Champak Bansal, Irrfan Khan, is a widower and a sweet-shop owner in Udaipur, Rajasthan, who often quarrels with his half-brother Gopi, who runs a competing sweet-shop, yet the two share a close, affectionate bond.
Champak's daughter Tarika dreams of studying abroad, and despite academic struggles, he wholeheartedly supports her ambition, helping her secure a high school rank that earns a scholarship from London's Truford University.
During the school's Annual Day, the chief guest Judge Chheda had accepted a bribe—a watch—from Gopi to secure the rights to the Ghasiteram name, a revelation that casts a shadow over the family’s plans.
Early the next morning, Champak visits the principal Meghna Malik at her home to ask for forgiveness, only to have the principal tear Tarika's scholarship letter and fling it at him, a moment that triggers a vow to push Tarika toward London no matter what.
With the help of a London-based acquaintance, Bablu Ranvir Shorey, Champak and Tarika along with Gopi travel toward London, chasing a dream that suddenly feels fragile and uncertain.
At the airport, the trio is detained and, after inadvertently claiming they have drugs, are deported and their passports are blacklisted, a setback that ripples through their plans.
Tarika, meanwhile, arrives in London and begins to embrace a freer, more carefree life while also trying to fund her education, even as the sense of home pulls at her.
Back in London, Champak and Gopi are steered toward a fixer in Dubai, Tony Pankaj Tripathi, who provides Pakistani aliases and forged passports to help them return.
They come back to London under the names Abdul Razzaq and Saqlain Mushtaq, and are briefly questioned by a cop as they try to settle in, while the story also follows Naina Kohli Kareena Kapoor Khan, who watches from a distance.
They eventually find lodging in a house owned by Mrs. Kohli Dimple Kapadia, who is Naina's estranged mother, a connection that softens the tension between generations.
When they meet Tarika again, Champak is aghast at her lifestyle and demands that she leave her lodgings, or he will sever ties to keep them out of trouble.
The trio then visits a police station where Bablu is held; they bail him out, only to learn that he is now penniless and navigating his own crossroads.
One night, Mrs. Kohli hosts a birthday dinner, and Naina interrupts with a blunt decision about her future, a moment that underscores the shifting dynamics in the family.
The next day, the senior Kohli is found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, a scare that helps Naina realize the value of care and kinship, changing how she views her mother and sister.
Champak, Gopi and Bablu agree to bid for a university fundraiser aimed at renovating its facilities, a project that looms large with a price tag of £300,000, forcing them to confront how far they’re willing to go to keep Tarika’s dream alive.
In a turning point, Champak confesses his entire story to Tarika, who finds herself torn between pursuing her London scholarship and returning home to study in Udaipur, a dilemma that ultimately strengthens the family’s bond.
Tarika’s decision—to return home—spurs a renewed sense of purpose in everyone, and the film closes with Champak and Gopi finding reconciliation over the Ghasiteram name, choosing family over fear and legacy over exploitation.
