Majboor 1974

Ravi Khanna is a plain-spoken travel agent who leads a quietly busy life with his family: his widowed mother Sulochana Latkar, his wheelchair-bound sister Renu Khanna, and his younger brother Billu. He also looks forward to marrying his girlfriend, Neelu, the daughter of a wealthy man D. K. Sapru who loves him as much as she loves life. On a rainy night, a well-dressed client named Surendra Sinha Rehman visits Ravi’s office to collect air tickets and, as a courtesy, offers him a ride in his car. Ravi notices a striking emerald ring on Surendra’s finger and accepts the lift, a small moment that will tilt the entire course of his life.

That same night, Surendra vanishes, and a ransom of ₹5 lakhs is demanded from Surendra’s younger brother, Narendra Sinha. Narendra agrees to pay, hoping to salvage the family’s honor, but Surendra is never seen again. Six months pass before the police—led by CID Inspector Khurana and Inspector Kulkarni—discover Surendra’s body in a gutter and bring Ravi in for questioning. Ravi, a man defined by his responsibility toward his family, insists on his innocence and tries to assemble a defense with the help of his lawyer friend, Advocate P. V. Rane. The mounting stress triggers crippling headaches, and a medical visit reveals a far more dangerous truth: Ravi has a brain tumor that requires immediate surgery, with a real risk of blindness, mental changes, or paralysis if the operation goes wrong. He faces an impossible choice between a likely death in six months and a life that could become a burden on those he loves.

Meanwhile, Narendra offers a new incentive: a handsome reward for the killer’s arrest. Seized by fear and a drive to provide for his family, Ravi conceives a drastic plan. He decides to frame himself for Surendra’s murder, reasoning that if he is to die anyway, he might at least secure a future for his mother, sister, and Neelu. He phones the police anonymously, instructs that the reward be placed with his solicitor, Advocate P. V. Rane, and sets up a chain of circumstantial evidence—burnt clothing, cigarette butts, rope fragments, and an iron rod with his own fingerprints. The detectives close in, and Ravi is arrested after fingerprint testing seems to prove his guilt. In court, he falsely confesses to kidnapping Surendra for the ransom, ties him at an isolated spot, and says Surendra died while trying to escape, a story that seals his fate with a death sentence. His family, including Neelu and his mother, struggle to understand or accept this turn of events, and even Narendra’s pleas for clemency fail to move the system.

The tragedy deepens when Ravi collapses in prison during a headache episode and is rushed to the hospital. Dr. Shah [Sajjan Lal Purohit] quickly recognizes Ravi’s medical history and performs an emergency brain operation that saves him—yet the damage is already done: Ravi has been branded a kidnapper and murderer for crimes he insists he did not commit. Two months pass, and Ravi, clinging to the hope of proving his innocence, asks Neelu and his solicitor to delay his execution. He escapes with Neelu’s help, seeking the truth and using the new freedom to chase a lead that could exonerate him.

The trail leads to a chain of shadows and revelations. In a hotel, Ravi encounters Mahipat Rai [Madan Puri], a wealthy man with a complicated personal life, and sees the same emerald ring on his finger that Surendra wore. The ring had surfaced in a curio shop, traced to a crafty thief named Michael D’Souza [Pran Sikand], whom the shopkeeper Prakash had bought the ring from. Michael, a streetwise witness to many schemes, claims that he alone can tell what happened on the night Surendra disappeared. He reveals that the sleeping man in the car (Surendra) was not just a victim but a target of a calculated crime, and the man driving the vehicle was the killer. Michael’s tale is complicated by the fact that he is motivated to strike a deal with Narendra in exchange for money, a fact that throws Ravi’s loyalty and the entire investigation into doubt.

Prakash helps Michael connect the dots and suggests a more dangerous bargain: betray Ravi and align with Narendra, who would pay for information on Surendra’s killer. Narendra, in turn, reveals a deeper motive: Surendra’s wife, Mona [Ashoo], had an extramarital affair with Narendra, which Surendra had discovered and ultimately forced Narendra to leave the house. Narendra further claims that Surendra’s own brother (whom he calls an adopted sibling) orchestrated the crime—a lie that is nearly too convenient for Narendra’s own ambition. Michael, meanwhile, agrees to hand Ravi over to Narendra for ₹7.5 lakhs, but only after a tense standoff where Ravi’s life hangs in the balance.

Michael travels to Ravi’s home and uncovers the truth: Ravi did not murder Surendra; he took the blame to protect his family. Michael swears that Ravi will be returned to them. The confrontation at a secluded cabin becomes a turning point. Narendra shoots Michael, mortally wounding him, while Neela and Ravi confront a broken system and a desperate man who will stop at nothing to keep his secrets. As police close in on the scene, Ravi rushes back with a doctor to save Michael’s life, even as Narendra tries to flee. In a final act of courage, Michael provides testimony to the police, naming Narendra as Surendra’s killer, while Ravi’s innocence is proven. Narendra is arrested for both Surendra’s murder and Michael’s murder, and Ravi is finally acquitted.

The film closes on a somber yet hopeful note: Michael’s funeral marks the end of a tangled web of deception, and his oath to reunite Ravi with his family rings true as the people who stood by him find a way to rebuild their lives. The story remains a taut exploration of sacrifice, truth, and the limits of justice, driven by a man who chooses life for others even when his own fate hangs in the balance.