Thyagayya (1981)

Evocative and eloquent, this historical biography depicts the exemplary life of Telugu saint Thyagaraja (1767-1847) who defies Serfoji, the king of Tanjore.

When Thyagayya’s sister-in-law Ganga steals his precious deity and throws it in the Kaveri river, the saint goes on a pilgrimage in search of his god. Several divine interventions later, and following the death of his wife Kamala, the saint eventually transforms into a sanyasi, a divine person who has renounced the material world and surrendered completely to God.