The Revolution Has Begun

The Revolution Has Begun

Year: 2013

Runtime: 152 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Prakash Jha

Drama

This film follows interconnected characters—a son seeking his father, a grieving father, a woman hardened by life, and an impulsive activist—as their paths converge. They unite to challenge a ruthless and ambitious despot determined to crush their rebellion and dismantle the established order, shaking the foundations of power.

Warning: spoilers below!

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The Revolution Has Begun (2013) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of The Revolution Has Begun (2013), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened, and what it all means.

Retired teacher Dwarka Anand is an idealistic man. His engineer son Akhilesh’s friend Manav is an ambitious capitalist. Manav meets Dwarka before Akhilesh’s wedding, and declares his intentions to go abroad to study and then return to start his own company. Dwarka does not care for his capitalist ideas and calls them greed. Manav is also against the socialist mindset of Dwarka and both enter an uneasy silence. Dwarka then kicks Manav out of the house after he hears Manav try to persuade Akhilesh to give up his Govt job, put his marriage on hold and to come with him to US and to secure both their futures.

Three years later, Manav is a successful telecom entrepreneur and sits with highly influential people in business and politics. He manipulates people at a national level to get things done for himself. Yasmin is a journalist who does Tehelka-type stings to expose the dirty secrets of the same influential folks. Manav cherishes his friend Akhilesh, who suddenly dies in a highway accident. At that time, Akhilesh is also investigating the cause of a bridge collapse that was sanctioned by the Highway minister Balram Singh. Akhilesh is the chief engineer and in charge of construction.

Manav reaches Akhilesh’s town to console Sumitra. Sumitra, Akhilesh’s wife, cannot get the compensation despite daily applications in government offices. She hopes to use the money to build a local school, Akhilesh’s dream. Incensed, Dwarka slaps an arrogant official and gets imprisoned.

Arjun Singh is a dropout from Dwarka’s school and now a local goon who fights the government for local causes. He tries to help Dwarka, but he refuses any help from him on principle. Manav returns to the town and starts a campaign to free him, using social media, roping in Arjun Singh and Yasmin. Arjun uses his local muscle to mobilize one lakh people on the streets and Yasmin covers the story to make it national news in a fight against corruption.

The chief minister urges Balram to act (he is the local MLA as well), and Balram frees Dwarka the same day. Balram also offers him the check to clear Akhilesh’s compensation dues, but Dwarka refuses the payment and gives Balram 30 days to clear the dues of each and every petitioner in the district. Dwarka is obliged by Manav’s efforts to free him and he announces that he feels he has found his son back.

While this is going on, Yasmin uses Akhilesh’s computer at home and finds his resignation letter mentioning some confidential report. She mentions it to Manav but they decide not to pursue.

Now Arjun, Manav and Yasmin join hands to gather the records of all the claims submitted in the district. Manav devises the strategy and Arjun puts together the manpower to execute the same. The campaign is massively successful and Balram panics. He orders lathi-charge on peaceful gatherings organized by the Dwarka camp. He also arrests Manav and tells him that he has exposed his corrupt business dealings and next time Manav will be shipped out dead.

This expose kills the Dwarka campaign as public loses all trust in Manav and hence Dwarka. In response Manav sells his company and returns the money to his shareholders and returns to Dwarka and apologizes for using incorrect means to grow his business. The campaign goes back on track and gathers steam. The chief minister and Balram invite Manav and Dwarka for talks. During talks Balram takes Manav aside and tells him that the bridge that collapsed had a design fault and Akhilesh was responsible for it. Manav investigates by accessing Akhilesh’s work computer and finds that days before his accident, Akhilesh had written a report to the Chief Minister implicating Balram’s brother Sangram Singh for the collapse of the bridge as the contracting agency by using cheap and substandard material. He further investigates and finds that Sangram Singh was directly involved in the truck accident that killed Akhilesh. It wasn’t an accident, Akhilesh was killed.

