- Two photographers, who are employed by a magazine editor to expose the scandalous activities of the rich, come across corruption by a builder and accidentally photograph a murder.
- Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir (Ravi Baswani) are two professional photographers trying to start a photo studio. The first real assignment that they get, from the activist magazine Khabardar (literally meaning beware), draws them into the shady world of Bombay real estate. They discover that one of the biggest builders in Bombay, Tarneja, is trying to bribe Municipal Commissioner D'Mello (Satish Shah) into giving him a bridge contract. Meanwhile D'Mello is negotiating with Tarneja's arch rival Ahuja (Om Puri). The contract is finally awarded to a third person. By chance Vinod and Sudhir find out that Tarneja has murdered D'Mello...—<bagchi@jhu.edu>
- Professional photographers Sudhir Mishra and Vinod Chopra open a studio in the prestigious Haji Ali area, and hope to make enough money to keep it running. After a disastrous start, they are given some work by the editor of "Khabardar", a publication that exposes the scandalous lives of the rich and the famous. They accept it and start working with the editor herself, Shobha Singh. They also decide to enter their name in a contest to win Rs.5000/- and take a number of photographs all over the city. In one of the photographs they see a man with a gun. Upon enlarging it, they find out that the killer is none other than builder Tarneja. Upon further investigation they find out that he has killed Municipal Commissioner D'Mello and left his body behind some bushes. Before the duo could get to the body, it disappears. Disappointed the hapless duo continue working with Shobha. Then they find out where the body is with Tarneja's rival builder, Ahuja. They locate it and take a number of photographs of the corpse, and wheel it with them with the hopes of exposing Tarneja. They provide this information to Shobha, who in turn starts to blackmail Tarneja, who in turn plants a bomb to kill her and her two associates - but unfortunately the bomb explodes right in the face of Tarneja and his employees' faces. Then the duo take the corpse, and wheel it with them, but not before Tarneja, Ahuja, the new Mun. Comm. Srivastava, Shobha and others also get involved - resulting in a comic mix-up with burkha-clad woman. The climax is set upon a stage dramatization of Mahabharat, which hilariously turns into the ill-fated romance of Salim and Anarkali - with the corpse taking the part of Draupadi and Anarkali, and the vile Duryodan pledging to save Drupadi;s honor at any cost!! What will be the fate of the corpse and our hapless heroes is only seen to be believed!!!—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
- This is the story of two friends, (Vinod - Naseeruddin Shah and Sudhir - Ravi Baswani) attempting to start-up their own photo studio. Business is very slow, but prospects look good when they are approached by Shobha (Barve) editor of "Khabardaar" newspaper. Shobha, feeding the simple-minded duo a spiel about righteousness and honesty, assigns them the job of spying/photographing the shady dealings between Police commissioner D'Mello (Satish Shah) and property builder Tarneja (Pankaj Kapoor). The two, on assignment come across corruption and bribery to win the tender for building a flyover. The main players in this are D'Mello, Tarneja and his rival Ahuja (Om Puri). While spying on the nefarious three, Sudhir and Vinod get a whiff of a murder, but do not know who the killer is. They manage to retrieve the corpse as proof, but subsequently lose it. What follows, and is pretty much the rest of the movie, is a long, extended chase (and what a chase - meanders into the oddest of places) with the bad guys (Tarneja, and Co.) and the good guys (Vinod and Sudhir) chasing the corpse.—Amodini
- Professional photographers Vinod Chopra (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir Mishra (Ravi Baswani) open a photo studio in the prestigious Haji Ali area in Mumbai, and hope to make enough money to keep it running. After a disastrous start, they are given some work by the editor of "Khabardar", a publication that exposes the scandalous lives of the rich and the famous. They accept it and start working with the editor, Shobha Sen (Bhakti Barve), on a story exposing the dealings between an unscrupulous builder, Tarneja (Pankaj Kapoor), and corrupt Municipal Commissioner D'Mello (Satish Shah). During their investigation, they find out that another builder Ahuja (Om Puri) too is involved in this dealing.
While working on their story, Sudhir and Vinod decide to enter a photography contest that carries a prize money of Rs. 5000/-, and take a number of photographs all over the city. On developing their pictures, in one of the photographs they see a man shooting someone. Upon enlarging it, they realize that the killer is none other than Tarneja. They immediately return to the park where they had shot that picture and realize that the body is lying behind the bushes. Before the duo get to the body, it disappears, but they manage to retrieve one of a pair of gold cuff links. Sometime later, they attend the inauguration of a bridge dedicated to the memory of late Municipal Commissioner D'Mello who is supposed to have died of a terminal disease. It is there that they discover the other cuff link. They return at night and dig up that area and unearth a coffin containing the dead body of D'Mello.
The duo take a number of photographs of the corpse, and wheel it with them with the hopes of exposing Tarneja. Suddenly the body disappears. Later they find out that the body is with Tarneja's rival, Ahuja who had, in an inebriated condition, carried the coffin tied to his car to his farm house. They provide this information to Shobha, who in turn starts blackmailing Tarneja. He invites her and her associates to crack a deal, and plants a bomb to kill them. Unfortunately, the bomb explodes right in the face of Tarneja and his henchmen, and the trio escape from the scene. Later, the duo realize that Shobha and Ahuja are up to no good, and so they take the corpse, and wheel it with them, but not before Tarneja, Ahuja, the new Municipal Commissioner Srivastav (Deepak Qazir), Shobha and others also get involved, resulting in a series of comic mix-ups including one with some burkha-clad women.
The climax is set upon a stage dramatization of the Mahabharata, particularly the enactment of the Draupadi Cheer-Haran episode, which is turned on its head with the duo and the group following them inserting themselves into the scene. The corpse plays Draupadi and the vile Duryodhana, who orders the disrobing in the original version, ends up pledging to save Draupadi's honor at any cost. To make things even more hilarious, a new act - that of the ill-fated romance of Salim and Anarkali - is introduced, with the corpse playing Anarkali.
In the end, the police arrives and Vinod and Sudhir present their evidence to the police officer, and it seems as though Tarneja will be arrested. Srivastava, being the Assistant Municipal Commissioner tells the officer to wait a few minutes before arresting Tarneja. Tarneja tells Ahuja and Shobha that if he goes to jail, he would make sure that their malpractices are also exposed. In a twist ending, they all come to an agreement and Srivastava manages to pin the murder of Commissioner D'Mello and the collapse of the bridge on Vinod and Sudhir. In the final scene, Vinod and Sudhir are shown several months/years later released from prison, still in their prison clothes. They turn to the camera and make a cut-throat gesture, signifying the death of justice and truth in an age of corruption.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
More from this title
More to explore
Most anticipated Indian movies and shows
Percentage shows amount of top page views.