When the venerable elder suffers a paralytic stroke, the seat of power automatically shifts to his younger brother, much to the discomfort of his son, Manoj Bajpayee who considers himself to be the rightful heir to his bed-ridden father's throne. He can't see his rival cousins, Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor, rising to power while he is left simmering in the shadows. He seeks the assistance of dalit leader, Ajay Devgan to play his political cards and clear the path for his ascent to the top job (party president / chief ministership), even if it means traversing a blood-strewn and violent road that leads through assassination and fratricide.
Of course, he underestimates the power and political shrewdness of the supposedly apolitical youngest cousin, Samar Pratap Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) who ostensibly came to India from New York on a short vacation but ended up playing the role of Arjuna in a veritable political Mahabharata, with Krishna-like Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar) guiding him through the intrigue.