While traveling by train to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur, Calcutta born, Bengali-speaking Ashoke Ganguli meets with fellow-traveler, Ghosh, who impresses upon him to travel, while Ashoke is deep into a book authored by Nicholai Gogol. The train meets with an accident, and after recuperating, Ashoke re-locates to America, settles down, returns home in 1977 to get married to aspiring singer, Ashima, and returns home to New York. Shortly thereafter they become parents of a boy, who they initially name Gogol, and a few years later both give birth to Sonia. The family then buy their own house in the suburbs and travel to India for the first time after their marriage. The second time they travel to India is when Gogol and Sonia are in their late teens, and after a memorable visit to Kolkata and then to the Taj Mahal, they return home. Gogol falls in love with Maxine Ratliff and moves in with her family, while Ashoke spends time traveling, and Sonia moves to California, leaving Ashima...

Ajay Rathore is a no-nonsense police officer from Mumbai Crime Branch. Long time ago his elder brother was killed by terrorists which caused him to quit his medical studies and join Indian Police Service. He is a great admirer of Pakistan-based ghazal singer Gulfam Hassan. During one of Hassan's concerts, they meet for the first time and become great friends. Meanwhile, Ajay's investigation into the Pakistan-supported cross-border terrorism takes him to Rajasthan and reveals an unsettling truth about someone close to his heart.

The biggest sporting event for the school town of Nainital is the annual cycling race. Schools and colleges here range from those like Rajput and Xavier's for the spoilt rich kids to local ones like Model for the poorer kids. For the past two years the cycling race has been won by the arrogant Shekhar Malhotra (Deepak Tijori) of Rajput College. Sanju (Aamir Khan) and Ratan (Mamik) are bothers who attend Model and run a small local cafe. Their father (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) is obsessed by the desire to see Ratan become the cycling champion. Ratan on his part is the ideal son and elder brother to Sanju, good in everything he does and has been the runner-up to Shekhar in the cycling race. Sunju on the other hand is a prankster, not taking life seriously at all enjoying life with his friends among whom is Anjali (Ayesha Jhulka) who loves him silently. Sanju however turns his attention on the new girl on the block...

A young man named Satya (J.D Chakravarthy) comes to Mumbai from South India in search of a job. Jailed for something he did not do, the once-honest young man meets an underworld boss, Bhiku Mhatre (Manoj Bajpai) in jail and joins his gang. He lives in a poor neighborhood, where he meets, Vidya (Urmila Matondkar), who lives next door. She is not aware of his underworld connections. Satya slowly rises up the ranks of his gang, and becomes the most influential person. Satya is torn between his girlfriend and his gangster life.