In the city of Lucknow in northern India, Islamic culture has flourished. Two of the three best friends who live in this city have unknowingly fallen in love with the same woman named Jameela.

After the perceived failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool, Guru Dutt made his comeback in the role of actor-producer with this melodrama of mistaken identity. Featuring the first use of color photography in Hindi cinema, this is an enlightening—at turns devastating—fable of friendship and intercultural love.