Plot

Ballu (Sanjay Dutt) is a gangster who is arrested by Inspector Ram (Jackie Shroff) for murdering a politician. Ram shows compassion to Ballu while trying to get him to provide information that would lead to capture of Ballu's boss and mentor Roshida / Roshan Mahant (Pramod Muthu). Ram believes that Roshan represents a foreign power in India, who uses people like Ballu to create political uncertainty and communal violence in the country. Ballu does not speak, and he promises to escape from the jail. Ram only knows that Ballu has a mistress (Ramya Krishna). The police capture Ballu's gang member Munna (Ali Asgar) who tells the police that Ballu has a mother, and also reveals Ballu's future attack plans. Ballu murders Munna inside police custody cooperating with the police.

Ballu escapes from jail (jail was supervised by Jailer Ishwar Girdhar Pandey (Anupam Kher)) while Ram is visiting his girlfriend Ganga (Madhuri Dixit) who is also a police officer. Ram had to go as Ganga was angry at Ram for ignoring her in the live of duty. When the news of Ballu's escape breaks out, Ram's reputation is in tatters as the media portrays Ram as an officer who has neglected his duty.

Ganga, in an attempt to restore Ram's reputation (and also because she knows that Ram will never marry her till Ballu is caught), secretly goes undercover as a street-girl. As she performs private shows at known mob locations, she hopes to attract Ballu's attention, who is rumored to have not left the state boundaries yet. The plan works as Ganga as a honey trap is able to lure Ballu towards her. Ballu hires Ganga at a premium price of Rs 1000/night and the promise to take her to Singapore, where he is headed for advanced training. Despite this, Ballu never touches Ganga or tries to take advantage of her. Ganga realizes that Ballu is a good-nature person who turned to crime due to poverty and circumstances. Ganga calls Ram regularly to keep her updated on her location and progress.

Ganga tries to rehabilitate Ballu while on the run. Meanwhile Ballu begins to fall in love with Ganga. Ram manages to corner Ballu, following Ganga's updates. But Ballu manages to escape using Ganga as a shield. Ballu becomes enraged when he finds out she doesn't love him and is a police officer. Ballu had found Ganga's ID card right at the start, which identified her as a police officer. Ballu was playing Ganga for his own benefit from the beginning. Ballu offers Ganga a deal that he will allow her to leave if she gets them to their destination safely. Ganga continues to help Ballu as she has seen the good in him and tries to prove that she is truly trying to help him. While travelling, Ballu and Ganga entered a village where a local goon was terrorizing the villagers to vote for him in the local elections. When a local boy is thrashed, Ballu intervenes, and even takes a bullet in his leg, to defeat the goons and to allow a fair election. Later, Ganga saves Ballu's life when she brings a doctor to treat his injured and poisoned leg.

Meanwhile Ram approaches Ballu's mother Aarti (Rakhi Gulzar) for help and realizes that Ballu is in fact his childhood friend. Ballu and Ram used to study together at a village school where Aarti was the teacher. Ballu's mother / Ballu then tell Ram / Ganga the story of how Rosida used their poverty to corrupt Ballu. Ballu got lured by Rosida's money and started selling drugs for him. This led to his father throwing him out of the house. Roshida killed Ballu's sister, blaming the police. Ballu kills the officer he believes to be behind this and from then on spirals into a life of crime. His father commits suicide.

Ballu reciprocates to Ganga's persistent attempts to reform him. Ballu is now in love with Ganga and wants to marry her. But Ganga tells him that she already belongs to someone else. That's when police attacks with full force. Ganga, afraid that police will kill Ballu, stops the police from shooting him, allowing him to escape. She is hence arrested for aiding a criminal and is accused of being in a relationship with Ballu this destroying her police and personal reputation.

Ballu's mother finds Ballu hiding in a church; however, she is followed by Ram. In the following confrontation Ballu's mother takes Ram's side trying to convince Ballu to give himself up. Ballu seeing Ganga's picture in Ram's wallet realizes that this is whom she loves.

Ballu manages to escape to Roshida's base where Roshida promises to help Ballu escape with his mother. Roshida reunites Ballu with his mother but betrays him and attempts to kill his mother as Roshida believes that Aarti has become Ballu's weakness. The police, led by Ram attack Roshida's lair. In the ensuing conflict Ballu finds out that Roshida killed his sister. Ram kills Roshida and Ballu escapes.

Following Roshida's death Ballu installs himself as the new boss - but his girlfriend informs him that Ganga is about to go on trial for aiding him. Having a change of heart, Ballu appears to attack the court but then surrenders himself and swears that Ganga is innocent, thereby restoring her reputation and reconciling her and Ram.