Year: 1987
Runtime: 166 mins
Language: Hindi
Director: K. Ravi Shankar
Laxmi, half of a famed singing duo, has her marriage and career wrecked by the jealous scheming of her husband Vijay. Years later, now a widow raising stepdaughter Lalita, Vijay returns, intruding on their lives and threatening Laxmi’s hard‑won domestic happiness. She must choose whether to confront his manipulation or safeguard the fragile peace she has built.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen Sindoor yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Read the complete plot breakdown of Sindoor (1987), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Laxmi is a widowed, loving mother to Lalita, a bright college-going daughter, and to her son Ravi, a fellow student who impresses everyone with his intellect. At the same college, Ravi is a talented, earnest student, and Vijay Choudhury arrives as an engaging English professor who quickly forms a rapport with the students. After a few initial misunderstandings, Lalita and Ravi find themselves drawn to each other and fall in love. During a college function, Lalita takes the stage to sing “Patjhad Saawan Basant Bahaar,” but forgets the lyrics; the music unexpectedly falls into place when Vijay Choudhury finishes the tune. Curious about how he knew the song, Lalita learns that it is a famous piece and was her mother’s favorite. She reveals that she learned the tune from her mother, and the moment deepens the bond between them.
The narrative then shifts to a flashback that centers on Vijay’s home life. In this past, Vijay Choudhury and Laxmi are a happily married couple. Vijay is a professor, while Laxmi is a gifted singer who partners with Mr. Kumar on stage, forming a popular musical duo. This success also sows seeds of misunderstanding in Vijay, who begins to feel a rift between them. He eventually urges Laxmi to leave their home. The turning point comes when Vijay learns that Mr. Kumar is about to marry, which slowly clears the earlier misconception, though the underlying tension leaves Laxmi unaccounted for at that moment.
Back in the present, Laxmi already knows about Lalita and Ravi’s love and seeks to protect the family. She consults Advocate Dharamdas, Ravi’s maternal uncle and guardian, who arranges Lalita’s marriage to Ravi on the condition that they pass their final exams with good marks. Lalita asks Vijay Choudhury for home tuition, and during a visit to Lalita’s home, Vijay discovers Laxmi dressed as a widow, shocking him once again with lingering misconceptions. He resigns from the college, a decision Lalita relays to Laxmi, who then sits down with him to explain her new identity and the circumstances that led to it.
A second flashback reveals Laxmi’s journey after leaving home. She travels to Pune to visit a friend, Sunita (the only photograph shown in the film), and along the way she saves a little girl named Lalita from an accident. The girl’s father, Prem Kapoor, thanks Laxmi and invites her to stay for Lalita’s upcoming birthday, urging her to act as Lalita’s mother for the day since Lalita is a heart patient who doesn’t know about her mother’s death. Though initially hesitant, Laxmi agrees and conceals her true status by adopting a widow’s appearance. On Lalita’s birthday night, sher a kidnapping occurs: Shera abducts Lalita to demand Prem’s property as ransom. Prem agrees, but he is stabbed by Shera while shielding Lalita, and Shera is imprisoned. Before dying, Prem pleads with Laxmi to care for Lalita as her own daughter. To shield Lalita from this painful shock, Laxmi continues the deception and remains in widow’s attire.
Returning to the present, Vijay apologizes to Laxmi for the double misunderstanding and withdraws his resignation, resuming their arrangement to tutor Lalita and Ravi at Lalita’s home. Shera emerges from prison with a renewed determination and learns the fate of Prem’s family. The discovered truth strains the relationship further when Ravi informs Lalita about the affair between her mother and Vijay Choudhury. Lalita rejects the idea, leading to a breakup between her and Ravi. Ravi confronts Vijay and warns him to leave the city, while Shera uses the rift to his advantage and accuses Vijay of responsibility for Ravi’s actions. Laxmi, sensing the danger, seeks out Vijay to mend things, and Lalita is stunned when she sees her mother hug the professor. Overwhelmed, she attempts suicide but is saved by Ravi. Lalita resolves to leave with her father’s photograph, and Laxmi tries to stop her, but Lalita departs nonetheless.
