Can a simple, loving woman be a secret gold digger? The Guy shares his Bollywood conspiracy theory about Shalini, played by Preity Zinta, as the ultimate one in Dil Chahta Hai. We thought he was crazy, too, but his theory actually makes sense.

Yo! We’ve seen many a gold digger character in cinema. And infamously, these vamps and gold digger characters defame the portrayal of women in media as a whole. However, upon deep analysis, some characters are even worse –the secret gold diggers, who actually play nice and end up with the rich guy!

Today I would finally like to finally pen, rather type down, my theory on how Shalini, played by Preity Zinta, is the ultimate gold digger in the 2001 hit Bollywood movie, Dil Chahta Hai.

Let’s Quickly Review the Plot

So let’s have a look at the plot first, as I know most of you must’ve forgotten the details. The story is about three college friends, mainly focusing on Akash Malhotra, played by Aamir Khan. Shalini has spent her life being brought up by her dead parents’ friend (played by Rakesh Pandey), who adopted her at a very young age. Their son is Rohit, played by Ayub Khan, and is Shalini’s fiancé.

First of, can we take a small detour and look at how awkward this engagement is. Shalini and Rohit were brought up in the same house, and Shalini may even have had brotherly feelings for him. I seriously doubt anyone would develop boy-girl-friend-like feelings when you are brought up since childhood in the same house by the same parents.

Love or Lust?

I’m sure any decent parent would encourage their kids to form a brother-sister’s bond, unless the male kid is extremely kinky at a very early age. Anyway this can be argued, but this is not the major point of my theory.

Shalini meets Akash at his college’s farewell party, where he briefly falls for her before finding out she’s engaged. Later in the film, when Akash is being shipped off to Australia to take care of his dad’s business there, guess who he comes across in the seat next to him on the flight? Yes, Shalini – and in Bollywood style, they both slowly develop feelings for each other when they spend more and more time with each other.

Akash, who doesn’t believe in love, starts to do so, when Shalini takes him to opera and flatly asks him to close his eyes and figure out who’s the most important person in his life. And just when he realizes his feelings for her, her fiancé Rohit arrives, taking her back to India.

All this makes Akash feel the urgency of proposing to her, which he does right on the night before their wedding and boom – Rohit’s father gives the couple-in-love his blessing and they’re on!

You can read more here on its IMDB page.

But where does the gold digger part come in? Wait – lemme explain. As I said, it’s a secret.

The Secret Gold Digger’s Plan

How to Be a Gold Digger

Now Shalini’s guardian father (Rohit’s dad) is a shrewd business man, and a smart one too. He knows that if Shalini marries his son Rohit, it’s unlikely going to help his business expand in any way. Also he knows it’s going to be kind of awkward socially that his son is marrying his adopted daughter. When you think about it, it’s kind of considered eww! in the Hindu society.

However, for Rohit’s dad, it’s difficult for him to convince his kinky son Rohit, who wants to marry his own sisterly-kid-friend, who he has been brought up with in the same house. Plus Rohit plays pool all day with his friends, and the dad knows he’ll have the financial responsibility of him and Shalini even after their marriage.

Target Acquired

These are the motivations for Shalini and Rohit’s dad to find a suitable alternative for Shalini, which helps Shalini find a better mate and Rohit’s dad to expand his business empire. Thus they identify Akash Malhotra (played by Aamir Khan), who they know is a rich man’s only son (A.K. Malhotra ka beta) and luckily a ladies’ man.

Phase One: Initiate Attraction

He’s a player but he’s actually the one who gets played. So the first step was to place the pretty looking Shalini (in a backless dress – mind you) in front of Akash Malhotra, during the farewell night. Luckily for Preity, uh – sorry Shalini – she gets Akash’s attention so easily. And thanks to Rohit’s stupidity, shakes his male ego too. Rohit predictably is completely clueless about anything as he’s just kinky.

Phase Two: (Un)Planned 2nd Encounter

With phase one complete, the next part of the plan takes off in flight to Sydney where Akash and Shalini find a seat next to each other in business class. What are the odds of that! It’s as if it’s planned… Obviously she’s been planted there by Rohit’s dad to woo A.K. Malhotra ka beta (Akash).

Phase Three: Flirt, Flirt, Flirt (But Secretly)

Shalini is just getting started. Despite being engaged, she agrees to have lunch with him and go around the city with him. At times, we see her secretly flirting with Akash, asking him about his love-life. She even takes him to see a romantic movie and then accuses him of not understanding love. Being engaged makes her even more desirable for Akash, being a forbidden fruit.

Since Rohit is purposely left back in India to play pool, Australia is the perfect setting for Shalini to honey trap Akash. Shalini goes out for lunches, dinners, helicopter & roller coaster rides, romantic movies and above all, an opera about love. And she even sings a whole song just to explain to Akash what love is and why it’s important. She’s just shamelessly tricking poor A.K. Malhotra’s beta (son) to fall for him.

Phase Four: Create an Urgency

Shalini’s photographer uncle Mahesh’s (played by Rajat Kapoor) story seems fake too. We often find him encouraging them to hang out more. I believe he has also been planted by Rohit’s dad, as he seems to be acting like a nudge for Simple Akash to make him propose to Shalini, back in India.

As the only hiccup in Shalini and her adoptive father’s plan is that Akash is too shy to actually come forward with his feelings. So they create the urgency by scheduling a “wedding” (is it fake?).

So the drama unfolds, where Rohit is still completely clueless. And thus he plays his character so well when he’s left disappointed in the end. So I would like to conclude that Rohit’s dad was the real mastermind behind this. He gets to expand his business with international business tycoon A.K. Malhotra and also stops his son from making a sin.

And You’ve Struck Gold!

Shalini, too, is happy as she’s likely going to be the queen of two business empires, I doubt Kinky Rohit & Simple Akash Malhotra have the acumen to lead their dads’ businesses.

So moral of the story is if you have a big business empire, keep an eye out for honey traps.

The Ultimate Gold Digger – Shalini in Dil Chahta Hai