Paramanandayya Sishyula Katha 1966

The film opens at Kailasa, where Siva proclaims to Parvati that he will yield only to his most genuine souls, not to their pretenses, and reveals his earthly devotee Nandivardhana on the earth. [Nandivardhana] is the ruler of Vijayadurgam, living a life of leisure and revelry, deeply entangled in the companionship and affection of the dancer Ranjani. To shape him into a wiser king, Chitralekha is chosen, and Siva lends her a Rudrakshamala to wear during her earthly visits.

Back on earth, Chitralekha, traveling with a companion to bathe in a pool, runs afoul of seven saints who bar her path; in anger she curses them to be fools. Their mentor, Aruna Keerti, warns that Chitralekha would lose celestial status if she ever met a mortal. In response, the penitent goddess-like figure blesses the saints with freedom after her marriage. Guided by Aruna Keerti, the saints proceed to Vijayadurgam and become disciples of the Spiritual Adviser Paramanandayya.

Meanwhile, Sivanandam, the scheming Chief Minister of Nandivardhana, plots to eliminate the ruler in the forest through his acolyte, Jaggarayudu. Nandivardhana, sensing danger and sensing the importance of the Rudrakshamala that Chitralekha forgot to conceal, wears it himself after a close encounter with the ornament. Chitralekha, tracking the slip-up, returns to earth. When their paths cross, Nandivardhana is touched by her—literally and figuratively—causing her divinity to waver. He falls in love at first sight, while Chitralekha worries about restoring her celestial status and seeks guidance from Paramanandayya on penance and patience.

In parallel, the seven disciples’ mischief winds up working in Paramanandayya’s favor in small, magical ways—protecting them from a snake and thieves, or triggering the discovery of a hidden treasure hidden behind a door. Chitralekha’s acquaintance with these events begins to change Nandivardhana as Ranjani grows suspicious and paints him as a villain in her own eyes. Chitralekha then quietly retreats to the forest, where Jaggarayudu captures her, but Nandivardhana rescues her, deepening her growing affection for him.

Sivanandam intensifies his intrigue by trying to drive a wedge between Ranjani and Nandivardhana, and she herself becomes entangled in the king’s fate as she acts out of genuine devotion. Meanwhile, Paramanandayya grows increasingly harsher, prompting the disciples to propose a final, fatal purge of themselves; they pretend to have swallowed poison and wander the streets, imagining they’ve reached heaven, only to land at the Royal Fort.

Next, they infiltrate Ranjani’s home, treating her as an Apsara and enabling Nandivardhana to glimpse the sinister side of Sivanandam. In a dramatic turn, Ranjani sacrifices her life while protecting the King, and Sivanandam escapes once more. The disciples, in a last act of loyalty to their mentor, disrupt Paramanandayya’s plans to arrange a marriage for his daughter with a tubercular patient, which leads the elder to expel them from his service.

The way is cleared for a royal confrontation at the Raj Mahal, where the disciples help thwart a murder plot against Nandivardhana perpetrated by Sivanandam, and they assist Chitralekha in persuading the King and the queen to unite in marriage. In a final turn of fate, the seven saints’ curse is lifted as Nandivardhana and Chitralekha pledge their union, bringing the story to a joyful close, marked by renewed harmony and lasting love.