Naayak 2013

In a story built on doubles, power, and revenge, the action starts with a brutal set of killings that redraws loyalties and sets two very different lives on a collision course. Taxi Seth, the brother of a powerful Central Minister Rawat, and his henchmen are slain by Siddharth Naayak—a nameless act done to shield friends in danger. In response, Rawat orders a relentless pursuit, sending a CBI officer to capture the fugitive with the aim of a quick, fatal end. The hunt is only the surface of a deeper game, because the man on the run has a recognizable double: Cherry, Siddharth’s doppelganger who leads a quiet life as a software engineer at CgTrix in Hyderabad. Cherry isn’t just a lookalike; he moves with a calm sense of purpose that contrasts with the chaos around him.

Cherry’s life takes a turn when his uncle, the eccentric Jilebi, the CEO of CgTrix, provokes the wrath of a ruthless gangster, Babji. Cherry steps in to protect Jilebi, deftly manipulating the situation to bring him to safety. This act also sparks an unexpected romance: Jilebi’s pursuit of Babji’s sister, Madhu, awakens a new dimension in Cherry’s world. The plot thickens as Cherry earns the gratitude of the city’s children by rescuing them from a group of traffickers led by Dassu, a notorious don who dominates parts of Hyderabad. In the aftermath, Madhu’s feelings for Cherry deepen, cementing a bond that will be tested by the road ahead.

Meanwhile, the other man at the center of these events—[Siddharth]—makes a shocking move. He infiltrates the police headquarters and kills the DGP of West Bengal with a gun, a fact that the CBI officer wrongly interprets as Cherry’s doing, setting off a chain of mistaken blame and high-stakes pursuit. With the help of Jilebi, the officer heads toward the Kumbh Mela, hoping to corner Cherry. At a pivotal moment, Rawat is engaged in holy rituals, and the CBI officer closes in, capturing Cherry. Yet Siddharth’s presence is never far away: he stabs Rawat with a trishula, a dramatic turn that is thwarted only when the officer uses a taser to arrest Siddharth and release Cherry. As the dust settles, Cherry discovers the true breadth of Siddharth’s past, which casts their present choices in a new light.

The film then takes us into Siddharth’s backstory, a crucial thread that explains why he commands both fear and sympathy. After excelling in Delhi and IIT, Siddharth returns to Kolkata to live with his sister, her husband—their family doctor—and his fiancée, Nandini. This segment reveals a darker underside of Rawat’s world: Badvel, Rawat’s second brother, manipulates vulnerable youths, and a minor’s case becomes a gruesome catalyst for Siddharth’s own transformation. When the police, in league with Rawat’s network, fail to intervene, Siddharth takes matters into his own hands, killing Badvel and his men and becoming a sudden, electrifying public sensation. The arc continues as Rawat, Taxi Seth, and their men attempt to erase Siddharth, but Siddharth’s bold actions expand his power, turning him into a formidable force and drawing Rawat into a ruthless cat-and-mouse game. Siddharth ends up injured, stabbed, and cast into the Ganges, while Rawat rises quickly, becoming a Central Minister in the space of a week—an ascent that fuels Siddharth’s resolve to strike back.

Back in the present, Cherry resolves to aid Siddharth in clearing his name. They devise a plan to win Siddharth’s exoneration, and the pair confront the courtroom with a calculated, mounting tension. The judge orders the CBI to determine the true identities of the two men within ten days, a countdown that both tightens the suspense and forces the two to confront their intertwined pasts. In the meantime, Siddharth brings Madhu and her family to Kolkata, facilitating a reuniting of Cherry with his beloved and giving their new coalition a chance to breathe.

The climax accelerates when Rawat issues a direct command to rescue abducted schoolchildren, pulling Siddharth deeper into the conflict. Cherry, listening in, takes the initiative and travels to Rawat’s location ahead of Siddharth, only to be brutally attacked. Siddharth arrives just in time, guided by an MMS sent by Rawat, and the two men collide in a final confrontation. Siddharth’s intervention saves Cherry once again, culminating in Rawat’s death by a bomb. The case collapses under the weight of circumstantial evidence, and Siddharth is acquitted. With the legal battle resolved, the two men—Siddharth and Cherry—are free to unite with the women they love, bringing the story to a close that blends triumph with the lingering echo of the sacrifices that brought them there.