Yaadein 2001

Raj Singh Puri Jackie Shroff is the steadfast friend of Lalit Kumar Malhotra Anang Desai, the younger brother of Jagdish Kumar Malhotra Amrish Puri, two powerhouse businessmen who rule a wealthy world in London. The Malhotras’ high-flying life leaves little time for their son Ronit Malhotra Hrithik Roshan, who longs for something simpler and more real. Ronit’s bond with Raj and his daughters runs deep, especially with the youngest, Isha Singh Puri Kareena Kapoor Khan. Ronit isn’t keen on the family’s greed and instead builds his own online matchmaking venture aimed at helping people find friends and future partners. Raj, a loyal guardian, becomes a bridge between two very different generations and sets of values, all while juggling the expectations of the Malhotras and the wider Rai family.

Back in India, Avantika Singh Puri Avni Vasa is thriving in an arranged marriage to Ronit’s old college friend Pankaj, while Saania marries her boyfriend Sukant against Raj’s advice, testing loyalties and family dynamics. Isha, the bold and practical youngest daughter, declares she does not believe in love, even as she forms a deep, complicated friendship with Ronit. The pair grow closer as they navigate the pressures of tradition, money, and the pull of genuine connection. The tension between heart and duty becomes a central theme as the families press on with their own versions of happiness, often at the expense of their children’s emotional needs.

During a cycling event in Malaysia, Isha competes with fierce determination while Ronit covers the race as a news reporter. Jealousy blooms as Isha witnesses Ronit’s camaraderie with a fellow cyclist, and a spontaneous short trip to a nearby island leads to a life-changing sequence. Isha falls unconscious after a crocodile attack, and Ronit leaps into action, saving her life. Their escape is perilous: the boat’s engine fails, and they must swim through the open sea, pushing their strength and endurance to the limit. Exhausted and short of breath, both are rushed to the hospital, where they begin to realize that their friendship has blossomed into love, even as they try to keep their feelings hidden from a world that values status over affection.

Unbeknownst to them, Ronit’s parents in London are quietly arranging his marriage to Monishka Rai [Kiran Rathod]—the spoiled daughter of another powerful business family—in hopes of sealing a lucrative merger between the Malhotras and the Rais. Raj is drawn into this scheme, partly through a misled belief that Ronit’s happiness lies in a union with Monishka. When Isha asks for Raj’s blessing to marry Ronit, the emotional conflict becomes overwhelming. Raj’s loyalties are pulled between the family he’s served for years and the young love he sees before him. He cannot fully bless the match and ends up unintentionally hurting Isha by presenting the situation as a “prank,” which leaves Isha reeling and more determined than ever to protect her own feelings. She ends the romantic bond, telling herself she’s merely a friend to Ronit, even as her heart resists.

The revelation of the arranged marriage triggers a cascade of upheaval. Ronit is pressured by his parents and Raj to honor the engagement with Monishka, and he discovers a stark mismatch between Monishka’s lifestyle and the Malhotras’ precious, old-world values. Raj pleads with the family to reconsider, but Jagdish publicly humiliates Raj, driving a deeper wedge between the two families. Broken and betrayed, Raj withdraws his support from Ronit, and the rift threatens to sever decades of friendship and loyalty.

On the eve of the engagement party, Ronit, pushed to a breaking point, lashes out at his parents for neglecting his happiness and escapes from home after a home arrest. He finds sanctuary at the Puri residence, where Avantika asks Isha to meet him, and the lovers decide to elope. Their act of defiance throws both families into a panic, but Nalini (and with her support, Monishka’s family) begins to see the damage their choices have caused. Raj’s sense of responsibility and remorse leads him to intervene, urging Ronit and Isha to return home. In a landmark moment at the engagement party, Ronit delivers a powerful speech that exposes the families’ willingness to sacrifice their children’s happiness for money, prompting the Rai family to cancel their merger. Jagdish seeks forgiveness from Raj and Isha, and the Malhotras finally grant their blessing for the couple.

The film closes with a hopeful flashforward: years later, an aged Raj is pictured with Avantika’s young daughter, and it’s implied that Raj’s three daughters remain close and happily married under his watchful, loving guidance, in their ancestral home in India.