An atheist archaeologist turned believer must race against time to prove the true existence of the legendary Ram Setu before evil forces destroy the pillar of India's heritage.
Dr Aryan Kulshreshta is felicitated in Afghanistan by the archaeological department for discovering a treasure on archaeological site and saving it from Taliban.Upon his return he is promoted as the director in his organization and gets the chance to make a report on going issue in the country about Ram Setu being natural or man made as government plans to demolish it due to industrial development.Aryan's being an atheist drafts his reports which creates and issue over the country about Ramayan and existence of Ram for which he faces suspension and his family has to face the brunt.His wife asks him to stay away from the controversy for family sake but Aryan decides to clear his name and gets chance to work with Pushpak Shipping whose owner Indrakant is behind the urban development and wants evidence on Ram Setu not being built by Ram.Aryan arrives at the site of Ram Setu and gets to work with project manager Bali and his team one being Dr Sandra Rebello but underwater he has to work carefully and not cross Srilankan borders due to ongoing civil war.Aryan discovers a floating stone underwater which proves that Ram Setu existed before BC and was possibly built by Ram but Indrakant asks the to get more evidence to prove the same.Aryan,Sandra and Dr Gabrielle go on a night mission underwater to unfold the mystery but find that they are made scapegoat in a plan and left top die under water in stormy weather by Bali and Indrakant.Dr Gabrille acts smart by taking the floating stone along with them as she suspected Bali, in mid sea they are saved by a Srilankan fisherman AP.Bali finds that the stone is missing and decides to chase them but AP helps them cross the borders and the stone goes missing in the chase while Gabrielle is shot by Bali. Aryan now along with Sandra and AP decides to prove the existence of Ram and Ram Setu by doing his research across borders in Srilanka which has existence of Raavana and itself will be a big evidence that Ram Setu was not natural but built by Ram.—[email protected]
The movie starts with ASI archaeologist Dr Aryan Kulshreshtha (Akshay Kumar), a non-believer, shedding doubt on the commonly held public opinion of the Ram Setu being a man made structure, and with it the historical validity of the Ramayana. He is currently involved in the restoration of the Bamyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan. While on site, he finds a buried treasure that has coins dating back to ancient India 7th century. At that moment, the Taliban attack the site, forcing Aryan to run towards the Buddha statues to take shelter. On the way, he runs into a crevice and slides several hundred feet into a cave that has a reclining Buddha statue.Eventually Aryan is able to get the treasure extracted to Pakistan. Aryan lives with wife Gayatri & son Kabir (Anngad Raaj) in Delhi.
He is subsequently tasked with proving that the Ram Setu is just a natural phenomenon by Indrakant (Nassar) (a businessman who seeks financial gain from the result). Indrakant wants to create a shipping canal by destroying the Ram Setu, but a PIL in the Supreme Court blocks his path. Aryan doesn't believe in God and is hence perfect to undertake this research and provide a conclusive answer.Aryan submits his report in the court which states that since there is no proof of Ram's existence, thus the Ram Setu structure has to be a natural phenomenon. The court asks him to reconsider (by providing scientific evidence) since his report challenges the faith of the entire nation and will disturb cultural harmony. Gayatri is angry with Aryan for challenging the cultural beliefs of the nation.Indrakant offers to fund Aryan's expedition, so he can write another report backed with evidence, to submit to the Supreme Court. Aryan opts out at first, but sees that his family is being targeted by society for his mistakes. He has only one option, to go on the expedition and reveal the truth.
The expedition takes Aryan to Indrakant's ship, the Pushpak Alpha, off the coast of Tamilnadu, next to the Ram Setu. The ship has Dr. Gabrielle (Jeniffer Piccinato) a geologist from Brazil, Dr Chandra specializes in underwater research, an AMS machine for carbon dating, Dr Andrews head of remote sensing and sonar, Udyan and his team of scuba divers, and Dr Sandra. Project Manager Bali (Pravesh Rana) is coordinating everyone on behalf of Indrakant. Aryan also has an Exo-suit at his disposal, which he can use to explore underwater for several hours.The Ram Setu is 35 Kms long and connects Pambam in Tamilnadu to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. It goes up to 3.5 Kms in width and 10 m in depth. According to research on star positions described in the Ramayana, the epic is dated around 5114 BC.Aryan conducts his scientific research (Aryan collects samples from the base of the bridge with his Exo-suit and carbon dates them). The sediments on the bridge date to 18000 yrs old. But Aryan insists on getting an actual sample of the rock used in the bridge (it was a floating rock next to the bridge) to find conclusive proof. The rock sample dates back to 5000 BC. Sandra also finds proof that the corals near the bridge were deliberately planted by someone in a straight line and are part of the bridge structure. Aryan is convinced that Ram Setu is man made.
