Punishment

Verma adopts Geeta, the orphaned daughter of his friend, who grows up to marry his son, Anil. However, when a gangster Anil is investigating turns up dead, both men suspect that Geeta is responsible.

A chance encounter between two widows who lost their husbands and sons to violence sets the story going. Birju (Sunil Dutt) has received the highest military honour in battle. He returns home to his village and promptly becomes an outlaw leader (dacoit). He crosses swords with a vicious dacoit called Raka.

Chandan Singh is a dacoit living with in isolation with his followers Bhairav Singh, Mangal Singh and his wife Parvati amongst others. The police, led by Inspector Ajit Singh are fast on the track of Chandan Singh, and soon catch up with him.

Three criminals, Jagoo, Bansi and Ajit, escape from jail. However, Ajit is murdered and just before dying he mentions the name Pinto. Jagoo and Bansi decide to avenge the death of their friend.

Inspector Ranjit Singh lives a middle-classed lifestyle along with his wife, Laxmi, a son, Pappu, and daughter, Pinky. When the National Bank is broken into one night, he gives chase to the robbers, and shoots one of them dead. The dead robber's brother, Kundan, manages to get away with the loot, then tracks down Ranjit and his family, shoots at them, forcing their jeep to fall into the Narbada river, separating the entire family. Ranjit manages to rescue Laxmi, and then apprehends Kundan, has him tried in Court, and sentenced to jail for several years, but is unable to recover the stolen loot. Years later, Kundan gets discharged and is received by his nephew, Chaman. Ranjit is now the Inspector General of Police, and Laxmi still hopes to be reunited with her children. Pappu has been adopted by a bandit named Lakhan Singh, who re-names him Shambhu, and brings him up with his other son, Shankar.

Singh is a farmer and lives a poor lifestyle along with his wife, and two sons, Ram and Laksman. The region is drought stricken, while in contrast there is plenty of water being pumped to bath the dogs of Thakur Vikram Singh. When Ram decides to divert some water for their parched fields, Vikram kills his father. An enraged Ram goes to avenge his death, manages to kill Vikram's brother, but is seriously injured, loses his memory and ends up with a gang of bandits and is renamed Thanedar Singh as he was dressed in the clothes of a police inspector. Lakshman gets separated from his mother and is found near a river bank by Police Commissioner Bhalla, who adopts him. Years later the two brothers are fated to meet again albeit as strangers and mortal enemies as Lakshman is a incognito CBI Officer, while Ram is dreaded bandit Thanedar Singh who is unable to recall his childhood, and loses control whenever he hears the sound of a water-pump.