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On 2 November 1990, large numbers of Kar Sevaks arrive to Ayodhya, amidst heavy police presence. In one incident, the police open fire on a group of Kar Sevaks, killing a number of them. That night, a police officer arrives at the scene and after seeing the dead bodies, informs an unnamed politician (netaji) over the radio that the task he had told has been completed.
Two prominent citizens of Ayodhya, Sadanand Shastri and Naushad Ali are travelling in a car and discussing the shooting incident and the Ayodhya dispute. While Shastri fears that the shooting will inflame sentiments and is suspicious that someone is behind these events, Ali shrugs it of as a political matter about which not much can be done. Meanwhile, Zafar Khan, the head of the All India Sharia Board addresses a gathering of Muslims, warning them that the Hindu (which he calls Kafirs) wish to destroy the Babri Masjid and that Islam in India is at risk. His speech incites the crowd.
Naushad Ali, his daughter Rehana and his wife are discussing about seeing a potential groom the next day for Rehana's nikah (marriage). On the same day, Shastri retires from his school teaching job. In the send-off ceremony, he informs his colleagues that post-retirement, he plans to dedicate himself to social and national service activities. That night, Zafar Khan's followers show him guns that have been acquired from Pakistan and smuggled in through Kashmir to be used once the riots start.
An agitated group of Kar Sevaks comes to Shastri, calling the 500-year-old Babri Masjid is an insult to their religion and demand concrete steps need to be taken for the construction of the Ram Mandir. Shastri tries to pacify them and tells them to not take to violence. Nevertheless, a group of Kar Sevaks decides to raise funds from the people for the Ram Mandir construction but two of them are attacked and killed by a group of Muslims armed with knives and machetes while doing this.
That night, Shastri writes a letter to Zafar Khan, informing him that the place of the Babri Masjid holds as birthplace of Rama a similar position to Hindus like Mecca and Medina for the Muslims and asking him to convince the Muslims to help in the construction of the Ram Mandir to strengthen Hindu-Muslim relations. The letter incenses Khan as he feels Muslims and their effort for the independence of India are being omitted and he tells his followers to prepare to defend the Babri Masjid.
When Shastri learns from Rehana's friend Bharti that Rehana's wedding day is fixed, he asks his friend Naushad Ali why he has not been invited. Naushad responds that the reason is that he did not want the tensions between Shastri and Zafar Khan to affect Rehana's life, upon which a disappointed Shastri leaves. Three days later, Rehana marries Arif Khan, who is Zafar Khan's son. The same evening, Bharti comes home dejected and tells her parents that she is sad that she also did not get an invitation to the wedding. Later, Rehanna calls Bharti in her office and apologises to her for not inviting her to the wedding. Realising Khan is not responding positively to his letter, Shastri reminds his followers to be united.
A group of Muslims confronts Zafar Khan's before his Madrassa and tells him that they do not want to follow his words and prefer good relations with Hindus. Khan angrily admonishes them that according to their ancestors and Allah they are to wage Jihad on Kafirs and that they should be ready to sacrifice for Allah and thus stop associating and doing business with Hindus. He then tells them to go home, and they all leave. Later, concerned Muslims approach Naushad Ali and complain to him that Zafar Khan is inciting Muslims to violence, funded by Pakistan. They further tell him that they do not want to fight with the Hindus and ask him to talk to Zafar Khan to convince him of the need for peace.
Rehana tells Arif that she misses Shastri whom she considered like a father but Arif does not approve of her praising Shastri. After Rehana overhears her father-in-law Zafar Khan planning the assassination of Shastri, she calls her friend Bharti who in turn alerts the police. The police raid the procession that Shastri is leading and arrest the would-be assassins as well as Shastri. Soon after, it is reported in the news that masses of Kar Sevaks have climbed atop the Babri Masjid and demolished it.
A confrontation between Arif and Rehanna who reprimands him for planning to kill Shastri and incite violence results in an angry Arif divorcing her on the spot by uttering Talaq three times. The next day, Arif regrets having given Talaq to Rehana and asks a Maulvi for advice and that he wishes to marry Rehana again. The Maulvi tell him and his father Zafar Khan that as per the Shariah Law, Arif is not allowed to remarry Rehana unless she goes through a Nikah halala first, meaning she has to marry another man, who must consummate their marriage, and then give her Talaq. When Naushad Ali hears that his daughter Rehana must go through Nikah halala in order to remarry Arif, he suffers a heart attack and collapses.
Zafar Khan, afraid that if the news of Rehana's Nikah halala could become public and cause dishonour to his family, decides to do Nikah halala with Rehana himself. Zafar and Rehana get married and that night, when entering Rehana's bedroom, Zafar offers her alcohol to reduce her pain and embarrassment of the situation. But when he undresses her to commit Halala, he is enamored by her youthful beauty and the two have sex all night, while Arif listens to Rehana moan from outside regretting his decision to divorce her. When he asks his father to give Rehana Talaq so that he can remarry her, his father lies that he could not complete Halala due to his old age and will need more days. Until then, Arif is to look at Rehanna as his mother or else it would be a violation of Sharia law.
