He adopts the identity of "Sudhir" and enters a marriage of convenience with Chandni (Raakhee) to give her child legitimacy.

The 1973 film holds a unique place in Indian cinema as the foundation of Yash Raj Films (YRF) , now one of the world's largest production houses. Released on April 27, 1973 , this romantic drama was directed and produced by Yash Chopra in his independent debut. Core Plot & Literary Inspiration

The film is loosely based on 1886 novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge . It follows Sunil (Rajesh Khanna), who kills his villainous boss's son, Dheeraj (Prem Chopra), while protecting his wife Sonia (Sharmila Tagore) from an attempted assault.

The soundtrack, composed by with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi , dominated the charts in 1973. Notably, this was the only time Yash Chopra collaborated with this music duo. Song Title "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" Kishore Kumar "Ab Chahe Maa Roothe Yaa Baba" Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar "Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni" Lata Mangeshkar, Minoo Purushottam "Hum Aur Tum Tum Aur Hum" Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar "Jab Bhi Jee Chaahe" Lata Mangeshkar Box Office and Awards

After being sentenced to prison, Sunil is presumed dead in a jail van accident but survives.

Despite skepticism about its bold ending—where the protagonist ends up living with both wives—the film was a at the box office. It was the 3rd highest-grossing film of 1973, earning approximately ₹6.5 crore .