Cast: Priyanshu Chatterjee, Sandali Sinha, Himanshu Malik, Rakesh Bapat
Written and Directed By : Anubhav Sinha
Dunno how many of you have watched this one. This was a movie with a debutant director, with a totally first-time cast, script-writing etc.. in short, a first time attempt on the whole. Such attempts are released in quite a number in India every year, out of which, most are forgotten easily for lack of a holding story, or faulty direction or poor performances maybe. But this one was very different. So much so, that even after 8 years of watching it, and post hundreds of brilliant movies, it still is among my all time favorite Indian movies…
Shekhar Malhotra (Priyanshu) is a successful business analyst with a leading corporation in India. Sincere, witty, handsome and a nature that is magnetic to most people. About to be awarded for his performance with his company, he’s offered a nice job abroad, but he refuses saying he’s happy living in his own country, though he has no family. On festivals, while the world celebrates with their families, he stands alone and watches silently.
At the award ceremony party, he meets Canada based businessman, Amar Shah (Rakesh), who is almost his age and just as smart. They strike a cord instantly and have a gala time at the party with Amar divulging in Shekhar that he’s the owner of Shah-Industries in Canada and is about to get married in some time. In fact, he’s come over to India to get the Indian bridal attire for his fiance. They get talking, and Amar, who is already aware of the intelligent and popular Indian business analyst Shekhar, offers him to come along with him and join his business. Shekhar refuses again. On this Amar places a 20 dollar bet with Shekhar that he will make him come to Canaa one day.
That same night, when Shekhar and his friend are driving back home, a small kid who is running after her dog comes in-front of his car. To save her, he has to take an abrupt turn resulting in him running over a person walking on the footpath on the other side. The victim dies on the spot. A shaken Shekhar and his friend rush out to see what they can do to help but the person is already dead. When Shekhar turns the dead body over, he finds him to be Amar, the bridal dress still in his hand and his fiance on the phone. Still in shock, Shekhar takes over the phone since he has to inform his folks back home in Canada of what has happened, but on hearing his fiance’s innocent voice and her poem that she had written for Amar, he is left speechless and in a pool of guilt. His friend manages to push him inside the car and run away form the accident scene so that they don’t get caught by the police.
It doesnt take long now for Shekhar to reach Canada, since the guilt has become too heavy for him to handle. He reaches Amar’s home to find Amar’s father in a wheel-chair. Fighting his tears back, Shekhar relates the incidents that happened that fateful night and confesses everything. Just as he stops talking, and sits at the silent father’s feet giving himself up to his decision, the house-maid enters and informs him that the father has stopped talking to anyone since Amar’s death. He doesn’t even listen or pay attention to anything anyone says. Shekhar is again left intact with his guilt… heavier now. He has to find another way to help these people.
He reaches Shah-Industries the next day looking to meet Amar’s fiance and tell her that Amar had offered him to join their company. He hopes to do whatever he can to make Shah-Industries the most successful firm in Canada. He sees Pia (Sandali), Amar’s fiance, and falls in love with her at first sight. But still controlls his emotions since he had come here with a purpose. Pia refuses him to join the company since it was already suffering huge losses after Amar’s death. Somehow, after repeated attempts at convincing her (and some really sweet events in the screenplay that are bound to make you smile) Shekhar proves his worth to Pia by procuring a huge business deal for Shah-Industries. She lets him stay.
Through the days, Shekhar and Pia revive the “sinking ship” that was Shah-Industries. During this time, Shekhar develops a very sweet relationship with Amar’s grand-mother and his sister who see an image of Amar in him and gather strength to move out of their sorrows. Pia too finds a close friend in Shekhar, who on the other hand falls deeply in love with the simplicity, intelligence and innocence of Pia. But he dare not express his love because he had the huge mountain of giult inside him. He knew that the day everyone discovered that it was Shekhar because of whom Amar died, he’ll loose the one family and the love of his life that he had found here.
As the movie progresses, we see Pia developing an intimacy for Shekhar. But she can’t move over Amar. His presence is still with her and if she thinks about Shekhar, her pain surfaces reminding her of her past. She feels she’s betraying Amar by thinking of someone else.
Enter Abhi Gyan (Himanshu). Another very rich, very successful Indian businessman based in Canada who is interested in a business deal with Shah-Industries. Pia and Amar meet Abhi to discuss the deal. Concentrating less on the deal, Abhi becomes instantly attracted to Pia and feels he has finally found the right woman. After meeting them for two or three times, and since all of them are the same age, he gathers the courage to ask Shekhar if he and Pia are going around. When Shekhar, sadly, refuses, Abhi is hugely relieved and confides in Shekhar about his deep liking for Pia.
Now, Shekhar is torn between his own love and the need to be with her, the fact that he is the sole reason for the demise of Pia’s fiance due to which he can never tell her, and another equally deserving person vying for her. He is torn between guilt, duty and love. The picturization of his anguish is so natural and Priyanshu’s acting is so beautiful in those scenes that you actually feel what he’s going through. Thats when he says one of my most favorite movie dialogues of all time, “Ye emotions bhi kitne stupid hote haina…… logic hi nahi samajhte…….” (Emotions are so stupid, they don’t understand any logic).
What happens hereafter, is what I’d like you to watch for yourself. Trust me, if you liked reading the above story, you won’t regret watching the ending.
I can watch this movie over and over again. Amazing direction, fresh and gripping story, and really great performances by the lead actors. Tum Bin refuses to let go of the strings of my heart…