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What it's about:
Sometimes, the most effective communication is achieved through the simplest of narratives. When most directors say their film is different, you know it is a spin. But Nagesh Kukunoor has been rather consistent. From Hyderabad Blues, Iqbal, Teen Deewarein to Rockford and Dor (Bombay To Bangkok and 8X10 Tasveer have been the stray exceptions), he's often taken inspiration from his own experiences and that's what makes his films look real. Aashayein is about a gambler Rahul (John Abraham) who on the night on his biggest win, passes out after proposing to his waitress girlfriend Nafisa (Sonal Sehgal). 24 hours later, he learns that he has barely three months to live, as he is diagnosed with lung cancer. Even as he is coming to terms with the sad news, Nafisa suggests they get married. Not wanting to leave her a widow, he quietly steals away into the night with a backpack to a hospice for terminal patients. Here, he befriends other patients as they all move towards their inevitable end. How Rahul eventually ends up changing everyone's lives (including his own) forms the crux of the film.