Ram Teri Ganga Maili 1985

Naren Rajiv Kapoor is the son of Jeeva Sahay Kulbhushan Kharbanda, a wealthy politician in Calcutta. Naren travels to Gangotri to study the source of the sacred river Ganga and to obtain holy water for his wheelchair-bound paternal grandmother. There he encounters a striking young woman, Ganga Singh Mandakini, who lives nearby with her brother, Karam Singh Tom Alter. The pair meet when Naren sees Ganga bathing in a white saree beneath a waterfall, and she helps him collect the holy water. The two fall in love, decide to marry, and share a night of closeness before Naren must return to Calcutta to win his parents’ blessing.

Before leaving, he promises to return but circumstances prevent him from keeping that promise. Ganga soon discovers she is pregnant and gives birth to a son, facing hardship and social scrutiny because of her child and her beauty. Tragedy strikes when Karam is killed by enemies, leaving Ganga vulnerable and alone. Determined to be with her husband, she begins a perilous journey from Gangotri toward Calcutta. Along the way, in Rishikesh, she is exploited by two women and a man, and later in Benaras she is molested by a Pandit; the police rescue her and grant her a travel ticket back toward Calcutta. She then falls into the clutches of Manilal Krishan Dhawan, who lures her into a brothel near Benaras.

Back in Calcutta, Bhagwat Choudhary Raza Murad, a wealthy politician, buys Ganga and keeps her at his grand bagan bari as a concubine. Bhagwat arranges his daughter Radha Divya Rana’s wedding to Naren, who has been told that Ganga is dead. Naren’s maternal uncle, Kunj Bihari Saeed Jaffrey, discovers Ganga in Bhagwat’s bagan bari and arranges for a test—he invites her to dance at her husband’s wedding to see if Naren can recognize his wife. When Naren finally recognizes Ganga, Jeeva refuses to accept her as his daughter-in-law, and the family’s tensions come to a head.

As the truth unfolds, Naren and Ganga attempt to flee with their son, but Bhagwat Choudhary shoots Ganga in a fit of rage. Naren, believing his wife is dead, confronts Bhagwat, but Radha reveals that Ganga has survived. The couple, together with their child, escape toward the river Ganga, choosing to face the future side by side.