Dutt’s ability to convey righteousness was deftly capitalised by Bimal Roy in this timeless classic.

Dutt plays Adheer babu, the sensitive suitor who grasps Sujata’s pain at not being fully accepted by her foster mother. And he does not allow caste differences to stand in the way of his love.

Dutt’s soul-in-his-eyes wooing of an anguished Nutan over the telephone, with the help of Talat Mehmood’s Jalte hai jiske liye, remains one of the most enduring romantic images of Hindi cinema.