October 2018

Banita Sandhu as Shiuli Iyer and Varun Dhawan as Danish “Dan” Walia begin their internships at the Radisson Blu hotel in New Delhi, setting up a tale that centers on two very different ends of the spectrum: Shiuli’s meticulous discipline and Dan’s carefree, sometimes reckless approach to work.

From the start, the contrast between them shapes every interaction. Shiuli embodies responsibility and focus, while Dan often struggles to keep up with the hotel’s various departments and the expectations of his colleagues. His circle is small, consisting mostly of a couple of fellow interns who try to cover for him as he stumbles through his tasks.

On New Year’s Eve, Shiuli and her friends head to the hotel’s third floor for a celebration, and Dan is conspicuously absent. That absence becomes a turning point when Shiuli unexpectedly falls from the terrace and ends up in the hospital in a coma. The hotel’s staff visit her, but the absence of Dan weighs heavy on everyone who cares about her.

In the hospital, the shock of her condition anchors Dan in a way his career never did. When his friends recount Shiuli’s last words—her cry of “Where is Dan?”—the moment hits him hard and he begins to visit daily, even as it costs him his job and strains his friendships who still help him by covering shifts and contributing financially. After a scuffle at the hotel, Dan is terminated, and the weight of Shiuli’s situation presses more deeply on him.

Dan’s devotion to Shiuli deepens his bond with her, and he becomes a constant presence that seems to calm her as she gradually shows signs of improvement. He pours himself entirely into caring for her, a choice that reshapes his life even as it jeopardizes his career.

Seeing how Dan’s single-minded attention is wrecking his own life, Shiuli’s mother, Vidya, decides to intervene. Gitanjali Rao as Vidya urges him to take care of himself and consider his future. Reluctantly, Dan accepts a change and takes a managerial position at another hotel in Kullu, hoping distance might help him regain balance. Yet his thoughts keep drifting back to Shiuli, and when he learns that her health in Delhi is again at risk, he returns.

Dan’s return coincides with Shiuli’s renewed progress. She calms in his presence, is discharged from the hospital, and returns home, where he continues to look after her. They share small moments that hint at a deep, ongoing connection; one poignant scene in the park has Dan asking why she remembered him, and Shiuli tries to say his name aloud, a fragile but meaningful moment that underscores how intertwined their lives have become.

Tragically, Shiuli’s health takes a sudden turn the following night when she experiences a seizure, and her lungs collapse. Grief-stricken, Dan goes to Shiuli’s family home to offer comfort. Later, Vidya explains that Shiuli was named for the shiuli flower—a flower that lives for only a moment, blooming at night and dying by dawn. Dan acknowledges the parallel: Shiuli’s life, like the flower, was brief but deeply impactful.

Months pass, and Dan is eventually rehired by the hotel, now completing a diploma and working as a sous chef. He remains touched by Shiuli’s memory and the path she set him on. One day, Vidya—now settled into a new life in Trichy with her family—visits and points to the shiuli plant in the backyard, expressing her wish not to leave it behind. Dan promises to care for it, ensuring that Shiuli’s influence stays with him.

In the end, the shiuli plant travels with Dan as a living symbol of his devotion to Shiuli and the profound effect she had on him. The story leaves him continuing his culinary career while carrying forward the quiet, enduring memory of the person who changed his life.