Plot

A socially-criticized, financially-cornered girl becomes an outlaw to dodge the situation.

Praful Patel (Kangana Ranaut) is a mid-30's divorcee in the US, who lives with her parents and works in the housekeeping department in one of the five-star hotels of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She shares a bitter relationship with her dad who is always blaming her for her mistakes in the past, instead of giving her moral support. So now, Praful wants to move out and buy her own house. She is trying to get a mortgage to move out of her parents' house. Her parent's father (Hiten Kumar) & mother (Kishori Shahane) are angry with Praful for not marrying again.

She has applied for a loan and her loan gets Pre-approved. Out of frustration, Praful agrees to go with her cousin Amber (Aneesha Joshi) for her bachelor party in Las Vegas as her cousin pays for all tickets and accommodations. She visits a casino and an Indian helps her learn baccarat and she ends up winning $ 2,000. She quickly gets addicted to the game. She meets Adam (Mark Justice), a cute Californian, whom she is attracted to, she goes to his room, but doesn't have sex as he doesn't have protection. She visits the baccarat table again and this time ends up losing $8,000, including the money she was saving up for her mortgage.

Praful then returns to Atlanta after a week, only to find out that her bank application to the bank has been rejected as her credit rating is very low. Praful seeks her father's help, but he insists that she should meet a young man named Sameer (Sohum Shah) who has been selected as her suitor. Finally, upon her dad's insistence Praful meets Sameer, a nice Gujrati boy and likes his honesty. They connect a bit more over the next few weeks. She has mixed feelings about marriage and agrees to get engaged.

However, her addiction to gambling takes a toll on her and Praful gives her last shot to gambling and goes back to Vegas. Praful ends up losing even more money. A private money lender spots Praful (who is now drunk) in the casino and offers her money. The drunk Praful, not in her right senses, takes $32,000 from the moneylender and in exchange gives him her driving license. Praful loses all that borrowed money (along with her hard-earned savings) and has to return penniless to her home.

Praful tries to explain to her father her bad situation and needing his financial help, but in fear of retaliation and hostility, she is reluctant. Her parents want her to begin her wedding preparations and plans with Sameer, who by now gets impressed by her personality.

At a relative's wedding, Praful and Sameer meet again and dance, and get to know each other. As things improve, the loan shark chase down Praful and threatens her for $50,000 payment on her loan. Praful is threatened by the loan sharks to pay within 10 days or face death. Praful is petrified. Her dad refuses to help her as she won't say what she needs the money for. Her credit cards start to be declined.

Praful is desperate and breaks down in front of a gas station attendant & ends up stealing money from him. She disguises herself by wearing oversized sunglasses and a hood. She collects only $10,000 in her attempt. Now she gets this great idea to steal money from banks. She learns how to rob a bank on YouTube. She enters the bank with a disguise, and hands a note written with red lipstick that says money should be given to her otherwise she will blow the whole bank as she is strapped to a bomb. She is called the lipstick bandit as her robbery notes are written with her lipstick.

Praful's second robbery gets foiled by a bank manager who bumps into her when she tries to rob the bank similarly. When the manager asks her name, Praful tells her name 'Simran', the name of a popular character from an Indian blockbuster film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge which her mother ultimately watches often. Despite robbing 3 to 4 banks successfully, Praful is still short of collecting fifty thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, Praful develops a liking towards Sameer, and confides in him her bad habits of gambling and stealing which he does not take seriously, thinking it is some kind of a joke.

Mike Mehndi (Rupinder Nagra) is Praful's manager at the hotel and tries to come on to her. Praful rebuffs him badly. Then the loan shark shows up at the hotel and threatens her for the payment. Praful is only $8000 short. She has hidden her money in the hotel locker. She is suspended from work due to the loan shark appearance and finds that her locker money has been stolen. Mike admits that he has stolen the money and refuses to give the money back to her until and unless she submits to his sexual advances/desires. Praful ultimately hits him and gets suspended from the hotel, after which she tells the loan sharks that her money has been stolen.

By now, these loan sharks know that Praful is actually 'Simran - The Lipstick Bandit', so they ask her to rob one more bank and this time with a bigger amount-for which they offer her a gun to finish the job.

Devastated and dejected, Praful calls off her relationship with Sameer and asks him to leave and by telling him the truth. Enraged by this, Praful's father slaps her and asks her to leave his house. Praful leaves her home and stays with her best friend Salma (Esha Tewari) for a night. The next day Praful attacks the same bank that rejected her bank loan and flees the place after stealing the money. The loan manager at the bank recognizes Praful as the person who had applied for a loan earlier, and has all the details about her.

Sameer is still in love with Praful and to help her, he transfers a huge amount of fifty thousand dollars in her bank account. Praful, before leaving the city of Atlanta, calls him at a lonely place and tells him that he should find another girl, as he is a nice man, and he deserves someone better; not someone like her.

Sameer refuses and asks her to surrender to the police and end this dirty game once and for all. After which Praful's dad calls her and asks for forgiveness. Praful is happy at this and returns home but the police cars have surrounded her and are following her car to arrest her.

Praful drives off because she did not want to get arrested in her neighborhood, which is full of Indians, and her parents would be very ashamed of her there. The ultimate chase begins as Praful's car is found empty by the police. Praful had taken a taxi and was almost near the airport, but then she decides to surrender on a lonely highway. She asks the taxi to stop at the curbside and then she calls 911 and surrenders herself.

After her arrest, there is a trial whereby the judge adjudicates Praful to be imprisoned for 10 months, but she is released after 3-4 months due to good behavior. Her ex-boyfriend Mike is also imprisoned for stealing her money and also for his sexual advance.

During a meeting session in prison, Praful tells her father that she wants to invest all his money into the stock market. Enraged by this, Praful's father becomes angry and grabs her neck angrily, venting his frustration that all his hard-earned money will blow up in smoke due to her crazy intentions.

Praful is released from jail, and she has sold the rights of her movie to be made to a Bollywood producer for fifty thousand dollars.