Boot Polish

<p>Bhola and Belu are left in the care of their wicked aunt Kamla, a prostitute, after their mother dies. She forces them to beg on the streets and takes the whole collection at night, often by beating them brutally. A bootlegger and neighbour of Kamla, named John teaches them self-respect and to work for a living instead of begging. Both kids start saving from their begging money by giving less to Kamla, so they can buy a shoe-polish kit and begin . The duo manage to buy a shoe-polish kit and starts the business. But when Kamla discovers this, she beats them and kicks them out of the house. Meanwhile, John discovers that Belu wants a new frock and Bhola needs a new shirt as their current rags are torn and worn out. Overwhelmed by the emotions to help Belu and Bhola, John decides to sell unauthorized liquor and gets arrested. The children, on the other hand, are left to fend for themselves. When it rains, and people stop having their shoes polished, the children are in danger of starving. Bhola wishes never to beg again and rejects a coin tossed to him on a rainy night. When Belu takes it out of hunger, Bhola slaps her, and she drops it. When the police come, intent on taking the children, Belu escapes onto a train, but Bhola is arrested. On board the train, Belu is adopted by a wealthy family, and she is sad for her brother. Bhola searches for Belu after being released but cannot find her. After running away from an orphanage, he is unable to find work and resorts to begging in extreme hunger. He encounters Belu while begging at the railway station where Belu and her adopted family are boarding a train for vacation. Humiliated, Bhola runs away, but his sister pursues him. John has also come to the station to say goodbye and joins the chase, but he falls and is injured. Bhola stops running, and Belu and Bhola are reunited. The wealthy family adopts Bhola also, and they live happily ever after. In a piece for the on 2 April 1954 issue titled ‘Why I Produced Boot Polish’, wrote, “In I tried to prove that Vagabonds are not born, but are created in the slums of our modern cities, in the midst of dire poverty and evil environment. graphically shows the problem of destitute children, their struggle for existence and their fight against organised beggary. The purpose of this film is to bring home to you that these orphans are as much your responsibility as that of the Government. Individual charity will not solve this problem because the only solution is co-operative effort on a National scale.” Lyrics were written by , and Deepak. Music for the songs were composed by . This article about a Hindi film of the 1950s is a . You can help Wikipedia by .</p>