For those who love Rajesh Khanna for entertaining us with classics like Anand and Aradhana this is yet another one. While I wouldn’t put it up next to Anand it definitely is one of his better films...well directed...well casted...and well handled with a not so obvious and predictable plot.
Rakesh Khanna (Sunil) and Sharmila (Sonia) are shown as a young duo very much in love. Sonia’s family...aunt/uncle...aunt specifically is against the idea of her marrying her love. They go against the family wishes post a ’Jahe maa roothe ya baba maine toh haan karli’....and get married.
Post marriage...newly married they are honeymooning... where Prem Chopra who is Sunil’s boss (gee like we can’t guess what his character is for) has the evil eye for Sonia...and as soon as our hero has left the premises Chopra is knocking at the door with not so good intentions.
Sunil comes back to rescue and in the process Chopra ends up getting murdered. Court case follows with Khanna being jailed for the murder...this leaving Sonia alone and helpless. Meanwhile Sunil in police custody gets into an accident while riding with the other prisoners and is assumed dead.
Sonia devastated by this and expecting a baby goes away...she lives as a single mother while Sunil who is in fact alive (we wouldn’t have guessed---considering he is assumed dead within the first 30 minutes of the film) has married Rakhee (Chandni)...superficially and socially he and Rakhee come off as the perfect couple and perfect family with their little one.
However this is where the movie really takes a turn for the much better...Sonia and Chandni befriend each other (typical filmi manner) and bfr long Sonia is at Chandni’s house with their children playing together.
It is not long before Sunil and Sonia come face to face...and Sonia is even more devastated to see him ’happily’ married to Chandni. Sunil manages to steal away a moment and explain to Sonia what the truth is...which is eventually revealed to the viewer too...Chandni in her young years had been going around w/Prem Chopra and had a child from him...he had left her the minute he found out she was expecting...to save Chandni from society Sunil married her to give her and her child his name.
However besides this no marital relationship existed between them. From here the story progresses with Sunil having both Sonia and Chandni in his life and while social boundaries tie him to Chandni he cannot help but go to Sonia.
The ending is quite interesting too---not the usual first love sacrifices his/herself and leaves...lets just say no one makes the age old filmi ’tyaag’ at the end. Do watch if you get a chance...songs are pretty good...the one that particularly stands out is ’Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hain’.