In the meanwhile, Bharti approaches Syed Waseem Rizvi, the head of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Wakf Board for help in promoting peace during these uncertain times. Rizvi is also in favour of avoiding bloodshed and agrees on talking to Zafar Khan on this matter as well as to arrange for Shastri's bail. That night, when Arif looks longingly again at Rehana, Khan reprimands him again to consider her as his mother and not have any impure ('napak') thoughts about her. When Rehana accuses Zafar himself of having impure thoughts about her and deceiving his own son, Zafar Khan hits her and then proceeds to rape her.
The next day, Syed Waseem Rizvi visits Khan in his madrasa and reminds him that the Babri Masjid was built after destroying pre-existing temples. He suggests that the mosque should be moved to an alternate location, as other mosques have been shifted, for the sake of peace. Upon hearing this, Khan accuses him of having accepted money for speaking on behalf of the Hindus, and reminds him that the Babri Masjid is the property of the Sunni community which will not compromise over their property and that Shiites do not have any decision rights. Rizvi responds that Mir Baqi, the builder of the Babri Masjid, was Shia and that therefore the Shiites have a right to decide. According to him, the part that was built by Mir Baqi got illegally encroached upon by the Sunni board in 1948 and the Shia Board does not wish to enter into a conflict over this. Khan then tells Rizvi that a grave crime has been committed by destroying the Babri masjid and the Sunni Muslims are determined to rebuild the Babri Masjid at the very same spot. After he further accuses of the Shiites of not being true Muslims, the talks break down and Rizvi leaves.
That night, Arif sees Rehana sitting under a tree and crying and she explains him that she is ashamed how Zafar Khan is abusing her in the name of the Sharia. The next morning, Arif confronts his father and asks him to give talaq to Rehana. When Khan excuses himself again by saying he cannot complete Halala, Arif pulls out a gun and threatens to shoot himself unless his father gives Talaq to Rehana immediately. Left with no option, Zafar immediately gives Triple Talaq to Rehana and tells Arif he will arrange for his immediate Nikah to Rehana as well.
Rizvi calls a meeting of eminent Shia scholars and holds a speech in which he expresses his concern about the riots and suggests to leave the Ram Mandir to the Hindus and build a 'Masjid-e-aman' (Mosque of peace) about 150 kilometres away. The congregation of Shia scholars and clerics agree with him. That night, Zafar Khan talks over the phone with a person in Pakistan and asks for funds to carry out a 'large incident'. His contact assures him of all the funds required to ensure Ram Mandir does not come up.
The following day, Shastri addresses a large gathering, where he praises and thanks Rizvi for his help towards the building of the Ram temple. Rizvi gives a speech denouncing the Mullahs who have conspired with Pakistan to create trouble in India. He says the Shia board will not allow this to happen and the Shias and the Hindus have together decided to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya and a mosque in a different location on land donated by Shastri.
While visiting Rehana the same night, Bharti overhears Zafar talking to his contact in Pakistan and conspiring to get Shastri killed. Zafar spots Bharti listening to his conversation and shouts out at her. When she runs away from the place, he sends his followers after her. They chase and shoot her, and leave her for dead. Bharti survives and is taken to a hospital. In the hospital, when a police officer questions her as to who shot her, she names Zafar Khan as the culprit and dies soon after. Later, while Rizwi is being interviewed by reporters, he is shot at by some of Zafar's men. Rizwi takes cover behind a car and his bodyguard fires back, successfully neutralising two of the attackers. While Zafar is lamenting that the attempt on Rizwi's life failed, the police raids Zafar Khan's madrasa and he is forced to escape to Pakistan.
Rizvi tells Shastri that he was aware that Zafar Khan has become like the devil, but never thought he would be responsible for the murder of thousands including Bharti and even commit Halala with his own daughter-in-law. Arif takes Rehana to the doctor who examines her and says she is very weak. He tells Arif that she is pregnant and he should take special care of her due to her weakness. While Arif is first overjoyed, he is crushed to hear from Rehana that she is uncertain whether the baby is from him or from his father. Having said that, she jumps of a building and is also seen by Shastri. That night, while Shastri is walking towards the river banks, he is shot dead by an armed Muslim.[5]
Cast
Manoj Joshi as Sadanand Shastri:[2] Bharti's father, Rehana's sworn uncle and Naushad Ali's friend
Govind Namdeo as Zafar Khan, head of All India Sharia Board, Arif's father and Rehana's father-in-law later turned second husband
Nazneen Patni as Rehana,[2] Naushad Ali's daughter, Bharti's best friend, Shastri sworn niece, Arif's wife later turned step-mom and Zafar's daughter-in-law later turned second wife
Rajveer Singh as Arif Khan, Zafar's son and Rehana's first husband
Manveer Choudhaary as Rahman
Trisha Sachdeva as Bharti, Shastri's daughter and Rehana's best friend
In December 2018, following the release of the trailer, a Bombay high court ruling restrained Rizvi from releasing the film without authorization from the Central Board of Film Certification.[6][7]
On March 28, 2019, the Supreme Court refused to stop the release of the film, in response to a petition claiming that the release of the film would vitiate the ongoing mediation proceedings in the Ayodhya land dispute case.[8]
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