It is often credited with pioneering a new wave of art cinema movement in Hindi Cinema, and alongside a film from another debutant film director, Shyam Benegal, "Ankur" (1973), are considered landmarks of Hindi Parallel Cinema, which had already started flourishing in other parts of India; in Bengal, notably by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak as well as in Kerala. The movie also launched the career of actor Farooq Shaikh, and also marked the end of Balraj Sahni's film career, who died before its release. It was India's official entry to the Academy Award's Best Foreign Film category, nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, won a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. In 2005, "Indiatimes Movies" ranked the movie amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films".