Keelugurram (1949)

Folk-tale in which the king, out on a hunt, falls in love with a beautiful woman (Anjali Devi) who turns out to be a rakshasi (demoness). The king insists on marrying her, inviting retribution from his son (Nageshwara Rao) by his first queen. The demoness, who is able to devour elephants and horses, sends the hero, her stepson, on a dangerous journey to fetch a rare herb, hoping he will die in the process. He survives with the aid of a magic flying horse and eventually defeats his stepmother in a savage battle. This is one of noted singer Ghantasala’s first films as composer. The Rajah of Mirzapur, proprietor of the Shobhanachala Studio, took directorial credit.