Mumbai, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country, is home to Prabha and Anu, two working nurses. The multicultural air of the city is evident in the movie's opening scene, which has voiceovers in Bengali, Hindi, and Marathi from Mumbai locals. With material shot in a documentary format, the movie begins with a busy Mumbai that captures the daily bustle of a metropolis home to 22 million people. Voice-overs from real labourers who have moved to Mumbai in quest of employment are mixed with the colourful cityscape.
Prabha and Anu, who both work at a busy hospital, Prabha as the chief nurse and Anu as the receptionist, are the focus of the movie. The aspirations and hardships of migrants in Mumbai are embodied by both ladies. A hint of sadness is there in Prabha's tale; shortly after their marriage, her husband went to take a job in Germany, and they haven't spoken since. However, Anu is involved in a secret romantic affair with a young Muslim guy, which is obvious to attract criticism from her family, along with social pressures and Islamophobia, even in the most metropolitan city. Their personal lives and more general social themes are interwoven in the story. Through their shared poetry and peaceful walks back home from work, a fellow Malayali doctor who is struggling with Hindi offers Prabha a rare hope of tenderness and connection. In the meantime, Anu navigates the complexities of her interfaith relationship amidst increasing societal tensions under Modi's right-wing government.
The film by Kapadia is a criticism on the socioeconomic struggles that the working class in India faces. The subplot featuring Parvaty, a hospital cook facing eviction from her own home where she has lived for ages because she lacks the necessary documents, highlights the grim reality of the nation's recent political changes. Kapadia uses a cinematic style that is both personal and wide-ranging. The gentler scenes in the movie, like Prabha reading poetry by torch or getting intimate with a rice cooker her husband sent her, contrast with Mumbai's cacophony.
In the third act of the movie, the story moves from the hustle and bustle of the city to the peace and quiet of rural India. This shift provides an escape from the grind of daily living. Prabha's fantasy scene, in which she finds a castaway on a beach and saves him, represents her desire for a fresh start and human connection.
