Year: 1985
Runtime: 167 mins
Language: Hindi
Director: Prayag Raj
Brothers Karan and Kishan are torn apart after Karan is falsely accused of murder and, believing there is no way out, attempts suicide. He is rescued, grows up and joins the police force, determined to clear his name. Years later Kishan too is framed for a crime, setting the stage for the siblings' dramatic confrontation.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Geraftaar (1985), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
The film opens with a seemingly happy family: Kapil Kumar Khanna, his wife Durga, and their two young sons, Karan and Kishen. Karan, a mischievous youngster, often tests his parents with pranks, while Kapil Kumar Khanna works as an honest inspector. On a duty assignment, Kapil goes to arrest Vidyanath and Ranjit Saxena for illegal drugs. In a brutal turn, Vidyanath and Ranjit strike back, trying to kill him with machinery. In a bid to save his father, young Karan pulls a lever by mistake, and Kapil Kumar Khanna is killed. Vidyanath blames Karan for the tragedy, and Durga, overwhelmed with grief, lashes out and sends Karan away. In a wave of emotion, the boy disappears from his home; he plunges toward the sea and seemingly ends his life, only to be saved by Hussein, who brings him to a new home and a second family.
As the narrative shifts forward, Durga takes Kishen to another place to grow up, while the grown-up Karan and Hussein’s life unfolds in parallel. The boyhood friendship between Karan and Hussein shapes a moral compass that the film will echo later. Years pass, and Kishen becomes a struggling actor who longs for recognition and love. He returns home, reconciles with his mother, and is drawn into personal dramas that test loyalty and pride.
Enter Anuradha Saxena, a bold and reckless woman who zooms into Kishen’s world in a dramatic car incident that injures Lucy, a fellow aspiring actress played by Lucy. Kishen chases Anuradha to the police station, where she lands behind bars due to her own audacity. Anuradha’s brother, Ranjit Saxena, arrives and tries to maneuver the system, but a principled officer refuses to be bribed, keeping Anuradha imprisoned even as Vidyanath guides her from behind the scenes.
Vidyanath enlists his ally Chutkiram, a brash enforcer with a lisp who adores Anuradha in his own skewed way. A clash erupts between Kishen and Chutkiram’s gang, and Kishen turns the tide, delivering Anuradha to the authorities and earning Lucy’s grudging forgiveness as part of a troubling deal. The narrative then twists as Kishen lands a job as a chauffeur, only to discover he is Anuradha’s driver—an arrangement she uses to humiliate him, while Kishen’s dignity resurfaces in moments of defiance.
Despite the friction, Anuradha tries to manipulate Durga by presenting herself as a benevolent ally, and Durga’s trust is tested. A temple scene marks a turning point: Kishen resists Anuradha’s calculated charm even as she swears in gods that she will marry him. The couple’s bond begins to form, and their public declarations of love collide with Anuradha’s calculated revenge. Eventually Kishen weds Anuradha in a temple, a union that unsettles Ranjit and Vidyanath, who see dollar signs and power in the arrangement.
A crisis erupts when Durga collapses, and Kishen must gather money for her surgery. Vidyanath engineers a treacherous scheme: he finances a stage play featuring Kishen and Lucy that ominously includes a gunshot—an act that is faked for the benefit of Vidyanath’s plots. The plan backfires when Lucy is killed, and Kishen is arrested after a fake recording is used as evidence. In a tense jail sequence, a mysterious ally appears, guiding Kishen through the maze of legal peril. The “unknown” savior turns out to be Karan, Kishen’s long-lost elder brother, who narrates their shared childhood and binds their fates once more.
Karan’s return sparks a new arc of alliance and deception. He seeks blessings from Hussein’s mother for a promotion and plans to propose to Geeta, a fellow inspector who is also entangled in the larger web of crime. In a dramatic jewelry-shop sequence, Geeta and her ally are kidnapped, forcing Karan and Hussein to intervene. The dark underbelly of Vidyanath’s alliance with Ranjit and their cunning lawyer becomes clearer: the gang is backed by a corrupt network that includes Vijay (a figure linked to the Police Commissioner’s circle) and others.
Tragedy strikes again when Hussein is murdered by Vijay, and the personal vow of revenge falls squarely on Karan. The elder brother’s grief and fury propel him toward a final reckoning: he burns Vijay in a retributive act reminiscent of the past, and his own life becomes a public indictment of the criminals who manipulated so many lives. Geeta and the injured Durga confront the truth about Karan’s survival, and the brothers decide to use Chutkiram as a pawn to corner Vidyanath and Ranjit.
The conspiracy begins to crumble as Vijay is revealed to have survived, and a climactic confrontation ensues. In a fierce battle, the gang is dismantled, and Vidyanath and Chutkiram are arrested, while the Police Commissioner dies in the crossfire. The story’s catharsis culminates in the long-awaited reunion of the brothers: Karan and Kishen, bound by blood and shared pain, embrace a future built on mutual protection and justice. With Durga’s blessing reaffirmed and Geeta by Kishen’s side, the final act sees Karan and Kishen operationally united to safeguard their loved ones as they navigate a city still haunted by the past, ending with a vow to protect, and a pledge of love that finally crowns their journey.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:46
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