Aan: Men at Work 2004

Crime is at its highest point in Mumbai, divided into three power blocs: Gautam Walia the ruthless businessman, Manik Rao the influential Home Minister, and Yusuf Pathan a formidable gangster. Together they command one-third of the city’s criminal landscape, and their uneasy pact stretches across the underworld, pushing Raghu Shetty to stay out of trouble. But Raghu, determined to carve his own throne, refuses to bow out and begins to test the boundaries of their tolerance.

Raghu’s challenge culminates in a bold move at a horse derby where he tries to ambush Walia. The plan almost backfires on Walia, yet Pathan’s men strike a deadly counterpunch, killing a key ally of Raghu and leaving him with a bruising jail term. With Raghu behind bars, the balance of power in the city shifts once more, and the crime rate—smuggling, trafficking, and other illegal trades—streaks upward as improvisation and fear guide the street economy. The Mumbai Crime Branch, a team of officers with different temperaments, begins to brace for a city-wide crackdown.

The team on the ground includes Senior Inspector Vikram Singh, a veteran who once wore hero status in the department but now prefers the safer, less risky assignments; Sub-Inspector Appa Kadam Naik, an encounter specialist who relentlessly pursues the henchmen rather than the bosses; Head Constable Khalid Ansari, the affable cop who loves his paan; and Kelkar, a constant chatterbox whose loyalties are murky. These four men are suddenly forced to reimagine their approach when a new, no-nonsense boss arrives and challenges the existing code of conduct. Vikram Singh and Appa Kadam Naik find themselves drawn into a tighter, more aggressive mission, while Constable Khalid Ansari watches his comfortable routine give way to higher-stakes policing. The arrival of a fresh authority, DCP Hari Om Patnaik, exposes the cracks in how the unit has operated and forces a reckoning across the entire squad. He is a man with a personal stake, having a girlfriend, Kiran, and a growing sense that promotions are sometimes more about optics than merit.

The tension intensifies as Ajit Pradhan, a powerful businessman, finds himself squeezed by the same trio’s control. When Pradhan refuses to align with them, Yusuf Pathan’s younger brother, Baba “Yeda” Pathan, steps in to enforce the old code—after which an assassination at a dance bar turns into an escalated confrontation that costs Khalid Ansari his life. This act cements the resolve of the four cops to strike back, and they set in motion a plan to bring down the Pathans and their syndicate.

Vikram Singh and Appa Kadam Naik decide to team up with Hari to dismantle Pathan’s network, starting with Yeda Bhai. The operation leads to the arrest of Yusuf Pathan, which temporarily curbs the smaller-time criminal enterprises that have flourished in Mumbai. In the meantime Raghu Shetty begins to replace Pathan’s role by taking over the illegal activities that Pathan once controlled, complicating the pursuit with a new set of actors and loyalties. The city’s atmosphere shifts from standoffs and bravado to a more intricate chess game, where every move has consequences.

As the tension peaks, the climax brings several dramatic confrontations into the open. Appa Kadam Naik falls victim to a trap engineered by Kelkar, a blow that changes the balance of power within the police force. Vikram Singh and Hari Om Patnaik intensify their pursuit, tracking Raghu Shetty and a hawala trader named Hirachand Mehta at the Flying Club. They are aided by a crucial tip from Walia’s former ally, Roshni Verma, who has her own complicated loyalties. The plan is bold: block the plane on the runway, halt Raghu’s escape, and bring down the remaining link in the chain of criminal finance.

A helicopter-assisted attack cripples the aircraft’s wing and engine, forcing the plane to crash into a hangar. Raghu Shetty and his goons are killed in the chaos, and Hirachand Mehta is arrested, exposing the wider network of illicit money and influence. The fall of Kelkar’s corrupt schemes becomes apparent through the combined effort of Vikram and Hari, who ensure that the webs of protection around him are finally torn apart. The city breathes a temporary sigh of relief as the police close in on the remaining sources of corruption.

The courtroom drama that follows seems to tilt in favor of Walia’s faction and their allies. During a tense break, Vikram and Hari confront the judge and pressure him to reconsider the verdict, ultimately tipping the scales toward the police. In a decisive moment, Judge Sahani delivers a verdict that aligns with law and order, while Commissioner Khurana and DCP Om stand nearby, embodying the city’s relief at a hard-earned victory. Hari proclaims Mumbai to be crime-free, and the tale closes with a pragmatic sense of justice taking hold.

In the final scenes, Vikram reveals a chilling list of gangsters that Appa Kadam Naik had to confront, underscoring the long road the city must walk to stay safe. Kiran watches with quiet pride as the men who fought the system find some measure of closure and accountability. The underworld’s grip has loosened, but the memory of the battles fought remains, a stark reminder that the city’s peace rests on the willingness of its police to risk everything to protect it.