To collect more evidence about the existence of Rama (Indrakant asks Aryan to study a sample from the actual bridge and not a floating rock.. This can be done on the Sri Lankan side of the bridge very easily). The submersible has Aryan, Sandra and Gabrielle (who brought the rock sample with her), but it loses power inside Sri-Lankan waters in between a ferocious storm at night. Aryan realizes that Bali sabotaged the submersible and sent them to their deaths. Aryan uses the emergency blow to surface the submersible where they are saved by AP in his boat.
Aryan travels to Sri Lanka helped by environmentalist Dr. Sandra Rebello (Jacqueline Fernandez) and a local Lankan guide Anjaneyan Pushpakumaran 'AP' (Satyadev Kancharana). AP offers to help them get to the main structure of the bridge and obtain a larger, attached sample of rock. The next day, Bali and his men spot Aryan and AP at sea and follow them to their Island. Bali and his men are stopped by the Tamil rebels, who was patrolling in the area. They rescue AP, Aryan, Sandra and Gabrielle. Gabrielle is shot during the escape and dies. The rock she stole from the ship is lost lost in the chaos.Indrakant wants Bali to finish Aryan and retrieve the stolen rock sample. He wants Chandra to write his report, stating that Ram Setu is a natural formation only. The report is released in Supreme Court and the opposition has 3 days to file a reply. Aryan uses a satellite phone to call Gayatri and says that Indrakant wants to kill him and the report in the Supreme Court is not his.
Aryan decides to look for Ramayan evidence in Sri Lanka. AP takes him to the Jaffna public library that has ancient documents and maps on palm leaves. He learns that the library was set on fire in 1981, but a local librarian saved the manuscripts. AP tracks the librarian down and the manuscripts reveal a secret tunnels constructed by Mayasur, who was Ravana's father-in-law who built the Lanka fort. It talks about the location of the Golden Lanka in the shape of a triangle. AP sees that one entrance to the tunnel is from Ashok Vatika. Following clues they travel to Ravana falls, where Ravana was rumored to sit for hours and play his Veena.Following a crocodile in the water, the trio of AP, Aryan and Sandra find the entrance to the tunnel. Bali has been tracking Aryan, but doesn't know where Aryan will exit the tunnel. So, in consultation with Indrakant they kidnap Professor Gayatri Kulshrestha (Nushrratt Bharuccha), Aryan's wife as she knows all of his thinking and can predict his actions.
Aryan follows the clues inside the tunnels and finds the Golden Lanka, the Palace of Ravana. They find traces of the Sanjeevani herb.. At that moment Bali attacks in a helicopter with Gayatri as hostage. Bali has the manuscript and wants the lost rock. Aryan insists that the rock was lost. In the ensuing skirmish, AP is killed while Gayatri shoots Bali when he tries to kill Aryan. Aryan finds the floating rock in AP's bag and he saves the manuscript as well. He also saves Bali from dying.Bali has a change of heart and helps Aryan get to the court just before the judgment on the case is pronounced. Aryan flies to Delhi and presents his evidence to the court.He also states that in 1788 even the British map maker James Rennel, named the bridge Ram Setu, in his first map of India. But in the 1804 version, he renamed the bridge to Adam's bridge and started a story that the bridge was used by Adam to cross from Silanka to India. This was a British ploy to make Indian history more Eurocentric.
Aryan argues that metro route was changed to save Qutab Minar. Taj corridor was stopped to save the Taj Mahal. Hindu monuments need to be saved too. The court decides that the Govt needs to provide proper proof that Ram Setu was not built by Shri Ram and dismisses the case to demolish the bridge.In AP's bag, Aryan finds a diary with only "Jai Shri Ram" written in all pages. AP could also stand for Anjani Putra. AP could have been a descendant of Hanuman himself, who helped Aryan in his quest of Ramayan and Shri Ram.
