Mohan lives a middle-class life with his ailing mother, and works as a college professor. His mother would like him to get married, but he asks her to be patient as he awaits his probationary period to end at the college. At the college he lectures his students about Vasantsena, the evils of prostitution and his personal hatred of courtesans, who sell their lives for money. Things take a turn for the worse, when his mother suddenly collapses, loses consciousness, and is not expected to live long. The only way he can bring peace to his dying mother is to get married. His neighbor, Jeevan Ram, agrees to find a woman who will pose as a wife for a fee, and introduces him to a woman named Rajni, who is then introduced to his mother.
Acting
Vyjayanthimala's tragic dignity elevates every scene she's in.
Direction
B.R. Chopra's courtroom-drama instincts bring theatrical punch.
Writing
Delicious irony: lecturer on 'evils of prostitution' falls for a courtesan.
Director
B.R. Chopra
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of 1950s Hindi cinema's 'social problem' wave, where filmmakers used melodrama to push reformist agendas—often with mixed messages about women's agency.
Vyjayanthimala, a trained classical dancer, fought to make Champabai dignified rather than pitiful—reshaping how courtesan characters were portrayed in Indian cinema.
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