Young Mumbai (Bombay) slum-dweller Akaash dreams of becoming a movie star. His fateful encounter with the beautiful, strong-willed Priya and her movie-mogul father, Madan, seals Akaash's destiny.

Sweetie, a eunuch, is Akaash's slum-dwelling friend and mentor. Through his contacts, he sneaks Akaash into a televised Miss India beauty contest. At the Miss India beauty pageant Rani enters, former winner of the contest and now top Bollywood Actress. A demonstration by beauty-pageant hating feminists results in Akaash grabbing the spot light with a song and dance number in front of the cameras.

Akaash is thrown into jail alongside the campaigning feminists and Sweetie, where he meets Madan who casts him as the lead in his next movie to be directed by his daughter Priya. Akaash initially struggles with his acting skills until Priya helps him with the dialogue. The two are attracted to each other even though Priya is engaged to Vikram, a hot shot lawyer who unknown to her, is working for Mumbai mafia baron JK.

Akaash's debut film becomes a smash blockbuster and in the process of becoming Bollywood's premier hero, he denies his humble origins and forgets his slum friends. Madan gets murdered by JK when he refuses to hand over the film's distribution rights, while Akaash and Priya fall in love.