Plot

A scrupulously honest cop refuses kidnappers' demands at grave risk to the life of his son. The son is rescued but lives forever scarred by his father's willingness to sacrifice his own son for the sake of his principles. This works out to devastating effect when the son grows up to be a Mafia don, and his father is assigned the job of bringing him in.—joyojeet <joyojeet@hotmail.com>

Vijay Kumar grows up with a grudge against his father, a honest and incorruptible policeman, Ashwini, who refuses to negotiate his son's release from his kidnappers. Vijay grows up hating everything his dad stood for, and turns to crime. Now an established criminal, Vijay faces a murder charge, will his father help him now?—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Retired Commissioner of Police Ashwini Kumar (Dilip Kumar) is at the railway station to receive his teenage grandson Ravi (Anil Kapoor), who has just returned after completing his B.A. exams. On being asked by his grandfather about his future plans, Ravi promptly replies that he wants to become a police officer and serve his country, just like his grandfather. Kumar tells him that the journey of being a police officer is fraught with many arduous challenges, and Ravi should reconsider his decision. Kumar starts by explaining his own life story in a flashback.

Kumar had a happy family consisting of him, Sheetal (Rakhee Gulzar), Ravi's grandmother, and son Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan), Ravi's father. In the course of purging the city of crime, Ashwini takes up cudgels against a dreaded gangster named J.K. Verma (Amrish Puri). He arrests a key henchman of J.K. named Yashwant (Goga Kapoor) in order to decimate J.K.'s supremacy and to track him down. However, J.K. takes matters into his own hands and abducts Vijay. J.K. calls up Ashwini and tries to strike a deal: Yashwant's freedom in lieu of Vijay's life. Ashwini, a virtuous cop, tells J.K. on the phone that even if his only son is killed in the process, he will not betray the law. Unbeknownst to Ashwini, however, the conversation is being tape recorded. When Vijay listens to his father's voice on the tape recorder, he is shocked and pained to hear his father's words and his lackadaisical attitude towards his own flesh and blood.

With no help forthcoming, Vijay takes it upon himself to escape his abductors. Whilst the entire gang is searching for Vijay, K.D. Narang (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), another goon in J.K.'s gang, finds Vijay but pities the helpless child and helps him escape to safety. The police trace J.K.'s hideout via the call, but find that Vijay is missing. Vijay manages to escape and reaches home safely, but Vijay slowly and surely distances himself from his father. Narang and J.K. become sworn enemies after J.K. discovers that Narang was behind Vijay's escape. Ashwini doesn't know that JK was behind Vijay's kidnapping or that Yashwant worked for JK. JK's identity was hidden from Ashwini.

As the years pass by, Vijay, who has now become a young man, begins resenting his father and his father's love for upholding the law. During a chance encounter, Vijay rescues a young lady named Roma (Smita Patil), Ravi's mother, from 4 rowdy men led by Satish (Satish Shah) who try to molest her. Vijay and Roma begin to form a close relationship. meanwhile JK is now a successful businessman, though Ashwini suspects him of being a smuggler and keeps a close watch on him. Satish complains against Vijay for thrashing him in the train and Ashwini calls Vijay to the police station. Vijay recites the truth (& produces Roma as a witness), but this only increases the distance between Vijay and Ashwini. During a job interview for the post of Assistant Manager of a Hotel, K.D. Narang, the owner of the hotel, happens to be passing by. He interjects the interview and promptly hires Vijay. Vijay remembers K.D. Narang as the person who had saved his life and decides to work in whatever capacity required with the man he perceives he owes his life to. Ashwini knows that KD is a smuggler and warns Vijay not to work for him. But Vijay is adamant and ignores Ashwini and says that KD is the man who saved him, when his own father refused to.

