Dhund

On a foggy night, Chandrashekhar is driving at high speed and loses control, crashing near a house. He staggers inside seeking help and discovers the dead body of a wheelchair-using man. A beautiful young woman, Rani, stands nearby with a gun and declares that she has murdered her husband and asks him to call the police.

Rani explains that Thakur Ranjit Singh was brutal and would shoot cats and dogs for amusement. She reveals that during an argument, she tried to wrest the gun away as he threatened her life. In the confusion, she says, she shot him in self-defense.

Deciding to help her, Chandrashekhar proposes they fake a robbery to mislead the authorities and create an alibi. They stage the crime so the murder appears to be a theft gone wrong, and they suggest a different time of death. The plan is to persuade the police that the crime occurred earlier.

When the police arrive, Chandrashekhar says he bumped into a man leaving the house who dropped a gun, which Chandrashekhar hands over to the officers. He claims the foggy night prevented a positive identification of the stranger. The police begin to suspect an insider since the thief seemed to know the house.

Investigators find key evidence: the dead man's pocket watch, an empty cigar container, and a tea tray with fingerprints. The combination fuels a theory that the crime was not a simple break-in but involved someone familiar with the house. The police grow convinced the killer had intimate knowledge of the layout.

Fingerprints and the cigar container point to Suresh Saxena, a family friend who was having an affair with Rani. Suresh denies being at the scene and claims to have been at a party, though investigators discover he left the party for about an hour after receiving a phone call. The questioning leaves Chandrashekhar unable to positively identify the man he saw.

Rani recounts how she met Suresh when he saved her from jumping off a cliff, and how he began visiting the house and their affair was discovered by Ranjit. On the night of the murder, Ranjit threatened to ruin Suresh's political career. After she overheard Suresh at the party, she confronted her husband, and in the ensuing struggle she shot him, with Chandrashekhar entering just then.

Suresh is arrested and charged with the murder. In court, the prosecutor argues the affair was the motive, and asserts that Suresh was present and that the murder happened earlier than Chandrashekhar claimed. He presents the pocket watch as crucial evidence to fix the time, noting a second bullet meant to mislead observers.

Overwhelmed, Rani confesses in court and urges the judge to recall Chandrashekhar as a witness to the truth. She asks for the chance to be heard, believing that the real story will vindicate her. That night, a nun visits Chandrashekhar, hinting at deeper revelations to come.

The next day, Chandrashekhar takes the stand and reveals his history with Ranjit: they were friends turned enemies after Ranjit framed him and had him imprisoned. He explains that after release he learned Ranjit's crimes against Kiran, which fueled his desire for vengeance. He describes the fatal confrontation at Ranjit's house, where a gun misfired and killed Ranjit, leading him to flee with a changed perspective.

On the way home, Chandrashekhar realizes he forgot his wallet and returns to Ranjit's house under the pretense of retrieving it. Inside, he finds Rani holding the gun, ready to take the blame to protect Suresh. The scene intensifies as the true stakes of the case come to light.

In court, the nun is revealed to be Kiran, the woman Chandrashekhar once loved. She explains how she survived a previous suicide attempt and became a nun. Her testimony reframes the relationships and the sequence of events surrounding the murder.

With the new testimony and the supporting evidence, the court rules it was self-defense. Chandrashekhar and Suresh are freed, while Rani and Suresh reconcile and Kiran departs. The narrative closes on Chandrashekhar watching the resolution unfold.