Manikarnika plot

The film begins with the birth of Manikarnika in the ghats of Varanasi. She is raised by the Bajirao in Bithoor and her father, Moropant. A young blossoming Manu is spotted by Jhansi’s minister, Dixit-Ji, slaying a tiger. Impressed by her feat, he proposes marriage between her and the King of Maratha ruledprincely state of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao. The marriage is celebrated and addended by the Jhansi residents among whom a loud, spunky woman named Jhalkarbai makes her way to the front along with her husband Puran Singh to take a peek at their new queen. Manikarnika’s name is officially changed to “Lakshmi bai”

The newly wed king and queen spend time together and develop a strong bond. Queen Lakshmi Bai learns and refutes the traditional womanly duties and takes a keen interest in learning about the political atmosphere of Jhansi and the state of the country instead. She is outraged as she discovers that her husband, the king of Jhansi, has to bow his head to a British officer, Gordon. She does not bow her head enraging Gordon.

Jhalkaribai’s calf 'Nandu' is abducted by some British officers prompting her to go after them only to get badly beaten up. When Lakshmi bai learns about this cruelty, she confronts the officers speaking to them in fluent English to their surprise and announcing that all the livestock in Jhansi is the property of the king and will not be taken by the East India Company without permission. Lakshmi bai returns Nandu and the two women develop a friendship. Amidst celebrations, Lakshmi bai learns she is pregnant and is overjoyed. She gives birth to a boy, Damodar Rao.

Sadashiv Rao is seen plotting against the king with the British officers who have promised him a part of the estate when Jhansi is conquered by the company. Sadashiv is briefly seen side-eyeing a maid to carry holy water to the naming ceremony of the baby, implying that he is behind the poisoning that eventually kills Damodar Rao and leaves the king weak and on his deathbed. To have an heir for the succession of the Jhansi throne, the king decides to adopt a child. Much to Sadashiv's dismay, his son is not adopted by the king and a civilian toddler that happens to run towards Lakshmi Bai is named the heir of Jhansi. His name is changed as Lakshmi bai instinctively calls him Damodar. Sadashiv revolts and refuses to bow down to the future queen regent Lakshmi Bai and is banished from Jhansi.

A few months into the future, after king Gangadhar Rao's death, Lakshmi bai refuses to enter the rituals of widowhood and rather takes on the responsibility of the throne to fulfill the promise she made to her late husband. This does not go down well with the East India Company and they ask her to hand over the kingdom. When forced to vacate the palace, she walks gracefully into the village and is welcomed and greeted by a massive parade of villagers led by Jhalkari bai, further enraging the company officers. The queen continues to live among the civilians to quietly strategize to get her kingdom back in power.

The company requests the British government to appoint Sr. Hugh Rose to salvage the situation and remove Lakshmi bai from the throne permanently. Knowing very well that she will soon be attacked again, Lakshmi bai begins training her own army and especially women to fight. In the meanwhile, Sadashiv conjures a mutiny resulting in the deaths of many innocent British women and children in addition to British officers and blames it on Rani Lakshmi bai to prompt Hugh Rose to attack and demolish her. On the way to Jhansi, Rose hangs a girl simply because her name is Lakshmi.

During the siege of Jhansi, the queen valiantly steps into the battle field to destroy the British canons strategically placed in front of a temple. The strong castle walls keep the queen and her army safe until Sadashiv Rao divulges secrets about the castle to the British who finally break the siege and manage and attack, resulting in the death of Gaus-Baba. Jhalkari bai, despite discovering that she is pregnant becomes a decoy pretending to be the queen. She manages to get all the British soldiers to follow her and distracts them enough for Lakshmi bai to safely escape the castle with Damodar Rao. Jhalkari bai sacrifices herself in a major gun powder explosion killing numerous British officers along with.

Lost everything but her love for the country, Lakshmi bai escapes to Kalpi to reunite with Tatya Tope and other former allies. She recaptures Gwalior and motivates the Maratha soldiers to participate in the independence war. With a heavy heart, Lakshmi bai leaves Damodar Rao with her childhood friend and attendant, Kashi and leads an attack on the British army. She fights with all her might and is ultimately shot. Instead of giving up on life and submitting to the British army, Lakshmi bai looks Hugh Rose in the eye and steps into flames in order to avoid the desecration of her body.