Bajre Da Sitta

Baghel Singh, a representative for HMG, notices the two cousins Roop and Basant performing and recognizes their potential to become professional singers. He headhunts them and approaches their fathers with an offer to record a single. The family worries about public perception and about young women performing outside the home, setting the stage for resistance.

Roop and Basant's fathers strongly object to their daughters entertaining publicly. The idea of girls leaving the village or having their images revealed clashes with traditions and family reputation. The grandmother, meanwhile, values crochet and embroidery over singing, underscoring the family tension.

Roop's father is persuaded to allow the girls to sign up for a single, but with strict conditions: their names must not appear on the record, they must stay within the village, and their images cannot be revealed. The arrangement is a compromise between ambition and tradition. The girls prepare for their first recorded performance under these restrictions.

The first song is recorded and released to the village audience, becoming a success beyond expectations. The villagers praise the track, though they remain unaware of who sang it. The music seems to give voice to the sisters while preserving their anonymity at home.

Baghel Singh reports back to the record company that Mohammed Rafi heard the girls and praised their talent, dubbing them Punjab's nightingales. This recognition helps the duo gain wider attention within the industry. The discovery marks a turning point toward an album venture.

Representatives visit the Roop family and propose making an album, presenting a box of cash to seal the deal. Roop's father feels that accepting money would compromise self-respect and is enraged by the apparent price of fame. Basant argues that opportunities should be explored, tempering the father's fears with cautious optimism.

Under Basant's suggestion, Roop's father grants permission for one more song only if Roop agrees to marry the man he has chosen. The deal ties continuing singing to a traditional marriage arrangement, reflecting the tension between ambition and family duty. Roop consents to safeguard her family's honor while pursuing her talent.

The five-song album is produced, including Bajre da sitta. On the cover, the girls’ names—Roop Kaur and Basant Kaur—are printed, drawing attention from outside the village and angering some community members. The cover revelation brings fame but also increased scrutiny at home and among friends’ families.

The rising fame prompts Roop's father to accept an arranged marriage to a suitor named Ratan, who later insists Roop must not sing publicly. The match reflects a further attempt to control the sisters’ lives while safeguarding family reputation. The conflict between personal dream and social expectations intensifies.

After the marriage, Ratan tries to keep Roop's singing private, asking her to perform only behind closed doors. Roop’s talent begins to escape the confines of the home and threaten the new norms. The husband’s jealousy culminates when he tears the album cover upon discovering her singing beyond the walls.

A flashback reveals Ratan’s grandfather telling his own child that those of good repute do not sing. The memory underscores the cultural stigma attached to female singing and foreshadows the struggle Roop faces at home. It contextualizes the family’s fear of reputational damage.

Next door lives a four-year-old girl named Paali with a long-term semi-paralytic illness. Paali’s mother fears a lack of male care but remains hopeful. When Paali’s condition worsens, her mother brings Paali to Roop’s house for help, setting the stage for a miraculous healing.

Roop’s voice miraculously cures Paali when the doctors are away, illustrating the power of her singing and the potential impact of her talent. The incident shifts the family’s perception of what singing can mean for others. Paali’s recovery becomes a turning point in Roop’s struggle for acceptance.

Ratan escorts Roop to her father's home and communicates that, regardless of others’ views, Roop has permission to sing. This decision reconciles Roop’s ambitions with the family’s concerns and marks a hopeful resolution. Roop’s path as a singer is officially opened, though under continuing social scrutiny.