An adaptation of Kamleshwar Prasad Saxenaa's eponymous novel, this artfully hewn, musical melodrama traces a circular relationship between its three main characters: dashing truck driver bandit Sarnam, the lovely Bansuri who he saves from being raped and handsome Shivraj, who works in a temple is later hired by Sarnam. Briefly released in 1971 and subsequently lost for decades until its rediscovery in 2019, Badnam Basti is the debut feature of Indian New Wave filmmaker Prem Kapoor.