The title of the movie is based on the Hindi phrase, which refers to the bare necessities of life, popularized in the late 1960s by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, ahead of the 1967 general elections.

He has two younger college-going brothers, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Deepak (Dheeraj Kumar) and a sister of marriageable age, Champa (Meena T.).

Depressed at the state of his life, Bharat soon finds salvation by helping Tulsi (Moushumi Chatterjee) who lives in poverty.

He also makes friends with Sardar Harnam Singh (Prem Nath) who comes to his rescue when he attempts to save Tulsi from a gang of hoodlums.

He then receives an offer from a corrupt businessman named Nekiram (Madan Puri) who persuades Bharat to do his illegal activities so he and his family will come out of poverty, and he accepts.

Bharat, Vijay, Deepak, Mohan Babu and Sardar Harnam Singh get Nekiram and his troops jailed in the end.