Bairagee 2022

On the stage, Shivappa and his uncle perform Hulivesha at a function, but a clash erupts when someone injures his uncle, setting off a chain of consequences that shape the rest of the story. After Shivappa serves time in jail, his uncle dies, and Inspector Prakash Sarang steps in, teaching him to control his anger and offering him a job once he’s released. Shivappa also forges new bonds with Vaataapi and the former boxing champ who leads the village, Karna, forging a trio that will navigate loyalty, justice, and growing political pressure.

One day, Vaataapi plays a mischievous prank by locking the motorcycle of a local music teacher instead of the one belonging to his beloved Shobina. The teacher notices Shivappa’s hesitant attempt to pay the fine, hinting at the moral complexity that threads through their interactions.

On social media, Shivappa encounters someone who uses the name “Deepika Padukone,” who is actually the Anu Prabhakar teacher. The two strike up a conversation and decide to meet in person. They arrange to connect on a train, but when they do, they miss each other physically and continue talking by phone. The teacher shares a troubling backstory: a difficult upbringing, a rapid completion of a teacher’s training course at age 14 with help from local politicians, and a stigma fueled by a newspaper that labeled her a prostitute after her success. To shield her family and sister’s wedding from public shame, she relocates to a different city where no one knows her.

Meanwhile, Karna invites an MLA to an inauguration, only to have the MLA attempt to molest a child named Keerthi. Karna weighs the consequences for his political career and chooses silence, choosing not to risk his own position.

The teacher intervenes later, saving Keerthi at personal risk and getting injured in the process. Keerthi is traumatized and withdraws from school. Shivappa learns of these events and cuts ties with Karna, who remains torn by his choice. With limited proof and the current social climate, the police take no action.

Tragedy strikes when Keerthi crosses a line and drowns herself during a temple worship. The teacher feels compelled to file a police report, which confuses Shivappa and Vaataapi since Keerthi was already gone. She goes to the police station to file the complaint, but is intercepted by the MLA’s PA and taken to Karna’s celebration venue, where Shivappa also arrives. The later discovery from the complaint reveals that the MLA assaulted the teacher after she had saved Keerthi.

A confrontation erupts between Karna and Shivappa, but Shivappa prevails and reminds them of their duty to protect women. As they, along with the teacher and Vaataapi, head to file an official report, Inspector Sarang indicates that formal action may be unnecessary because Karna is already in prison. Karna explains that pursuing a formal complaint could ruin the teacher’s reputation, so he chooses a different path: he goes to the MLA’s residence and kills him, taking the blame and seeking vengeance for Keerthi’s death, thereby upholding a personal code of justice in the face of political power and community pressure.