Zanjeer 2013

ACP Vijay Khanna is a brutally honest police officer whose commitment to dismantling corruption often puts him at odds with powerful, well-connected interests. His career has become a perpetual cycle of transfers, and Mumbai crime branch is just the latest stop in a long series—the 17th move in five years—despite his insistence on doing the right thing. He carries a heavy memory from home: on his birthday, his parents were murdered, and the image of a mysterious man in a black raincoat riding a white horse haunts him, a figure he suspects is tied to the crime.

Vijay is assigned to a high-stakes case: the brutal killing of Prakash Sathe, a district collector who stood at the top of the 1994 IAS batch. The case hinges on a single eyewitness, Mala Mala, who witnessed the murder but refuses to cooperate. Mala had just returned from New York for a friend’s wedding and, while at a petrol pump, witnessed the murder. She had tried to call the police during the incident, but the line was severed, and fear keeps her from stepping forward.

The mastermind behind the murder is Teja, a ruthless head of an oil mafia who treats Mala as a threat to his operation. The regime around Teja’s empire is such that the media spreads talk of a conspiracy to give Vijay a difficult, almost unwinnable case, precisely because of Vijay’s reputation for punching through corruption even when political power is involved.

In this tense clash, Vijay also crosses paths with Sher Khan, a controversial figure in the illegal car trade who insists on keeping a certain code of ethics. He avoids cars with a history of accidents and challenges Vijay to a confrontation away from the police glare. The duel in Sher Khan’s hideout ends in a draw, but the clash leaves a mark: Sher Khan chooses to walk a straight line and backs Vijay, offering his loyalty and a readiness to help him out whenever needed.

Meanwhile, Jaidev, a sharp-witted reporter, starts as a critic of Vijay but grows to respect his dedication. Jaidev’s persistence yields valuable information about the oil mafia, lending crucial support to the investigation.

Vijay’s pursuit of Mala leads him to her hotel room, where she reveals she desires to return to the United States and avoid danger. He persuades Mala to testify by showing her the dead body of Prakash and by highlighting what Teja’s men would do to her family if she stays away. With Mala agreeing to collaborate, a police sketch artist works with her to recreate the killer’s image. The public threat escalates as Teja’s henchmen target Mala, assaulting her car with a truck on a lonely highway. Mala escapes and, desperate, climbs into Vijay’s car, seeking protection.

Vijay shelters Mala at his home, and she becomes more entwined with his life and mission as the investigation intensifies. Despite a determined search, the killer remains elusive. Vinay enlists the help of Sher Khan, who helps trace the culprits to Kataria, Teja’s right-hand man, while Mona, Teja’s mistress, complicates the case. Vijay arrests Kataria, provoking Teja to react—his men threaten Vijay and demand that the investigation be dropped.

Kataria’s testimony comes through under pressure: Teja’s operation drains oil tankers, siphoning about 200 liters of petrol after they leave the depot and adulterating it with Naptha and Kerosene. The resultant fuel is sold to industry and smaller pumps, a multicrore business that devastates the state’s economy. Armed with this knowledge, Vijay launches a wave of raids on Teja’s hideouts.

Teja retaliates by ordering Kataria killed in custody, and the blame lands squarely on Vijay as allegations of excessive force surface, resulting in a suspension from duty. In the midst of this, Vijay uncovers the key link: Prashant Khanna, a man Teja had killed years earlier, revealing a pattern that connects the past to the present fight.

Equipped with incontrovertible evidence, Vijay begins a systematic assault on Teja’s oil refineries, despite Mala’s concerns about the danger. The conflict reaches a fever pitch when Teja’s men ambush Vijay during a meal, but Vijay fights back, warning Teja that nothing and no one can stop him.

Teja escalates his assault, sending more men to threaten Vijay and Mala, but Sher Khan arrives just in time to help them survive. Teja taunts Vijay at the hospital, prompting Mala to urge him to end Teja’s reign. The chaos intensifies when Bosco and Teja’s men murder Jaydev, sending shockwaves through the force. Sher Khan uncovers evidence linking Inspector Saalwe and Bosco to Kataria’s murder, and the commissioner, recognizing Teja as a danger, reinstates Vijay.

Cornered, Teja flees to an old mine with Mona. Vijay tracks them down, and in a gripping confrontation, he recognizes a tattoo on Teja’s arm—an undeniable clue that Teja is the man who killed Vijay’s parents. With this revelation, Vijay delivers a brutal, decisive blow, taking Teja’s life in an explosive showdown.

The aftermath sees Teja’s wealth seized by the government and Mona implicated in the crimes. The film closes with Sher Khan and Mala visiting Vijay at the police station, and Mala preparing a meal for him. As they share a quiet moment, Vijay glances at the television where a new drug mafia case lights up the screen, signaling that his work—and the fight against crime—will continue.