Chandni Urmila Matondkar is a talented, religious, and well-mannered night-club singer and dancer who performs at Daniel Sadashiv Amrapurkar's club. She leads a hard life with her three aunts (including Chandini's Aunt Bindu Desai) and a fragile maternal grandmother. To support her impoverished family, she dances professionally and dreams of giving her nieces an education, all the while clinging to a hopeful fantasy that a prince charming will come and marry her.
Rahul [Salman Khan] is a young, wealthy womanizer who plans a Paris trip with Monica [Monica Bedi], but discovers his 45-day break ends in London and he must return to India to learn the family business with his secretary, Ishwar Singh 'Tubby' [Jaspal Bhatti]. At a temple, Chandni meets a hermit girl who guides her toward Rahul, who seems to be bringing his grandfather (disguised as Tubby) to the temple to woo the hermit. Rahul hands her a note requesting she leave everything behind and elope, then vanishes, leaving Tubby to face consequences. One night, while Chandni sings, she and Rahul cross paths again, and she falls in love. Rahul is drawn to her, but regards her as another casual fling and intends only a brief affair. A moment of impulsive kissing complicates things, and Rahul tries to mend fences by sending a gift, which Chandni rejects because she feels he keeps pursuing her.
After C. C. Patel, a show organizer who offers Chandni a big opportunity, is ousted by Daniel, Rahul buys Daniel’s club, and Daniel retaliates by kidnapping Chandni to ruin him. Chandni argues with Rahul, yet her compassionate grandmother helps her recognize gratitude. Chandni encounters one of Rahul’s ex-girlfriends who reveals his pattern with women, just before she again confronts Rahul. She reconnects with her old friend Divya, who invites her to her wedding. At Divya’s musical evening, Chandni is unsettled by Divya’s mother’s lower-class status and disreputable job, yet she still sings, tearfully leaving the event. With limited options, Chandni agrees to perform for C. C. Patel, and due to paperwork, she alone is allowed to fly to London.
In London, Chandni is stranded and pursued by an aging Indian man who tries to molest her after she’s left outside the Indian embassy. She is saved when Rahul’s car breaks down and they seek shelter together in a nearby place. Rahul invites her to stay at his luxurious hotel. There, Rahul meets his old friend Harry [Shakti Kapoor], a notorious womanizer, but becomes entangled with a blonde French girl who bears his child. Rahul deals with her and then joins Chandni for shopping, a scene noticed by Harry. Chandni later encounters an elderly Indian man—who is Rahul’s grandfather, Dadaji [Shammi Kapoor]—in the hotel, and Rahul abruptly pulls Chandni away. Dadaji later catches them together and demands an explanation, to which Rahul fabricates that Chandni is his wife, a marriage he staged to protect her honor. The truth surfaces when Dadaji expresses a desire to see Rahul truly married to Chandni.
To appease Dadaji, Rahul convinces Chandni to pretend to be his wife, a role that earns her the respect she yearns for. She meets Divya again, who is traveling with her husband Ashwin and his mother; it becomes clear that Ashwin’s factories depend on Rahul’s garments, and Chandni’s status surges as she wears the mangalsutra. Meanwhile, Harry and Monica join forces to mislead Rahul and drive a wedge between him and Chandni. They manipulate finances, and Rahul hands over investment money to Chandni, only to have it used as leverage against her. In a tense confrontation, Rahul slaps Chandni, and they decide to go their separate ways. Harry tries to seize her, but she slaps him in return. When asked outside the restaurant what happened, Harry remarks, Thappad khaya hai Chandni Se Maine.
Chandni channels her pain into a powerful performance, and Dadaji speaks with Rahul about her goodness. Rahul, fueled by love, confronts his old accomplices and defends Chandni, leading to a clash with Harry. Despite inheriting wealth, Rahul follows Chandni back to India from London. Chandni plans to settle with Daniel in Goa, still working as a bar dancer, in exchange for a new bank account that would channel Daniel’s savings to her family. Rahul goes to her home to speak, but Chandni refuses to listen. He proclaims his apologies aloud to the crowd outside her house and declares his love, attracting Daniel’s attention. Harry arrives with a gang to revenge himself on Chandni, but Rahul intervenes to protect her. Rahul’s sincerity culminates when he finally proposes to Chandni; she hesitates because she cannot break her promise to Daniel, who, recognizing the depth of their love, kindly lets Chandni go. In the end, Chandni accepts Rahul’s proposal, and they embrace as the film closes, signaling a hopeful union after a long journey through pride, class, and love.
