Sooryavansham

The story is set in the backdrop of rural India. Thakur Bhanupratap Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) is the head of the “Sooryavansh” ancestry in the village of Bharatpur where he is also the distinguished Sarpanch of the local Gram panchayat. The people of Bharatpur reckon Thakur Bhanupratap with great honour and respect for his blue blood and virtuous ideologies. Thakur Bhanupratap has three sons the youngest among whom is Heera (Amitabh Bachchan, in a dual role). Thakur Bhanupratap considers Heera good-for-nothing and avoids any kind of verbal or physical communication with him because of Heera being illiterate.

Although illiterate and neglected by his father, Heera is very benevolent and obedient, and has intense respect and reverence for his father. His significance in the household is no greater than the servants working in the palatial bungalow of the family.One day, some guests arrive at the house, among whom a woman Radha (Soundarya) notices that although Heera is one of Thakur Bhanuprataps sons, he lives like a servant in the house doing menial work. Upon asking Heeras close friend Dharmendra (Anupam Kher) about this, he narrates to Radha the sad account of Heeras past life. In his childhood Heera was a dunce and always earned very poor marks in his school examinations, to face his strict fathers wrath.

He was so dull in his studies that he even did not know the number of zeroes in 100; sometimes he would place three or four zeroes in 100 while tempering with the low marks on his mark sheet, again to be castigated by his father. Heera actually did not go to school for knowledge, his sole purpose of attending school was his classmate Gauri the girl adopted by Thakur Bhanupratap after the demise of her parents. Once a teacher severely punished Gauri for her omission of producing homework, and Heera, in a fit of rage, struck the teacher and bolted away along with Gauri. Heera thus became a school dropout and never continued his studies, whereas Gauri proceeded with her studies while maintaining a well-disposed relationship with Heera. In due course of time, Heera and Gauri attained adulthood, the former being an untaught man and the latter (played by Rachana Banerjee) continuing her higher studies in city.

Heera used to await every weekend eagerly when Gauri returned home from city. Heera and Gauris romantic attachment is featured by the song “Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai”. Heeras father Thakur Bhanupratap was aware of the love affair of Heera and Gauri, who soon arranged the marriage of both. However, when Gauri came to know that her marriage had been solemnized with Heera, she attempted suicide, only to be rescued by Heera. In reality, Gauris “love” for Heera was mendacious; she would never marry Heera whom she considered worthless because of his illiteracy.

In order to protect her righteousness in the eyes of Thakur Bhanupratap, she made Heera declare before Thakur Bhanupratap that the decision of their breakup and cancellation of their marriage was Heeras own. A docile Heera, for the sake of Gauris happiness, did so and added to the displeasure of his father for him. Later, Heera, with tearful eyes, watched the marriage of Gauri with a well-off man and he developed antipathy for love because of the distress caused by all these happenings.Hearkening to Heeras sad past from Dharmendra, a compassionate Radha acquires fascination for Heera. By singing the song “Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai” to Heera, which is associated with his past melancholy, Radha proclaims her love for Heera.

Heera, who has faced awful rejection in love and also considering that an uneducated man like him has no right to love an educated woman like Radha, asks Radha to forsake him. However, Radha is head over heels in love with Heera and exhibits indications of love for him many a time which Heera does not reciprocate to.Later one day, Heera receives a letter from Radha in which she writes that her parents are arranging her marriage with Deshraj/Kevada Thakurs (Mukesh Rishi) son against her will. Radha, who is in deep love with Heera only, resolves either to unite with Heera or hang herself to death. Kevada Thakur is an arch-enemy of Thakur Bhanupratap and he has an undercover plan of bringing the ruin of the Sooryavansh family by establishing familial relationship with Radhas family, by obliging Radhas lawyer father (Shivaji Satam) to act in Kevada Thakurs favour.

Radhas mother (Bindu) vehemently censures of her daughters decision of marrying an illiterate man like Heera and pleads Thakur Bhanupratap to make Heera steer clear of Radha. Thakur Bhanupratap sends for Heera and says to him that if he abandons Radha, he will be received by Thakur Bhanupratap as his son. On the other hand, Dharmendra persuades Heera to accept Radha by saying that Radhas love for Heera is real and heartfelt; only a few fortunate men receive true love. The ire of Thakur Bhanupratap for Heera is short-lived which will eventually melt away. Heera heeds Dharmendras advice and on the day of Radhas wedding with Kevada Thakurs son, Heera gatecrashes into the ceremony and carries Radha away with him, much to the shock and dismay of his relatives and acquaintances.

