Handlung

DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) Shiv Kumar (Sunil Dutt) is a daring policeman who has just defeated and arrested notorious robber Durjan Singh. He returns home to his wife Sheetal (Rakhee Gulzar) and their young daughter and announces that he has been transferred to Bombay. He has two brothers, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor), who live in Bombay. They are intelligent, capable guys, but spend their time loafing about the city and swindling unsuspecting people (for eg they convince a corrupt hotel manager that Vijay has stolen rs 2.5 lakh of jewelry from his employer, and Ravi (a policeman) is looking for him. The manager makes a deal with Vijay to buy the diamonds off him for RS 10000. Thats when Ravi arrives again and threatens jail for helping a robber. The manager pays an additional rs 5000 as bribe to Ravi). Shiv doesn't like their philandering ways.

After being swindled by Chacha (Johnny Walker) and Renu (Bindiya Goswami) (Renu appears as a damsel in distress who owes money to Chacha who acts as a money lender. The due date is past and Chacha threatens jail. She offers her Porsche against a loan of rs 30K. The car is worth at least rs 100K. Ravi is besotted with Renu (and was overhearing the conversation) and offers to help her by buying the car for rs 30K. Turns out the car was stolen and lands Ravi+Vijay in jail). Abdul (Mazhar Khan) a crippled street beggar, helps them find Renu and Chacha. Renu and Chacha return the 25K to them, as they already spent the 5k. Vijay is impressed with their work and offers to join forces for the next caper.

The idea is to steal a diamond necklace from Maharani Kamalpur when she attends a party at the Sheesh Mahal hotel. They are quickly joined by a glamorous thief, Sunita (Parveen Babi). Sunita manages to steal the necklace before the quartet. But the police condones off the hotel and starts a search of every individual. Sunita drops the necklace in Vijay's pocket, which Vijay notices. He escapes by hiding the necklace in his cane. Vijay invites Sunita to join their gang.. One of their tricks (the duo play god-men who can walk on water) eventually backfires (when Shiv sees their ads all over town and arrests them) and lands Vijay and Ravi in jail. Shiv later bails them out and reads them the riot act at home.

Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) is an international crime lord operating from a remote island outside India (300 kms from Bombay). Shakaal is a sadistic villain who rejoices in pain of his enemies and traitors. Shiv gets progressively closer to the root of the crimes in the city. Shakaal kills an informant on his crew by feeding him to crocodiles on his private island. A mysterious man (Shatrughan Sinha) tries to assassinate Shiv Kumar twice in the city. Shiv survives both times. After the two attempts on his life, Vijay and Ravi advise him to find a different line of work, arguing that his profession is unpredictable, dangerous and unsuitable for a family man. Shiv stands firm, citing his undying patriotic commitment to his corps and his country.

Shakaal has Shiv brought before him by kidnapping him from the city. He compliments Shiv on his wits and valor, and invites him to come to his side. True to his form, Shiv firmly refuses the offer. Shakaal tries to kill him, but Shiv breaks loose and tries to escape from the island. Shakaal unleashes wild dogs upon Shiv and eventually shoots him dead on the beach from a helicopter. As Vijay, Ravi and Sheetal lament their tragic loss, the mysterious man who tried to kill Shiv shows up. Sheetal angrily identifies him as the person she saw escaping at the carnival after the first attempt. The man introduces himself as Rakesh, a marksman and former circus performer who used to shoot targets blindfolded. He was recruited by Shakaal, to assassinate Shiv, by holding Rakesh's wife hostage.

Rakesh confesses that he deliberately missed Shiv on the two previous instances, hoping it would buy him time to rescue his wife. On realizing this, an angry Shakaal killed his wife. Rakesh sought out Ravi and Vijay so they could work together to bring down Shakaal. The trio seek the aid of a homeless cripple, Abdul (Mazhar Khan) and manage to find and destroy Shakaal's contraband warehouse in the city. Finding that Abdul was providing Ravi and Vijay with information, Shakaal has his men kill him. Enraged with the destruction of his warehouses, Shakaal kidnaps Sheetal and has her brought to his island.

Vijay, Ravi and Rakesh fume, knowing that Sheetal will almost certainly be killed and that they have no clue about the location of Shakaal's island. At this point, Jagmohan (Mac Mohan), another of Shakaal's aides who has been mercilessly crippled by him, offers his help to the group to gain entry to Shakaal's hideout. Posing as a musical troupe (a familiar stratagem in many Bollywood films), Vijay and Ravi (with Renu, Chacha/Uncle and Sunita) enter the island and perform for Shakaal. Shakaal, however, reveals that Jagmohan was sent by him to trap them. Jagmohan's fracture was a lie. Their cover is blown and they are captured.

An elaborate sequence ensues as the three men escape. The trio and the widow avoid the booby traps (Vijay is dropped into a tank with the crocodiles and Ravi+Rakesh are in a poison gas filled enclosure fighting 2 of Shakaals men who have gas masks on) and the henchmen ultimately capture Shakaal and finally end his ignominious existence. Shakaal, with his dying breath, sets his island hideout to blow up, but the heroes escape via helicopter to safety.