On a stormy night, the sky crackles with thunder, electricity and impending revelations, as a young mother lies in a deep state of anaesthetized sleep, unaware of the critical surgery she is undergoing in the operation theatre. The doctors go about the surgery with rehearsed calm, delving into the mystery that lies within the mother’s womb, as tension hangs in the air ominously. As the doctor delivers the babies, he exchanges incredulous and almost horrified glances with his team, exclaiming that he has never seen babies like these ever before!
The birth of these conjoined twin babies triggers off a bitter-sweet tale of survival, ambitions, music and unconditional love. Amber (sky) and Dhara (earth), two sisters joined at the hip, share a liver between them. Abandoned by their father, Amber and Dhara are brought up by their mother, Lata and their grandfather, Mahendra Pratap Singh in the idyllic hilly town of Panchgani. Right from the beginning, life is not easy for the girls…people stare at them…jeer at their deformity…treat them like freaks, however, Lata is determined to nurture her girls into independent and successful women. She struggles with the school system to get her children admission in a school for normal children… she inculcates in them strong values, compassion and brightness in spite of their condition… she discovers and encourages extraordinary gifts and talents the girls are born with. Having instilled a strong sense of confidence in her daughters, she is overwhelmed with their dreams and ambitions to achieve the best in their lives.
Amber and Dhara grow up as two very distinct and beautiful personalities : If Amber is outgoing and spunky, Dhara is more grounded and sensible, if Amber is aggressive and easily annoyed, Dhara is more calm and patient, if Amber is more gutsy and takes on situations by the horns, Dhara is more realistic and takes her own time with decisions. A unique entity with two bodies, two minds, two hearts and one liver, Amber Dhara learn to balance each other out in various situations and challenges that the girls face in life. Amber has a dream… she wants to be a star! A gifted singer, Amber comes alive when she performs, almost freed from her trapped existence. Dhara accompanies her on the guitar as she is aware that Amber cannot sing without her music. Amber’s dreams get flight when an event manager shows her a possibility she had never imagined for herself – to go to Bombay and become a star! Lata is totally against it as her protective nature doesn’t allow her to let her daughters go out in a world that is not ready to accept people with so called abnormalities. Dhara is also against this as she sees her mother’s point of view…she realizes that it has taken them years to be accepted in the small town of Panchgani with unconditional support from her mom… she knows it won’t be easy to start afresh in the big bad city of Mumbai. However, the universe plots to make Amber’s dreams come true. A humiliating experience Lata is put through acts as a trigger for Dhara to take up the challenge…to make sure that they redeem their mother’s dignity. The girls decide to run away to Mumbai!
From hereon, the story takes on the character of an adventure… a courageous journey, where the girls survive various challenges, meet many interesting people, good and bad…falling behind sometimes, bouncing back with renewed energy at others.
Unravelling themselves through discovering the unknown in the outside world, Amber and Dhara are an inspiring twosome who revel in every personal victory that they find through their choices. What happens when two conjoined girls fight to gain dignity in their own unique condition, when they emerge as strong and determined women out of their naïve and innocent girlhood, how do they achieve impossible dreams and unimaginable successes, what do they do when they discover unfamiliar feelings…stirrings in their beautiful hearts…when they fall in love?
Finally, Amber Dhara is an ambitious and inspiring tale that makes the audience feel their conjoint-ness in their hearts…makes them cry though their moments of defeat and loss, makes them celebrate the greatness of the human spirit in every joy and victory Amber Dhara achieve.
