Character Sketch

Saif Ali Khan as Nick

Nikhil Arora... sorry, "Nick", hates being called Nikhil Arora. He also hates waking up in the morning, the sight of blood and architecture – his chosen line of study. Which is why he moved from Ludhiana to Melbourne, gave up trying to ruin the skyline and became a chef, a profession that allows him to sleep in as late as he likes. It also lets him lead exactly the kind of commitment-free, laid-back lifestyle that he has always wanted.

His parents, of course, know nothing about Nikhil’s transformation into Nick, the cool head chef of "Nick of Time", a famous Indian restaurant in Melbourne. What Nick does not know is that his happy-go-lucky life is about to be invaded by that most elusive of all emotions – love.

Nick’s sleeping habit leads him to get on the wrong side of an RJ whose show he doesn’t turn up for. Enter Ambar Malhotra (Preity Zinta), the peppy & vivacious host of a show at the “Salaam Namaste” radio station. But chemistry being the inexplicable science that it is, opposites attract, love blossoms (after much convincing), and the unlikely pair decide to share a house. But the inevitable question is, what next? Where can a relationship go after the initial flush? Is marriage ever going to be an option, especially for a person like Nick?

Preity Zinta as Ambar

Ambar Malhotra loves Melbourne much more than Bangalore. One of the major reasons for this is that she doesn’t have to keep meeting suitors that her parents want her to marry. This may have led to her being cut out of their lives but she’d much rather study medicine and work as a part-time RJ than serve tea to a succession of prospective grooms.

As part of her job at the radio station, “Salaam Namaste”, she gets to interview Indians living in Melbourne. And it’s one of these Indians that is going to change her life in a way she never thought possible.

When Nick (Saif Ali Khan), a cool head chef of a famous Indian restaurant in Melbourne, pulls a no-show at one of her interviews, Ambar decides that he needs to learn a few basic lessons about life (and punctuality). But one beach wedding and two days in the sand later, she realizes that love sometimes happens in the most unlikely of circumstances and with the most unlikely of people. She ends up living in with him and it seems like she may have finally found a much better alternative to meeting the entire male population of India. But it’s never quite as simple as that, is it? And sometimes what you want from a relationship is not quite what ends up happening.

Storyline

Falling in Love. It’s very easy to do. Being in love – now that’s the tough part!

Join us as we say “Salaam Namaste” to Nick (Saif Ali Khan) and Ambar (Preity Zinta) down under in the city of Melbourne. He’s a Chef; she’s a Radio Jockey. They’re young, they’re cool, they’re independent – and together they make the BEST pair!

Or do they?

Surrounded by quirky friends, bosses and landlords but far away from home, Nick and Ambar take a huge leap of faith as they decide to move in together. And now they must tiptoe towards getting to know each other!

They are attracted to each other – but they fight. They live together, but as friends, in different rooms. They’re in a relationship… but then again they’re not. They seem to want the same things, but it seems that they have very little in common.

So are they really made for each other? Are they actually compatible? Is this whole thing worth it?

After all, if a relationship is what happens when you’re busy not thinking about it – then what does it mean when everything has to be such a “decision”?

Salaam Namaste gives us a quirky take on life, love and relationships as it looks at a fairy tale with a bit of a squint. Full of color, humor and zest it is an endearing look at what being in love really means!!!