Kanji Lalji Mehta, Paresh Rawal, is a middle-class Hindu atheist who runs a shop dealing in Hindu idols and antiques in the bustling Chor Bazaar of Mumbai. When a rare, low-frequency earthquake rattles the city, his shop is the only one destroyed, leaving his family and friends quick to blame his atheistic views for the disaster. The loss is painful not just financially but emotionally, as the community questions whether his beliefs invite misfortune upon them all.
The next day at the insurance office, Kanji and his neighbor Mahadev, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, discover a grim hurdle: the disaster falls under a blanket clause described as an “Act of God,” and such claims are not covered. With options dwindling, Kanji resolves to sue God itself, yet he cannot find a lawyer willing to take on such a case—until he encounters Hanif Qureshi, Om Puri, a poor Muslim lawyer who is disabled but undeterred. Qureshi agrees to help file the case, and Kanji decides to fight not only for himself but for those who share his plight.
Legal notices go out to the insurance company and to the religious leaders who claim to represent God on Earth. Siddheshwar Maharaj, Govind Namdev, and Leeladhar Swamy, Mithun Chakraborty—along with their followers—are summoned to stand as representatives of God in a courtroom showdown that promises to be anything but ordinary. In the preliminary hearing, the opposing lawyer Sardesai, Mahesh Manjrekar, asks the jury to dismiss the case. Kanji counters by pointing out that religious groups themselves proclaim representation of the divine and thus bear responsibility for their actions; the judge agrees, and the case moves forward.
The court drama draws public fascination with its surreal premise. Yet Kanji’s path grows increasingly perilous as armed fundamentalists close in, his mortgage lender occupies his home, and his wife contemplates leaving him. In every crisis, a startling savior appears: Krishna Vasudev Yadav, Akshay Kumar, who presents himself as a real estate agent from Gokul, Uttar Pradesh—and who resumes miraculous acts that transcend ordinary law. Krishna buys Kanji’s home from the bank while ensuring Kanji can continue living under his roof, all while maintaining an air of mystery about his true nature.
Krishna is portrayed as a young, fearless man whose signature embroidered key-chain is a constant visual cue. As the courtroom saga gains traction and public sympathy tilts toward Kanji, Krishna urges him to take his message to the media. An interview brings wide attention to Kanji’s stand, and the flood of claimants who were denied compensation under the “Act of God” policy pours into Hanif Qureshi’s home to join the suit. Kanji agrees to represent not only himself but the many who were left penniless by the policy’s loophole.
In a twist, Catholic priests and Muslim mullahs are summoned as defendants as the case widens its scope. Sardesai challenges Kanji to prove that the disaster was an “Act of God,” and the judge, Yusuf Hussain, demands a concrete written record that can withstand scrutiny. Hopelessness threatens to derail the pursuit, until Krishna’s guidance pushes Kanji toward a deeper study of sacred texts—The Bhagavad Gita, the Quran, and the Bible—seeking a universal rationale for the world’s creation and its trials.
For a month, Kanji immerses himself in holy scriptures, hoping to uncover a passage that could shore up his claim. He eventually cites a verse arguing that the world is a creation of God and that life and destruction unfold by His will. But just as understanding dawns, tragedy strikes: Kanji collapses, slipping into a coma. Doctors announce that his body is paralyzed and that only God can save him. The media reports his death, but Kanji’s condition abruptly reverses when Krishna arrives—Krishna touches Kanji with his key-chain and endows him with renewed life and strength.
Krishna then reveals a startling truth: he is the Lord Krishna in human form, who has saved Kanji to demonstrate that God exists but not within temples or ritualized spaces alone. Religion, Krishna explains, was crafted by humans, while He Himself created the world and all its inhabitants. He destroyed Kanji’s shop not to punish but to challenge the god-men who monetize faith and intimidate believers. Krishna’s philosophy is clear: he does not reside in temples, nor does he crave offerings; instead, he envisions a world where millions suffer hunger while temple coffers grow.
The revelation shifts the case from a legal battle to a spiritual awakening. The court’s verdict ultimately orders compensation for all plaintiffs, and Kanji begins to be hailed by the public as a “god” in the sense of moral authority rather than worship. Meanwhile, Leeladhar Swamy, Gopi Maiyya, and Siddheshwar inaugurate a temple dedicated to Kanji, amassing substantial donations. Yet Kanji’s family plans to remove him from life support, signaling the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
Krishna explains that his role as God is to reveal right and wrong, leaving people to act as they see fit. With that, Kanji resolves to fight back against coercive religion and blind faith. Mounted on Krishna’s motorcycle, the two ride to the heart of the procession, arriving just in time to address the crowd. Kanji publicly tears down the temple and its statue, urging people to search for God within themselves and in others rather than in idols. He condemns fraudulent god-men who turn religion into business and mislead the vulnerable.
After delivering his impassioned speech, Kanji returns to thank Krishna, only to find that the pair has vanished—along with the motorbike. His family arrives as he resumes life with them, but a final moment presses the question of faith: Kanji notices Krishna’s key chain on the floor. As he reaches to tuck it away, Krishna’s voice returns, urging him to discard the key chain altogether because idol worship was exactly what he fought against. With a knowing smile, Kanji drops the chain, a powerful symbol that faith resides not in objects but in the choices people make and the compassion they show to one another.
