Akira 2016

Akira Sharma, a young girl portrayed by Sonakshi Sinha, witnesses a brutal acid attack on a woman and steps in to help the police catch one of the criminals. The others retaliate with a violent act of revenge, slashing her face and leaving a permanent scar. To empower her and reduce the risk of future harm, her father enrolls her in a self-defense class.

Days later, Akira crosses paths with the same perpetrators who escaped justice and she fights to bring them to account. In a tense confrontation, one assailant attempts to throw acid at her again, but the victim turns on him, burning his own face in the melee. This cycle of aggression leads to Akira’s arrest, and she is convicted and sent to a remand home for the attack.

Eight years pass, and Akira is released. She grows into a rebellious, tough woman who refuses to be cowed by a hostile world. When she moves from Jodhpur to Mumbai with her family—after her brother comes to collect their mother and herself—she starts college life and takes up residence in a bustling hostel. Adjusting to campus life proves challenging as the college grapples with a spate of electronic thefts.

A moment of upheaval arrives when a corrupt, power-drunk police officer, ACP Rane, runs down an elderly college professor with his car and brutally beats him. The student body responds with a large protest, yet Akira remains patient enough to deliver a petition directly to the Commissioner, hoping for a fair response.

Shortly after, Rane visits a car crash victim, only to rob and kill him when he discovers loot in the trunk. His girlfriend, Maya, who also attends the same college as Akira, secretly records his discussion about disposing of evidence. When Maya’s bag with the camera is stolen, someone begins to blackmail Rane. Suspecting Maya as the informant, he brutally murders her. The case is then taken up by Konkona Sen Sharma as SP Rabiya, who suspects Maya’s murder and pushes for proper accountability.

Meanwhile, the college announces a pardon for the electronic thief if the stolen items are returned anonymously. Akira eventually discovers a bag full of stolen goods, including the camera, left in front of her dorm. Rane’s associates seize her with the bag and plan to kill her and two other witnesses. She escapes during a gun reload after the others are killed.

Rane and his men declare Akira mentally unstable, and given her violent past and defiant nature, her family and friends are quickly swayed by the propaganda. She is taken to a mental asylum, where a corrupt doctor subjects her to electric shocks intended to break her will. With the help of another mentally ill patient, she breaks free, brutally murdering the doctors and guards, and escapes.

She abducts one of Rane’s associates and uses him to prove her innocence. Rane tracks her down to a hideout and attacks. SP Rabiya arrives with an arrest warrant for Rane and seizes the weapons, but the Commissioner blocks the move, fearing fallout from the death of the car-crash victim, who is the brother of a major politician. Rane regains the upper hand and orders Akira to be taken back to the mental asylum. Reluctantly, Rabiya leaves but pockets the seized arms, ensuring those inside are left unarmed.

In a climactic hand-to-hand confrontation, Akira overpowers and kills Rane and his associates, then returns to the asylum. Now declared completely sane, she is released three months later. The film closes with Akira choosing to live in Jodhpur, continuing her late father’s legacy by teaching deaf children and finding a measure of peace in a quiet, purposeful life.