This film presented a fictionalized biography of its maker. One of the major characters is a producer modeled on Kohinoor's proprietor, D.N. Sampat, including a reference to the real life occasion when the studio, on the verge of bankruptcy, survived only because its employees donated money and gold ornaments to keep it afloat. Another character referred to a financier at the Imperial Studio. The plot also touched on the way a producer can curtail the freedom of a director.

A grand Mahabharata adaptation, this film focuses on Duryodhana's plot to usurp the Pandavas' kingdom. It culminates in the infamous dice game where Yudhishthira loses everything, including Draupadi, whose honor is miraculously saved by Krishna during a public humiliation.