11/24
In Mumbai, nurse Prabha’s routine is disrupted when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate Anu tries unsuccessfully to find a place in the city to spend intimate moments with her boyfriend. The first Indian film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Mumbai, one of the country’s most cosmopolitan cities, is home to Prabha and Anu, two working nurses. The city’s multicultural atmosphere is evident in the film’s opening scene, where the voices of Mumbai residents are in Bengali, Hindi and Marathi. The film opens in bustling Mumbai, capturing the daily hustle and bustle of a metropolis home to 22 million people. The voices of real workers who have moved to Mumbai in search of work blend with the colorful cityscape. Prabha and Anu, who work in a busy hospital, Prabha as the head nurse and Anu as the receptionist, are the focus of the film. The aspirations and hardships of migrants in Mumbai are personified by both women. There is a touch of sadness in Prabha’s story; shortly after their wedding, her husband left for Germany to work, and the two have not spoken since. Anu, however, is involved in a secret relationship with a young Muslim man, which naturally brings criticism from her family, as well as social pressures and Islamophobia, even in the most metropolitan city. Their personal lives and broader social themes are intertwined throughout the story. Through shared poetry and quiet walks home from work, a fellow Malayali doctor who struggles with the Hindi language offers Prabha a rare hope for tenderness and connection. Meanwhile, Anu grapples with the complexities of her interfaith relationships amid rising social tensions under Modi’s right-wing government. Kapadia’s film is a critique of the socio-economic struggles faced by working-class India. A subplot involving Parvata, a hospital cook who faces eviction from her century-old home because she lacks the necessary documents, underscores the grim reality of the country’s recent political upheavals. Kapadia employs a filmmaking style that is both personal and expansive. The film’s softer scenes, such as Prabha reciting poetry by flashlight or an intimate encounter with the steamer sent 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 provides an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Prabha’s fantastical scene in which she finds a survivor on the beach and rescues him reflects her desire for a new beginning and a connection with people.