Vijay 69 Plot Summary
Vijay 69 is a life-affirming tale about a 69-year-old retired swimming coach who gets the shock of his life when he reads the eulogy written by his friend—it contains none of his life achievements! When he decides to make a list of his accomplishments, a lone bronze medal stands out.
It takes a fake funeral for him to realize that he achieved nothing he’d been proud of in his life. Overcome with determination to make a name for himself, he sets out to compete in a triathlon to become the oldest man in the country to complete one.
What happens during Vijay’s funeral?
At the beginning of the film, Mrs. Bakshi, Vijay’s neighbourhood acquaintance, sees him standing near a bridge in a diving position. The next day, when Vijay does not return, friends and family assume he has taken his own life.
They hold a funeral, with his dear friend Dr Fali reading out his eulogy, naming him a rummy genius, among other things.
Vijay crashes his own funeral, revealing that he had merely been thinking about swimming. He had then gone to a friend’s place to have a drink and spent the night there. The corpse found in the river is assumed to be a beggar whom Vijay had met along the way.
Why does Vijay want to compete in the triathlon?
The one major consequence of the fake funeral is that Vijay reads the eulogy Fali wrote for him. He feels discouraged to find that he had achieved nothing significant in his life.
He was a budding swimmer in his youth but had to leave his dreams to care for his wife, who was struggling with cancer, and their young child. It seems too late for him to achieve his dream of winning a gold medal—a dream his wife had always wanted for him.
Vijay compiles a list of individuals who achieved great things in old age to motivate himself. While searching for his “next big thing,” he attends an event about an upcoming triathlon and, being a sportsman, decides to become the oldest man in the country to complete one.
Why are Vijay’s sponsorships and participation cancelled?
Vijay’s determination to complete the race faces one major obstacle—he’s 69 years old. Despite objections from family and mockery from friends, Vijay manages to register for the competition. This gains him some spotlight for being the oldest man attempting a triathlon. However, this irritates his neighbour, whose son is competing to gain the title of the youngest to complete a triathlon. The neighbour pays a journalist to destroy Vijay’s public image.
With the help of a young vlogger, Vijay secures a sponsorship to fund his gear and hire a coach. However, his rising public image collapses when the journalist records him swearing and cursing.
The journalist later spreads misinformation about Vijay’s age, claiming he is 64 instead of 69 and showing a forged document. This negative publicity causes Vijay to lose his sponsorship deal.
Later, his rival neighbour’s 18-year-old son, Aditya, comes to Vijay’s aid, repaying the kindness Vijay had shown him when they were both in the hospital. They launch a marketing campaign that features a rivalry between Aditya and Vijay, helping Vijay secure new brand deals to sponsor the competition.
However, his happiness is short-lived when his longtime doctor and friend, who is also Aditya’s grandfather, releases Vijay’s medical records to the triathlon committee, revealing that he once had a minor heart attack. This ultimately leads to his participation being cancelled.
Is Vijay able to compete in the triathlon?
Dejected by his cancellation, Vijay still decides to attend the triathlon to support Aditya. There, Mrs. Bakshi shines when she meets the minister, whom she had known as his mother’s nurse. She manages to secure a spot for Vijay in the triathlon.
The hardships Vijay faces during the race are enough to make him want to quit, until Fali arrives, playing his wife’s favourite song. Remembering her last wish—that Vijay achieve all his dreams—he perseveres and ultimately completes the race, becoming the oldest man in the country to finish a triathlon.