pomp, but because of a custom, the bride and groom do not see each other's face clearly during the marriage, and can only see each other after some traditional rites after they reach Kaushambi. Ergo, after the marriage, the couple are escorted back to Kaushambi in a ship. Unfortunately the ship wrecked on the way. Udayana is rescued and is taken back to Kaushambi. Ratnavali is also rescued, but in a separate path, by a merchant and brought to Kaushambi. Yougandharayana comes to know of her rescue, puts her in Vasavadatta's custody renaming her as Sagarika, without disclosing her identity as the princess.
Actors: Amar (actor), S.N. Banerjee (actor), Anita Guha (actress), Shyama (actress), O.P. Nayyar (composer), Gajanan Jagirdar (actor), Raj Mehra (actor), Johnny Walker (actor), Karan Dewan (actor), M. Sadiq (director), Tony Walker (actor),
Plot: Baijnath alias Baiju is a slacker, trouble-maker, unemployed, and a flirt. The villagers rally together and force his father to ask him to leave the village, which Baiju does. Baiju's travels take him to the castle of a king, who has a beautiful daughter named Ratnavali. When he sees Ratnavali, he is smitten by her beauty and falls head over heels in love with her. He parks himself opposite her room, and awaits the time when she will make a presence on the balcony, so that he can get an eyeful of her beautiful self. This enrages the King, and he orders his men to thoroughly beat up Baiju and throw him in the sea, which they do. But Baiju survives, recovers, and gets back to wooing the beautiful Ratnavali. This time the King challenges Baiju to accumulate ten lakh rupees in three months, and he will then give his consent to marrying Ratnavali. The King further adds that if Baiju fails, he will be hanged. Baiju accepts the challenge, and brags that he can accumulate not ten lakhs, but fifteen lakhs within that time period. With no survival nor job skills, and no one to even loan him the fifteen lakh rupees, how is Baiju going to escape from the death-trap that the King has prepared for him?
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Leela Chitnis (actress), Jayant Desai (director), Dixit (actor), Keshavrao Date (actor), Shivram Vashikar (writer), Pandit Indra (writer), Vishnupant Pagnis (actor), Gyan Dutt (composer), Vishnupant Pagnis (composer), Ram Marathe (actor), Vasanti (actor), Bandopant Sohoni (actor), Kantilal (actor),
Plot: Big-budget miracle-laden saint film on Tulsidas (16th C). who rewrote Valmiki's 'Ramayana' in Hindi. To the despair of his teacher Narahari Guru (Sohoni), who hopes that Tulsidas (Pagnis) will make the classic text accessible to the people, the poet spends time with his beloved wife Ratnavali (Chitnis). The dramatic pivot of the story comes when Tulsidas discovers his life's vocation amid howling wind and a river in spate. He becomes an ascetic and settles down in Benares where his translation threatens the brahmanical clergy, until then sole proprietors of the wisdom of the Sanskrit text.
Genres: ,Actors: Leela Chitnis (actress), Jayant Desai (director), Dixit (actor), Keshavrao Date (actor), Shivram Vashikar (writer), Shivram Vashikar (writer), Vishnupant Pagnis (actor), Gyan Dutt (composer), Vishnupant Pagnis (composer), Ram Marathe (actor), Vasanti (actor), Bandopant Sohoni (actor), Kantilal Nayak (actor),
Plot: Big-budget miracle-laden saint film on Tulsidas (16th C). who rewrote Valmiki's 'Ramayana' in Hindi. To the despair of his teacher Narahari Guru (Sohoni), who hopes that Tulsidas (Pagnis) will make the classic text accessible to the people, the poet spends time with his beloved wife Ratnavali (Chitnis). The dramatic pivot of the story comes when Tulsidas discovers his life's vocation amid howling wind and a river in spate. He becomes an ascetic and settles down in Benares where his translation threatens the brahmanical clergy, until then sole proprietors of the wisdom of the Sanskrit text.
Genres: ,