Manav approaches the Home Minister who advises Manav to drop the Chief Minister from his complaint to allow him to take action against Sangram. Sangram is arrested. But the Govt still refuses to take action on clearing the claims and dues, so Dwarka decides to go on hunger strike. The hunger strike forces the Chief Minister to invite Manav for talks, but Balram is no mood to compromise. He refuses to support any anti-corruption ordinance and his eight MLAs who support the Govt are crucial to its survival. As Dwarka continues his hunger strike, he gets sick. In response some of his supporters kill some policemen. In response, Balram sends in the CRPF forces. Now Arjun cordons off the entire town from within and refuses entry to central forces, as the town descends into chaos, Balram orders the killing of Dwarka. Manav is also shot while trying to save him. Dwarka dies, Balram is arrested and Manav and Arjun join hands to launch a political party to change the system from within.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:47

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The Revolution Has Begun (2013) Plot Questions Answered – Summary FAQ

Explore frequently asked questions about The Revolution Has Begun (2013) with spoiler-rich answers covering the full plot summary, major story beats, character motivations, hidden details, and ending meaning. This movie summary FAQ helps explain confusing scenes, plot twists, and narrative decisions in clear, searchable detail.

Q1

Why was Akhilesh killed and who was responsible?

A.

Akhilesh was investigating a bridge collapse that killed several people. He discovered that his own government's Highway minister Balram Singh's brother Sangram Singh was responsible for the collapse, his contracting agency used cheap, substandard materials. When Akhilesh prepared a confidential report implicating Sangram, Sangram arranged for a truck to deliberately cause Akhilesh's highway accident. It was a staged murder, not an accident.

Earlier in the film, Manav learns that Akhilesh was investigating the bridge collapse before his death, hinting at a motive for silencing him.

akhilesh deathbridge collapsesangram singhmurder investigationbalram singh
Q2

How did Manav find out Akhilesh was actually murdered?

A.

During the campaign, Manav investigated Akhilesh's work computer and found a resignation letter mentioning a confidential report. He discovered that days before his accident, Akhilesh had written directly to the Chief Minister implicating Balram's brother Sangram Singh for the bridge collapse. Further investigation revealed Sangram was directly involved in the truck accident that killed Akhilesh, proving it was premeditated murder.

Yasmin had earlier found Akhilesh's resignation letter on his home computer but chose not to pursue it initially.

manav investigationakhilesh reportchief minister letterevidence discovery
Q3

Why did Balram Singh order Dwarka's killing?

A.

Balram was the Highway minister and MLA whose brother Sangram was responsible for both the bridge collapse and Akhilesh's murder. As Dwarka's anti-corruption campaign gained momentum, mobilizing one lakh people and exposing government malpractices, Balram faced losing his political power. When Dwarka's hunger strike forced negotiations and Balram's eight crucial MLAs threatened to withdraw support, Balram decided to eliminate Dwarka as the only way to stop the movement and protect himself and his brother from exposure.

Balram had earlier told Manav that next time he would be 'shipped out dead,' showing Balram's willingness to use violence against anyone threatening his position.

balram singhdwarka deathpolitical murderhunger strikemla support
Q4

Why did Manav join Dwarka's anti-corruption campaign after being kicked out of his house?

A.

Three years after their confrontation, Manav was a successful telecom tycoon but remained close friends with Akhilesh. When Akhilesh died in the highway accident, Manav went to console Sumitra and witnessed firsthand how the government denied her compensation despite daily applications. Moved by his friend's death and the injustice faced by Sumitra, Manav joined Dwarka's cause, initially using his social media influence to free the imprisoned Dwarka, then continuing to fight corruption alongside him.

Manav's earlier clash with Dwarka over capitalism versus socialism created tension, making his eventual alliance surprising but meaningful.

manav dwarka allianceakhilesh deathanti-corruption campaignfriendship
Q5

Why did Dwarka refuse the compensation check from Balram?

A.

When Balram offered Dwarka a check to clear Akhilesh's compensation dues, Dwarka refused. He insisted that Balram clear the dues of every single petitioner in the district, not just Akhilesh's case. This wasn't about personal money for Dwarka; it was about fighting systemic corruption and ensuring justice for all common people who had been denied their rightful claims by the government.

This moment marked a turning point where Dwarka began accepting Manav's help, announcing he had 'found his son back.'

dwarka compensationbalram checkdistrict duesjustice for all petitioners
Q6

What happened during Dwarka's hunger strike and why did it escalate to violence?

A.

