The story of P. Ramlee’s debut directorial effort Penarek Becha centers on the forbidden relationship between a noble but poor trishaw-puller (P. Ramlee) and the kind daughter (Saadiah) of a smug, condescending rich man. Set in then-contemporary Singapore (mid-1950s; the city was on the cusp of self-governance), the melodramatic film offers a critique of the values and attitudes of the wealthy and the elite, and draws attention to the plight of the lower classes in the society.