Haathkadi is a family crime thriller drama. The movie follows the story a young man named Harimohan (Sanjeev Kapoor), who lives with his wife and young son Sunil. However, Harimohan is mysteriously killed, which leaves his wife and son alone. Later, his wife raises Sunil (Shatrughan Sinha) alone and help him become an honest and diligent cop. Sunil goes on a mission to arrest a dreaded criminal named Baldev Mittal (Rakesh Roshan), but does not realise that he is his estranged father. How did Harimohan became Mittal? What might have happened to him in the past? Why did he never contact his family in the past?