Character Relationship Map: Mangalsutra

Characters

• Gayatri B. Prasad (played by Rekha) — protagonist
• Vijay (played by Anant Nag) — supporting
• Kamini (played by Prema Narayan) — supporting
• Badri Prasad (played by Madan Puri) — supporting
• Mohan (played by Om Shivpuri) — supporting
• Jaggu (played by Jagdeep) — supporting
• Swamiji (played by B.M. Vyas) — supporting

Story Analysis

A remembered romance and an unhappy marriage frame a doctor's attempt to help a woman, while her choice leaves the conflict unresolved.

Plot Progression

1. The Storm and the Past — A storm brings Vijay to the woman's home, where they recognize each other from college. Their conversation recalls the beginning of their romance.
2. Love and Lost Promise — Vijay gives the woman a nuptial chain in the hope that they will marry. After she disappears, she returns wearing another chain and tells him she has married someone else.
3. Life Inside the Marriage — Years later, the woman is trapped in an unhappy marriage marked by her husband's drinking, mistreatment, and attempts to control her. A doctor becomes involved and offers her support.
4. The Abandoned Plan — The doctor urges the woman to leave and seek a divorce, then plans to kill her husband to end the abuse. She refuses to go through with it, citing her marriage and her promise to share her life with h...
5. An Unresolved Departure — The doctor is angry after the plan is abandoned, but the killing does not occur. A later conversation over drinks leaves the complicated bond between the men and the woman's situation unresolved.