The Shaukeens

Three elderly men—Ashok “Lali” Lalwani, Kamaldheer “KD” Sharma, and Harishankar “Pinky” Goyal—embark on a sun-drenched holiday to Mauritius, each carrying a private ache. Lali is unhappy with a wife who is devout and keeps him at a distance from faith and family; KD remains a bachelor for reasons never explained, while Pinky harbors a quiet, unspoken longing for a young Chinese woman who speaks only English, a barrier shaped by his own lack of education that makes him hard-pressed to express his feelings.

On the tropical island they cross paths with Ahana Bakshi, Lisa Haydon, a social media addict whose online world fuels her sense of self. She is tormented by rival girls who outpace her on Facebook, and by a cascade of comments from her ex-boyfriend that both mock and publicize her posts. The three men try to win her over by admiring her unusual collections—odd items that range from the bizarre to the slightly macabre—an attempt that comes off as stingy charm but still fuels Ahana’s fixation.

Her obsession grows until she reaches a breaking point and contemplates suicide. In a moment of chance, she spots Rajiv Bhatia a.k.a. Akshay Kumar filming a song, and she reveals that she is a huge fan who dreams of meeting him. The three men scramble to arrange a meet-and-greet with the star, much to Akshay’s evident irritation at the disruption his shoot causes.

Meanwhile, the film within the film reveals a troubling side of the star: he is secretly an alcoholic, drinking cocktails disguised as coconut water. He agrees to work with Ranjit Basu, a renowned filmmaker known for blockbusters that have earned billions and National Awards, hoping the collaboration will sharpen his craft and help him compete with other superstars. Basu pushes him to embody his character, but the pressure and his drinking begin to take a toll, culminating in a public outburst where Akshay publicly denigrates the three men and belittles Ahana. The fallout ripples through Lali’s wife, who blames KD and Pinky for the spectacle, leaving Akshay to confront the consequences of his actions in the glare of the media.

In a crucial turn, Akshay arrives just as the trio is ready to depart and seeks forgiveness, meeting Ahana to offer a sincere apology. It is revealed that KD remained a bachelor not out of choice but out of love for Lali’s younger sister, a divorcee, whom KD kept at a distance to preserve his friendship with Lali. To set things right, Akshay announces at a press conference that he is working on a film called Alcoholic, and that his earlier stunt was a promotional strategy meant to reset his public image. He also reveals that Ahana is the film’s new heroine, a revelation that the three uncles accept with a mix of relief and pride, knowing him from past. The trio returns home to India with a renewed sense of camaraderie, even as Akshay keeps pursuing a shot of Ahana for the title track, chasing a moment that still eludes him.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:45