Mohabbatein 2000

Narayan Shankar is the stern and traditional principal of Gurukul, a prestigious all-boys boarding school that he has led for 25 years. He upholds the values of honour, discipline, and tradition, and strictly forbids any form of romantic relationships, threatening expulsion to those who fall in love.

Raj Aryan Malhotra, a music teacher who believes in the power of love, joins Gurukul. In contrast to Narayan’s rigid worldview, Raj gradually encourages students to embrace emotion and pursue their feelings. His presence begins to challenge the conservative atmosphere of the school.

Raj forms a close bond with three students—Sameer, Vicky, and Karan—each of whom falls in love. Sameer reconnects with his childhood friend Sanjana, who is initially in a relationship with another man, Deepak. After witnessing Deepak mistreat her, Sanjana realises her true feelings and chooses Sameer. Vicky becomes infatuated with Ishika, a student from a nearby girls’ college. Though she initially rebuffs his advances, the two are paired for a dance competition and eventually fall in love. Karan encounters Kiran, a reserved woman whose husband is missing in action at the border. With Raj’s guidance, he becomes a piano teacher to Kiran’s nephew and slowly wins her affection.

As the trio secretly nurtures their relationships, Narayan becomes increasingly suspicious. Upon discovering their romantic pursuits, he tightens the rules at Gurukul and eventually decides to expel them. Raj intervenes, revealing his true identity as Raj Malhotra, a former Gurukul student who had once fallen in love with Narayan’s only daughter, Megha. Narayan had expelled Raj without meeting him, and Megha, devastated by her father’s disapproval, took her own life. Raj had returned to Gurukul with the hope of instilling a more compassionate ethos and challenging Narayan’s rigid principles.

Although Narayan orders Raj to denounce love before the entire school and leave Gurukul, Raj asserts that Narayan has already lost—by sacrificing his daughter to his beliefs and by forcing out someone who once respected him as a father figure. Moved by Raj’s words, Narayan has a change of heart. The next morning, he publicly acknowledges his mistakes and asks Raj to take his place as principal, entrusting him with the responsibility of guiding Gurukul’s future generation with love and understanding.