Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Story:

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, released internationally as Straight From the Heart, is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film stars Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Aishwarya Rai. Based on Rashtriyashayar Jhaverchand Meghani’s play Shetal ne Kathe, the film narrates the story of a newlywed man who discovers that his wife is in love with another man and decides to unite them. The film has also been described as a loose adaptation of Maitreyi Devi’s Bengali novel Na Hanyate, although the film itself does not credit it as a source.

PLOT

Nandini is the daughter of Pundit Darbar, a renowned proponent of Indian classical music. It is announced that a young man named Sameer will be arriving to stay with the Darbar family, as he wants to grasp the intricacies of Indian classical music under the guidance of the Pundit. He is accommodated in Nandini’s room, causing her to shift elsewhere and dislike Sameer. At first, the two tease and prank one another, but soon enough, they fall deeply in love—they share romantic moments during family events, including weddings and festivals.

One day, the couple is caught rehearsing their wedding vows by the Pundit. The old man is enraged since he has already planned Nandini’s wedding with the young lawyer Vanraj, who had fallen in love with her during her cousin Anu’s wedding. Sameer is banished from the household, and the Pundit quits singing since he believes Nandini has brought shame to the family. Sameer is made to vow that he’ll never meet Nandini again. Although he initially acquiesces and leaves for Italy, he soon starts writing letters to Nandini, asking her to join him, but his letters do not reach her. After a futile suicide attempt, Nandini reluctantly weds Vanraj. He attempts to show her affection as is customary for consummating their marriage, but Nandini acts coldly toward him. He asks her why she has been so distant towards him, but she chooses to remain silent.

Nandini finally receives Sameer’s letters, and Vanraj walks in on her reading them. He is enraged and initially decides to return her to her parents, but soon realizes that since she is in love with another man, the right thing to do is unite the pair. Vanraj seeks his parents’ consent, which they give after disagreeing at first. Nandini and Vanraj arrive in Italy but come up against dead ends searching for Sameer. During their search, they are mugged, and Nandini is shot in the arm. Moved by Vanraj’s gentleness and affection towards her, Nandini begins to warm up to him. Eventually, they can locate Sameer through his mother, and Vanraj dutifully arranges their meeting on the night of Sameer’s debut concert. He then bids farewell to Nandini and walks away, heartbroken.

Meeting Sameer, she apologizes to him and tells him she has come to love Vanraj. She reflects upon the unwavering love and devotion that Vanraj has showered upon her throughout their relationship and realizes that Vanraj is her true soul mate. Sameer observes that Nandini no longer has the love for him that he once saw in her. Heartbroken, Sameer lets her go back to Vanraj, which she readily accepts, and Sameer breaks down after she leaves, and his mother consoles him. She returns to Vanraj and tells him she cannot live without him. Vanraj adorns a mangala sutra around her neck, and they embrace each other.