Dhananjay and Aaftab are two half-brothers who meet for the first time. Each one has a selfish approach to life; Aaftab is a petty smuggler, specializing in smuggling goods across the Rajasthan border into Pakistan whilst Dhananjay is a corporate yuppy from the city, with a high-flying lifestyle. Aaftab is in love with Rukshana but is rejected by her family because he is illegitimate. Dhananjay is dating Ragini and has his father's death to contend with. When the brothers meet for the first time, they instantly loathe each other, having nothing in common. One night, Aaftab blows up a loaded truck while trying to steal from it and attracts a mass of unwanted enforcers. Soon, Aaftab is forced to send Dhananjay into a trap but ends up with them both being handcuffed and escaping from the Border Security Force, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the border mafia who are attempting to incriminate the brothers for anti-national activities and murder. Fate has it such that they are forced to escape on foot, on motorbikes, cars, stolen trucks, and even handcuffed to each other on a moving goods train. They run into difficult circumstances on the run, not in the least made better by their hatred for each other. Despite their initial differences, the two gradually learn to like and understand each other, eventually proving their innocence. The climax of this film was shot around Jaisalmer, especially in Kuldhara, the deserted village of Paliwal Brahmins.
The film marked the first collaboration between Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan. Akshay Kumar was offered the role of Jai but he rejected the role due to date issues. Farida Jalal was the original choice to play Mariam. She said that she will portray the role if the film makers will change the character name of Mariam to another name. As the producer of the film disagreed, the role went to Maya Alagh. Mayuri Kango was approached for Ragini's role.
Reception
Critical response
The film received a mediocre reception. The film was described as having a weaker climax than some of the earlier action sequences although was praised for its scenery in Switzerland and northwestern India. Suparn Verma of Rediff.com described Devgan as "effective" but disapproved of Koirala's performance, believing it was wasted. Verma noted a similarity with that of Soldier in that there is a troubled hero, a great many red herrings and a mysterious villain who pulls all the strings but believed that Kachche Dhaage was a weaker film because it lacked the pace and focus.