Soon Heera and Radha bind in a conjugal relationship. This act of Heera stirs up great anger in Thakur Bhanupratap who hands over Heeras share of property to Heera, thus terminating his existing unsound relationship with Heera, and greatly reprimands him. However, a humble Heera returns the property documents regarding his fathers condemnation as his blessing.Heera and Radha start living at the village outskirts. Both form an ideal husband-wife couple and soon a son is born to them.

Heera starts eking out a living by working in a transport company, and later, by dint of his diligence, launches a bus service under the name of his father, which soon flourishes into a booming transport company. Radha teaches Heera the three Rs while she pursues her I.A.S. studies.

Soon the hardships caused by poverty and the disgrace of Heera being illiterate cease and in due course of time, Heera becomes an affluent businessman and Radha becomes the District collector. Heera sets up a charitable hospital for the poor, which was his fathers dream scheme. In spite of all these, Thakur Bhanuprataps abhorrence for Heera and his family remains.One day Thakur Bhanupratap incidentally comes across Heera and Radhas son and is very much gladdened by the childs principles and behavior. Soon he learns that the boy is Heera and Radhas son a progeny of Sooryavansh.

Thakur Bhanupratap develops a friendly relationship with his grandson unbeknownst to Heera, Radha or any member of his family. Heera eventually learns to his surprise and delight that his son has been in communication with his father Thakur Bhanupratap. As a mark of affection for and devotion to his father, Heera gives his son some canned kheer to be offered to Thakur Bhanupratap upon his next meeting with his son. On the other hand, Heera's mother Sharda (Jayasudha) too discovers Thakur Bhanupratap secretly meeting his grandson, and she urges Thakur Bhanupratap to accept Heera back into their family. She says to him that Thakur Bhanupratap has never liked bowing down to anything, then how he could yield to the fondness of a child.

Earlier, Heera was known by his father Thakur Bhanupratap whereas nowadays Heera has made a prominent name by which his father is known. Thakur Bhanuprataps other sons consider his property as their own, whereas for Heera, his father is his wealth. Nowadays, they are the children who drive their parents out of home whereas Heera is the son who has been expelled by his father. These words of Sharda make Thakur Bhanupratap comprehend the virtue of Heera and he rings him up. Before Thakur Bhanupratap speaks a word to Heera over phone, he throws up blood apparently because of consuming the kheer offered by Heera.

A critically ill Thakur Bhanupratap is hospitalized and Heera is suspected of attempting on his fathers life.The hospital is swarmed by Thakur Bhanuprataps well-wishers. When Heera arrives at the hospital, Kevada Thakur proclaims before the crowd that it is Heera who has attempted to kill his father because of his elimination by Thakur Bhanupratap from his family, with the poisoned kheer being an evidence against Heera. In reality, the miscreant is Kevada Thakur himself who had covertly poisoned the kheer in absence of Thakur Bhanupratap to have the latter killed. When Kevada Thakur and his men proceed to kill Heera, Thakur Bhanupratap arrives for Heeras rescue.

It is then when Thakur Bhanupratap testifies against Kevada Thakur in presence of the crowd how he, with artifice, poisoned the kheer offered to him by Heera. An impassioned Thakur Bhanupratap gives up all the hatred for Heera, unifies with him and decides to pass his final verdict on this long-standing enmity with Kevada Thakur. Both Thakur Bhanupratap and Heera fight Kevada Thakur and his men until Kevada Thakur confesses his guilt and begs Thakur Bhanupratap for his forgiveness.In the final scene of the movie, the kith and kin of Sooryvansh convene. Heeras son sings the song “Kore Kore Sapne Mere” when Thakur Bhanupratap arrives and continues with the following line of the song as he embraces Heera “Waada Hai Waada, Chaahenge Tumko, Jeevan Se Zyaada”, meaning, “Its a promise that I will love you more than my life.

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