Ratnamala is a 1947 Telugu, folklore film, produced & directed by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao on Bharani Studios banner. Starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna in the lead roles and music composed by C. R. Subburaman.Simhakethu, the ruler of Kancheepuram, is on the lookout for a suitable bridegroom for his daughter, Rathnamala. Chandrachooda, the king of Sonapura, is blessed with a son, but with the curse, to survive, before it reaches the 16th month the child should be married to a 16-year-old girl. His minister goes on a bride hunt and reaches Kancheepuram. He shows them his own son's portrait and not that of the child prince. Rathnamala agrees to marry him. However, the minister says that, according to tradition, her marriage has to be performed with a sword. On entering the room, Rathnamala is shocked to see a child instead of the handsome youth she had seen in the portrait. The minister's son explains to her why they had to do that. She leaves the palace along with her child 'husband' and goes into a forest. Unaware of all this and finding Rathnamala missing, her father imprisons Chandrachooda, his minister, and the minister's son, and then sends his men in search of his daughter. An elderly couple shelter Rathnamala in the forest.