The film uses the river Ganges as a powerful metaphor. Just as the river begins pure at its source and becomes increasingly polluted as it flows through industrial and urban landscapes, Ganga remains pure at heart while being exploited and "tarnished" by the greed, lust, and hypocrisy of the people she encounters in the plains. Social Commentary
Ganga’s subsequent solo trek from the mountains to Calcutta mirrors the flow of the river itself: ram teri ganga maili