Amanush marvels at the scope of the man's histrionic capabilities.
Uttam Kumar shines as Madhusudan Roy Chaudhary aka Madhu, a straightforward scion of a zamindar family settled in a fishing village in the
Sundarbans. He reflects angst and anger with understated ease after his life is ripped asunder by the machinations of the family munim, Mahim Ghoshal (
Utpal Dutt). Reduced to a penniless drunkard, he is condemned to live the life of an
Amanush — half human, and half beast. As a debauched vagabond, he raises his voice on behalf of the downtrodden who suffer under the highhanded and corrupt Ghosal. This brings him face to face with the law enforcers, who are often hand in glove with the wily Ghosal. It is in this backdrop that Inspector Bhuvan (
Anil Chatterjee) lands in the village, where Ghosal 'fills his ears' against Madhu. Bhuvan, without going into merits of the case, acts harshly on Madhu, even whipping him at the police station. However, he soon learns the story of Madhu and his estranged love interest, Lekha (
Sharmila Tagore). In a flashback, Madhu tells him how he was entrapped in a fake case of theft in his own house, whereon his ailing paternal uncle, under the influence of the munim, handed him over to the police. He is also accused of fathering a child through a prostitute. Before he can prove his innocence the woman is abducted and killed at the behest of Mahim. On completing his prison sentence, Madhu returns to his village, only to find that his uncle has been murdered by the munim, who shows it as a case of natural death. Thereon, Bhuvan embarks on a mission to reform Madhu and gets him a contract for building a dam in an adjoining village. A determined Madhu, with his two sidekicks, completes the job commendably. He even wins back the confidence of Lekha, whom he saves from drunken streamer operators one night. But the ice is finally broken when the village is endangered by raging flood waters that threaten to breach the dam. All villagers persuade Madhu to take the mantle of saving the village, but he spurns them, blaming them for his misery. Finally, on a visit by Rekha he relents, and saves the dam and the village from havoc. Meanwhile, Madhu's honour is restored, as is his love interest. Ghosal is arrested for his wrongdoings by Bhuvan, even as he is transferred to a new posting. ==Cast==