The film revolves around Champa (Vyjayanthimala), a prostitute and her love affair with Mohan, a college teacher(Lecturer)(Sunil Dutt).

[1] The film has the central theme of rehabilitation of prostitutes and bringing them into mainstream society, which was then a bold and controversial topic.

Incidentally, it is shown in the beginning that he is giving a lecture in his class based on the classic play, Mṛichchhakatika which features the story of a nobleman, Charudatt, who falls in love with Vasantsena, a prostitute.

This appears to leave a deep impact on the tender mind of a young Mohan, as will be seen from the progress of the story and its eventual columniation.

One day, while coming down the stairs, his mother, who was running high fever, slips and falls and loses consciousness.

The neighbor, Jeevan offers to help and brings a woman, Rajni, who is then introduced to his mother as the would-be daughter-in-law.

Professor Mohan (Sunil Dutt) is a morally upright, honest young man living with his beloved mother (Leela Chitnis), who is single-minded in her pursuit of one goal: her son's marriage.

During one lesson from a play composed by the medieval play-write, Shudraka about a nobleman who has fallen for a prostitute, he makes his abhorrent feelings about dancing girls quite clear.

The doctor is called, injections are given, the neighbors all come crowding in, and much shaking of the head ensues, but she finally regains her senses long enough to say this, that she wants him to get married.

Jeevan gives her the agreed amount, which is promptly pocketed by the brothel owner, Lallubhai (Manmohan Krishna).

In any case, Champa / Rajni is bowled over by the expensive jewelry that Mohan's mom shows her as the family bride-to-be.

She decides to forgo her fee, to Jeevan's dismay, in favor of pretending to have real feelings for Mohan until she can find an opportunity to steal it.

She soon does, as one day Mohan's mom gives her the bridal sari and jewelry to take home and try on and present herself as a bride before her.

But when she emerges, this time in her usual dance attire, they laugh at her again and she realizes that she means nothing to them, they don't think of her as a person with feelings or emotions.

The next day, subdued, she brings back the jewelry and bridal sari to Mohan's mom, who is recovering nicely.

She becomes very delighted to hear this but tells him to go home immediately as she didn't want his mother to get humiliated knowing that her son goes to a prostitute's house.

She turns to go out of the house when something irrevocably changes in Mohan's mother, who holds her back and tells her that she no longer is a prostitute after entering a household, which is like the flowing Ganges and she will not let her daughter-in-law go anywhere.

[9] While actress Vyjayanthimala was praised by the reviewer, whose performance was described as "gorgeous when she entertains the clients at her kotha" and "stunningly restrained when she assumes the character of a prospective wife".

[9] Adding to that, "she slips in and out of the two challenging and contrasting roles with élan, a remarkable feat for an artiste who was only 22 and hardly 10-films old when she signed to play this difficult but decisive role in her dazzling career" and concluded that "the movie is all about Vyjayanthimala's skills as a dancer and an actor[...]is captivating in her dancing numbers[...]The Filmfare Award for Best Actress that year could not have gone to anyone else even though she was also nominated in the same category for Madhumati.

[7] The music director Datta Naik and the lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi were praised for their involvement, especially for "Aurat Ne Janam Diya Mardon Ko", described as "crowning glory" and "hair-raising" song of the film.