Balram "Ballu" Prasad (Sanjay Dutt) is a gangster who is arrested by Inspector Ram (Jackie Shroff). Ram shows compassion to Ballu while trying to get information that would lead to capture of Ballu's boss and mentor, Roshida. Ballu does not speak, and he promises to escape from the jail. Ballu escapes from the jail, while Ram is visiting his girlfriend, Ganga (Madhuri Dixit), who is also a police officer. When news of this breaks out, Ram's reputation is in tatters as the media portrays Ram as an officer who has neglected his duty. Ganga, in an attempt to restore Ram's reputation, goes undercover as a street-girl. Ganga realizes that Ballu is a kind-hearted person who turned to crime due to poverty and circumstances, and she tries to rehabilitate him while on the run. Meanwhile, Ballu begins to fall in love with Ganga. He becomes enraged when he finds out she doesn't love him and is a police officer. Ganga continues to help Ballu as she has seen good in him. Meanwhile, Ram approaches Ballu's mother for help and realises that Ballu is in fact, his childhood friend. Ballu's mother and Ballu then tell Ram and Ganga, respectively, the story of how Roshan Da used their poverty to corrupt Ballu. Roshan Da killed Ballu's sister, and put the blame on the police. Ballu kills the officer he believes to be behind this and from then on spirals into a life of crime.