Indian army officer Lieutenant General Nikhil Bakshi (/actor/aman-vasishth) actively engages a group of Indian soldiers aboard the INS Viraat, recounting the remarkable saga of a woman who served valiantly as an undercover agent for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency, amidst the tensions of Pakistan.
The narrative unfolds, taking us back to the critical moments leading up to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Hidayat Khan, a son of an Indian freedom fighter, poses as an informant for the Pakistani government. With a dying wish, he desires to see his 20-year-old daughter, Sehmat (/actor/alia-bhatt), fulfill the family's legacy of national service. Defying her mother, Teji Khan (/actor/soni-razdan), who expresses concern, Sehmat leaves college to undergo swift training with the seasoned Khalid Mir (/actor/jaideep-ahlawat) and his aide, the young Bakshi, in various espionage tactics, ranging from martial arts to Morse code transmission.
In a strategic ploy, Khan leverages his friendship with Brigadier Syed (/actor/shishir-sharma) of the Pakistan Army, orchestrating Sehmat’s marriage to his son, Iqbal Syed (/actor/vicky-kaushal), who is also in military service. Following the marriage, Sehmat seamlessly adapts to her new life in Pakistan and earns the trust of her in-laws. Shortly thereafter, Brigadier Syed receives a promotion to Major General, leading to access to critical national security documents and senior military personnel frequenting their home. It is during this time that Sehmat establishes communication channels with her handlers in India, and begins relaying vital information, even as she becomes emotionally attached to Iqbal.
Amid rising tension, Sehmat uncovers plans for an offensive against India. In a moment of grave peril, she collects crucial intelligence but faces a dire situation when one of the household servants, Abdul (/actor/arif-zakaria), catches on to her double life. In a desperate attempt to protect her cover, she fatally runs him over with a jeep, an act that weighs heavily on her psyche. The information she relayed indicates an impending attack on the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, then stationed in the Bay of Bengal, serving as one of the early warnings of the looming threat.
As the turmoil deepens, Sehmat is forced to eliminate Mehboob Syed (/actor/ashwath-bhatt), Iqbal's brother and an officer, after he starts looking into Abdul’s demise, which raises his suspicions. Haunted by the ramifications of her actions, including the widowhood of Munira (/actor/amruta-khanvilkar), Mehboob's wife, Sehmat struggles with her conscience yet finds a way to withstand the emotional storm. Her identity as a spy eventually comes to light, leading Iqbal to confront her amidst the chaos. Tragically, a bomb, orchestrated by Khalid Mir, concludes with Iqbal’s demise while ill-fated plans swirl around her.
In a twist of fate, Sehmat survives by swapping places with another agent cloaked in a burqa. She is enveloped in an overwhelming realization about the stark realities of war and the loss of human connections that come with this perilous life. After witnessing devastation wrought by her own hands, Sehmat begs Khalid for a way back to India, where it is later revealed she is pregnant with Iqbal's child. Affectionately, she declares her intention to raise him alone.
Her intelligence leads to the sinking of the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi by the INS Rajput off the coast of Visakhapatnam, igniting the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, culminating in the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, marking an Indian victory. Bakshi’s poignant address concludes with mention of Samar Saeed, Sehmat’s son, present among the dedicated officers he speaks to.
