- In Mumbai, affable Bollywood buff and wanna-be-actor Sunny, who works as an assistant director, fantasizes on becoming a heart-throb star. However, at every audition he is summarily thrown out. Undeterred, he goes with an American crew to remote areas in Rajasthan to work on a documentary. One day an Islamic terrorist group kidnaps him for the American crew-member. Sunny finds himself on enemy border amidst guns and pathani-clad guards, who decide to keep him hostage until they locate their original target. The house In which he is confined belongs to a Pakistani, whose trade stems from pirated Hindi films, which he brings back every time he crosses the border. Soon, the two factions realize that they share a human and cultural bond. The film shows how cinema can be the universal panacea for co-existence.—UTV Motion Pictures
- Filmistaan is a comedy that tells the story of Sunny, a Bollywood buff and an assistant director who dreams of becoming an actor. He goes to Rajasthan with an American crew to work on a documentary about the rural life and culture of India. While filming near the India-Pakistan border, he gets separated from his team and is kidnapped by a terrorist group who mistake him for an American. He is taken to a village in Pakistan, where he is held hostage in the house of Aftaab, a pirated film dealer who smuggles Hindi movies across the border. Sunny and Aftaab bond over their love for Bollywood and become friends. Sunny also befriends Mehmood, one of his captors who is disillusioned with his life and wants to escape. Sunny tries to convince Mehmood to help him escape and contact the Indian embassy. However, things get complicated when the terrorist leader returns and threatens to kill Sunny if his demands are not met. Sunny also learns that Aftaab's sister is in love with an Indian soldier and wants to elope with him. Sunny decides to help them and also make a film with Aftaab's camera equipment. He hopes that his film will reach India and prove his innocence. He also hopes that his film will show the human and cultural similarities between India and Pakistan and promote peace and harmony123. The film is full of hilarious moments as Sunny uses his Bollywood knowledge and skills to entertain, charm and manipulate his captors and hosts. He also shows them the power of cinema as a universal language that transcends borders and conflicts. He makes them laugh, cry and sing along with him as he plays scenes from various Hindi films on Aftaab's TV. He also teaches them how to act, dance and lip-sync like their favorite stars. He even manages to win over Jawaad, the most hostile of his captors, who initially hates him for being an Indian. The film also has some emotional scenes as Sunny learns about the hardships and struggles of the people living in Pakistan. He realizes that they are not so different from him and that they also have dreams, hopes and fears. He sympathizes with Mehmood, who is unhappy with his life as a terrorist and wants to start afresh. He also respects Aftaab, who despite being a smuggler, has a good heart and loves his family. He also develops feelings for Aftaab's sister, who is brave enough to defy her father and follow her heart. The film reaches its climax when Sunny's film is completed and he decides to show it to the villagers as a farewell gift. However, the terrorist leader arrives with his men and interrupts the screening. He orders them to kill Sunny and Aftaab for betraying him. A shootout ensues between the terrorists and the villagers, who try to protect Sunny and Aftaab. Mehmood sacrifices himself to save Sunny from a bullet. Jawaad also joins the fight against his former comrades. After a verbal argument between the two, Mehmood swings his gun to shoot Jawaad but is shot down and falls dead. Jawaad tells both Sunny and Aftaab to escape, saying Aftaab would be killed in Pakistan as a traitor. The group leader soon arrives and kills a desolate Jawaad who was waiting on his knees for his fate. Sunny and Aftaab manage to cross the border with the help of some Indian soldiers who recognize Sunny from his film. They are reunited with Aftaab's sister and her lover at the border checkpoint. They hug each other and celebrate their freedom. The film ends with Sunny receiving a call from a Bollywood producer who saw his film on TV and offers him a role in his next project.
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