Atrangi Re summary and ending explained

Atrangi Re is a rom-com that tells the story of Rinku and Vishu as they’re brought together under unforeseen circumstances and how this situation leads to the development of a close bond between them. The film is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Summary

Rinku (Sara Ali Khan) belongs to a traditional family in rural Bihar where she constantly tries to elope with her lover. Each time they catch her and beat her up but she never reveals the identity of this lover. Rinku’s grandmother (Seema Biswas) decides that they need to get her married so that the problem is shifted to someone else.

Vishu (Dhanush) is a medical student who has arrived in Bihar from Delhi with his friend, Madhusudhan ‘MS’ (Ashish Verma) to set up a medical camp in the rural area. Vishu is also set to be engaged to Mandy (DImple Hayathi), the daughter of the dean of the University, in Chennai in a couple of days.

Rinku’s uncles spot Vishu and MS during their rounds and decide to pick up MS. Unfortunately, they pick up Vishu instead and go ahead with it. With the help of some laughing gas and suppressants, they can conduct the marriage and then put them on a train back to Delhi.

Rinku and Vishu both agree that they’re not accepting of this union since Vishu has Mandy waiting for him and Rinku has her lover. She goes on to tell him the story of Sajjad Ali Khan (Akshay Kumar), the man she fell in love with and has constantly tried to run away with.

Sajjad is a magician meant to be in Africa to hone his craft and Rinku assures Vishu that he’ll be back in Delhi soon to take her with him. In the meantime, Vishu and his friends have to go to Chennai for the engagement and they call Rinku along.

At the engagement, Vishu hides the fact that he was forcefully married from Mandy on advice from MS. Rinku teases him throughout the function as well. Eventually one of Mandy’s relatives shows her a video of Vishu’s engagement and the whole occasion breaks down.

Vishu is apologetic but when Mandy’s father disrespects Rinku and lays a hand on her, Vishu goes into a rage and leaves along with her and the rest of his family.

When they arrive back in Delhi, Vishu bares his heart out to Rinku saying that in the last couple of days he has fallen for her and that subdues the hurt from his broken engagement. As soon as he says this, Rinku hears the trumpet of an elephant and realizes that Sajjad is here.

Vishu feels defeated by this news and buries himself in his work. He asks MS to go say goodbye to Rinku and Sajjad, but when MS goes to meet them he realises that Sajjad doesn’t exist. He’s a figment of Rinku’s imagination.

He rushes back to tell Vishu and the two of them theorize on what must have led to this delusion. They conclude that the love story she narrates earlier is of her parents, and when they were murdered in front of her eyes she manifested the image of her father, Sajjad, as a way to deal with the trauma.

He shows up anytime she finds herself becoming vulnerable towards someone so that he can build a wall around and protect her. MS tells Vishu that to cure her of this delusion, Rinku needs to realise on her own that she doesn’t exist and all they can do is give her appropriate medication while Vishu tries to charm her in his favour.

The medication does help slightly but Vishu gets impatient about her recovery. One night when he gets drunk, he visits Rinku’s room to tell her the truth about Sajjad. Rinku tells him that Sajjad is down with a fever and Vishu agrees to take a look at him.

Vishu decides not to tell her the truth and the two of them share a moment where she kisses him on the cheek. Sajjad sees this and gets jealous, threatening to hurt himself. He claims that Vishu needs to prove himself first before he can ask for Rinku’s affection in return.

Vishu gets annoyed and says that Sajjad needs to similarly prove himself, before smashing beer bottles on his head. He says that if Sajjad cared about her he would stop Vishu but he isn’t able to. Vishu spends the night in the hospital bed and the next morning Rinku and Sajjad visit him to apologise.

If you have any more questions about the ending, below is a brief run-through of it.

Atrangi Re ending explained in detail:

A magicians greatest trick

Sajjad offers to show Vishu one of his greatest magic tricks as an apology for not stopping him the previous night. He states that he can make the Taj Mahal momentarily disappear. Vishu agrees to this gift and they all head to Agra the next day.

Vishu and his friends gather the public nearby with the lure of money to quietly clap whenever Rinku does and play along with her. Just as Sajjad is about to pull off the trick, MS gives Rinku her medication and at that very moment, Sajjad’s trick fails. The crowd unknowingly claps and that’s when doubt creeps into Rinku’s head.

When they head back, Rinku chastises Sajjad for his failure and goes to Vishu for comfort. It is at this very point that Sajjad calls to her and slits his wrists in front of her. She cries out in pain and Vishu and the other play along by pretending to operate on Sajjad.

While MS says that they should just tell her that he died, Vishu finds himself unable to do that and tells her that they were able to save him. The next day, Vishu tells Rinku that once they sign the divorce papers, she needs to leave with Sajjad.

The planets are not alligned

Vishu and Rinku head to the court where the lawyer has set up an appointment for them to sign their divorce papers. Rinku is not ready to sign them and keeps coming up with excuses. Finally, she decides to run away from the court to avoid signing.

She gets into an auto and asks him to head back to their hostel but Vishu manages to get in as well. She begs him not to force her to sign because she likes being his wife. After all, he cares about her. She also does not want to let go of Sajjad which is what Vishu cannot agree with.

He gives her an ultimatum to choose him or Sajjad. When she cannot choose, he tells her to go back and get ready because he will get her married that day no matter what.

Letting go of the past

When she reaches back she asks Sajjad to talk some sense into Vishu but Sajjad disappears right then. Vishu arrives with a whole band and baaraat and dances with them. Rinku asks him to stop and tells him that Sajjad has left for Japan and won’t be coming back.

Vishu and MS tell her that they can follow him to Japan to get this wedding done. They head over to the railway station and Vishu tells her that they will wait for her outside for a few hours. She can leave with Sajjad or come back and take her place beside her husband.

She heads inside and sees Sajjad with a small girl. He talks to her about her mother and how brave she was. He also tells her that the small girl is Rinku’s younger self.

Sajjad says that the time to let go has finally arrived because she has found someone who loves her just as much and will protect her. He says goodbye to her one last time and reminds her that he will never show up again.

Rinku lets out buckets of tears before heading back where Vishu is waiting for her. The two of them embrace, ready to spend the rest of their lives together with each other.


Also Read: Atrangi Re review: Spotty love story with occasional peaks

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