Retired teacher and ex-principal Dwarka Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) is an idealistic man who lives with his engineer son Akhilesh, wife, and daughter-in-law Sumitra. His engineer son Akhilesh's friend Manav (Ajay Devgan) is an ambitious capitalist. Manav cherishes his friend Akhilesh (Indraneil Sengupta) who suddenly dies in a road accident maliciously conducted by Sangram Singh, brother of India's minister Minister Balram Singh (Manoj Bajpai), who, unknown to all of India, is the mastermind behind Akhilesh's murder. Balram Singh announces compensation, which Akhilesh's wife Sumitra (Amrita Rao) cannot get in spite of submitting daily applications in the government office. Incensed, Dwarka slaps the District collector and is imprisoned. Manav starts a campaign to free him, using social media, roping in Arjun Singh (Arjun Rampal) and journalist Yasmin (Kareena Kapoor). As hopeful students, hungry laborers and angry middle-class citizens join in the agitation, politicians start panicking. Eventually, Dwarka Anand gets freedom after the DM takes his complaint back upon pressure from Balram Singh.