The film stars Sohrab Modi, Sunil Dutt, Nimmi, Pran, Om Prakash, Kumkum, Naaz, Murad, Ulhas,Manorama.

Nimmi's double role in the film as mother and daughter was acclaimed critically,[2] while Ulhas won a nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.

[3] Based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, Les Misérables,[4] the film had Modi playing a poverty-stricken young man who gets into trouble with the police for stealing a loaf of bread.

The film starts with Kundan (Sohrab Modi) stealing a loaf of bread from a kitchen and running home with it to feed his young niece Radha, and ailing mother.

He has been told by the jail authorities, including Inspector Sher Singh (Ulhas), a devout policeman, to keep them informed about his whereabouts and to present himself regularly at the police station.

A grown Uma (Nimmi) meets Amrit (Sunil Dutt), a freedom fighter involved in the Quit India Movement against the British.

When Amrit recovers, Kundan goes down to find a note written by the Inspector, in which he states that he's letting two people wanted by the police to go free, hence his only salvation for not doing his duty is to kill himself.

The playback were provided by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Geeta Dutt, S. D. Batish, Mubarak Begum and Sudha Malhotra.