Dhadakebaaz 1990

The film opens with three close friends, Lakshya, Mahesh Nemade, and Bappa Bajrangi, who have spent time in prison for petty crimes. After their release, Mahesh and Bappa decide to reform and walk separate paths, while Lakshya clings to the belief that unity is strength. As the trio drift apart, Lakshya is left feeling lonely and adrift, clinging to the idea that their bond is the only thing that truly holds them together.

One day Lakshya finds a five-rupee coin in the street, a coin that keeps slipping from his pocket through a hole, repeatedly reminding him of money he doesn’t really have. He later enters a restaurant, convinced he has enough cash to order, only to realize he cannot pay the bill and is forced to leave empty-handed. Desperate to turn the coin into real money, he tries his luck at poker. He wins a little at first, but the game turns sour as it becomes clear he’s cheating. The other players turn aggressive, and just in time, Mahesh and Bappa appear to rescue him. The three friends escape the town, renewing their vow to stay united no matter what.

Their journey leads them to Shivapur, where they visit a temple of Lord Shiva and pledge to live as law-abiding citizens. Here, Lakshya meets Ganga Ganga, a flower seller near the temple, and a tender romance begins. In the middle of a protest, Lakshya accidentally strikes Ganga’s uncle, Constable Rede, with a stone and finds himself under arrest. At the police station, Mahesh encounters Sub-Inspector Uma Jadhav and instantly falls for her, setting up a complex web of loyalties and budding love.

While Lakshya is in custody, he befriends fellow prisoner Divtya, who treats him like a servant. Divtya’s accomplices stage a breakout from the station, and though Divtya escapes, Lakshya captures his henchmen for the police. Moved by Lakshya’s bravery, Uma releases him, and he reunites with Mahesh and Bappa. The trio soon helps Ganga, fending off goons who threaten her, and she allows them to stay in her cattle shed, giving them a place to call home as they work to put their lives back on the right track.

The real menace behind many crimes in Shivapur is Kautya Mahakaal, a skull-masked crime lord who funds and commands the mayhem. Divtya and his cronies are working for him, and Uma already bears an old enmity with Kavtya, wanting him brought to justice. Divtya and his gang attempt to seize Lakshya and Ganga and force them to reveal the bottle that contains a magical genie, but the couple manages to escape and hide in the ruins of an old fort.

Inside the fort, Lakshya discovers a small bottle and the startling presence of his lookalike trapped inside it. The genie, Gangaram Gangaram, explains that he was once under a guru’s spell and was cursed to remain trapped unless a descendant uses the magical sand to help others. With this revelation, Lakshya agrees to aid Gangaram in breaking the curse. Gangaram proves his power by saving Lakshya and Ganga from Kavtya’s men and even soothes the conflict with Rede, who disapproves of the lovers.

Meanwhile, Gangaram helps the trio color the temple in a miraculous display, turning a five-minute task into a flash of magic from their cattle shed. But Kavtya learns the truth about Gangaram and intensifies his hunt, hoping to seize the bottle for himself. Divtya attempts to steal the bottle again, only to be turned into a frog by Gangaram at Lakshya’s urging.

The stakes escalate when Kavtya and his henchmen abduct Lakshya and Ganga, taking the bottle with them. Mahesh, Bappa, Uma, and Rede race against time to find Kavtya’s hideout, forcing one of Kavtya’s men to reveal the criminals’ lair. They reach just in time to rescue Lakshya and Ganga and reclaim the bottle from Kavtya. Lakshya asks Gangaram to end Kavtya and his gang directly, but Gangaram admits his sandbag is already empty. With Mahesh, Bappa, and Uma captured, Lakshya draws on inner strength and courage, battling Kavtya and his men to free them all.

The police are summoned, and Rede arranges the long-awaited marriage between Lakshya and Ganga. Yet the climactic twist comes when Kavtya regains consciousness and fatally shoots Lakshya before escaping once more. Mahesh pursues Kavtya and engages in a brutal confrontation, and Uma ends Kavtya’s reign of terror by shooting him dead in revenge for her parents’ deaths. Mahesh, Uma, Ganga, Bappa, and Rede return to the scene to mourn Lakshya, who miraculously survives the assault thanks to Gangaram’s blessing. As the genie earns his release, he departs for his heavenly abode, leaving behind a final message: to always stay strong, defeat evil, and never abandon one another.

In the end, the story honors friendship, loyalty, and the idea that true magic lies in courage and unity, with Gangaram’s departure marking both an ending and a hopeful new beginning for the people of Shivapur.