Talaash: The Hunt Begins 2003

Babu [Suresh Oberoi] works for a criminal gang led by Chhote Pathan [Kabir Bedi] and his lieutenants Rajjo Singh [Raj Babbar] and D.K Sharma [Dalip Tahil]. Babu knows many of the gang’s secrets, and Chhote promises him protection for staying quiet, but the promise proves hollow and a betrayal follows. He is rescued by an honest police inspector [Ashish Vidhyarthi], and when Babu returns home he finds his wife Poornima [Rakhee Gulzar], his son Arjun [Akshay Kumar], and daughter Pooja [Pooja Batra] living in poverty because of Chhote’s treachery. He confronts Poornima with the truth of the gang’s betrayal, swears vengeance, and joins forces with the inspector to expose their deals, leading to many arrests.

Chhote locates Babu, humiliates him, and carries the punishment back to Babu’s home in front of Poornima and the children. Arjun is out earning a living, leaving Poornima and Pooja at home; Poornima pleads for forgiveness and vows to leave the city. In a brutal turn, Chhote grabs Pooja and reveals his plan to raise her and sell her in ten to twelve years. Babu attempts to intervene, but Chhote decapitates him. Pooja’s screams reach Arjun as he returns to find his father dead and his mother in a state of mental collapse, unable to recognize him and mistaking Pooja’s toy doll for her daughter. Desperate, Arjun seeks help from the inspector, who cannot locate Chhote or Pooja; the pair seem to have vanished, and Arjun vows not to give up the search for his sister.

Ten years pass. Poornima is confined in a mental hospital, while Arjun Raichand has become a high-profile vigilante who works with the police, exposing illegal firearms deals. The Commissioner of Police hints at a clue that could lead him to Pooja. He recounts how Chhote and Rajjo fled to Ghaziabad, where both were killed in a police chase, and how D.K Sharma took over the gang and disappeared. He learns of Shetty, a famed arms smuggler who once drove for Chhote, and that Sharma may know where Pooja is. Arjun tracks down Shetty, who tries to shoot him but is instead shot by the Commissioner. A control-room camera then catches Sharma arriving from a flight with a girl named Tina Saluja [Kareena Kapoor Khan] on a London tour.

Arjun captures Sharma and learns that Rajjo is still alive and knows where Pooja is, while Tina is Sharma’s daughter. In a fatal turn, Sharma is dropped to his death after revealing nothing definitive. Back at the control room, footage confirms Rajjo is alive. Arjun travels to Amritsar to meet Sardar Vichitra Singh [Gulshan Grover], conveying that he has come to find Rajjo. When Tina learns the truth of her father’s identity, she confronts Rajjo, who realises his past mistakes. Before Rajjo can disclose the location of Pooja, he is shot and dies in Tina’s arms. Tina urges Arjun to pursue Rocky [Arbaaz Ali Khan], and Chhote finally appears; Arjun defeats him and Rocky. Returning to India with Pooja, Arjun reunites with Tina and his family, bringing the long quest to a close.