The story of a village, built on the dry bed of a river at the foot of the Himalayas. Wealthy landlord Sarkar decides to direct all waste into the village to make space for his real estate project. However, the poor villagers agitate against his plan and the protest is led by Balraj.

The first Indian film to win at Cannes Film Festival, Vijay Anand’s Neecha Nagar is noted for its expressionist social realism. Ahead of its time in cinematography and editing, this remarkable anti-imperialist film is elevated by the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s music.