An atheist falls in love with a married devout woman who has forsaken materialistic life.
Acting
Nargis glows with otherworldly suffering; Dilip Kumar simmers with repressed agony.
Score
Naushad's ghazals will live rent-free in your head forever.
Cinematography
Dreamy black-and-white that makes renunciation look suspiciously glamorous.
Director
Kidar Nath Sharma
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nargis reportedly refused to wear makeup for her saint scenes, making her look genuinely ethereal. Studios hated it; audiences wept.
The film sparked controversy for suggesting religious devotion and romantic love might be spiritually indistinguishable—a spicy take for 1950 India.
IN
