Chapter 1
A vapid marriage
A whiz-bang romance
An unfulfilled dream
A voracious ambition
Sparks fly immediately when Rukmani, fierce and assertive in the best and worst ways, meets gentle Ayaan in the magical city of Paris. Meanwhile, back in India, her reticent sister, Mrinalini struggles with to stay afloat in the void of a loveless marriage and an early pregnancy.
“Tides Don’t Cross” follows these remarkable characters as their lives cross in surprising ways. Mrinalini, Ayaan and Rukmani wade through choppy waters, unreserved and unaware of their common connection. Deeply touching, it tells an unforgettable story of thwarted desires, of love and its loss, of falling and learning to rise up.
Set in the dreamy city of Paris and Delhi, this romantic drama follows the lives of two sisters, MRINALINI and RUKMANI and their relation with AYAAN. Mrinalini and Rukmani come from a Hindu family in New Delhi, living with their widowed, overbearing mother, NEELAM. Mrinalini, four years Rukmani’s senior, is a kind, accommodating young girl working as an interior designer. However, as she comes of age,despite Mrinalini’s inhibitions, her tiger mom arranges her marriage with SURYA, a young man from an affluent Hindu household. What initially seems like a quintessential relationship is soon found to be nothing short of a doll’s house for Mrinalini, who feels trapped in a plastic world. Surya, a business tycoon in Gurgaon, is a hedonistic man, often coming home drunk. He is loud and boisterous,althoughwell-meaning and goodhearted.In time, Mrinalini gives up on her job and interests as she succumbs to an ostentatious life of fancy cars, branded clothes and material goods. Like with her mother, she finds herself intentionally suppressing her verve and submitting, at least outwardly, to her husband for the sake of peace and sanity.
In a few months, on Surya’s insistence, Mrinalini reluctantly bears a child, ROHAN. Surya continues to be an empty but indulgent husband and father. However, with time, Surya helps Mrinalini through her postpartum depressionand with habit as a facilitator, the couple begins to see some light of romance.
At the same time, Rukmani, a student at New York University, is studying abroad in Paris. Rukmani is consistently clever, strong-willed and vibrant. She’s an attractive, fun-loving and carefree girl, diametrically in contrast to her soft spoken sister. At a speed-conversation rendezvous in Paris, she meets Ayaan Khan, a charismatic and fiercely intelligent boy and former swimmer studying abroad from Stanford University. The two bond over their Indian idiosyncrasiesand develop a solid friendship.With Rukmani’s constant quips, batting eyelashes and flirtatious demeanor, this friendship blooms into a whiz-bang romance with a compassionate Ayaan getting charmed by Rukmani’splayful eccentricities.
One day when Rukmani excitedly calls home to bring to date her sister with the details of her current love life, she is surprised to find the otherwise reticent Mrinalini vehemently opposingRukmani’s decision to be with a Muslim man, laying bare the anxieties of a Hindu family attempting to preserve its commitment to its values. Mrinalini citescultural differences as the key reason for her opposition, using the case of her own marriage. When people from similar backgrounds have difficulty living with one another, two from culturally contrary and historically hostile backgrounds can’t possibly live in harmony. Ayaan’s family, on the other hand, is very open-minded and accepts Rukmani happily. Shebegins to share a heartening rapport with his father and his sister NIKHAT.
Smitten, Rukmanirefuses to concede to her sister’s worries and continues her relationship with Ayaan. When Trump’s showdown takes effect and Ayaan is detained at the airport by reason of his brown skin and ’Khan’surname, he eventually decides to return to India after his studies. At this thought, Rukmani, prioritizing her American career over her love for Ayaan,angrily parts ways without second thought. Ayaan is crestfallen at Rukmani’s behavior and returns to Gurgaon to scale up his father’s education business. Rukmani, on the other end,builds a successful career at Morgan Stanley in New York.
Three years pass. Rukmani and Ayaan estrange each other, completely cutting off ties. Suddenly Surya passes away in a case of drunk driving. Left to fend for herself and her now 5-year-old son, Mrinalini shifts to a smaller apartment in another residential complex. There she meets Ayaan, a resident and voluntary swimming coach.Unaware of Mrinalini’s common connection with Rukmani, Ayaan becomes an emotional support and a reason to smile for both Mrinalini and Rohan. With increased interaction, the foisted relation between the two takes a more concrete form in a reticent friendship. The mix of subtle energy and understated intelligence, her quiet gaiety and resilience make Ayaan endear Mrinalini more and more. Mrinalini, too, finds her Muslim prejudice waning away and often catches herself anticipating his visits. Soon, this mutual eagerness, augmented through intellectual conversations, witty inside jokes and absolute understanding, materializes into an unreserved lovefrom Mrinalini’s side but a vague fondness from Ayaan’s side.
Just as things are beginning to brighten up for Mrinalini, Rukmani visits India to find Ayaan in Mrinalini’s life. Mrinalini’s world comes crashing down when she finds out that Ayaanis, in fact, Rukmani’s former beau. Rukmani and Ayaan immediately recognize that their love for each other still burnspassionately despite the time they had stayed away from each other. Jilted knowing her sister’s liking for Ayaan, Rukmani angrily insults Mrinalini. However, Mrinalini takes a step back and unites the two lovers. She thanks Ayaan for freeing her from her cage of insecurities and doubts and teaching her to trulylive her life.
