Sanam Re
Sanam Re (transl. Oh beloved) is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Divya Khosla Kumar and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, and co-produced by Ajay Kapoor. The film stars Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam, Urvashi Rautela, and Rishi Kapoor.
The film was released worldwide on 12 February 2016 on Valentine’s Day weekend and grossed US$3.83 million against a production budget of US$2.5 million. It was widely panned by critics and the audience alike.
Plot
Akash works for a private firm in Mumbai and leads a monotonous life. When he learns that his grandfather’s health has worsened, he leaves the city to visit his native town, Tanakpur. There, he negotiates a deal to sell his grandfather’s studio. While visiting the studio one last time, he gets nostalgic, and the story goes to a flashback. Six-year-old Akash lives with his parents and grandfather, who is a photographer.
Akash’s grandfather predicts that Akash will fall in love with a girl who lives 500 steps away from their studio and that they will be in love forever but won’t be able to live together. Akash takes 500 steps and finds a girl older than him, disappointing him. Meanwhile, when he gets to high-school, he falls for Shruti.
But he left her without informing just because he had to continue his higher studies in Mumbai. When Shruti learns this, she is shattered. She couldn’t accept his selfishness after a long-term, affectionate relationship. Back in the present, He tries to find Shruti but fails.
When he learns that his boss has fired him, he rushes back and is asked to secure a big contract for his company if he wants to save his job. He travels to Canada to meet Mrs. Pablo, their company investor’s wife who is now broken-up with her husband.
He attends a yoga camp, where he becomes friends with Mrs. Pablo and learns that her real name is Akansha. Akash also meets Shruti there, who behaves like a happy-go-lucky and doesn’t recognize Akash. Akash pretends to be in love with Akansha to secure the contract, but he and Shruti fall in love with each other again during completing a task in the camp.
They sleep together and revive their lost love. It is also revealed that Akansha is none other than the tall girl that Akash met in his childhood. Akash is again left heartbroken when Shruti leaves at the end of the camp, saying that they can’t be together.
Akash realizes Shruti still loves him and embarks on a journey to find the truth behind her rejection with the help of Akansha. He learns that she left him because she is suffering from a rare heart disease; she will die if her heart isn’t transplanted soon.
She requests him to live with her, all the life they would have if they were given a chance. In just a few days, they experience the life of being newly married, being a wedded couple and growing old. By the time they finish experiencing those days, they have a sweet and emotional conversation, and now Akash has to leave for his job.
A few months later, Shruti moves out of the hospital, healthy and cured; they found a donor and the transplant was done. In order to be with Akash, she moves to the city to find him and is left shocked when his phone is switched off and she can’t contact him. Hopelessly, she wanders around until she finds a voice note left by Akash, then further goes in search for him.
In the end, when she passes near her own house, her heart begins to beat faster. That’s when she realizes that Akash was the one who gave his heart to her for the transplant because Akash’s heart always beat faster when he passed through Shruti’s house as he loved her a lot.
Thus, Shruti realizes that Akash is dead and cries a lot in the memory of Akash. Then she goes on to open the studio of Akash’s grandfather and hangs the wood where “Aakash loves Shruti” was written by both of them during their childhood. The film ends with a snap of Akash’s grandfather, taken by Shruti, in their studio.
Cast
Credit – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanam_Re#Cast
- Pulkit Samrat as Akash / Bill
- Yami Gautam as Shruti / Anjali
- Urvashi Rautela as Akansha / Mrs. Pablo
- Rishi Kapoor as Akash’s Grandfather/Daddu
- Aashish Kaul as Akash’s Father
- Prachi Shah as Akash’s Mom
- Bharti Singh as Babyji
- Ketki Dave as Visitor’s Wife
- Jiten Mukhi as Visitor
- Manoj Joshi as Akash’s Boss
- Ankit Arora as Doc
- Muna Ali (cameo appearance)
- Divya Khosla Kumar as an item girl in songs “Humne Pee Rakhi Hai” and “Akkad Bakkad” (cameo appearance)
- Jaz Dhami as Singer in the song “Humne Pee Rakhi Hai” (cameo appearance)
Our General Review
When I think about Sanam Re, the 2016 film directed by Divya Khosla Kumar, it feels like curling up with a familiar, well-worn book—the kind you know isn’t perfect but still love because it speaks to your heart. This movie is a gentle, nostalgic hug, the kind that brings back memories of first crushes, handwritten notes, and places you called home.
