| Director | Anurag Kashyap |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Runtime | 321 min |
| Country | India |
| Budget | ₹9.2 crore |
| Box office | ₹35.1 crore |
During British colonial rule, the administration seizes agricultural lands in Dhanbad to initiate industrial coal mining. The neighboring village of Wasseypur is heavily dominated by the elite Qureshi butchers. In 1941, a Pashtun laborer named Shahid Khan is banished from Wasseypur for impersonating a legendary Qureshi bandit who plundered British transit trains. Shahid relocates his family to Dhanbad to work in the mines. When his wife tragically dies during labor, a vengeful Shahid murders the mine's abusive overseer who had denied him leave. Following India's Independence, the British mines are acquired by domestic industrialists, and Shahid is hired as a security enforcer by an aspiring tycoon, Ramadhir Singh. Recognizing Shahid's growing ambitions, Ramadhir orders his assassination via a hitman named Yadav. Although Ehsaan Qureshi is dispatched to eliminate Shahid's remaining lineage, Shahid’s young son, Sardar, escapes the purge, eventually learning the truth and vowing absolute vengeance against Ramadhir.
By 1965, Ramadhir transitions into politics, establishing a ruthless hegemony over the local labor unions. Following the nationalization of Indian coal mines in 1972, Ramadhir consolidates his authority by assassinating an uncooperative government official, cementing his status as the undisputed crime lord of Dhanbad. Concurrently, an adult Sardar marries Nagma Khatoon, fathering three sons: Danish, Faizal, and Babua. Tolerant of Sardar's hyperactive libido, Nagma permits his extramarital affairs. Operating under the radar, Sardar, his cousin Asgar, and Nasir work for Ramadhir’s son while covertly plundering Ramadhir's fuel stations and freight trains. A subsequent arrest alerts Ramadhir to the terrifying reality that Shahid Khan's heir is alive and waging a covert war against him.
In 1979, Sardar and Asgar execute a daring prison break. Seeking refuge in Wasseypur under the protection of Qamar Makhdoomi, Sardar takes a second wife, Durga. In the 1980s, Wasseypur is administratively merged into Dhanbad. The Qureshi clan, now led by the volatile Sultan, continues to oppress the non-Qureshi Muslim population. Makhdoomi enlists Sardar to neutralize the threat, prompting Sardar to launch a devastating series of bombing raids against Qureshi businesses and strongholds. This campaign establishes Sardar as a premier syndicate leader, eclipsing the Qureshis' authority. Sardar briefly reunites with Nagma, but when she becomes pregnant again, a frustrated Sardar returns to Durga, who gives birth to his fourth son, Definite.
Perceiving Sardar's expanding empire as a mutual threat, Ramadhir and Sultan form a tactical alliance, with Ramadhir promising military-grade automatic firearms to the Qureshi faction. By 1989, the local underworld shifts its focus from petty coal pilferage to lucrative government contracts. Sardar secures monopolies over mine-filling tenders and aggressively drives the Qureshi clan out of Wasseypur, diversifying his empire into illegal iron ore extraction. His eldest son, Danish, actively joins the family business.
Sardar dispatches his second son, the lethargic Faizal, to Varanasi to procure firearms, but Faizal is intercepted and imprisoned. Upon his release, an enraged Faizal executes the arms dealer, Yadav, unwittingly killing his grandfather's assassin. Seeking stability, Danish negotiates a truce with Sultan’s uncle, Badoor Qureshi, and successfully marries Sultan's sister, Shama Parveen, despite Sultan's violent opposition.
Concurrently, Faizal begins courting Mohsina Hamid, another relative of the Qureshi clan. While heavily intoxicated on marijuana, Faizal casually confides in his associate, Fazlu, that Sardar will be traveling alone the following day without his standard security detail. Seeking financial gain, Fazlu betrays the secret to the Qureshi faction. The next morning, Sultan and his hitmen intercept Sardar's vehicle at a fuel station. They unleash a relentless barrage of gunfire, and a heavily perforated Sardar staggers out of the vehicle, collapsing and dying on the road.