Oka Oori Katha

(The Outsiders)
​

​Venkaikh is a strange man, living in a queer world of his own with his son Kistaiah. Through worldly experiences and an inner strength the father and the son have learnt to conquer hunger. The villagers call them freaks beyond correction. To Venkaiah and his son the poor farmers are a pack of fools destined to work for the rich and suffer.
Kistaiah wants to marry Nilamma. The father is against the marriage because it inevitably leads to involvement, involvement to disaster. Kistaiah is adamant. In the family of the reckless two enters a third unit, Nilamma.
Nilamma works very hard to bring order in the family, Venkaiah goes his usual way. Kistaiah stands between the two extremes. The inevitable happens; there is bitterness in the family, which soon takes a terrible shape. In course of time Nilamma conceives. One day when the father and son return after raiding someone’s garden, they find Nilamma in acute pain. The father refuses to call a mid-wife and in the morning Kistaiah finds his wife lying dead.
They decide to give Nilamma a proper funeral. It is also a good excuse to make some money. They go begging around the village and gather a fair amount of money and decide to spend it on drinks after all…

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​Language: Telugu (1977, Colour)
Screenplay: Mrinal Sen
Direction: Mrinal Sen
Story: Munshi Premchand
Camera: K.K. Mahajan
Music: Vijay Raghav Rao
Caste: Vasudev Rao
            Narayan Rao
            Mamta Shankar
Awards & Nominations:
     National Award - Best Film in Telugu
      Karlovy Vary film Festival -S pecial Jury Award
      Carthage Film Festival - Special Award

Vasudeva Rao, the father.

Narayana Rao, the son, and his wife Mamata Shankar.

Vasudeva Rao.

Vasudeva Rao and Narayana Rao.

Mamata Shankar.

Mrinal Sen on location . The entire film was shot in the Telengana, district of Andhra Pradesh.

Mrinal Sen instructing Vasudeva Rao and Narayana Rao.

Poster, designed by Abhijit Gupta.