Plot

A Kashmiri woman agrees to marry a Pakistani army officer in order to spy on Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

Hidayat Khan is the son of an Indian freedom fighter and agent posing as an informant for the Pakistani government. He wishes to make his 20-year-old daughter Sehmat an agent and continue the family tradition of being in service to the country. Sehmat leaves college. She is hastily trained by senior RAW officer Khalid Mir. Her father uses his friendship with Brigadier Syed of the Pakistan Army to get Sehmat married to his son, Iqbal Syed, a military officer. Sehmat quickly settles into her married life, she falls in love with Iqbal. But everything starts to complicated.—Sonja Pavkovic

during 1971 India - Pakistan war Hidayat Khan a freedom fighter also works as an agent to the Indian government who provides information on Pakistan.Hidayat Khan wishes that is 20 year old daughter Sehmat should further carry his legacy as death can call him anytime as he is suffering from blood cancer.Sehmat agrees to carry her fathers legacy and is trained under Raw officer Khalid Mir and his assistant Bakshi.Hidyat is in good terms with Brigadier Parvez Syed a Pakistani army officer and decides to get Sehmat married to his younger son Iqbal Syed also an army officer.Sehmat tries to adjust her married life and gains trust of her family where she also comes across vital information's which Paksitan is planning against India which she passes on through some handlers.But Sehmat is always a suspect of the house loyal cook Abdul.—alex.mjacko@gmail.com

A senior Indian Army Officer Lt. Gen. Bakshi (Aman Vasishth) addresses a group of soldiers on board the INS Viraat. The story flashes to the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the events preceding and following it.

Back in 1971 Sehmat (Alia Bhatt) is a college student from Kashmir. Her father Hidayat Khan (Rajit Kapur) and grandfather were Indian freedom fighters.

Preceding the Bangladeshi War of Independence, 1971, Hidayat Khan is an Indian intelligence agent posing as an informant for the Pakistani military. Presenting as an Indian traitor trading secrets to Pakistan, he cultivates a friendship with Brigadier Parvez Syed (Shishir Sharma) of the Pakistan Army and is alerted of an operation planned against India. Hidayat passes little intelligence to Brigadier Syed from time to time, which keeps him in his good books & gives him a reason to travel to Pakistan. Syed asks Hidayat to find out about India's plans to help East Pakistan attain freedom. Syed warns that Pakistan will give a befitting reply to India's interference in Pakistan's internal matters. Hidayat informs Syed that he is suffering from lung cancer.

Khalid (Jaideep Ahlawat) (from RAW) is Hidayat's handler in India. Hidayat knows that he will not be alive much longer but wants to complete the mission. Hidayat knows that Pakistanis are alerted to India's plan to create Bangladesh & is therefore anticipating a big operation against India to cripple its war making ability in the Bay of Bengal. But has to go deeper to figure out what & when. Hidayat does not have enough time.

Hidayat tells Khalid of his plan to insert his 20-year-old daughter Sehmat a student at Delhi University, into the spy business by getting her married to the Brigadier's son Iqbal (Vicky Kaushal) a Pakistani military officer. He is confident of convincing Brigadier Syed for the marriage, by using his lung cancer story and years of dedicated service for Pakistan.

Sehmat learns of her father's impending death from cancer and his last wish for her to continue the family tradition of being in service to the country. Sehmat is a person who faints at the sight of blood. A few days before the marriage ceremony, Sehmat is hastily trained by members of RAW Khalid Mir, India's external intelligence agency, in various skills required to be a spy. Khalid is handling the Bangladesh operations & is on radar of ISI. Despite her youth and inexperience, Sehmat is a quick study, surprising her superiors with her acumen for intelligence work.

She is soon to get married to an officer, the son of an Army Brigadier in the Pakistani Army Iqbal Syed, who is promoted to Major General.

While being trained at RAW, Sehmat learns the contact numbers to be used in future while contacting any one from Pakistan. She practices converting text information to Morse code, which she had to use while transmitting information to India. After the marriage and migration to Pakistan, Sehmat quickly settles into her married life, adjusts to a new country, and establishes the trust and confidence of her in-laws. Abdul (Arif Zakaria) is the oldest servant of the household & doesn't trust Sehmat fully. Sehmat learns that Abdul is also Indian.

A kind man, Iqbal is patient with Sehmat, frequently apologizing to her for his father's denigration of India. Feelings develop between them leading to consummation of their marriage, and they start getting intimate. Despite her feelings, Sehmat remains true to her mission and establishes communication channels with her handlers back in India, relaying information.

Brigadier Syed is promoted to Major General, resulting in crucial documents and members of their defense forces passing through his house. Sehmat relays information on the planning of an offensive against India, which points to a planned attack by a Pakistani submarine on the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, then deployed in the Bay of Bengal.

Abdul discovers Sehmat's communication tools in the bathroom and realizes she is an Indian spy. He rushes off to tell Syed, forcing Sehmat to run him down with an army jeep, causing a heavy emotional toll on her. Abdul gasps out Sehmat's name in the hospital before he dies, and Iqbal's older brother, Mehboob (Ashwath Bhatt), starts an investigation. Before he can provide his information to the ISI, Pakistan's internal security agency, Sehmat reluctantly kills him by injecting him with poison.

Realizing her cover is about to be blown, Mir visits her in disguise and conveys to her an escape plan from Pakistan. Later, Iqbal finds Sehmat's communication tools concealed in Abdul's room alongside a piece of an anklet he had given her as a wedding gift, discovering her secret.

Heartbroken, he confronts Sehmat, who tearfully holds him at gunpoint and tells him her duty is to her country. Before their confrontation can escalate, Mehboob's young son, whom Sehmat had been tutoring to sing a patriotic song for his school's annual Army Day celebration, rushes in, giving her a chance to get away. Realizing her duty requires her to kill both the boy and her driver to prevent them from discovering her identity, she walks away and arrives at the meeting point concealed in a burqa.

Iqbal confronts her there, having notified the ISI, but when Mir spots them, he orders his undercover RAW team to shoot Sehmat and throws a grenade, killing both Sehmat and Iqbal. Mir and his team escape to a safe house, where the real Sehmat shows up, revealing the woman who died in the blast with Iqbal was another secret agent she had switched places with before Iqbal caught up to her. Traumatized by her husband's death and Mir's orders to kill her, Sehmat returns with the RAW team to her hometown. She faints shortly after arriving and later discovers she is pregnant, deciding to keep Iqbal's child.

Newsreel footage reveals the Indian Navy was able to sink the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi before it could carry out its planned attack on the INS Vikrant with the assistance of Sehmat's findings.

Back in the present, Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Nikhil Bakshi addresses a group of officers and soldiers of Tri-services and also cadets of NDA, including officer Colonel Samar Syed, aboard the Indian aircraft carrier INS Viraat, off the coast of Visakhapatnam. Lieutenant General Nikhil Bakshi concludes his speech to the officers on the INS Viraat, and Colonel Samar Syed is revealed to be Iqbal and Sehmat's son. Sehmat Khan's sacrifices are remembered.

A bungalow type house is shown in an unknown location where now an aged Sehmat is living under security but alone.