Ijaazat

Ijaazat

Year: 1987

Runtime: 137 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Gulzar

RomanceDrama

An estranged couple accidentally meet in a railway station’s waiting room and revisit their past.

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Timeline & Setting – Ijaazat (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Ijaazat (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Late 20th century

The narrative shifts between present-day scenes and flashbacks from the couple’s married years. These memories shape current decisions and reveal the lasting impact of past choices. The tone reflects a pre-digital era in Indian cinema, with traditional values colliding with personal desires.

Location

Panchgani, India, Train station waiting room

The story unfolds across the hill town of Panchgani and key transport hubs, notably a railway station waiting room where a chance encounter triggers the core emotional arc. Panchgani provides a calm, small-town backdrop that contrasts with the intensity of the relationships on screen. The film also highlights everyday spaces like the school where Sudha works, grounding the drama in ordinary Indian life.

🚉 Train station 🗺️ India ⏳ Time

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:27

Main Characters – Ijaazat (1987)

Meet the key characters of Ijaazat (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Mahender (Naseeruddin Shah)

A complex, tormented husband who sustains two relationships, inwardly torn between duty to Sudha and lingering attachment to Maya. His guilt-driven decisions drive much of the drama, and his attempts at balancing loyalties often miss the mark. He is capable of tenderness yet sometimes acts out of self-interest, leading to tragedy.

🧭 Complex 💔 Dilemma ❤️ Romance

Sudha (Rekha)

A resilient teacher in Panchgani who seeks stability after a difficult marriage. She remains wary of Maya’s presence and challenges Mahender’s choices, demanding honesty. Her arc centers on forgiveness, self-respect, and the cost of unresolved love.

🏫 Teacher 💔 Cautious 🕊️ Independent

Maya (Anuradha Patel)

The third person in the emotionally tangled triangle, whose vulnerability and attachment to Mahender trigger love, guilt, and desperation. Her actions reveal the fragility of fragile hopes and the consequences when desire overpowers prudence.

💖 Tragic love 🌫️ Obsession 🌀 Fragile hope

Father Figure (Shammi Kapoor)

An elder patriarch who embodies traditional expectations, pressing for commitment and the arranged marriage. He orchestrates pressure that accelerates the central conflict and reveals the social norms that govern the characters’ choices.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family 🗣️ Authority 🧭 Tradition

Sudha's Husband (Shashi Kapoor)

The steady, supportive partner who provides stability and legitimacy in the present-day arc. He re-enters Sudha’s life as a calm counterpoint to Mahender’s turmoil, underscoring themes of acceptance and forgiveness.

👨‍💼 Stable 💬 Supportive 🕊️ Forgiving

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:27

Major Themes – Ijaazat (1987)

Explore the central themes of Ijaazat (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

❤️ Love & Fidelity

Mahender’s arrangement of marrying Sudha while maintaining ties with Maya tests the boundaries of love and loyalty. The relationships explore how affection can coexist with betrayal and how social expectations influence personal decisions. The film questions whether true fidelity is possible when desire and obligation pull in different directions.

🕰️ Memory & Time

Flashbacks reveal how past vows and miscommunications continue to haunt the present. Memories of the marriage dictate present actions and emotional responses, blurring lines between guilt and justification. Time in the story acts as a steady force that can strengthen or sever connections.

🙏 Forgiveness & Consequence

Forgiveness is pursued but not guaranteed, as characters must live with the outcomes of their choices. The suicide attempt by Maya and Sudha’s evolving stance on the marriage test whether forgiveness can truly heal old wounds. The ending suggests closure is fragile and mutual forgiveness remains incomplete.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:27

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about regretful reunions like Ijaazat

Stories where characters confront unresolved history in a single, pivotal conversation.If you liked the poignant, dialogue-driven confrontation in Ijaazat, you'll find similar movies here. These films focus on estranged characters reuniting to unpack their emotional baggage, often using a single location to heighten the intensity of memories and unresolved feelings.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically uses a framing device in the present—a chance meeting, a forced reunion—that triggers a deep dive into the past through conversation and flashbacks. The central conflict is internal and emotional, driven by character revelations rather than external plot events, often culminating in a bittersweet acceptance of what was lost.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared focus on introspection, unresolved relationships, and the heavy emotional weight of revisiting pivotal life choices. They share a melancholic tone, slow, reflective pacing, and a structure that privileges emotional truth over fast-paced action.

Bittersweet memory dramas like Ijaazat

Melancholic journeys into the past that end with a poignant mix of loss and acceptance.Discover movies similar to Ijaazat that explore the heavy themes of love, loss, and regret through a melancholic lens. If you appreciated its bittersweet ending and reflective, non-linear narrative, this collection of emotionally heavy dramas about coping with the past is for you.

melancholicbittersweetnostalgicreflectiveyearningsomberregretful

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread often feature a reflective protagonist grappling with a significant loss or a failed relationship. The structure may jump between timelines, contrasting past happiness with present sorrow. The climax is typically an emotional revelation or acceptance, leading to an ending defined by a sober understanding of irreversible change.

Why These Movies?

They are connected by a dominant melancholic mood, a slow, deliberate pace that allows for introspection, and a narrative complexity that comes from exploring memory. The emotional core is consistently heavy, dealing with themes of yearning and the acceptance of life's painful turns.

Unlock the Full Story of Ijaazat

Don't stop at just watching — explore Ijaazat in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Ijaazat is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Ijaazat Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Ijaazat, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Ijaazat Summary

Ijaazat Timeline

Track the full timeline of Ijaazat with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Ijaazat Timeline

Ijaazat Spoiler-Free Summary

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Ijaazat Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Ijaazat

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Ijaazat: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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