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Plot Summary

Selfie (2018) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 114 mins · Russian
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Starring
Konstantin Khabenskiy, Mikhail Mukhtasipov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Roman Radov, Dmitriy Kulichkov, Anna Mikhalkova

A popular and cynical writer finds his life stolen when an exact duplicate appears and assumes his identity. The imposter seamlessly takes over his television show, interacts with fans, and even lives with his friends and partners. Bogdanov watches helplessly as his career and personal life are systematically erased. Recognizing the duplicate’s genuine and superior nature, he understands the battle for his identity is lost, until his daughter seeks to restore the real Bogdanov.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Selfie: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Selfie (2018) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Om Prakash Aggarwal, a devoted Motor Vehicle Inspector in Bhopal, is a tireless admirer of film star Vijay Kumar. As Vijay plans to fly to the United States with his wife Naina to be with the surrogate as the baby arrives, the production of his next film, Falak Tak, is pushed closer to its budget-triggering deadline. The climactic sequence, to be filmed on Indian Navy land, still awaits completion, and a missing driving licence threatens to derail the entire shoot. The production team scrambles as a clerical hiccup during a move between RTO buildings blocks the possibility of a quick duplicate, and the film’s budget strain tightens around everyone involved.

A political and social web thickens as Vijay’s rival Suraj Diwan leverages dark tricks to undermine him, even turning to occult motifs to cast doubt on Vijay’s grip on stardom. In a bid to speed things up, Vijay’s politician friend steps in, and Om agrees to arrange a sham licence without the star taking the standard road-test. The plan warrants a personal meeting at the RTO, to serve as a kind of documentary-proof should there be any inquiry. The arrangement lands Vijay in a precarious spot, because the first signs of trouble appear as news leaks—TV crews swarm the RTO, and a local corporator, Vimla Tiwari, spreads the tale that Vijay has been driving without a licence. The story snowballs, the public and media take aim, and Vijay’s reputation takes a hit just as Om’s world begins to tilt under the weight of backlash.

The situation spirals further as Om’s son is targeted by a faction of Vijay’s fervent supporters, prompting Om to feel the sting of the mob’s reach. Yet Vijay remains determined to see the process through, canceling his US trip at the producer’s insistence, and rushing his own child to hospital while the public spectacle continues to unfold. Amid the storm, Om and his wife Minty raise questions about fairness, while Vijay’s team keeps pressing for a path back to normalcy. The film then pivots toward a dramatic resolution: Vijay agrees to undergo a public, open examination under Om’s supervision, turning the test into a live, media-accessible moment.

What follows is a tense and careful choreography of tests and negotiations. The computer-based assessment gives way to a direct question-and-answer session, with Om asking tough, unusual questions designed to probe not just knowledge but composure. Vijay passes the initial hurdles, while Suraj’s confession—propagated secretly by a fellow actress who hopes to hand it to Vijay—threatens to complicate things further. The pressure on Om’s family intensifies as Om’s son again faces bullying related to the case, and Naina’s surgery looms as a time-sensitive distraction that could tilt the outcome.

On the day of the practical test, Vijay navigates the H test with steady control, only to have Om point out minor flaws, creating a stalemate that senior officials override in Vijay’s favor. The subsequent road test is postponed, a delay that lands exactly on the day of Naina’s procedure. Facing moral and professional pressure, Vijay makes a dramatic public declaration: he will relinquish driving forever and retire from both acting and driving if the disruption to his life cannot be resolved. The crowd swells, and a tense chase of loyalties unfolds as angry fans threaten to lash out, but Vijay acts decisively to shield Om and his family, escaping amid the chaos.

The near-miss turns into a path toward reconciliation. In a late-night revelation, Om explains that Vijay’s licence had been kept in a gift box—previously discarded at the RTO—clearing the air and easing the suspicion that had clouded their interactions. Bringing Om and his family to his home, Vijay openly addresses Suraj and Vimla, admonishing them for their missteps and setting the stage for a calmer, more measured conclusion. A few days later, with the tension finally dissipated, Vijay communicates to the press that the misunderstanding has been resolved and that his driving licence has been restored. The film closes with Vijay driving toward the airport, ready to begin the next chapter of his life, while the community appears to have learned a lesson about the dangers of sensationalism, rumor, and the power of reconciliation.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:03

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Plot questions answered

Selfie Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Selfie (2018): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Om agree to help Vijay get an illegal driving licence?

Om Prakash Aggarwal agreed to arrange the illicit licence because Vijay's politician friend intervened and requested a personal meeting at the RTO. The politician pressured Om to expedite a duplicate licence without Vijay taking the standard road test, claiming it would serve as documentary proof if any inquiry arose. Om relented to this political pressure, setting in motion the chain of events that later exploded into scandal.

  • Om Prakash Aggarwal
  • driving licence
  • Vijay Kumar
  • corruption
  • RTO Bhopal
Q2

How did Vijay's licence issue become a major public scandal?

The controversy escalated when local corporator Vimla Tiwari leaked misinformation to reporters claiming Vijay had been driving without a licence. The story spread rapidly through media, and Om further damaged Vijay's reputation by telling reporters that the actor was arrogant and wanted a licence without following normal procedures. This combination of leaked information and Om's statements turned a simple bureaucratic issue into a full-blown public controversy.

  • Vijay Kumar
  • licence scandal
  • media
  • Vimla Tiwari
  • public controversy
Q3

What was Suraj Diwan's role in the licence controversy?

Suraj Diwan, Vijay's rival, plotted to undermine his stardom using both dark political tricks and occult means. He attempted to keep the RTO visit secret while spreading negative pressure about Vijay. Additionally, Suraj's fandom carried out a hit-and-run attack on Om and a masked gang vandalized Om's house, injuring his son, which led Om to incorrectly believe Vijay had orchestrated the attacks.

