Bhavni Bhavai

A group of Harijans migrates to a city and pauses for a night. An elderly narrator (Om Puri) begins recounting the legend of King Chakrasen, framing the tale as an age-old saga.

Chakrasen, obsessed with siring an heir, rules with severity while both queens fail to conceive. The court grows tense as dynastic anxieties mount and the future of the realm hangs in the balance.

A foul odor in the darbar signals alleged neglect by the bhangis during a wedding. The king angrily orders their flagellation, revealing his brutal temper and thirst for control.

A spy reports conspiracies among his people, prompting the prime minister to urge war with a neighboring state as a distraction. Intrigue tightens its grip on the court as plans unfold.

Chakrasen's army wins the war but at great brutality, while the neighboring king attacks for similar reasons. The clash deepens the cycle of violence across the realm.

News of the elder queen's pregnancy sparks jealousy in the younger queen and the prime minister. They conspire with the royal astrologer to influence fate and throne succession.

The astrologer persuades the king that seeing the newborn's face will kill him. Fearing for his life, the king orders the newborn's killing in the nursery.

Soldiers hesitate and instead place the infant in a wooden box and float him down the river. Malo Bhagat and his wife Dhuli rescue the child and raise Jeevo as their own son.

Years pass as Jeevo grows up and falls in love with a gypsy girl named Ujam. This romance anchors the latter half of the tale and fuels future choices.

The royal astrologer convinces the king to build a stepwell to guarantee water, beginning the long construction project. The plan ties Jeevo's fate to the kingdom's water and prosperity.

The astrologer reveals Jeevo is the king's son, making him the primary candidate for the required sacrifice. He instructs that the king must perform a ritual to obtain water, sending the army after Jeevo.

Jeevo proposes a bargain: if the king ends caste untouchability, Jeevo will surrender; otherwise he will kill himself and thwart the sacrifice. The king weighs this demand during tense negotiations.

Ranglo the jester escapes from jail and informs the elder queen that Jeevo is the king's son. The king is delighted by the revelation and aborts the planned sacrifice.

With the crisis averted, the stepwell suddenly begins filling with water. The sudden flood seems to signal a turning point for the kingdom.

An elder interrupts with an alternate ending: Ranglo does not arrive, the sacrifice proceeds without water, and Jeevo's mother dies. Malo curses the king and commits suicide in the stepwell as it floods, killing the king and ministers; the scene is intercut with footage of the independence movement protests.