It’s not trying to change the world or rewrite Bollywood’s rulebook, but it has this quiet, earnest charm that makes you want to root for it, flaws and all. Watching it feels like sitting on a porch swing, wrapped in a shawl, letting the story unfold like a conversation with an old friend. Let me share why this film, with its tender highs and clumsy lows, left such a soft imprint on me.
The story follows Akash, played by Pulkit Samrat, a guy caught up in Mumbai’s grind, chasing a corporate life that looks good on paper but feels hollow inside. His heart, though, keeps pulling him back to Tanakpur, a small town tucked in snowy hills, where he fell in love with Shruti, played by Yami Gautam, when they were just kids with big dreams. The film moves back and forth, showing their young love—those giddy, innocent moments—and the grown-up choices that pulled them apart.
When Akash goes back to Tanakpur to sort out his family’s old photo studio, every corner of the town stirs memories of Shruti, like opening a box you forgot you’d packed away. Then there’s Akansha, played by Urvashi Rautela, who brings a new spark into his life, stirring up all sorts of confusion. I won’t spill the details, but there’s a twist, a sacrifice, and a quiet truth about love’s timing that hit me harder than I expected.
It’s a familiar setup—boy loves girl, life gets in the way, fate steps in. I’ve seen it before, and so have you, probably. But there’s something about the way Sanam Re tells it that feels personal, like it’s not just Akash’s story but a piece of anyone who’s ever wondered “what if.”
The way he and Shruti laugh as kids, stealing glances by a frozen lake, or the way they hesitate as adults, carrying years of unsaid words—it’s the stuff of real life, not just movie magic. Sure, it leans on tropes: a love triangle, a tearjerker moment, a bit of drama that feels like it’s trying too hard. But it’s like a favorite sweater—maybe it’s got a few loose threads, but it’s still the one you reach for when you need comfort.
Pulkit Samrat makes Akash feel like someone you’d know. He’s not a flashy hero, and that’s why I liked him. He’s just a guy—sometimes unsure, sometimes stubborn, always carrying a quiet ache for something he can’t quite name. There’s a scene where he’s flipping through old photos, and you can see the weight of his choices in his eyes, no grand gestures needed. It’s the kind of acting that doesn’t shout but whispers, and it pulled me in.
Yami Gautam, though—she’s the heart of this film. Shruti could’ve been a cliché, the perfect girl left behind, but Yami gives her so much soul. She’s delicate but strong, her smile hiding a thousand feelings. There’s this one moment where she looks at Akash, and it’s like she’s saying everything without a word. I felt her joy, her pain, like it was my own, and that’s a rare gift.
Urvashi Rautela’s Akansha is a burst of color, like sunlight breaking through clouds. Her role isn’t as deep as it could be—the script doesn’t give her enough to work with—but she owns every scene with this infectious energy. She’s the friend who drags you to dance when you’re moping, and I wished we’d seen more of her story.
Rishi Kapoor, as Akash’s grandfather, is pure warmth. Every scene with him feels like a memory of my own family—those elders who tease you but love you fiercely. There’s a moment where he talks to young Akash about life, and it’s so simple, so true, it made me miss my own grandparents. The rest of the cast, from Bharti Singh’s goofy cameo to the quirky townsfolk, fills Tanakpur with life, like neighbors you’d wave to every morning.
