Kidappadam (1955)

Dwelling

Release date : 11 February 1955

Do Bigha Zameen’s (1953) Malayalam version, Miss Kumari was the only bright spot in this lacklustre production, in its attempt to re-tell the classic in its Kerala context. Though a multi-starrer for the times, the intention to present it as a wholesome entertainer rather than the gritty, poignant flavor of the original was what made it flounder and sink in the attempt. Miss Kumari played Kalyani, the ever-suffering wife of Shankaran who also needs to fight off the landlords advances as well as eke out a living within her meagre resources. This was also the final in the trilogy of leading roles in her professional career that represented the agrarian milieu – Neelakkuyil (1954) & Randidengazhi (1958) being the other two, each a brilliant portrayal onscreen.

Movie Handbill

Movie still from Kidappadam (1955)

More about the Movie

Prem Nazir	Adoor Pankajam
Boban Kunchacko	Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai
Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair	Kalaikkal Kumaran
Miss Kumari	Baby Girija
Adoor Pankajam	Kumari Thankam
Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair	Mathappan
Subrani	Master Loving

Director	MRS Mani
Producer	M Kunchacko
Banner	Excel Productions
Story	M Kunchacko
Screenplay	M Kunchacko
Dialogues	Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai
Lyrics	Abhayadev
Music	V Dakshinamoorthy
Singers	AM Raja, Kaviyoor CK Revamma, LPR Varma, Stella Varghese
Choreography	Baby Girija

Copyrights & Courtesy : The Hindu (B Vijayakumar’s MetroPlus Kochi Column)

The story revolves around a small farmer Sankaran (Prem Nazir) who lives with his father (Thikkurissi), wife Kalyani (Miss Kumari) and son Ravi (Boban Kunjacko) in a small village in Kerala. The small plot of land in which they live was owned by the family by hard work and was beloved to them, more than their life. Sankaran’s father had borrowed money from the landlord (Kottarakkara).

The landlord’s wife (Kumari Thankam) hated Kalyani, while the landlord had an eye on this young woman. The landlord’s manager (Muthukulam) was at hand to support his master’s evil plans. The landlord sues Sankaran’s father for non-repayment of the debt using the blank papers that he got signed while lending money.

He demands the ‘Kidappadam’ (dwelling) of Sankaran as repayment of the debt. The landlord allows Sankaran some more time to repay the debt failing which, he says that he would confiscate the property.

Sankaran leaves the village and reaches Chennai (then Madras) in search of a job. His goal is to earn money and repay the debt. Sankaran faces several hardships. Unable to find a good job, he works as a rickshaw puller. Unknown to Sankaran, his son, Ravi also reaches the city and works as a mobile coffee vendor. Both Sankaran and Ravi face the cruelty of the city.

In the village, Kalyani struggles hard for a living. She also struggles to protect herself from the landlord’s clutches. The money sent to her by Sankaran and Ravi is stolen by the landlord’s manager. Sankaran’s father dies of hunger and illness; Sankaran is injured seriously in an accident and his leg is broken. Ravi meets Sankaran and they decide to return to their village in time to save their plot from being confiscated. But fate works against them.

They get into a wrong train and reach the village after the end of the extended date. The landlord takes over their plot. Physically and mentally shattered Sankaran dies when he sees his ‘kidappadam’ taken away. Kalyani and Ravi walk away from the village bringing the film to a sad end.