Actor Chandramohan as the fanatical Rajguru in Amrit Manthan (1934)

Based on Narayan Hari Apte’s novel Bhagyashree, Amrit Manthan tells the story of a reformist king pitted against his fanatical Rajguru (head priest) who insists on animal sacrifice and ends up offering his own head to the demanding Goddess. Implicit to the story was its raising a voice against religious obscurantism and bigotry.