The music in Sanam Re is where the film truly soars. It’s not just a soundtrack—it’s the pulse of the story. The title song, sung by Arijit Singh, stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. It’s like the melody reached into my chest and pulled out every longing I’ve ever felt. Mithoon’s composition is haunting, and Arijit’s voice is a sigh you can’t shake. Then there’s Gazab Ka Hai Yeh Din, all bubbly and bright, capturing that rush of falling in love when the world feels new.
Kya Tujhe Ab Ye Dil Bataye broke me—it’s so raw, so heavy with regret, I had to pause and catch my breath. Even the playful Humne Pee Rakhi Hai, with Divya herself dancing, feels like a party you want to crash. The whole album, with names like Amaal Mallik and Jeet Gannguli behind it, is a playlist I still turn to when I’m feeling nostalgic.
What makes the songs even better is how they’re woven into the film. Divya knows how to make music feel like a moment you’re living. The title track plays as snow falls around Akash and Shruti, their breath visible in the cold, and it’s like the world shrinks to just them. Gazab Ka Hai Yeh Din sparkles with fairy lights and laughter, like a memory you wish you could bottle. The visuals are stunning—Shimla’s misty hills, Ladakh’s rugged beauty, Canada’s serene lakes.
Every frame feels like a painting, thanks to Sameer Arya’s cinematography. There’s a scene by a lake, the water so clear it mirrors their faces, and I forgot to blink, it was so beautiful. Tanakpur’s snow, Mumbai’s bustle, the old photo studio with its dusty cameras—they’re not just settings; they’re pieces of the story, holding every emotion like a keepsake.
Divya Khosla Kumar directs this film like she’s pouring her heart onto the screen. You can feel her love for the story in every choice—the way she lingers on a shy smile, the way she lets silence speak. She’s got this soft, almost feminine touch, focusing on the little things that make love real: a hand brushing another, a glance held too long.
Her music video roots show in the song sequences, which burst with color and feeling, but she’s just as good at the quiet moments, like when Akash sits alone, wrestling with his heart. The film isn’t perfect, though. The second half drags a bit, with a yoga camp that feels more weird than charming.
Some threads, like Akansha’s story, get shortchanged, and a few twists lean so hard into drama they almost tip over. But even these stumbles feel like they come from caring too much, like Divya wanted to give us everything she had. That sincerity carries the film, making its flaws feel like quirks in a friend you adore.
Sanam Re isn’t about being groundbreaking. It’s about feeling something—love, loss, hope, all tangled up like life itself. It’s about the way a place, like that snowy town, holds your memories. It’s about family, like Akash’s grandfather, who reminds you where you came from.
It’s about believing the heart knows its way, even when you’ve lost the map. Watching it, I thought of my own “what ifs”—a person I haven’t called in years, a place I haven’t visited. The film felt like it was holding my hand, saying it’s okay to feel those things, to miss them, to hope for them still.
It’s not a film for cynics or critics hunting for plot holes. The story could be sharper, the pacing tighter, the drama a little less heavy. But that’s like saying a homemade meal isn’t gourmet—it’s not about perfection; it’s about love. Sanam Re is a film to watch when you’re craving something warm, maybe with someone you care about, sharing a blanket and a bowl of snacks.
Or watch it alone, with a mug of chai, letting it stir up memories you’d forgotten. It’s a reminder of why I love Bollywood—the way it dares to be big-hearted, to wear its emotions like a badge, to believe love is worth every messy, beautiful moment.
For me, Sanam Re is like a song you hum without realizing, a story that feels like it’s partly yours. It’s not the best movie I’ve seen, but it’s one I’ll always hold close, like a photo you keep in your wallet, faded but precious. Give it a chance, maybe on a quiet evening when you’re in the mood to feel. Let it take you back to a time when love was everything, and maybe you’ll find a little piece of your own heart in its tender, snowy glow.
Peolpe General Review
