A poor peasant from the village, who comes to the city in search of work, is looking for some water to quench his thirst. He enters an apartment complex, whose residents take him for a thief and chase him. He runs from one flat to the other trying to escape his predicament. Along the way, he witnesses many shady undertakings in the flats where he hides. Ironically, these crimes are being committed by the so-called "respectable" citizens of the city, who by day, lead a life totally in contrast to their nighttime deeds behind closed doors. He is shocked by these events and tries to escape by evading the search parties that are patrolling the apartment building in search of the elusive thief. He is unfortunately seen, and people chase him to the roof of the building. He puts up a brave resistance and then descends by the water pipes onto the porch of a flat. He goes in to find a young girl. She talks to him and kindles a self-belief in the peasant, who determinedly tries to face the adversity waiting outside. But when he ventures out of the flat, he is surprised to find that nobody takes notice of him. He eventually leaves the apartment building, his thirst still unquenched. He hears a beautiful song and searching for its source arrives at the doorstep of a woman drawing water from a well. His thirst is finally assuaged.
Music
Other than the acting, the music is the highlight of the film. Lyrics are by Shailendra and Prem Dhawan and music is by Salil Choudhary. The songs are 1. "Zindagi Khawab Hai, Khvaab Me Jhuth Kya Aur Bhala Sach Hai Kya" - Mukesh 2. "Main Koi Jhoot Boleya" sung by Mohammed Rafi and S. Balbir and 3. "Jaago Mohan Pyaare" - Lata Mangeshkar 4. "Thandee Thandee Savan Kee Phuhar" - Asha Bhosle 5. "Maine Jo Li Angdayi" - Haridhan, Sandhya Mukherjee
Bengali version
The song "Zindagi Khwab Hai", picturized on Motilal in Hindi was recorded as "Ei Duniaye Shobi Hoi" in the Bengali version and was picturized on Chhabi Biswas. Most of the storyline is identical between the two versions, as were the songs; "Teki Main Jhuth Boliya", sung by Mohammed Rafi and picturized on Sikh drivers is consistent in both versions. "Jago Mohan Pritam" sung by Lata Mangeshkar is common to both versions - only the lyrics were changed to Hindi and Bengali, as applicable.
Jagte Raho was an overseas blockbuster at the Soviet box office, drawing 33.6 million Soviet viewers in 1965, due to Raj Kapoor's popularity in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, the film earned an estimated 8.4 million SUR in 1965, equivalent to US$ million in 2016.
