Year: 1981
Runtime: 197 mins
Language: Hindi
Director: Manmohan Desai
The film opens with a lottery ticket that sparks the story of fate. A drunken patron, unable to settle his restaurant bill, swaps his newly bought ticket with a waiter. That simple exchange sets off a chain of events that weave together love, friendship, sacrifice, deceit, revenge and ultimately examine the power of destiny.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Naseeb (1981), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Naseeb unfolds as a sprawling tale of destiny and deception centered on a lottery ticket that travels from a debt-ridden man to a hotel empire, only to circle back through love, betrayal, and a fiery showdown.
In 1961, a drunken man who cannot pay his tab trades his lottery ticket to a waiter named Namdev, [Pran Sikand], who buys it with three friends: Damu [Amjad Khan], Raghu [Kader Khan], and Jaggi [Jagdish Raj]. A system of drawing the highest card secures who keeps the ticket, and Jaggi wins it, keeping the prize in his hands. When the ticket turns out to be a winner, Damu and Raghu turn on Jaggi, murder him, and frame Namdev for the crime. Damu even secures a photo that shows Raghu killing Jaggi, creating a powerful lie that will haunt everyone involved. Namdev flees, yet Raghu and Damu throw him from a bridge into a river, and he is believed dead.
Two decades pass, and the tale pivots to 1981. Damu and Raghu have used the stolen lottery money to build a fabulous hotel and amass enormous wealth. They even send Damu’s youngest son, Vicky [Shatrughan Sinha], to England for schooling. Namdev’s oldest son, Johnny [Amitabh Bachchan], works as a waiter in the same hotel, while Johnny’s fellow employee and Namdev’s presumed legacy, Vicky, becomes entangled in a complicated love triangle. By fate, Johnny and Vicky both fall for the same captivating singer, Miss Asha [Hema Malini]. Julie [Reena Roy], a childhood friend of Vicky, loves him too, but he only sees her as a friend, prompting Johnny and Julie to put their own happiness aside to help steer Vicky toward Asha. Amid this romantic tangle, Sunny [Rishi Kapoor], Johnny’s younger brother, admires Asha’s younger sister Kim [Kim], adding another layer to the growing emotional storm.
Meanwhile, Namdev’s path intersects with a powerful ally, a figure known as Don [Amrish Puri], who has somehow rescued Namdev and may hold the key to the truth behind the original crime. Mrs Gomes [Lalita Pawar] spots Namdev and, in the ensuing excitement, slips from a bus and loses consciousness, a moment that rattles everyone involved. Raghu and his sons plot to eliminate Damu and Vicky to safeguard their own fortune, while Raghu’s younger son Ashok [Shakti Kapoor] opens fire, though they survive. Namdev indirectly disrupts the plan by knocking out Ashok and snatching away Vicky, with Johnny in pursuit.
The chase intensifies as Namdev, Johnny, and Vicky close in on the truth. Don holds them at risk, and a crucial photograph—once in Don’s possession—becomes the focal point of the confrontation. Don’s ultimatum threatens everyone’s safety, and Asha, Julie, and Kim overhear the dangerous plans. Zabisco, Don’s son, tries to eliminate the trio, but they overpower him. Johnny, Vicky, and Sunny beat Zabisco and force him to reveal to Raghu that their fates are sealed. That night, the trio infiltrates the hotel during a performance, retrieves the photo from Don, and hands it to the police.
A climactic battle ensues: Namdev, Johnny, Vicky, and Sunny confront their enemies as a hotel fire erupts around them. Raghu and Zabisco fall to their deaths, and Namdev is saved from a false conviction. The flames burn away the lies that once chained the family to a terrible past, and the truth about Namdev’s innocence is finally proven. In the end, Namdev emerges as the hotel’s owner, and he forgives the man who had once sold him the losing destiny, providing him with free meals for life and a reminder never to sell destiny again.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:51
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