Dwarka went on hunger strike to force the government to clear all pending claims and dues in the district. As his health deteriorated, some of his supporters grew violent and killed some policemen in response to the oppression. This triggered Balram to send in CRPF forces. In response, Arjun cordoned off the entire town from within, refusing entry to central forces. The situation descended into chaos, ultimately leading to Balram ordering Dwarka's killing.

Balram had refused to support any anti-corruption ordinance and needed Dwarka silenced to preserve his eight crucial MLAs.

hunger strikepolice violencecrpfarjun singhtown lockdownescalation
Q7

Why was Manav shot while trying to save Dwarka?

A.

When Balram ordered Dwarka's killing, Manav intervened to protect him and was shot in the process. Manav had become the public face of the anti-corruption movement alongside Dwarka, and Balram saw him as a threat to eliminate too, especially since Manav had exposed Sangram Singh's involvement in the bridge collapse and Akhilesh's murder. Balram wanted to silence both men to cover up his brother's crimes and maintain his political power.

Earlier, Balram had explicitly threatened Manav, saying he would be 'shipped out dead' if he continued exposing his corrupt business dealings.

manav shotdwarka assassinationbalram orders killingpolitical cover-up
Q8

Why did Arjun Singh cordon off the town and block central forces?

A.

After Balram sent in CRPF forces to suppress the protests, Arjun Singh used his local influence to seal off the entire town and refuse entry to the central forces. This was a desperate defensive move to protect the peaceful protesters and Dwarka from military violence. Arjun, the former dropout from Dwarka's school, had become a key leader in the movement and was willing to use whatever means necessary to defend his community and the cause.

Arjun had initially refused to help Dwarka on principle, but later joined the movement after seeing the injustice firsthand.

arjun singhtown lockdowncrpf blockadelocal resistanceprotective measures
Q9

Why did the campaign lose public trust after Manav was exposed?

A.

When Balram arrested Manav, he exposed Manav's corrupt business dealings to the public, revealing how Manav had manipulated people at a national level for his telecom empire. This destroyed the campaign's credibility because the public associated Manav with Dwarka's movement. People lost trust in the entire anti-corruption cause. In response, Manav sold his company, returned money to shareholders, and apologized to Dwarka for using improper means to build his business, allowing the campaign to regain momentum.

This moment tested Dwarka's ideals versus his gratitude toward Manav, whom he had just accepted as his 'found son.'

manav exposedcampaign failurepublic trust lostbusiness corruptionredemption
Q10

What was Sangram Singh's involvement in the bridge collapse?

A.

Sangram Singh was Balram Singh's brother and the contracting agency responsible for the bridge that collapsed. He used cheap and substandard materials in construction, which directly caused the bridge to fail and kill innocent people. Akhilesh, as the chief engineer in charge of construction, discovered this corruption and was preparing a report to implicate Sangram before he was murdered. Sangram was eventually arrested for his role in both the bridge collapse and Akhilesh's murder.

The Highway minister Balram Singh was connected to the collapse from the beginning as Sangram's brother and political protector.

sangram singhbridge collapsesubstandard materialscontracting agencyarrest
Q11

Why did Yasmin and Manav decide not to pursue Akhilesh's resignation letter initially?

A.

While the anti-corruption campaign was ongoing, Yasmin accessed Akhilesh's home computer and found his resignation letter mentioning a confidential report. She showed it to Manav, but they chose not to pursue it as part of their campaign. They were wary of getting entangled in deeper political machinations and possibly wanted to focus on their current movement without opening potentially dangerous investigations that could derail their efforts. They only later investigated it when they needed to understand the full truth.

This dropped investigation later became crucial when Manav decided to dig deeper into Akhilesh's death.

akhilesh resignation letterconfidential reportdropped investigationpolitical caution
Q12

How did the movie end and what did Manav and Arjun decide to do?

A.

Dwarka died from Balram's assassination order, and Manav was shot while trying to save him. Balram was arrested for ordering the murder. Despite their grief, Manav and Arjun joined hands to launch a political party, deciding to change the system from within rather than through street protests. The ending was bittersweet, justice was served against Balram, but the heroes paid the ultimate price with Dwarka's death and had to channel their loss into an uncertain new political struggle.

This final decision echoes Dwarka's earlier demand for systemic change beyond just clearing individual cases.

movie endingpolitical party formationmanav arjun alliancesystem changebittersweet ending
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