Ashwini resents the growing proximity between Vijay and K.D. Narang, so he asks Vijay to leave his house. Vijay moves in with Roma, and they start living together, without marriage. Sheetal tries to persuade her son to leave the path of wrong, but in vain. The duo, J.K. and K.D., have now become sworn enemies in their illegal businesses, so J.K. decides to remove his thorns before they suck the blood out of him and his business. J.K. tries to get K.D. murdered, but Vijay rescues K.D. with his presence of mind. Vijay reminisces to K.D. how Vijay owes his life to K.D., and now Vijay becomes K.D.'s, right-hand man. J.K. is infuriated at his men for failing to kill Narang. His men tell him that Vijay spoiled the plan. Enraged, J.K. creates a plan to kill Vijay first, followed by Narang, and then Ashwini.

One night, while Vijay and Roma are at a restaurant, a drunk man named Ganpat Rai (Dalip Tahil) attempts to propose to Roma, but Vijay beats him up, causing two men dressed in blue clothes to come forward and escort Rai out of the hotel. It turns out that these two men hired Rai to act foolish and drunk. A few minutes later, one of the men stabs Rai to death. The next morning Vijay returns home, but Ashwini's men follow him. Ashwini's most loyal officer, Sudhakar (Vikas Anand), possesses a warrant claiming Vijay had murdered Rai. Vijay is taken into police custody, but when KD bails Vijay out, Vijay is released from prison, and he begins to work with K.D. full-time.

Later, Roma reveals to Vijay that she is pregnant with his child, who is Ravi, so Vijay marries her. When Narang's truck of goods is stolen by J.K., Vijay requests Narang to let him take charge of bringing the truck back. Vijay tracks down JK. When Vijay sees J.K. passing by, he captures him. Vijay tells J.K. that he was the same boy whom J.K. had abducted from school, and that he has been waiting for his revenge for years, much to J.K.'s horror. After a heated battle with J.K.'s men, Vijay drives Narang's truck back to him. Vijay is now a noted criminal and Ashwini breaks all connects with him. Vijay goes to meet Sheetal, but she also refuses to go with him to his life bought from criminal proceeds.

Ashwini almost arrests Vijay red handed during a diamond deal. One of Narang's henchmen Lobo (Sharat Saxena) is captured by Ashwini, but Vijay manages to escape after a lengthy car chase. When journalists cross-question Ashwini about his conflict of interest - his own son being a renowned gangster in K.D.'s gang, but he is the Deputy Commissioner of Police - the Commissioner of Police (Ashok Kumar) asks Ashwini to forego the case. Ashwini, however, requests for 48 hours to capture and bring Vijay and the other nefarious gangsters to justice, failing which Ashwini will resign. K.D., Vijay and most of J.K.'s gangsters are arrested, but J.K. remains absconding. J.K. takes it upon himself to eliminate his troubles once and for all by murdering Ashwini. Instead, Sheetal is killed by J.K. himself whilst trying to shield her husband. An enraged Vijay, who is imprisoned at the time of Sheetal's murder, escapes the police and proceeds to start hunting for J.K.'s head. Vijay finds a den where four of J.K.'s men are present. Vijay tells them he has nothing against them, and only wants J.K., but the gangsters attempt to murder him. However, Vijay succeeds in killing all of the men. During the interrogation of one of J.K.'s henchmen, Vijay learns that J.K. has plans to leave India using fake passport. Vijay then kills the man, who drowns.

Following up on the tip, Vijay arrives at the airport, and ultimately succeeds in killing J.K., who is in a disguise, thereby avenging his mother's death. Ashwini succeeds in tracking down Vijay and asks Vijay not to escape, but in vain. A teary-eyed Ashwini pulls the trigger, mortally wounding his son in the process. Ashwini rushes towards him, and in a tearful goodbye, Vijay realizes his mistake and asks for forgiveness, saying to his father that he always loved him very much.

The scene cuts to the present, and a tearful Ashwini reiterates to Ravi, asking him whether he wants to follow his decision of being a police officer. Ravi, despite hearing the heartbreaking story, firmly replies in the affirmative. Kumar and Roma, Ravi's mother, Vijay's widow give Ravi their blessings. Ravi takes a train and leaves, signifying that he would become an officer in the future.