‘Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar’ Recap And Ending Explained: Did Kuldeep Decide To Take Revenge?

In the last few years, Hindi cinema has finally begun to bring up stories about caste discrimination and the honor killings that happen in its name. Nikhil Advani’s Vedaa showed an extremely brutal vision of caste discrimination, which is rampant in rural parts of India. Mukkabaaz, directed by Anurag Kashyap, also throws light on caste discrimination in several organizations in the Hindi Belt of our country. Thukra ke Mera Pyaar is the new Disney+ Hotstar Original that talks about a love story between two college-going kids that happen to be from different communities. Their relationship might cause trouble, and its revelation could possibly bring the end of whatever they were planning for themselves in the near future.

Spoilers Ahead

Who was Shanvika Chauhan?

Shanvika Chauhan was the only daughter of Manohar Chauhan, one of the most powerful men in the town of Sitarpur. He belonged to the upper caste in the town, and hence he commanded a team full of henchmen who would do whatever he asked of them. Shanvika was a spoiled yet bold woman who was aware of her father’s influence in town and used it to her advantage. Her father also had the state minister Daddu Lal under his thumb solely because the latter belonged to another caste.

How did Shanvika meet Kuldeep?

Kuldeep was the topper in the university, and his mother used to work at Chauhan’s household. Kuldeep, as per the social strata, belonged to the lower caste. His father, who had a meager job, wanted his son to study and get a good job that would restore their dignity in society. It was also revealed that his father chose to educate him but not his sister, as he wanted his son to prosper. This was a problematic move, yet it could be a common practice in the town the story was set in. Kuldeep was aware Shanvika was the daughter of a powerful family, and they ran into each other on their way to college. One of Shanvika’s father’s henchmen asked him to make way for her and, in that process, broke his bicycle. Shanvika felt bad for him and gifted him a new bicycle. This was her way of getting his attention, and she was successful, as Kuldeep was moved by her gesture. 

Why did Kuldeep and Naveen get into a fight?

Kuldeep was riding the new bicycle when his friend/foe Naveen was intrigued by it. It had become news that Shankavika had gifted him the bicycle, and Naveen was keen to ride it as well. A boisterous Naveen refused to give back the cycle, which led to a scuffle between the two. Shanvika thankfully showed up on time and forced Naveen to give back the bicycle to Kuldeep. From that point, Naveen was not just jealous but was keen to know what was cooking between Shanvika and Kuldeep, since he knew both belonged to two different communities.

Was Shanvika in love with Kuldeep?

Shanvika was the alpha in this chase, as she was honest with Kuldeep about how she felt. She was keen on being in a relationship and pursued him till he gave her an answer. Kuldeep was also attracted to her, but since he did not want to be distracted from his studies, he kept his distance. He was also aware she belonged to an upper-caste community, and there would be repercussions if anyone from her family were to know of them being together. Shanvika pursued him to the point she went to his home, asking him to meet her at night near a temple with an answer for her proposal. Kuldeep’s sister Simmi was quick to deduce there was love brimming between the two and chose to stay out of it. 

Kuldeep, after a lot of thinking, went to the temple and shared his concerns, which led to a silly rivalry between the two. Shanvika vowed to top the semester exams, and Kuldeep took her up on that challenge. To everyone’s shock, Shanvika topped the semester exams, and Kuldeep was upset and stayed away from her, in the hope she would not confess her love again. Shanvika found him hiding in his friend’s home in the fields and kissed him. The kiss between the two was her proclamation of her love for him. Kuldeep liked the attention; hence, he admitted he had feelings for her as well. He’d been staying away from her to protect himself from the wrath of her family. 

Who informed Shanvika’s family about their relationship?

Shanvika and Kuldeep were spending a lot of time together, and Naveen had begun to notice that. One day he also noticed both had skipped a class and tried to raise the concern with a college lecturer. Naveen took it upon himself to inform Pushkar Chauhan, Shanvika’s volatile uncle, about their meeting. Naveen had been livid at Kuldeep ever since the fight they had, where Shanvika and supported the man she loved; he was looking for a chance to burst their bubble. Shanvika’s uncle arrived at the place where both were meeting and knocked Kuldeep unconscious. 

