New Delhi Times

The film opens with the assassination of local MLA Bhaleram at the Ghazipur circuit house. The guard is missing after the incident, hinting at a larger conspiracy. This event sets off the investigation that follows.

Vikas Pande, an upright journalist, relocates to Delhi to helm the New Delhi Times. He launches an investigation into the illegal hooch scandal that has claimed hundreds of lives. This move pits him against a powerful nexus of politicians and media moguls.

Amid a power struggle, the incumbent chief minister Trivedi faces a charismatic but ruthless MLA, Ajay Singh, who aspires to the CM chair. Ajay Singh is tied to drug trafficking, smuggling, extortion, and other crimes, with his operations run by his lieutenant Iqbal. The political maneuvering sets the backdrop for the murder plot.

Iqbal, Ajay Singh's right-hand man, is arrested in the murder case of Bhaleram. The arrest strengthens the case against the murder, but also hints at a broader conspiracy. The arrest becomes a flashpoint in Vikas's unfolding investigation.

Iqbal's arrest sparks rioting and unrest in Ghazipur as the underworld's influence shows its reach. Vikas travels to Ghazipur to cover the riots and gathers evidence suggesting Ajay Singh's link to the murder. The events intensify the clash between reformist reporting and political power.

Meanwhile, Vikas's wife, a lawyer, is approached by an elderly man whose daughter is missing from the in-laws' home and has been declared mad. She takes up the case, challenging the alleged abduction and the cover-up. The subplot shows how corruption touches ordinary lives.

In a tense courtroom, Iqbal testifies that he is innocent while accusing Ajay Singh of the murder. The testimony becomes front-page news and triggers pressure on Vikas to drop the pursuit. Ajay Singh aggressively denies motive and reveals that he bribed Bhaleram and 13 MLAs to clear his path, exposing the depth of payoffs behind the crime.

Ajay Singh continues applying pressure on the CM to derail the case, and Vikas is threatened by goons to stop pursuing the murder. Undeterred, Vikas persists in pursuing the truth and warning of the consequences of a compromised system. The tension between power and journalism escalates.

Despite limited evidence, Vikas drafts an article linking Ajay Singh to Bhaleram's murder. His editors reluctantly publish the piece, deciding that truth must be faced even if it endangers the newsroom. The published report becomes a catalyst for public scrutiny of the political-media nexus.

The old man's gratitude leads to a disturbing revelation: his daughter is found in a mental asylum, with staff and police bribed to declare her mad. The guard from the circuit house is also admitted there. This twist ties the circle of corruption to the mechanisms of control used by Trivedi's faction.

Vikas meets the guard, who confesses he is not mentally ill and recounts the day's sequence of events. The guard reveals that Trivedi's mole, a son who visits him, facilitates deals with Ajay Singh. On that day, after the deal is struck, Bhaleram is killed by Trivedi's goons.

Vikas realizes that most of the evidences were planted by CM Trivedi to pin the murder on Ajay Singh and to keep him under control. The discovery reframes the narrative, showing the manipulation of legal and media processes. It leaves Vikas torn between his journalistic duty and the corrupt power structure.

Anwar consoles Vikas that those who he exposed deserve the consequences of their actions, highlighting a sense of moral ambiguity. The film ends on a somber note about corruption, with a suggestion that accountability remains a distant goal. The final moment underlines the cost of truth in a compromised system.