Seetha Kalyanam (1976)

Seetha Kalyanam tells the early chapters of the Ramayana: the discovery of the infant Sita by King Janaka, the childhood of Rama and his brothers in Ayodhya, their journey with the sage Vishwamitra to protect his sacrifice from demons, and the great test at Mithila, where suitors must lift and string Shiva's bow to win Sita's hand. Bapu, a painter and illustrator before he became a filmmaker, composed the film like a series of classical paintings, with careful colour, costumes and framing, and it is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful mythological films made in Telugu. Jaya Prada plays Sita at the start of her rise to stardom, and K. V. Mahadevan's music draws on traditional devotional styles.