What was the aftermath of the couple being caught?

Kuldeep and his family were shamed and brought before Manohar Chauhan in no time. Kuldeep’s father begged Manohar to let go of his son, calling it a young boy’s mistake, but Shanvika’s father wanted to teach the whole family a lesson. Shanvika had also lied and claimed it was Kuldeep who was after her, and that she’d met him on his insistence. Her lies broke his heart, and he knew his family was in trouble and no one who would be able to save them. Pushkar went ahead and stripped away a part of Simmi’s clothing as revenge for Kuldeep’s going after a woman from his family. He gathered a mob and beat Kuldeep and his father to a pulp and egged them on to set their house on fire.

Kuldeep’s mother gathered all of her son’s certificates and her gold and ran away before their house was torched. They escaped to another town and moved into Kuldeep’s cousin’s home and shared the ordeal they faced at the hands of Chauhans. To their horror, a visibly shaken Simmi hung herself to death because of Pushkar’s action, and it seemed the family would never recover from the pain they were put through because of Shanvika’s words against the person she claimed to be in love with. 

What was Shanvika’s plan?

Shanvika was confronted by her best friend, Neha. She was also horrified by her move to betray Kuldeep, which had led to a strong reaction from her family and her community. It seemed Shanvika was unperturbed by her decision and she refused to talk to Neha about why she’d acted the way she had. Unbeknownst to her, Manohar and the entire family had decided to get her married to avoid any more embarrassment. A police officer named Dushyant Singh Thakur, who had become a regular acquaintance in the Chauhan family, was being considered as a groom for Shanvika. 

Shanvika, however, revealed she was not keen on getting married or letting anyone else make decisions for her. There could be some guilt that was rising, and she probably wanted to make things right. She fell in love as per her rules, yet she backed out on learning her family could cause trouble. She’d dragged Kuldeep into this without any regard for the repercussions of her actions. Shanvika’s family belonged to the typical patriarchal set up. They stopped her studies to avoid any more questions from society as well as reduce her interactions with other men. They were planning to get her married to someone without her knowledge and chose to ignore her woes. 

Did Kuldeep decide to take revenge?

Kuldeep and his family were left distraught and  trying to pick up pieces of their life after having gone through one tragedy after another. Kuldeep realized he would have to do it on his own and live for his mother and father. With his sister gone, there was nothing else to do but to move on and possibly forget the past. Kuldeep, however, could not get over Shanvika’s betrayal, as it came out of nowhere and he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. She was probably his first love, and the pain of the first heartbreak was hard to get over. 

Kuldeep sadly had to give up his studies and consider the idea of working to make a living. Since he wasn’t a graduate, he would never get a white collar job. This was the total opposite of what Kuldeep’s father had dreamed of for his son, as he never wanted him to reduce himself to a job that would be a projection of his caste. He wanted Kuldeep to rise above it by securing a high-paying job, which would force people to respect the work he earned for himself out of sheer hard work. Kuldeep, with the help of his cousin, learned how to drive an auto rickshaw in the hope of earning some money on a daily basis. His cousin was the only person who helped him, as he might have been through something similar.

Kuldeep one day ran into a female customer and began to converse with her and was quick to reveal that his college days were far behind him and he was not destined to continue his studies. The girl was intrigued by his knowledge of Hindi literature, and she spoke to him about her plans to clear the civil service examinations. Kuldeep was intrigued by her conversation, as no one had treated him equally so far, including his ex-girlfriend Shanvika. The girl while parting let him know there were times destiny would define their lives. She also added that people themselves can change their destiny This conversation with a stranger could change Kuldeep’s life forever. This indicates that the girl’s words had sparked an idea in him and he would consider making major changes in his life. Kuldeep might be interested in becoming an IAS officer as well and hope to become a powerful gazetted officer and showcase his power to Shanvika and her family. Just like his father wished, Kuldeep wanted to use his college degree and secure a job to prove he was an equal.