Newspaper Boy (film)

Newspaper Boy is a Malayalamlanguage Indian film released in 1955. The film, a drama of stark realism, narrates the life of the common man on the street. The film is noteworthy in that the entire production programme from scriptwriting to direction was controlled and executed by students. The group of students were from Adarsh Kalamandirclarification needed and was written and directed by P. Ramdas. The screenplay was based on a short story written by Ramadas himself.

Set in Kerala of the 1950s, Newspaper Boy focuses on the lives of Appu Master Moni, the young protagonist of the film, and the members of his impoverished family. Appus father Sankaran Nair Nagavally R. S. Kurup earns a meagre living as a worker in a printing press. He is easily exploited in his work he cannot even muster the courage to ask his employer for overdue wages. Nairs wife, Kalyani Amma Neyyattinkara Komalam, takes care of their three children, Leela Kumari Madhuri, Appu and Balan Master Narendran. Kalyani Amma helps her husband by taking up the job of a housemaid in rich Madhava Menons G. R. Nair house. She is treated like a slave by Menons wife Lakshmi Amma Adoor Pankajam. Extreme poverty forces Leela to stop her education. However Nair manages to provide education to Appu, his only hope.Adding oil to the fire, one day, Nair injures his hand during his work in the press. He could not go to work for twothree weeks. The employer fires Nair from the job during this period. He offers Nair the payment for those days, but Nair refuses it, although his family is in dire need of money. Nair tries to find another job but in vain. He cannot even pay the houserent. House owner Kesavan Pillai Veeran asks Nair either to pay the rent or to leave the house. Soon Nair dies of extreme poverty and illness. After his demise, the family sinks even deeper into poverty. The whole family is now on Appus shoulders. Appu finds no way to save his family from this situation. Kittummavan Kuriyathi, a kindhearted neighbour, is his only help. Kittummavan asks his son Raghavan P. Ganga to take Appu to Madras and find him a job. ........

Source: Wikipedia