Trama

SILSILA is a love story, thwarted by society's demands, which reappears as adultery but can it survive in the face of society?

Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) decides to bury his past life along with his love for Chandni (Rekha) when he meets Shobha (Jaya Bachchan). Shobha's life has come to a standstill after her fiancé and Amit's brother Shekhar (Shashi Kapoor) dies in a crash. When fate brings Amit and Chandni face to face again, both are married to different people - but neither can ignore their feelings for each other.—Official Source

Brothers Shekhar Malhotra (Shashi Kapoor) and Amit Malhotra (Amitabh Bachchan) lead separate lives after being orphaned at a very young age. Shekhar serves as a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force posted in Kashmir, while Amit pursues a career as a writer in Delhi. Shekhar falls in love with Shobha (Jaya Bachchan), and Amit sets his sights on wooing Chandni (Rekha). Amit meets Chandni at a mutual friend's wedding and is instantly attracted to her. He meets his friend's wife and asks her for Chandni's address. Amit starts to woo Chandni and sends her romantic gifts. Chandni also reciprocates Amit's feelings.

Meanwhile, Shobha is aware of the close bond between Amit and Shekhar. Shekhar is the elder brother. Shekhar is the carefree, fun-loving type, while Amit is the more serious, mature personality. Shekhar would sometimes do low fly-by with Shobha, while he is out on sorties. Shekhar invites Amit to Kashmir so he can introduce Shobha to him. Amit meets Shobha, when Shekhar is away on a mission to Pathankot. Shekhar returns from his mission and the 2 brothers have a party with Shobha. They get really drunk. After getting home Amit get really emotional and tells Shekhar never to leave him alone in the world.

While Amit is in Kashmir, he corresponds with Chandni through love letters. Amit returns to Delhi and there he gets his big break when an actress named Sarla (Sushma Seth) agree to sponsor Amit's first theater production. Amit's proves himself to be a very passionate and versatile actor on stage, supported by his powerful and deep writing. Chandni also watches Amit's play and falls in love with his passion, Amit and Chandni start dating each other regularly and are seen across various social spots all over Delhi.

Chandni's parents plan to arrange her marriage. But Chandni reveals her love for Amit when they attempt to fix her wedding with someone else. War breaks out and Shekhar goes into combat multiple times, leading a squadron of fighter jets to fight the enemy planes and conduct ground missions.

Both Shekhar and Amit intend to marry simultaneously, but tragedy strikes when Shekhar is killed in combat, leaving Shobha pregnant and alone. Amit is distraught as he lost his father in the previous war and his mother committed suicide due to the shock.

Amit again travels to Kashmir to meet Shobha. Seeing Shobha's vulnerable situation, Amit marries her out of compassion at the insistence of Shobha's mother (Sudha Chopra). He writes a letter to Chandni, asking her to forget him, which deeply hurts her. In her heartbreak, Chandni agrees to marry Dr. V.K. Anand (Sanjeev Kumar), who has been in love with her.

Initially, Amit and Shobha's marriage lacks love and passion. Another tragedy occurs when Shobha loses her unborn child in a car accident. Dr. Anand is the surgeon who saves her life. With no child to bind them together, Amit and Shobha grow apart. During this time, Amit and Chandni cross paths again. Chandni learns about Amit's accident from Dr. Anand and visits him in the hospital, rekindling their romance in secret. Amit explains the circumstances of his marriage to Shobha, revealing its loveless nature. They continue to meet discreetly.

One day, Amit and Chandni are caught having lunch by Amit's friend, Vidyarthi (Deven Verma), who mistakenly assumes that Chandni is Amit's wife. Vidyarthi is later shocked to discover that Amit is actually married to Shobha. Shobha becomes suspicious of Amit's affair with Chandni. Amit refuses to take Shobha to an award ceremony, but she sees on TV that Chandni has been invited. One night, while returning home from a meeting with Amit, Chandni accidentally hits a passer-by with her car.

The police become involved and instruct Amit and Chandni to accompany them to the police station. Amit identifies Chandni as his wife to Inspector Kulbhushan. The police call Dr. Anand to attend to the injured child, causing Chandni to panic. Amit manages to resolve the matter by paying off the child's family to drop the case and withdraw their complaint. However, their secret affair faces a threat when the investigating police inspector turns out to be Shobha's cousin, Kulbhushan (Kulbhushan Kharbanda).

When Kulbhushan visits Shobha, he discovers Amit's deception & is determined to expose Amit's infidelity with Chandni. Kulbhushan turns to Dr. Anand for help and Dr Anand is shocked to learn about Amit's affair with his wife Chandni. However, Dr. Anand, being mature, allows Chandni to have a past and refrains from questioning her about it. When Kulbhushan attempts to speak to Shobha, she asserts her independence and refuses to let him say anything negative about Amit.

Dr. Anand invites Amit and Shobha to Chandni's first Holi party at their home, where it becomes apparent to both Dr. Anand and Shobha that Amit and Chandni are involved in an affair. Dr. Anand encourages Shobha to fight for her rights. Shobha confronts Chandni, but Chandni remains defiant. Eventually, Amit realizes that he can no longer sustain his loveless marriage with Shobha and expresses his desire to be with Chandni. This news devastates Shobha, who had been aware of the affair but still holds onto hope. She believes that if her love is genuine, Amit will return to her. Similarly, Chandni's husband, Dr. Anand, becomes aware of Chandni's infidelity and is heartbroken. Dr. Anand leaves for a business trip, expecting Chandni to be there when he returns.

Amit and Chandni leave town to start a new life together elsewhere. However, Chandni realizes that society will not accept their relationship, which goes against traditional norms. During their journey, Chandni receives news that Dr. Anand's plane has crashed, prompting Amit and Chandni to rush to the crash site in a helicopter. While attempting to save Dr. Anand, Amit is confronted by Shobha, who reveals that she is carrying his child. When Dr. Anand is rescued from the wreckage, Chandni realizes her love for her husband. Amit returns to Shobha, declaring that he is back for good. The film concludes with a song, portraying Amit and Shobha living happily together in their marriage.