indian cinema heritage foundation

Sati Renuka (1961)

  • LanguageHindi
Share
286 views

King Renukasura had three queens but no child. After many years of Tapasya Devi Parvati offered him a holy fruit with a boon that whoever would eat that will give birth to a child. The king gave that fruit to the first queen and she gave birth to Renuka. Everyone in the country was happy except the younger queens, who made a plot to kill Renuka. In their first attempt they successfully murdered the first queen, but Renuka was saved by the king from the hands of a magician. In their second attempt, they throw a deadly cobra in the cradle of Renuka, who bit her to death. The king saw the cobra coming out of the cradle and cut it into pieces. He then goes to the temple of Devi Parvati carrying the dead body of Renuka and prayed for her life. By the power of Goddess Parvati the cobra came to life and sucked the poison back and returned to the palace and bit both the queens to death. 
As Renuka grew up the king was worried about her marriage. On the advice of Devi Parvati the king went to the Ashram of Rishi Jamdagni and offered his daughter in marriage. After many bitter tests Jamdagni finally agreed and married her with a condition that he would not pardon any mistakes committed by her whether knowingly or unknowingly. 

Renuka then gave birth to four sons. The last was Parsuram who was brightest of all. 

Days passed and one day Renuka had gone to the water pool to fetch water where she saw a young Gandharva couple dancing, singing and enjoying the charms of their youth in the skies. That scene stirred her heart and she was completely powered by vasana for a moment. Meanwhile the water pot which was made of sand by her miracle powers at once crashed and dissolved to sand, and she could not make it again. Rishi Jamdagni was eagerly waiting for her arrival. He could guess what has happened. He got very angry for what has happened and cursed her to become a leppor and drove her out of Ashram. 

Renuka wandered in jungles and after undergoing lot of difficulties she reached Kailash to bath in the holy water of Ganga. On seeing her Ganga stopped her flow.

Disappointed Renuka prayed her and tried to kill herself. Ganga pleased with her prayers, sprinkled her holy water and Renuka completely cured of her disease. 

Then she went to Ashram and requested Jamdagni to accept her back. But Rishi got more wild with her and called his three sons and ordered them to kill her. But none of them agree to kill their mother. Jamdagni becomes wild for this and burnt them alive. Then he calls Parsuram and ordered him to cut of the head of his mother. Parsuram who is thoughtful did that first and prayed for the lives of his mother and brothers. Jamdagni pleased with him gives Vardans and made alive all of them by his powers. He then gave all his powers and sends him for Tirthyatra to wash his sin of killing his mother. 

King Kartaveerya had tried often but failed to kidnap Kamdhenu from Jamdagni. He came to know about powerless Jamdagni and suddenly attacked him when he was lost in Sadhana and wounded him badly. Renuka called Parsuram and told him that he should find out and kill Kartaveerya and bring Amrit-Kalash within seven days to save his father. She takes responsibility to hold the life of her husband for seven days. Yamraj came to take the life of Jamdagni. 

Could Renuka stop Yamraj? Could Parsuram kill Kartaveerya and bring the Amrit-Kalash in time? What happened to Renuka and Jamdagni? 

For all these answers see the rest on silver screen.

(From the official press booklet)