  • Suraj Diwan
  • rival
  • Vijay Kumar
  • attack
  • conspiracy
Q4

Why did Vijay cancel his trip to the United States?

Vijay cancelled his US trip because his producer insisted he stay in India to deal with the mounting licence controversy. The timing was critical since his wife Naina was expecting a surrogate delivery in the US, but the production pressures and public scandal made it impossible for him to leave the country during the crisis.

  • Vijay Kumar
  • US trip
  • Naina
  • surrogate
  • production pressure
Q5

Why did Om believe Vijay was behind the attacks on his family?

Om became convinced Vijay's men were responsible for the attack because Suraj's fandom carried out a hit-and-run on Om and a masked gang vandalized his house, injuring his son. The timing and nature of these attacks, coming right after the public controversy, led Om to blame Vijay. This belief was later reinforced when Vijay threatened Om over the phone while rushing his own son to the hospital.

  • Om Prakash Aggarwal
  • Vijay Kumar
  • attack
  • family
  • misunderstanding
Q6

What was the open driving test and why was it significant?

The open test was a live, media-accessible driving examination arranged to clear Vijay's name. Rather than a standard computer-based test, Om conducted a direct question-and-answer session with Vijay to test his knowledge and composure. Vijay passed this unconventional learner's test, and the public nature of the examination allowed Vijay to begin rebuilding his reputation while facing his accusers directly.

  • open driving test
  • Vijay Kumar
  • Om Prakash Aggarwal
  • media
  • learner's test
Q7

Why was Vijay's road test postponed, and what impact did it have?

Om postponed the road test by two days, which unfortunately fell on the same day as Naina's surgery. This timing created intense moral and professional pressure on Vijay, as he had to choose between being present for his wife's medical procedure or completing the test. The postponement heightened tensions and contributed to Vijay's dramatic public declaration about retiring from driving if the situation couldn't be resolved.

  • road test
  • postponement
  • Naina
  • surgery
  • Vijay Kumar
Q8

How was Vijay's driving licence actually found?

In a late-night revelation, Om discovered that Vijay's licence had been kept in a gift box at the RTO, a box that had been previously discarded during the clerical move between RTO buildings. This discovery cleared the air and resolved the mystery of the missing licence, showing it was never truly lost but misplaced due to the administrative chaos.

  • driving licence
  • found
  • RTO
  • gift box
  • clerical error
Q9

What led to the reconciliation between Vijay and Om?

The reconciliation began after Vijay publicly shielded Om and his family during the chaos when angry fans threatened to lash out. Later, when Om discovered the licence had been in the RTO gift box all along, he realized Vijay was innocent of the attacks on his family. Vijay then invited Om and his family to his home, publicly addressed Suraj and Vimla's misdeeds, and the two resolved their differences before Vijay resolved the licence issue and drove to the airport.

  • reconciliation
  • Vijay Kumar
  • Om Prakash Aggarwal
  • Suraj Diwan
  • resolution
Q10

Why was Vijay's public reputation damaged so severely over the licence issue?

Vijay's reputation suffered severely because the controversy tapped into larger issues of celebrity privilege and political manipulation. Om's statement to reporters that Vijay was arrogant and wanted a licence without following procedures, combined with Vimla's leaked misinformation and Suraj's political scheming, created a perfect storm of negative publicity. The public and media took aim at the star, viewing the issue as an example of a powerful celebrity trying to bypass rules.

  • Vijay Kumar
  • reputation
  • media
  • scandal
  • celebrity privilege

Movie threads

More Movies Like Selfie, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Selfie tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Thrillers about media scandals like Selfie

Stories where public figures see their lives destroyed by media and public opinion. If you liked the media frenzy and high-stakes pressure in Selfie, explore other movies where public figures battle scandal, corruption, and public opinion. These tense dramas and thrillers capture the anxiety of living in the spotlight and the fight to reclaim one's identity.

  • tense
  • high stakes
  • public scrutiny
  • media frenzy
  • anxious
  • dramatic
  • Tone: tense, dramatic, anxious
  • Pacing: steady, building pressure
Why these movies?

The story pattern: This thread gathers stories where a public figure's life is thrown into chaos by a scandal, often amplified by a relentless media and a fickle public. The journey involves navigating a bureaucratic and social nightmare, facing threats to career and family, and culminating in a fight for redemption or truth against overwhelming odds.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on their shared focus on the destructive power of modern media, the theme of personal integrity under public attack, and the tense, high-stakes atmosphere created by the threat of complete social and professional ruin.

Movies about identity theft like Selfie

Tales where a character's life is stolen by an impossibly perfect duplicate. Fans of the doppelgänger plot in Selfie will enjoy these stories of stolen identities. Discover other tense films where a character is replaced by a duplicate, creating a unique blend of psychological unease, personal drama, and a fight to prove who you are.

  • uncanny
  • psychological
  • identity crisis
  • tense
  • existential
  • dramatic
  • Tone: tense, uncanny, dramatic
  • Pacing: steady, psychological build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a protagonist confronting a duplicate who is better at living their life than they are. This creates a specific kind of psychological horror rooted in irrelevance and erasure. The conflict is less about physical danger and more about the existential threat of being replaced and forgotten, often requiring the help of loved ones to reclaim one's place.

Why they belong together: These films share a core premise of identity usurpation by a double, creating a distinct vibe of uncanny anxiety and existential dread. They explore themes of authenticity, self-worth, and the fragile nature of personal identity through a unique and compelling narrative device.

Every angle

Selfie (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Selfie in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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