To heal the rift, Vijay seeks counsel from Advocate Dharamdas, who sets the record straight for Ravi and helps ease tensions within the family. Ravi, furious at Vijay’s presence, is calmed by Dharamdas’s recounting of the past. The story escalates when Shera kidnaps Lalita again, demanding the same ransom as fourteen years earlier. Laxmi agrees to the terms and goes to confront Shera with the money. The climax features a fierce confrontation where the conflict resolves amid a tense showdown. In the end, Gulshan Grover(/actor/gulshan-grover), playing Shera’s nephew, falls during the struggle, a reminder of the criminal web surrounding the family. Police arrive as the dust settles; Ravi stops Lalita from acting rashly, and Dharamdas recounts the family’s true history to bring about reconciliation. Lalita, faced with the truth and tempered by her love for her mother, forgives Laxmi, and the family finds a path back to each other, restored by understanding and a renewed sense of belonging.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:37
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.
Emotional storms of jealousy, secrets, and redemption within the family.Explore movies like Sindoor where family life becomes a battleground of high emotions. If you enjoyed the suspenseful, high-stakes drama of jealousy, kidnapping, and redemption in Sindoor, you'll find similar emotionally charged stories here. Discover films where domestic happiness is threatened by dark secrets and intense confrontations.
These narratives typically begin with a fragile peace or happiness that is shattered by the return of a disruptive past or a new act of malice. The plot is driven by escalating threats—often involving manipulation, false accusations, or physical danger to a loved one—leading to intense confrontations. The journey is emotionally heavy, but often concludes with a cathartic resolution involving truth, sacrifice, and reconciliation.
These movies are grouped together because they share a potent mix of high emotional intensity, a tense and melodramatic tone, and a focus on domestic or familial conflicts that feel life-or-death. They deliver a powerful, anxious viewing experience centered on protecting loved ones from internal and external threats.
A guardian's hard-won peace is threatened by the return of a destructive figure.Find films similar to Sindoor where a character must defend their new life from a destructive figure from their past. If you liked Laxmi's battle to protect Lalita from Vijay's schemes, you'll appreciate these stories of resilience and confrontation. These movies explore the theme of safeguarding hard-earned peace against recurring threats.
The narrative follows a protagonist who has overcome significant adversity and is now in a stable, caring role. The inciting event is the unwelcome return of a person or truth from their traumatic history. The plot revolves around this antagonist's attempts to sabotage the protagonist's new life, leading to a climactic confrontation where the protector must finally defeat the ghost of their past to secure their future.
These films are united by a powerful character arc focused on protection, resilience, and confrontation. They share a specific emotional pattern: the anxiety of a peace under siege, the weight of past trauma, and the hope found in successfully defending one's loved ones. The tone is consistently tense and the emotional journey is heavy but ultimately cathartic.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Sindoor 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 Sindoor is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Sindoor with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Sindoor. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Sindoor that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Sindoor: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Sindoor that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
Sindoor (1987) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline
Sindoor (1987) Movie Characters, Themes & Settings
Sindoor (1987) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow
Movies Like Sindoor – Similar Titles You’ll Enjoy
Swarg (1990) Complete Plot Breakdown
Dil (1990) Complete Plot Breakdown
Silsila (1981) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
Saugandh (1991) Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Swarag Se Sunder (1986) Detailed Story Recap
Daag (1973) Full Movie Breakdown
Laadla (1994) Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Yeshwant (1997) Detailed Story Recap
Sapne Saajan Ke (1992) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
Swami (1977) Story Summary & Characters
Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) Detailed Story Recap
Lal Patthar (1971) Ending Explained & Film Insights
Dindigul Sarathy (2008) Movie Recap & Themes
Gumrah (1963) Full Summary & Key Details
Damini (1993) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap