Oka Oori Katha (English title: The Marginal Ones; Telugu: ఒక ఊరి కథ) is a 1977 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Mrinal Sen. An adaptation of Munshi Premchand's short story Kafan (The Burial Shroud), the film transports the narrative from the Hindi heartland of Premchand to the rural landscapes of Telangana.
Starring M. V. Vasudeva Rao, G. V. Narayana Rao, and Mamata Shankar, the film sharply critiques feudal exploitation by depicting the harsh lives of a father-son duo who resist the oppressive system by refusing to work.
[6] The jury praised the film for its potent transformation of Premchand's story into a powerful commentary on rural poverty and social injustice, lauding its unflinching portrayal of the harsh realities faced by the downtrodden and its impassioned appeal to human conscience.
They go begging around the village and gather some money and decide to spend it on drinks.
A critic for The Telegraph noted in 2019 that Mrinal Sen's Oka Oori Katha offers a blistering, absurdist critique of feudal exploitation, portraying the degradation of marginalized individuals through its stark and unflinching narrative, making it a unique and unsettling piece of Indian cinema.