Navendhu Kumar lives a poor lifestyle with his handicapped father, Mohan, housewife mom, two unmarried sisters, Leela and Rajni, a younger brother, Kundan, and a sweetheart in Meena. He works for Avinash Gupta, however, when differences occur, he is framed by Gupta for breaking and entering, arrested by the police, tried in Court, and exiled from the town for a period of 12 months. After he leaves, the family is almost destitute and are exploited by Gupta. Then some months later, a young man, Anand, comes to visit them, informing them that Navendhu has sent him. He gives them some money for day to day expenses, gets some clothes for everyone, and a wheelchair for Mohan. He arranges the marriage of Rajni with her boyfriend, Ajay, despite strong opposition from Gupta, and falls in love with Leela. What the Kumar family do not know is that Anand is a fugitive on the run from the police in Bombay, and he harbors a dark secret that will change their lives forever.
Acting
Shashi Kapoor's layered nice-guy-with-dead-eyes performance.
Writing
Tight parallel between Navendhu's exile and Anand's fugitive status.
Director
Arabind Sen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Atithee (guest) is sacred in Hindu tradition—Anand weaponizes this cultural duty, making his deception extra transgressive.
Shabana Azmi's Leela/Julie double-name hints at her character's split between tradition and modernity, a recurring theme in her 70s roles.
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