Laal Kaptaan

In the late 18th century Bundelkhand, an awgarh Sadhu (called a Gossain) goes on a killing spree in a quest to find his archenemy, the Rohilla chieftain, Rahmat Khan (currently in charge of the local fort of Munerghah), who has escaped with his convoy after looting treasure of his overlord Raja Hukum Singh Bundela (The looted treasure is tax due to Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao) and killing all the subjects. In the meanwhile, a tracker helps a rival find Gossain. In the ensuing fight, the Gossain kills the rival and his army but is himself wounded. He manages to reach Rahmat Khan’s palace, where a widow rescues him, feeds, and accompanies him on his vengeance trail. The Gossain doesn’t want her to accompany him, but after some men threaten her, he kills one of them and allows her till the Yamuna River. On the other hand, the tracker joins forces with the Marathas to help them track Rahmat Khan in exchange for 20 gold coins. The next morning, the commander remains asleep, due to which the captain and the tracker are accompanied by a group of Pindaris. The Gossain and the widow then meet with the former’s Naga Guru, who tries to convince him not to continue with the revenge spree. The Gossain reveals that six years ago, in Banda, he saved Rahmat Khan and his wife from a dacoit attack before revealing his intention to kill Rahmat Khan. After that, Gossain couldn’t find him. After departing, the pair locate Rahmat Khan and his convoy. At night, the Gossain tries to attack Rahmat Khan but is captured, and the widow is revealed to have betrayed him.

The widow is Rahmat Khan’s concubine, who also gave birth to his son now under his wife’s possession. The tracker leads the captain and the Pindaris to the spot where Rahmat Khan and his friend Adham Khan are meeting a British East India Company official–Theodore Munroe. The greedy Pindaris try to attack them but retreat when a few of them are killed by the British sepoys’ guns. A tortured Gossain reveals a man named Sadullah Khan sent him, a name that shocks Rahmat Khan. At night, the tracker, the captain, and the Pindaris are joined by other Maratha soldiers of Mahadaji Shinde. The Gossain attacks the British official, following which Rahmat Khan tries to blind him, but suddenly the Marathas attack the camp. The widow escapes with the child, and the Gossain survives the attack but promises to return. He refuses to trust the widow who betrayed him for the sake of her child. As a result, she is captured, and Rahmat Khan kills his wife when she insults his child. The Gossain is now joined by the tracker, who was left unpaid by the Marathas. The Gossain reveals that 25 years ago in Buxar, before the battle, various Indians gathered to plot the East India Company’s defeat. Sadullah Khan was among them, but he was betrayed by his older son Rahmat Khan who was joined by Adham Khan. Sadullah Khan was hanged to death, and so was his younger son, who left Rahmat Khan scarred in a violent attack.