Ardhangini

At the very moment of her birth, ill-fated Chhaya's mother passes away, her dad loses his job, and their house burns down. She is shunned since then by children her age as well as their parents. Her dad brings her up with a lot of love, and even arranges her marriage with a young man, whose mother, uncle and nephew approve of Chhaya. But when the uncle finds out about Chhaya's past, they reject her. This news kills her dad, and Chhaya re-locates to live with her friend, Leela Lal, who lives a middle-class lifestyle with her husband, Murari, and her mother-in-law, who is very superstitious and never lets Leela out of her sight. Murari and Leela introduce her to Prakash, an airline pilot, and both eventually fall in love with each other. When Prakash takes her with him to meet his mom, Chhaya finds out that she is the same woman who rejected her and abruptly leaves without meeting anyone.

Directed by Ajit Chakrabarty, Ardhangini leans on a strong ensemble — Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar, Shubha Khote — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1959.