For the uninitiated, Lava Kusa follows the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana. After Sita’s exile, she gives birth to twins Lava and Kusa in sage Valmiki’s hermitage. The boys grow up unaware of their royal lineage, sing the Ramayana in the streets of Ayodhya, and eventually challenge their own father’s royal horse sacrifice. It’s a tale of destiny, identity, and the bittersweet price of dharma.

Modern viewers will find the pacing glacial (nearly three hours), the acting stage-like, and the special effects laughable—the scene where arrows turn into a serpent is charmingly primitive. The dialogue is overly poetic, and the film leans heavily on mythological exposition. Also, for a movie titled Lava Kusa , the twins share less screen time than their mother’s tears.

Ghantasala’s soundtrack is legendary. Songs like "Ramayanamlo Sitaramulni" and "Illalu Priyuralu" remain classics. The background score swells at every emotional beat—sometimes too obviously, but it works. The folk-style singing of the twins in the street scenes is wonderfully authentic.