The Severed Kite) is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta.

[3] The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations opposite her charming neighbour, played by Rajesh Khanna.

It was a box office success and Parekh's performance as Madhavi was critically acclaimed and earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

The film also stars Nazir Hussain, Bindu, Prem Chopra, Daisy Irani and Sulochana Latkar.

"Ye Shaam Mastani" and "Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai", sung by Kishore Kumar were particularly famous.

She meets her childhood friend Poonam, who tells her about her husband's untimely demise in an accident and that she is on her way, along with her baby boy Munna, to stay with her in-laws whom she has never met before.

En route, Poonam and Madhu catch up until the train derails and end up in a government hospital.

In the downpour on the way, the cabbie attempts to rob her but Kamal, a forest ranger, rescues her and gives her shelter until the sky is clear the next day.

The novel was also later adapted in Japan as Shisha to no Kekkon (1960) by Osamu Takahashi, in Brazil as the TV miniseries A Intrusa [pt] (1962), in French as J'ai épousé une ombre [fr] (I Married a Shadow; 1983) and again in the US as Mrs. Winterbourne (1996).

The songs sung by Kishore Kumar for Rajesh Khanna were the reason for the film's success, while Mukesh got to sing a number for the latter – a rare combination.

Asha Bhosle performed "Mera Naam Hai Shabnam" in the talk-sung style of Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1964) (and thus often incorrectly dubbed "the first Hindi rap number").