SYNOPSIS
- AKELE HUM AKELE TUM
("I ON MY OWN, YOU ON YOUR OWN")
- KIRAN (Manisha Koirala) is an unsatisfied
classical singer. ROHIT (Aamir Khan), a small-time modern "rock" musician
employed by a local hotel, gives a New Year's concert. When Kiran
sees him perform, she is as enamored of his singing as he is of her
beauty. She asks him to teach her how to sing, and during the course
of the lessons, they fall in love. Yet when Rohit asks her to marry
him, she hesitates. She explains she is intensely ambitious in regards
to her career; she wants to be a singing star. Rohit reminds her that
this is his dream as well; "together," he promises, "we will reach
our destination." Thus assured, Kiran agrees to take him as her husband.
- Alas, Kiran's father disapproves of Rohit's
profession; besides, Kiran is already slated to marry someone else.
He threatens to disown her if she marries Rohit. This threat infuriates
her; she thanks him for helping her to make her decision. She marries
Rohit against his wishes.
- Kiran finds herself falling into the wifely
role, with little time for her musical pursuits. Pregnancy and motherhood
further obscure her former passion. She is very dissatisfied with
her life.
- Rohit comes in one day very excited: he has
been invited to a party thrown by Gulbadan Kumar, one of the bigwigs
in the music industry. Kiran insists on coming, arranging to leave
their child with the neighbor. She asks Rohit to give Kumar a tape
she has recorded of her voice, but Rohit spends his time groveling
for an audition, and neglects to give her tape to Kumar despite her
repeated urgings. They argue over this upon reaching home.
- The pattern continues: of him ignoring and
belitting her (now non-existent) career. She starts to lose all hope,
and grows extremely depressed. When she hits her child (SONU), she
has a nervous breakdown. Rohit comes home with great news: he's been
given a song to record for a film soundtrack. She announces she's
leaving him, and he is both shocked and infuriated. Nothing he says
can stop her. She leaves as he begins to rail at her.
- Rohit's trials trying to take care of Sonu:
he is made late for his first day of recording, and therefore his
session is shoved back indefinitely. Other difficulties of parenting
are explored. Meanwhile, Kiran gets a part in the chorus of a commercial
jingle. Rohit's singing, however, suffers due to the mediocrity of
the film score he's been given. Enraged at being condescended to and
abused for his lackluster performance, he shows the composers up and
quits. Sonu acts up - eats ice cream when Rohit specifically forbids
him to - and Rohit must assume the role of disciplinarian. Later he
explains to Sonu that Kiran left because he, Rohit, was too self-involved,
and never tried to understand her. He tells his son they are now starting
a new life together.
- Sonu gets a bit over-adventurous at the playground
- falls and hurts himself, and has to get stitches.
- A man in the film industry sees Kiran in the
chorus and wants her for a small part in a film. She flubs the part
by ad-libbing, but her unscripted outburst intrigues the director,
who decides to replace the current star with her.
- Rohit is snubbed by Gulbadan, who was embarrassed
by Rohit's previous shenanigan. Broke and desperate, Rohit begs (successfully)
to have his old job returned to him.
- Kiran's film debuts. She sees Rohit and Sonu
in the crowd but doesn't acknowledge them. Rohit, seeing Sonu's distress,
explains that Kiran has become like the stars in the sky - beautiful,
constantly available for admiration, but too far away to ever reach.
- The cola vendor taunts a drunken Rohit, saying
he's a third-class Elvis and that Kiran left because he couldn't take
care of her. They get into a nasty fight. Later, Kiran waylays him
outside Sonu's school but her fans interrupt their conversation.
- Rohit is hired to score a new film. Kiran
throws Sonu a birthday party, where he finds out that she helped get
him the contract for the film. Enraged and humiliated, he tells her
that he never wants to see her again.
- Sonu receives tons of presents from Kiran.
He mentions that she's going to buy him the electric toy car that
Rohit had previously promised for his birthday. When Rohit learns
of this, he is infuriated, and vows he will get the car for his son.
Then he discovers the price : 5000 rupees. When his boss refuses to
advance him the money, he tries to forcibly take it, and is caught.
- Rohit comes in late, obviously drunk, and
apologizes to Sonu for not being able to get the car, saying that
this is his first real failure in life - breaking a promise he made
to his child. Sonu says he doesn't want the car; all he wants is for
his father to stop drinking.
- Kiran meets Rohit and tells him she wants
Sonu. He refuses. She starts divorce proceedings. Rohit's lawyer warns
him that if he tries to fight her custody suit, it will cost 50-60,000
Rs. and since she's a woman and successful (whereas he's unemployed),
she'll probably win anyway. Rohit insists on going through with the
suit, and the lawyer asks him to bring 20,000 Rs in advance payment
to their next meeting.
- In order to raise the money, Rohit tries to
sell his musical instruments, but they don't fetch enough money. Finally
he is forced to sell his songs to Amar Kaushik, one of the composers
who so badly abused him previously. Kaushik subsequently wins the
Filmfare Award (equiv. to an Oscar) for Best Musical Director for
the score he bought from Rohit.
- The trial: Rohit agrees to the divorce but
not to ceding custody of Sonu. Kiran's lawyers twist the truth so
it appears that Rohit is a monster who drove Kiran away from home
in a desperate bid to maintain her sanity. Later, Rohit demands to
know why his lawyer isn't behaving similarly. The lawyer explains
that he can be dishonest and introduce false witnesses so Rohit can
keep Sonu, or he can do it honestly. Rohit reluctantly decides that
they must do it honestly.
- On the stand, the cola vendor says that while
he may not always have gotten along with Rohit, he has no doubt that
Rohit loves his son very much - enough, even, to sell his songs to
Amar Kaushik (this allegation makes everyone laugh, but Kiran knows
it's true). Rohit's lawyer then cross-examines Kiran, asking her how
long her longest relationship has been (answer: with her parents;
twenty-two years). He asks her if it is true that she left her parents
because they did not agree with her marrying Rohit. She concedes that
yes, that is why she left. He then asks her what her second longest
relationship was (answer: Rohit). He then says to her, you left because
you thought it wasn't working out. But wasn't it your fault that the
marriage failed? It wasn't the both of you - the both of you didn't
walk out - it was just YOU who caused it to fail, isn't that right?
She looks to Rohit, who shakes his head to indicate that no, that
is wrong. But she says "yes," meaning it was only her fault. The lawyer
triumphantly concludes, "So who can say that she won't walk out on
her child in 2 - 3 years, when she decides that doesn't work?"
- It seems as though Rohit is going to win after
all - and then Kiran's lawyer brings up Rohit's attempted theft of
5000 Rs. from his employer, and the fact that through Rohit's carelessness,
Sonu almost lost an eye (Rohit had told Kiran about the playground
accident in these very terms; he is betrayed!). This turns the case
in Kiran's favor. She apologizes to Rohit, saying she had no idea
the lawyer was going to use that in court, but he refuses to accept
the apology. Kiran is awarded custody. Rohit is crushed.
- Kiran comes to fetch Sonu - but tells Rohit
that she's leaving Sonu here, because this is where he belongs. She
apologizes to Rohit, saying she sees now that family relationships
are more important than anything else, so Sonu should stay here because
it is his home. As she's about to leave, Rohit says: "Kiran, this
is your home too." They reunite. Happy ever after, credits.
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