Ashok Mehra, Rajesh Khanna, is a prosperous industrialist whose cosmetics business forms the core of his life. He shares a deeply happy marriage with his wife, Rekha, who plays Mrs. Purnima Mehra. When their daughter arrives, tragic complications after the birth take Purnima’s life, leaving Ashok crushed by grief. He slowly finds a renewed sense of purpose through his duties to his daughter, Mini, and the stubborn affection that grows between father and child. Mini Mehra, Baby Shabana, is surrounded by a blanket of affection from her father, yet she yearns for a mother’s presence, a void that no amount of care from Ashok can fully fill.
As the years pass, Ashok reenters life with a semblance of normalcy, but Mini’s longing becomes a steady undercurrent in their days. She questions why her mother is not there, and Ashok’s attempts to soothe her are increasingly insufficient. To appease Mini’s sorrow, he resorts to comforting lines about her mother possibly returning "from God’s house," a lie he feels compelled to maintain to keep his daughter hopeful. Mini’s frustration grows into uncontrollable behavior, making it nearly impossible for her to attend school or be guided by a governess, and Ashok finds himself grappling with a mounting sense of guilt for not being able to fill the maternal role herself.
To bolster his cosmetics campaign and compete with foreign brands, Ashok hires Raj Bedi, Raj Babbar, a successful photographer who knows how to craft a powerful image. Bedi scouts talent and discovers Radha, a striking woman who, like Mini, has her own complicated story. Radha, Rekha in this tale's other thread, initially hesitates but is eventually persuaded to model for Ashok’s new campaign. The collaboration intensifies into a romance, and Bedi and Radha marry, a turn that shakes Ashok’s world on several levels. In a cruel twist, Bedi’s fierce insistence on managing every detail drives him to ruin his own reputation as Ashok exposes the campaign’s broken promises, leaving Bedi with a ruined career and a difficult road ahead.
Radha’s life takes another turn when hardship through a severe accident forces her husband into a bedridden state. To keep the household afloat, Radha seeks work that would allow her to care for her husband and their home. In a bold move, she presents herself for a position as Mini’s governess, a job she gets by passably passing as someone who resembles Mrs. Purnima Mehra. Shakur Ahmed, Madan Puri, Ashok Mehra’s trusted manager, senses a “great feeling” about her and secures the opportunity. Unaware of Radha’s true circumstances, Mini’s guardianship becomes Radha’s chance to fill the maternal void in the child’s life.
Initially, Mini’s behavior is turbulent, but Radha’s unwavering patience and devotion begin to soften the little girl’s defenses. Mini learns from Radha’s steady care, and a sense of warmth starts to replace her earlier loneliness. Concurrently, Ashok begins to see Radha not just as a governess but as a person who awakens a renewed sense of tenderness in him—yet he remains unaware that Radha is also a wife and a mother. The tension escalates as Raj Bedi’s suspicions about Radha’s marital truths surface, and Chandu, Govardhan Asrani, a loyal but meddlesome friend of Bedi, adds to the complications surrounding the relationships and loyalties involved.
A heated confrontation among Ashok, Raj Bedi, and Radha finally brings the emotional murk into the open, and the bond between Radha and Mini is forced into a painful separation. Ashok’s sense of responsibility—to protect Mini from the ache of deprivation and to respect Radha’s own life—drives him to distance the child from Radha and the complicated ties she represents. The rift hardens into final estrangement, and Radha and her husband’s bond is tested as both she and Mini are drawn back into different futures.
Guilt gnaws at Ashok as he reflects on his own judgments of Radha and the sacrifices she has made. A glint of luck briefly enters the story when a lottery ticket Radha had purchased, with Ashok’s help, wins a jackpot. The prize is large enough to fund Mr. Bedi’s treatment in America, and Ashok sends Shakur Ahmed to deliver the news. The moment of revelation brings a swirl of misunderstandings into focus, but it also clears the air about what each person has endured. With the Bedis’ future in sight, Ashok faces a painful choice: arrange for Mini to be adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Bedi so she can receive the love she deserves, or continue a life divided between a father’s longing and a daughter’s need.
In the end, the movie closes on a sharply emotional note, with Ashok delivering a stark, heartrending line that binds together the threads of love, loss, and the costs of keeping promises. > I Loved you once, but lost you twice.
