Aradhana (1969): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1969, Aradhana is a drama and romance film directed by Shakti Samanta, running about 169 minutes.

What it’s about. Vandana and Arun fall in love the instant they meet. On a trip to a Shiv temple, they get married in an impromptu ceremony in front of God. A chance rainshower strands them at a remote hotel where Vandana gets pregnant. With their legal marriage just around the corner, they don't worry about the consequences of their actions, but unfortunately, Arun dies in a plane crash. Vandana chooses to have the child, Suraj, and as she promised to Arun, wants to raise him to be an Air Force pilot. Fate is cruel to Vandana, however, and the child is adopted by a wealthy family. Vandana becomes a nursemaid to stay close to Suraj. A family member tries to molest her, and in the ensuing fight, Suraj comes to protect her and kills the perpetrator. Vandana chooses a jail sentence to save Suraj, but in the course of her sentence, loses the family--and with it: Suraj.

Who’s in it. Aradhana stars Sharmila Tagore as Vandhana Tripathi, Rajesh Khanna as Arun / Suraj Prasad Saxena, Sujit Kumar as Madan Verma and Pahadi Sanyal as Gopal Tripathi, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.0/10, Aradhana has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Aradhana page.

If you liked it. Fans of Aradhana tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.