School Master was the first Kannada film to be remade in five languages and also the first Kannada film to be remade in three other South Indian languages.[4] The movie is based on 1937 English movie Make Way for Tomorrow[5] which has been adapted multiple times including in Japanese as Tokyo Story (1953), in Marathi as Oon Paus (1954), in Tamil as Varavu Nalla Uravu (1990), in Pakistani as Samaj (1972) and twice in Hindi as Zindagi (1976) and Baghban (2003).[6]
Plot
Ranganna is a newly appointed headmaster in a government-run village primary school, where he admits his children. Gundappa is a peon at the school. A disciplinarian, Ranganna lives with his three children and wife, Seetha. His elder son Gopi gets into fight with a troublesome student, Vasu. Although Vasu is punished, his innate goodness wins over his teacher and he is given special attention to become a better student.
Nagappa, the corrupt chairperson of the village panchayat frequently clashes with the honest Ranganna and the district authorities. After Ranganna refuses to campaign for him in the upcoming elections, Nagappa retaliates by burning down Ranganna's house. However, Ranganna's young students, led by Vasu, build a house for their teacher. Ranganna's efforts to convert the primary school into a high school are temporarily stalled when Nagappa steals the funds meant for the project and pins the blame on Ranganna. Nagappa is eventually caught and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Years later, Vasu tops his matriculation exams. Ranganna's sons marry — Gopi to Radha, Nagappa's daughter, and Ravikumar to Geetha, much against the parents' wishes. However, the parents accept these unions. Their daughter, Gowri, marries a simple businessman, Puttanna. Upon Ranganna's retirement, his sons are reluctant to take in their parents. With no savings of his own, Ranganna must rely on them to support his retired life.Gopi takes his father, while Ravikumar takes their mother. As a result, Ranganna is separated from his wife.
Over time, Ranganna’s eyesight deteriorates, and he is unable to even read his wife's letters because his son refuses to provide him with spectacles. Both Ranganna and his wife are mistreated by their daughters-in-law, prompting them to leave their sons’ homes.
Meanwhile, Ranganna’s house, built by his students, is put up for auction. Vasu, now a Superintendent of Police, happens to pass by and notices the auction. In the climax, he buys the house and hands it over to Ranganna and Seetha, who have now been reunited. Ranganna is overwhelmed with emotion as he sees his once troublesome student has transformed into a role model. His journey as a teacher has come full circle, ending on a note of satisfaction.
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