âKaagazâ is a biopic of a man declared dead on paper (by unscrupulous relatives out to usurp his property), who struggles against all forces to be declared âaliveâ again so that he can take a loan to expand his businessâhe plays a wedding band. This man, Bharat Lal (Pankaj Tripathi), lives in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and has a humble income but is happy with his loving wife (M. Monal Gajjar) and son and his decent income.
When he discovers what has been done by his relatives, he fights tooth and nail against the âsystem,â refusing to give up, come what may. He is ridiculed, taunted, insulted, even beaten physically, he exhausts all his savings and sacrifices his livelihood but to no avail. He even tries to take to crime or legally punishable activities like offending a judge (Brijendra Kala) to get himself arrested so that his name is documented down on paper as an accused. Finally, he even forms an âAll-Indiaâ association of similar âdeadâ men and women, cultivates media attention locally, then in the state and finally internationally, with the help of two well-meaning journalists.