Plot

The account of Human Rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary commitment to justice.

Shahid traces the true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi. From attempting to become a terrorist to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law to becoming a criminal lawyer Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice, inequality and rising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit.—Anonymous

The film opens with murder of Shahid Azmi (Rajkummar Rao) and goes into flashback to the violence during the Bombay riots. There Shahid witnesses cold-blooded murders and in anger runs away to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where he spends a brief period at a militant training camp. He soon returns. In Mumbai, he is arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, for an alleged conspiracy to assassinate some politicians. He is brutally tortured by police and forced to admit to the crime, after which he spends seven years at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. During his incarceration at Tihar Jail, Omar Sheikh (Prabal Panjabi) tries to brainwash him. But another inmate War Saab (K K Menon) inspires him to start his college education. Once he is acquitted of the charges, he goes ahead to study law in Mumbai.

After receiving his law degree, Shahid works with lawyer Maqbool Memon (Tigmanshu Dhulia) for few months, before starting his career as an independent lawyer with the financial support of his elder brother Arif (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub). During this process he meets Mariam (Prabhleen Sandhu), a Muslim divorcee, and marries her. Shahid soon starts picking up cases of Muslims charged under the POTA. He fights many cases pro bono in consultation with NGOs. Shahid gets his first major success as a defence lawyer when Arif Paanwala, who has been arrested under POTA in 2002 Mumbai bus bombing, is acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Shahid then represents the accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul, and the 2006 Malegaon bombings case. He is criticized for supporting terrorists and starts getting threatening calls that disturb his family life. On one occasion, Shahid's face is blackened by assailants outside the court room. While defending Faheem Ansari in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case, he gets shot by two gunmen in his office and dies on the spot. Later, Ansari is shown to be acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court of India due to lack of evidence.

In a post-credits scene, Shahid's journey to the training camp is shown. It is edited out of the final cut to make the story tighter.