Duniyadari 2014

grandmother Shirin Sai Tamhankar and grandfather Pritam Sushant Shelar head toward Pune with the grandchildren, and the film unfurls as a memory-filled trek back to a late-1970s setting—complete with bell-bottoms and polka-dot outfits that tint the story in nostalgia. At the center of it all is Shreyas Talwalkar Swapnil Joshi, a young man from Mumbai navigating a tense, loveless relationship with his father Sudhir and his mother Rani. After disappointing grades force a change in plans, his mother pushes him into post-graduate studies at S. P. College in Pune, where he finds a new circle and a different rhythm of life.

Arriving in Pune, Shreyas moves into a college hostel and crosses paths with the rowdy Digambar Shankar Patil [Ankush Chaudhari]—known as Digya—and his bustling hangout crew. Digya’s world crackles with color thanks to his longtime partner Surekha Bhate [Richa Pariyalli], and the two are deeply entangled with a wider, unruly orbit that Shreyas begins to influence with his quiet, steady sense of loyalty. In this mixed world of friendship and bravado, Shreyas becomes the voice of reason among the rough-edged group, even as he witnesses the volatile dynamics with Sainath Dedgaonkar, better known as Sai, Digya’s rival and the son of a local politician.

The story widens to include Pritam and Shirin Ghatge—the children of a Kolhapur MLA—who bring a different energy to Shreyas’ life. Pritam is a studious, supportive presence, while Shirin, a medical student who often visits their campus, kindles a complicated bond with Shreyas. Soon, Shreyas’ path forks: he falls for Shirin, and their friendship blossoms, yet Meenu (Minu) Meenu Urmilla Kothare—Minu for short—also harbors feelings for him, creating a tense love triangle that places Shirin in a difficult position as she faces pressure from her father and from the growing closeness between Shreyas and Meenu.

Tensions mount when Shirin’s birthday party brings to light that her father intends to wed her to Sai, despite her wishes. In a bid to teach a lesson, Digya and his crew push Shreyas toward Meenu, and the alliance between Shreyas and Meenu deepens, even as Shirin’s heart remains torn. Meenu and Shreyas’ bond starts to reshape the social fabric around them, while Shirin, with Pritam’s quiet influence, nudges Meenu toward a more genuine path with Shreyas. The emotional tug-of-war intensifies as Shreyas faces the consequences of these triangles and what it means to pursue true love.

Meanwhile, Digya’s personal life hits a rough patch when Surekha Bhate’s impending marriage to a stranger strains his loyalties and his own sense of belonging. The story digs into family histories when Shreyas’ mother drops a bombshell: she had once fallen in love with a man named Shreyas Gokhale—their shared namesake—before being pressured into a marriage she did not want. The revelation is a turning point that revises Shreyas’ understanding of love, memory, and obligation, and it pushes him to return to Pune with a renewed, if heavier, resolve.

As Shreyas contemplates his future, Meenu’s father discovers her romance with him and forbids further meetings. Meenu, driven by love, escapes home and is determined to marry Shreyas, even as he confesses that he may not be worthy of her. The tension peaks at the railway station, where Shirin confronts Shreyas about his feelings, and Sai, in a teasing turn, announces his own upcoming marriage to Shirin in Kolhapur. The moment pushes Shreyas toward a crucial decision: he leaves the train and encounters MK, a depressed alcoholic whose life had briefly intersected Shreyas’ own path in a local bar.

MK’s death—suicide in front of Shreyas’ eyes after a failed attempt at recovery—shakes him profoundly. While going through MK’s wallet to contact MK’s family, Shreyas discovers a photograph of his mother as a younger woman, realizing that MK was none other than his mother’s former lover Shreyas Gokhale Sandeep Kulkarni. This revelation rekindles his determination, and he returns to Pune with a new sense of purpose, ready to fight for love rather than be mastered by fear.

At the Kolhapur ceremony, Shreyas unexpectedly interrupts Shirin’s impending marriage to Sai, and a fierce confrontation erupts as Shreyas, fortified by his friends—Pritam, Digya, and the reformed Ashkya—stands up to Sai and his henchmen. The conflict ends in a hard-won victory for Shreyas: he defeats Sai, and he and Shirin walk away together, choosing each other against all odds. The couple’s later news shifts the mood to one of fragile hope—Shirin’s pregnancy and the knowledge that Shreyas is living with a terminal illness, likely blood cancer, turning their happiness into a poignant, time-bound promise.

Shreyas’s final wish is intimate and communal at once: that all of his friends, old and new, reunite each year on his birthday at their beloved hangout to celebrate the lasting power of friendship and love. The film closes by returning to that familiar campus hangout, where Shirin, Pritam, Digya, Meenu, and the wider circle—now older, wiser, and still bound by shared memories—gather to remember Shreyas and to keep his birthday tradition alive, a touching testament to love, loyalty, and the ties that outlive even a fading lifespan.