Pratap Tilak (Nana Patekar) is the grandson of Bheeshmanarayan Tilak, a freedom fighter. Pratap starts gambling and this leads to a spoiling attack of Bheeshmanarayan as he dies. Pratap's mother Durgadevi (Farida Jalal) enraged of all this, asks him to leave the village and go away. Pratap comes to Mumbai where he saves the life of chawl owner, Laxminath's (Paresh Rawal) son Atul (Atul Agnihotri). Laxminath decides to keep Pratap with him. When they grow up, Atul falls in love with Mamta (Mamta Kulkarni), who is the daughter of a builder named Yograj (Tinnu Anand). Pratap keeps laughing at press reporter Megha Dixit (Dimple Kapadia), who lives in the chawl and keeps on fighting injustice by writing about it in newspapers. Pratap teaches people to become strong and fight for themselves instead of waiting for other people to help them. Chattursingh Chita (Danny Denzongpa) and Yograj plan to build a resort and at the place, they arrange communal riots, mass killings and burn the houses of people. Laxminath is murdered by Chattursingh Chita. Pratap learns that Megha's parents were murdered by Chattursingh Chita and she was raped by him. He proposes marriage to her. Mamta leaves her father's house and comes to Atul's house. Pratap kills the corrupted ministers, the judge, and the police officer. He is caught and ordered to be hanged till death. Chattursingh Chita plans to kill Pratap but dies by Pratap's hands. This story is about a brave person who decides to face injustice and is ready to lay his life down for this cause. Pratap is tried and is sentenced to be hanged. At the last moment, before he is going to be hanged, a lawyer comes to the scene, informing that Pratap's death penalty is cancelled by the government.