Dristhi is that rare film that looks at the cold, harsh reality of its time (India in the 90s) but without the metaphorical moral policing that is associated with Bollywood in that decade. It stars Dimple Kapadia and Shekhar Kapur in the titular roles, and it follows its lead characters as they truly grow up while battling with the collapse of their marriage.
It addresses themes of infidelity, family, marriage, and self-development, and what is so exception about Drishti is just how emotionally raw its characters are. In that sense alone, this film is unique because it allows Sandhya and Nikhil to exist and reckon with their own actions.
Hence, the emotional aftermath of Drishti can be a little confusing, especially because its characters defy convention. So, let’s talk about the intricacies of the film, especially its climax.
Consider yourself warned: Spoilers ahead!
Drishti Plot Overview
The central people in Drishti are Sandhya and Nikhil, two individuals from relatively humble backgrounds who rise in their professions while also trying to save their years-long marriage from its (inevitable) collapse after both step outside and cheat on each other.
Drishti is the story of not just Sandhya and Nikhil’s marriage but also how they come to terms with their infidelities and divorce in a new, modern India. It focuses more so on the emotional upheaval of the ordeal instead of merely placing blame on systematic or individualistic factors, making it a compelling watch for serious cinephiles.
Drishti Ending, Explained
Do Sandhya and Nikhil Get Back Together?
No, Sandhya and Nikhil do not get back together at the end of Drishti. While they are able to maintain a friendly relationship despite everything they have put each other through, it is clear that they work better as friends than lovers.
When Nikhil visits Sandhya at her office, he practically begs her to take him back, saying, “Mai tumse azaad nahi ho sakta.” This scene, in and of itself, is very powerful because despite yearning for him to return — and even asking him to come back time and again — she has finally found some courage to break free from him, even though there does seem to be some uncertainty looming when she asks him, “What have we done, Nikhil?”
In the climax, when both Sandhya and Nikhil are at the beach — a location where their young love initially blossomed — they both talk about how the events of the past few years impacted them in ways unimaginable.
Nikhil opens up about his ambitions and finding clarity in his career, whereas Sandhya opens up about the new man in her life, whom their daughter has also taken a liking to. While she confesses she cannot love him in the same “painful” way as she loved Nikhil, she has seen a different version of love — one that is secure and peaceful.
Nikhil also talks about everything that happened with Vrinda and how they also parted ways in a short time. If nothing else, the finale is evidence of Nikhil’s uncertain nature but also his growing maturity, having finally found his professional calling in Australia.
The first few minutes of this scene show that both have grown up after years apart from each other, but they do not lack the comradery they have always shared.
What Happens to Rahul?
Dristhi doesn’t delve much into Rahul’s fate, as if to reiterate Sandhya’s point about him being just another man with whom she found a few moments of solace. In other words, she merely lusted after him, but she never really did see a future with him, which even the climax solidifies.
Hence, one can only assume what must have happened to Rahul. Most likely, it is possible he furthered his singing career and moved on from the chapter of his life that involved Sandhya after a month or two.
Who knows if Rahul ever found his true love or was able to make his life goals come true?
However, it is likely that he did not attain the level of fame or success imaginable, and the clue lies in how Nikhil talks about Rahul in the climax. After all, when Sandhya brings up her affair with Rahul, Nikhil casually dismisses his existence, which could be indicative of the fact that Rahul may not have found mainstream success as a singer.
It is up to you, as the viewer, to dole out a fate to Rahul that you see fit.
Why Does Sandhya Wait Until the Last Moment to Tell Nikhil About Her Affair?
Since the estranged couple is catching up after years, the drama between the two has subsided. This peaceful dynamic, however, is upended once again when Sandhya opens up to Nikhil about her affair with Rahul, which opens another Pandora’s box.
Nikhil launches into a monologue about how he blamed himself for everything that has transpired between him and Sandhya, even though she was guilty of cheating on him, too. He even asks her if she is taking revenge on him by disclosing this information after all these years.
While he does have a point in bringing this up, Sandhya clarifies that she enjoyed the fact that Rahul was her “deewana.”
In the wake of this disclosure, Nikhil also asks whether the child they aborted was truly his, which Sandhya affirms. But she also explains that she was devoted to their marriage, and despite her mistakes, she did try to make it work between them.
In the last scene, Nikhil is running away as Sandhya calls out to him — a very apt representation of the dynamic between the two when they were still married.
One is compelled to believe, at first glance, that Sandhya is indeed being vengeful by telling Nikhil about her affair at the last possible moment. It may be possible she may have wanted to make her ex-husband experience the same unrest and emotional conflict she felt when Nikhil left Sandhya for Vrinda. But she does insist that if she wanted to hurt him, she would have done it a long time ago, and there is some merit to her chain of thinking.
After all, even if hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Sandhya just does not come across as someone with a buttload of vengeance in her arsenal.
As such, it could also be the case that she was merely scared and afraid when Nikhil left with Vrinda, and she just wanted to preserve her sanity. After all, what would be the point of revealing her affair when her whole world was collapsing around her?
The viewer is aware of Sandhya’s illicit trysts with Rahul since the very beginning of the movie, and as such, it sets the tone that both Sandhya and Nikhil are extremely flawed characters who are finding themselves in a new, evolving India.
In doing so, Drishti accomplishes its mission of exploring the grey areas in marriages and affairs by painting neither character as either villainous or pure; instead, it focuses on the “human” experience and how fraught it is with errors and mistakes.
By making Sandhya stay quiet about the affair, Drishti somewhat evens out the playing field for both characters.
Nonetheless, it is evident that Sandhya and Nikhil just cannot co-exist romantically without hurting each other, no matter how much they think they love each other.
Having said that, however, given that she finally does open up to Nikhil about her affair, it could be the case that she is merely hitting the “reset” button on their relationship, wanting to start with a clean slate. They do have a kid together, after all, and even if they no longer live with each other, there is something about the raw yet honest bond between them that neither Sandhya nor Nikhil can replicate with other people.
