Trama

Somnath (Somu) lives in a shanty house in a Delhi slum with his widowed mom, and unmarried sister, Sarla. He is friendly with Calcutta-based wealthy Vikram (Vicky) Maharaj. When Vicky's dad, Damodar, has a heart attack and is advised to take bed-rest for two months, Vicky fills in his father's shoes, has a confrontation with a senior employee and union leader, Bipinlal Pandey, which results in a strike. His father intervenes, asks Vicky to apologize to Bipinlal, which Vicky does, and everything returns to normal. Vicky confides about his humiliation with Somu, and both conspire to teach Bipinlal a lesson. As a result, Somu accompanies Vicky to Calcutta, gets a job as a laborer in his mill, befriends his fellow-workers, gets some monetary relief to injured workers, amongst other benefits, is elected as the union leader replacing Bipinlal. With Somu as the union leader and Vicky as the boss there is no stopping these two - until Damodar finds out and decides to put a stop to Vicky being influenced by Somu's middle-class ideas and ideals. Damodar starts a chain of events that get out of control, events that may well see the death of one of the friends at the hands of the other. Will Vicky's and Somu's friendship see them through or will it also be a casualty?—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Somnath (Rajesh Khanna) and Vicky / Vikram (Amitabh Bachchan) are friends. Vikram is the son of a rich industrialist while Somnath is from a poor family. They have studied law together at college in Delhi & are very close buddies. Vikram helps support Somnath's family by paying for their household expenses & even the college fees of Somnath's sister Sarla (Manisha). Vikram is treated as a family member in Somnath's house and Somnath's mother considers Vicky as her own son.

After passing law, they both work together at a law firm. Vikram is fired for not taking his job seriously. Somnath quits as well in protest. They have plans to open their own law firm in partnership. Vicky and Somnath are always together and stand up each other in public brawls. Although it is always Vicky starting a brawl and Somnath jumping in to support Vicky and protecting him. Sarla admonishes Somnath for living life on Vicky's money. She asks Somnath to get a job and support his own house. Somnath yells at Sarla and says that Vicky is like his brother and there should be no shame in accepting help from family.

Vikram's father Damodar (Om Shivpuri) has a heart attack & he goes to Bombay to handle the family business which includes a factory. Damodar is prohibited from going to the office for 2 months and so all responsibility is now with Vicky. Vikram also meets Manisha (Simi Garewal), the daughter of a fellow rich industrialist who has a socialist bent of mind & has been earmarked as Vikram's future bride. Vikram is also attracted to Manisha.

Vikram joins the Mill & slowly gets involved in the daily functioning. Dhupia is the General Manager & Bipinlal (A. K. Hangal) is the current Union leader, who is straight forward & justly fights for the simple rights of his workers like compensation for accidents etc. Vikram doesn't like the authority that Bipinlal displays & refuses to have anything to do with him. The workers promptly go on strike.

Damodar tells Vicky that he made a mistake in his anger. Damodar counsels Vicky that business is no place for emotions and temper, forcing Vicky to apologize. Damodar tells Vicky never to forget the humiliation he feels when he apologizes to Bipinlal and use that as motivation to take revenge against him in the future.

Damodar tells Vicky that the struggle between workers and management has gone on for centuries and every era requires new and innovative solutions. To get the work done with workers, management has to be clever and never let them unite.

Vikram's dad assigns his personal bodyguard, JaiSingh (Manmohan), to keep an eye on Vicky & to keep him safe. Vikram goes to Delhi for a few days and narrates the whole episode to Somnath. Somnath decides that the only way to avenge Vicky is to replace the Union leader Bipinlal himself. He gets a job at the factory as a lowly worker & even starts staying with the workers in their colony. Somnath displays that he is not afraid of management and wants to succeed in life on the back of his hard work and skill.

When the next accident happens, Bipinlal gets the worker compensation sorted out according to the law. But Somnath uses the occasion to demand bigger benefits from the management. Somnath argues that the worker will only get a few thousand rupees from the management, but he is now disabled and cannot work anywhere. The money will run out in a few years and then he and his family would die of starvation. Vicky agrees so that Somnath can usurp Bipinlal's leadership on the workers union.

Somnath starts loving a girl from the workers colony named Shama (Rekha). Dhondu (Asrani) is Shyama's brother. Somnath befriends a drunk man Alam (Raza Murad).

The next issue is raked up when Vicky refuses to pay up bonuses on company day. Bipinlal advises caution, but Somnath has it all arranged with Vicky. He pretends to take up the fight to management & Vicky relents & pays up the bonus. The workers are elated & decide to elect Somnath as their next Union leader. Vicky's dad advises caution that Somnath cannot be trusted as he is also middle class.

Somnath begins to sympathize with the workers issues. In a famine year food prices go up 30% & that hits the workers hard. Somnath pleads with Bipinlal to come back as Union leader, but Bipinlal refuses. He trusts Somnath to deal with the issues of the workers.

Somnath speaks to Vicky about inflation & convinces him to raise salaries. When Vicky speaks to his dad, he is alarmed. He sends Vicky away & then the very next day exposes Somnath in front of all the workers as Vicky's friend. Somnath is beaten up badly by the workers but is saved by Bipinlal's intervention, who makes them realize that Somnath has been deliberately exposed. When Vicky comes to know of this, he comes to the workers colony to get Somnath, but Somnath refuses to go with Vicky & instead asks Vicky to join him. Vicky goes away.

Vicky's dad humiliates Vicky & reminds him that now Somnath will never be his friend again. Vicky's dad then decides to fire Somnath. The workers decide to go on indefinite strike. Somnath tries to talk them out of it, but they don't listen.

Vicky's dad is livid when the strike enters the second month. He orders Dhupia to agree to the workers' demands to end the strike but also orders that Somnath & Bipinlal be killed. Vicky is told of this plot by JaiSingh. Vicky tries to save Somnath, but he is trampled under a truck. Vicky takes the responsibility for the murder on his head & confesses to the same in court. He is sentenced to 14 years in prison. His dad dies of a heart attack.

Vicky is released after 14 years & marries Nisha. He is received at prison exit by Bipinlal, Sarla and Somnath's Mother (Durga Khote), who have long forgiven him for his actions.