Aradhana

In an idyllic hilly terrain, Indian Air Force officer Arun Varma (Rajesh Khanna) sings Mere Sapno Ki Rani atop an open jeep along with his co-pilot Madan (Sujit Kumar), while Vandana (Sharmila Tagore), the daughter of a doctor Gopal Tripathi (Pahadi Sanyal) demurely sneaks glances at him from a mini train. After a brief romance, they have a secret wedding.Soon afterwards, Arun dies in an air crash leaving behind a heartbroken and pregnant Vandana. His family refuses to accept the unwed mother-to-be since her marriage with Arun is never formalised. Meanwhile, her father also dies, leaving her destitute.

Vandanas son is finally born, but she is forced to let a childless couple adopt him. Determined to be a part of his life, she accepts the responsibility of becoming his nanny. The boy is named Suraj. Her employers brother Shyam (Manmohan) arrives and lusts for Vandana. He tries to harass her physically when no-one is around, but Suraj arrives and stabs him to death to save his nanny.

When the police arrive police, Vandana takes the blame for the murder and is arrested while Suraj runs away and forgets this mishap as he grows up.Several years later, when Vandana is released from jail she is befriended by the jailer (Madan Puri) who takes her home and introduces her to his daughter Renu (Farida Jalal). Vandana comes face to face with Suraj (Rajesh Khanna) when she discovers that Renu is dating him. Suraj, just like how his father wished, is an air-force officer. He slowly starts remembering that he has seen Vandana somewhere, although Vandana wants to hide the truth as she feels Suraj may be embarrassed upon realising his parents background and history.

Vandana makes herself home at the jailers house.Suraj is injured in an air crash like his real father Arun, but survives. While he is recuperating in the hospital, Vandana meets Madan, who knows that Suraj is Arun and Vandanas son. He wants to tell Suraj the truth, but Vandana denies wanting to let Suraj know that he is her son, fearing the consequences. Later when Vandana is not around, Suraj sees her diary where Aruns photo is found.

Realising that Arun and Vandana are his true parents, he salutes Vandanas self-sacrificing attitude and accepts her as his own mother.