Trama

Yash Chopra's most cherished film with soul stirring music is a story of moments - moments of passion, of ecstasy and of life changing love.

Virendra Kapoor (Viren) (Anil Kapoor) travels to Rajasthan with his governess, affectionately called Durgadevi / Dai Jaa (Waheeda Rehman). His late parents had migrated to London, United Kingdom long before he was born. While initially put off by the hot weather conditions and the traditional customs of the region, he meets the beautiful Pallavi (Sridevi) and he instantly falls in love with her.

Pallavi is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Kothiwale Thakur (Manohar Singh), who had helped Viren's late father when his business was suffering. Viren and Pallavi become friends. However, upon noticing Viren's feelings for Pallavi, Dai Jaa indicates that Pallavi is eight years older than him, which still does not bother Viren. After losing a civil legal dispute involving his property, Pallavi's father dies of a heart attack, unable to bear the shock, and Pallavi goes into depression. She is shattered and goes into isolation.

At the wake, Viren goes to console her, when she sees him she runs towards and straight past Viren - towards Sidhharth (Deepak Malhotra), the man she loves and who is an airplane pilot. Viren is heartbroken but, to fulfill Pallavi's father's dying wish, he arranges the wedding between Sidhharth and Pallavi. Allowing Pallavi to live her life happily, Viren leaves for London without letting Pallavi know of his true emotions.

One year into the marriage, Sidhharth and Pallavi are killed in an accident. Viren flies down to India after learning from Dai Jaa that both Siddharth and a pregnant Pallavi have perished in a major car accident, but not before the gravely injured Pallavi gives birth to their surviving daughter, Pooja, at the hospital. Viren and Dai Jaa lament the tragic losses of Pallavi and Siddharth and a grief-stricken Viren entrusts Dai Jaa in the upbringing of the newborn Pooja (Sridevi).

Viren still finds it difficult to come to terms and has been visiting Rajasthan every year in the two decades for Siddharth and Pallavi's death anniversary. Viren buys gifts for the young Pooja. He never spends any time with her though, which makes her sad. However, he has avoided meeting Pooja on her birthday because she was born the same day Pallavi died and the trauma and the pain of Pallavi's death is still fresh in his mind.

20 years later, the now middle-aged Viren returns from London and meets the grown-up Pooja for the first time. When he meets her he is shocked to see that she looks exactly like her mother. Viren feels that destiny is playing a cruel game with him but still invites Pooja and Dai Jaa to his residence in London. It is slowly revealed that Pooja has fallen in love with Viren. He has not forgotten about Pallavi though.

Viren has a friend Prem (Anupam Kher), who knows that Viren's heart still pines for dead Pallavi. Over the course of time, and much persuasion, slowly Viren hops back to reality engaging himself in work at London. Anita Malhotra (Dippy Sagoo), Viren's new girlfriend in London, is deeply in love with him and is also aware of Viren's love for Pallavi and constantly tries to win his attention.

Pooja and Dai Jaa come to London for vacations, and there Anita discovers that Pooja looks the same as Pallavi. This upsets her as she is afraid that Viren will eventually fall for Pooja. Anita meets Pooja and realizes how she must be a constant reminder of Pallavi to Viren.

Pooja develops feelings for Viren whom she lovingly calls "Kuwarji". Prem also likes Pooja and understands that Pooja loves Viren. Though he likes the match, he is skeptical since Viren is still living in the past.

Pooja and Anita come face to face over the topic of Viren. Eventually Anita insults Pooja as a kid infatuated by Viren and asks what relation Pooja is to Viren that she acts authoritatively over him. Pooja retorts back saying that if she is not related to Viren, Anita is not related to him in either. This frustrates Anita leading her to blast Viren over feelings for a younger woman.

However, things take a drastic turn when Pooja comes across Pallavi's portrait sketched by Viren and completely misunderstands it to be her own when it is actually of her mother. She confesses her love for Viren and confronts him over the portrait, but a furious Viren rebuffs Pooja and reveals that he actually loved her late mother who resembled her. A shattered and humiliated Pooja tells Dai Jaa that she wants to return to India. After Pooja and Dai Jaa's departure from London, Prem strongly advises a confused Viren to confront his feelings for Pooja, pointing out the huge difference between Pallavi and Pooja.

Back home, Dai Jaa persuades Pooja to get married, and she agrees on condition that Viren must get married first. When Dai Jaa contacts to let Viren know that Pooja has agreed to marry once Viren ties the knot, Viren agrees to marry Anita.

Upon learning this, Pooja tells Dai Jaa that she never wants to get married. Back in London, Viren, Prem and Anita are wondering why Dai Jaa is delaying her visit for Viren and Anita's marriage. Viren and Prem decide to travel to India and give Dai Jaa a surprise. Upon arriving, Viren and Prem are shocked to learn from Dai Jaa that Pooja has vowed never to marry.

A heartbroken Pooja narrates a tragic folk tale in a village show when all of a sudden, she becomes very excited and happy to notice Viren in the audience and lies to him about already having got married. However, Viren confronts Pooja for hiding the truth about her marriage from him and reveals that he actually never wanted to marry Anita, since he finally realized that he is genuinely in love with Pooja and not Pallavi anymore, who in fact had never had romantic feelings towards him. With neither of them having got married, Viren and Pooja are now free to be together.