Padma Chavan

A pair of identical twins get separated as children during a sea voyage. Years later, their lives intertwine which leads to confusion and misunderstanding.

Naram Garam is the story of Kusum (Swaroop Sampat) and her father Vishnuprasad (A.K. Hangal), who are left homeless due to non-repayment of debts from the local money lender (Vishnu had mortgaged the house for his wife's treatment, who later died). They are helped by Ramprasad (Amol Palekar), who is in love with Kusum. Birju (Anand) is Vishnu'son, who left the house to join a theatre company, which Vishnu disapproved of. Ramprasad was a student of Vishnuprasad and came to meet him in the village after getting Vishnu's letter. Vishnu wants Ram to marry Kusum, but Ram says he has a low income of rs 140/month and stays in his boss's house. Ram returns to the city to his job.. Bhavani Shankar (Utpal Dutt), Ramprasad's employer, is feared by his family members and employees, but is himself terrified of his own mother-in-law Naniji (Dina Pathak). He is also very superstitious. Bhavani has a younger brother Babua (Shatrughan Sinha) and daughter Sumitra/Summi (Kiran Vairale). Babua hasn't married as he wants to get Summi married first, who will soon turn 20. Ramprasad helps Bhavani Shankar get the possession of his ancestral home after a 53-year-long legal battle with a squatter and is therefore assigned the responsibility of getting the house back in shape so that it can be re-occupied. The house is worth 2 Lakhs, but Bhavani spent Rs 4.25 Lakhs in legal fees to get it back and 6 lawyers died over the time to fight the case in courts. It is a matter of great pride for Bhavani. Now, Babua wants to celebrate the occasion and asks Ram to organize a theatre (he is a great fan of Rani Radmavati, Jhasi and Sita).. Ram contacts Birju. Babua gets drunk and hits Ravaan for ill-treating Sita and admonishes Laxman for not following the instructions of his brother. Birju's theatre owner Guruji (Nilu Phule) understands his pain of not being able to help his family. Birju earns rs 50/month with Guruji. Guruji introduces Birju to Ratna (Padma Chavan), who runs a much bigger company. Ratna loves Birju from first sight, but she also likes that Birju is a thorough professional and a gentleman. She hires Birju for Rs 200/month. In the meanwhile, Kusum and her father come to the shelter of Ramprasad (They were kicked out of their village home by the money lender) and start staying in the house (since Bhavani is out of town to meet a priest in Banaras). Ramprasad doesn't have a house of his own, hence decides to let them stay illegally until he can find an alternative. When this comes to the knowledge of the estate manager, Gajanan Babu (Suresh Chatwal), he arrives furious and determined to oust the squatters. However, he succumbs to the charms of Kusum and instead of ousting the old man and his daughter, presents a proposal of marriage. Horrified, Kusum and Ramprasad turn to Kali Shankar, a.k.a. Babua (Shatrughan Sinha), Bhavani Shankar's younger brother, for help. Babua is a garage mechanic and a ruffian with a kind heart for women in distress. Ram says that Kusum and Vishnu are squatters but instead of evicting them, Gajanan has given them permission to stay in exchange for marriage with Kusum. Ram tells Babua that Kusum will commit suicide if forced to marry Gajanan. He successfully dissuades Gajanan Babu from carrying through with his proposal, but is also determined to oust Kusum and her father. However, he too is captivated by Kusum's beauty and presses his suit. Then Ramprasad finally turns to Bhavani Shankar, who dissuades Babua using his younger brother's fear of him. ShastriJi (Om Prakash) is Bhavani's priest, who had advised him to marry a younger girl, whose name starts with a K. When Bhavani meets Kusum, he thinks this is an omen. Bhavani Prasad comes to his home to oust the illegal residents, but is captivated by Kusum's voice and beauty. Being a very superstitious man and a faithful believer of astrologers, Bhavani Prasad believes that Kusum is the reincarnation of his dead wife Ahilya . He decides to marry Kusum. Ramprasad finds the situation becoming very sticky, but decides to play along. Bhavani Shankar takes all the precautions to make sure the marriage would take place secretly, only with Ramprasad's knowledge. Ram goes to find Birju. Meanwhile Birju had become a confidant of Ratna. Ratna shares how she was married at 12, and was beaten and burned at her in-laws. She came back home, but couldn't find peace. She started the theatre company to keep herself busy. She gives her jewels to Birju, so he can get Kusum married with honor. However, Ramprasad invites Bhavani Shankar's mother-in-law and daughter to come to the house at exact date and time of the marriage, without telling them of the marriage itself. Bhavani Shankar now finds himself in a flux, not having the courage to get married in their presence. He secretly convinces Ramprasad to marry Kusum instead. Ramprasad negotiates his salary (rs 600/month) and the house in return of the deal. Thus, Ramprasad and Kusum finally get married and the reality behind the whole affair remains undiscovered.

Sitapur-based Mangala lives with her widowed mother and seven brothers, and is of marriageable age. Wealthy Banke Thakur would like to wed her, but she rejects him. She looks after an injured male, Anand, from Latpur, and after he recovers both fall in love with each other, and get married. She re-locates to live with his family, consisting of his brother, Mukund, and childless Bhabhi, Rani, who is very displeased as she wanted Anand to marry her gorgeous sister, Rambha; while Banke takes it upon himself to ensure that this marriage breaks up. Mangala continues to live in this household, and soon becomes pregnant. Mukund and Anand decide to travel for business purposes but promise to return before the baby is due. A few months later, they return and are told that Mangala has committed suicide after giving birth to a snake!!! —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Unrequited emotion, madness, loss, and sacrifice all play a role in this harrowing story of a love triangle. Madhuri, a resident in Pune is the daughter of a retired Forest Officer and lives with her brother and parents. Her father's friend's son, Vasant is staying with them till he completes his higher studies. Vasant & Madhuri are childhood friends and she is in love with Vasant, but he loves Alka, a girl from his college. One day, Vasant leaves urgently to meet his ailing father in Belgaum and returns with Alka, now his wife. Alka gives birth to a son and the boy is more attached to Madhuri, who also tends to shower him with motherly affection. One day, the baby accidentally slips from Madhuri's hands and dies. As a result Alka goes mad with shock. Madhuri in turn, gets married to Shridhar in order to bear a child and offer it to Alka with the hope of her recovery! —Everest Entertainment