The film drops you into Mumbai’s brutal underworld, ruled by Lukka, Mohan Joshi, who dominates weapon smuggling, drugs, and land grabs. His lieutenants include Salim Chikna, Takla, musclebound Babu Batla, and Munna Mobile. Lukka engineers a ruthless ascent, ousting his former mentor Tandya Bhai to claim the throne. After witnessing Tandya’s defiance, he abducts Tandya’s sister and allows Batla to rape and murder her. Tandya, consumed by rage, moves to strike back but is cornered; Lukka convinces him there’s no point living, and then ends Tandya himself.
Shankar, Dharmendra, lives in the basti under a growing shadow. A curfew is imposed, and a corrupt inspector, Kaale, helps Lukka wash his crimes in the eyes of the law, while the honest Commissioner clashes with him. The basti’s people try to rally against Lukka’s tyranny, but the rally’s leader is killed in broad daylight by Lukka. When Kaale investigates, he clashes with Shankar, who warns him that Lukka’s downfall is near. From that moment, Shankar and Lukka become sworn enemies.
Geeta, an aide of Mustafa, learns of the public clash and brings the two sides together to plot Lukka’s end. Mustafa, once Bombay’s top don before Lukka’s rise, has his own score to settle; he informs Shankar that Batla was the one who killed Tandya’s sister, fueling the pursuit. This leads to Shankar confronting Batla; Batla, fearing for his life, offers to testify, but Lukka’s men intercept the confrontation and Batla is killed.
Meanwhile, Inspector Sujata Singh investigates a brutal intrusion on a woman; Arjun, Mithun Chakraborty arrives to help. An alcoholic and lonely former soldier, Arjun’s heart still carries the memory of his girlfriend, Karishma, Ramya Krishnan—and the past returns with a vengeance when he learns of Vikraal, the weapons smuggler Thakur Vikraal ‘Mahakaal’, who escaped him eight years earlier. Vikraal reveals that a beggar he once wore as a disguise was killed by Arjun’s hand, and the truth drives Arjun to a grim resolve: end Vikraal again. He is discharged from the army and sinks deeper into liquor, until Shankar awakens him to a new mission.
Back in the present, Shankar and Arjun forge a tenuous alliance to dismantle Lukka’s grip. Shankar’s sister Lakshmi becomes a target of Lukka’s violence, and she is killed after a minister’s intervention shields Lukka for a moment. Geeta tracks down Munna Mobile; the pair vow to end Lukka. The minister pressures the system, triggering a shoot-on-sight order that Shankar refuses to accept, and instead uses the minister’s own confidential deeds to turn the tables. Inspector Kaale faces downfall as political maneuvering shifts the balance, and Shankar takes advantage of the chaos to eliminate Kaale.
Lukka’s fury intensifies as the minister’s schemes threaten his empire. The minister attempts to rape his driver’s daughter, prompting the driver to seek Shankar’s protection and to reveal the minister’s involvement in Lakshmi’s death. Shankar storms the minister’s house and kills him in retribution. Arjun then infiltrates Lukka’s circle by posing as a gangster to lure Takla, the wily lieutenant, into a trap. The ambush culminates in Takla’s death as Shankar endures a gunshot and remains resolute. In a bold move, Arjun stages a jail break to free Shankar from lockup.
The climactic showdown unfolds at Lukka’s rocky stronghold. Mustafa arrives, wearing a bomb that detonates and destroys parts of the fortress, taking Mustafa’s life as well. Shankar and Arjun cut through Lukka’s men, and in the final duel the two heroes pressure Lukka to surrender or die. Lukka fires a fatal shot at Shankar, but Arjun sacrifices himself to shield him, dying in the act. With Lukka finally slain by Shankar, the police arrive and place the battered fighter under arrest.
In a lighter thread, Manisha, Manisha Koirala, and her father arrive in Mumbai, hoping to marry into stardom, but Manisha fancies Govinda. They soon encounter the real Govinda Govinda, and a playful romance blossoms as the two worlds briefly collide before returning to the larger war for justice.
