''Kandam Becha Kottu'' () is a 1961 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

-language drama film directed and produced by T. R. Sundaram under the banner of

Modern Theatres Modern Theaters Ltd was an Indian film studio in Salem, Tamil Nadu started by T. R. Sundaram Mudaliar in 1935. The studio produced over more than 150 films until 1982 in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Sinhalese and even English of ...

. It stars

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri fr ...

and

Prem Nawas Prem Nawas (born Abdul Wahab) was an Indian actor and producer in Malayalam cinema, and the younger brother of Malayalam cinema actor Prem Nazir. His parents were Shahul Hameed and Asmabeevi. He lost his mother at a very young age, and his fa ...

in the lead roles, along with T. S. Muthaiah,

Aranmula Ponnamma Aranmula Ponnamma (8 April 1914 – 21 February 2011) was a National Award winning Indian actress known for her roles as mother of the protagonist in numerous films in a career spanning over five decades. She is widely described as a mother ...

and

Ambika Sukumaran Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, th ...

in supporting roles. The film deals with the negative effects of the

dowry system in India The dowry system in India refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the groom, his parents and his relatives as a condition of the marriage. Dowry is referred to dahez in Hindi and as ''jahez ...

through customs of the

Muslim community ' (; ar, أمة ) is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is distinguished from ' ( ), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history. It is a synonym for ' ...

. ''Kandam Becha Kottu'' was based on a popular novel by T. Muhammad Yusuf, which was also staged as a play under the same title by the

Kerala People's Arts Club Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals having close ties with Communist Party of India in Kerala. KPAC was very influential in popularising ...

. Sundaram had earlier produced and directed Malayalam cinema's first talkie '' Balan'' (1938). The film was initially planned to be K. S. Sethumadhavan's directorial debut. However, when Sundaram decided to shoot the film in colour, which would be much more expensive than planned, he decided to direct the film himself. The screenplay of the film was written by K. T. Muhammed in the Kozhikodan dialect. The film's music was composed by

M. S. Baburaj Mohammad Sabir Baburaj was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs. Early years Baburaj was born on 9 March 1929 in Kozhikod ...

, while the cinematography was done by T. Sundarababu. ''Kandam Becha Kottu'' was released on 24 August 1961 to high expectations. The film was the first

colour Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

film and

Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

film in Malayalam. The film was a huge box office success, running for weeks in packed theatres. The film received the Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Malayalam at the

9th National Film Awards The 9th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1961. The awards were announced on 5 April 1962 and were pres ...

Plot

The story of the film revolves around a kind-hearted

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who Shoemaking, repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * The Cobbler (1923 ...

Mohammed Kakka (T. S. Muthiah). He keeps his life savings in the pockets of his old coat to realise his dream of going on a pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

. Alikoya Haji (Thikkurissi) loves his son Ummer (Prem Nawaz) and brings him up showering all love and affection. Hajis's sister Kadeeja (Pankajavalli) and her family lives in the neighbourhood. Amina (Aranmula Ponnamma) and her children, Kunju Bibi (Ambika) and Hassan (Nellikkodu Bhaskaran) live in the same house. Amina's husband is a businessman in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. Kadeeja's husband Avaran (Kedamangalam Sadanandan) is very considerate to his brother's wife Amina and her family. But Kadeeja keeps ill-treating Amina. Ummer falls in love with Kunju Bibi, his childhood mate. Kadeeja is jealous of this affair. She tries all sorts of tricks to create trouble, but fails. Alikoya Haji decides to accept Kunju Bibi as his daughter-in-law, but demands a dowry of Rs. 2,000. Amina's husband starts from Singapore with the money. Arrangements for the wedding is made, but to the dismay of everyone, a telegram arrives informing the death of Amina's husband during the voyage back home. Amina and her children are pushed out of the house, the marriage is postponed as Haji gives an ultimatum to organise the dowry. Mohammed Kakka gives shelter to Amina and her family. Kadeeja continues to harass them, while Ummer tries hard to help them organise the money. He even goes to the extent of stealing from his father's safe. Ummer is caught red handed and is placed under house arrest. Mohammed Kakka makes arrangements for the marriage. He offers the money he had saved and kept in the pockets of the coat. He also appeals to others in the neighbourhood to contribute for the marriage. Ummer finally marries Kunju Bibi, providing a happy ending to the film. Mohmmed Kakka's noble deed glorifies him.

Cast

as Alikoya Haji *

as Ummer * T. S. Muthaiah as Mammadikka *

as Kunju Bivi *

Pankajavalli Pankajavalli is an Indian actress in Malayalam movies. She was known for her supporting roles during the late 1960s and 1970s in Malayalam. She made her debut in Jeevitha Nouka in 1951. She has acted in more than 50 movies. Her grand daughter ...

as Kadeeja *

as Amina *

Nellikode Bhaskaran Nellikode Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 11 August 1988) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. His real name was Bhaskara Menon. He mostly played character roles and supporting roles. Awards Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala St ...

as Hassan *

Kedamangalam Sadanandan Kedamangalam Sadanandan (1926 – 13 April 2008) was a Kadhaprasangam artist, actor, screenwriter and lyricist from Kerala. He performed Kadhaprasangam (story telling) in more than 15,000 stages for over 50,000 hours in a career spanning about 6 ...

as Avaran * S. P. Pillai as Minnal Moideen *

Bahadoor Padiyath Kochumoideen Kunjalu (1930 22 May 2000), known by his stage name Bahadoor, was an Indian actor and comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in the Malayalam cinema. They ...

as Khader *

Nilambur Ayisha Nilambur Ayisha is an Indian actress in Malayalam movies. She started her career as a theater artist. Later she became a supporting actress in the Malayalam movies in late 1960s and 1970s. She has acted in more than 50 movies. She was the first ...

as Bethatha *Chandni as Beechipathu *Kottayam Chellappan *Omana *Muttathara Soman

Crew

* director - T. R. Sundaram * producer - Modern Theatres * writer - K. T. Muhammed -T. Muhammad Yusuf * music - Baburaj * Art Direction - A.J.Dominic

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

and lyrics were written by P. Bhaskaran.

Reception

The film was a big box office success and ran for weeks in packed theatres.

Awards

; National Film Awards *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

: Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Malayalam

References

External links

* *http://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movie.php?i=89
''Deshabhimani'' article on the Golden Jubilee of the film

''Madhyamam'' article on the Golden Jubilee of the film
{{T. R. Sundaram 1961 films 1960s Malayalam-language films 1961 directorial debut films