13/47

The first Indian film to compete at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years

Chronology

In Mumbai, nurse Prabha's routine is turned upside down when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a place in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. Mumbai, one of the country's most cosmopolitan cities, is home to Prabha and Anu, two working nurses. The city's multicultural feel is evident in the film's opening scene, which features voiceovers in Bengali, Hindi and Marathi by locals from Mumbai.

The aspirations and struggles of migrants in Mumbai are embodied by both women

With footage shot in documentary format, the film begins with a bustling Mumbai that captures the daily hustle and bustle of a metropolis that is home to 22 million people. Voiceovers from real workers who have moved to Mumbai in search of work blend into the colorful cityscape. Prabha and Anu, who both work in a busy hospital, Prabha as a head nurse and Anu as a receptionist, are the focus of the film. There is a hint of sadness in Prabha’s narrative; shortly after their marriage, her husband went to work in Germany and they have not spoken since.

Their personal lives and broader social themes are woven into the story

However, Anu is involved in a secret relationship with a young Muslim man, who obviously attracts criticism from her family, along with social pressures and Islamophobia, even in the most metropolitan city. Through their shared poetry and quiet walks home from work, a fellow Malayali doctor who struggles with Hindi offers Prabha a rare hope of tenderness and connection. Meanwhile, Anu navigates the complexities of her interfaith relationship amid rising social tensions under the right-wing Modi government. Kapadia’s film is a critique of the socioeconomic struggles that the working class in India faces.

Kapadia uses a cinematic style that is both personal and expansive

The subplot about Parvaty, a hospital cook who faces eviction from her own home where she has lived for years because she doesn’t have the proper papers, highlights the grim reality of the country’s recent political changes. The film’s more delicate scenes, such as Prabha reading poetry to a torch or entertaining herself with a rice cooker sent to her by her husband, contrast with the cacophony of Mumbai. In the film’s third act, the story shifts from the hustle and bustle of the city to the peace and quiet of rural India. This shift offers an escape from the routine of daily life.

Prabha’s fantastical scene of finding a castaway on a beach and saving him represents her desire for a new beginning and human connection

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