7.1
In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.
Kani Kusruti
Prabha
Divya Prabha
Anu
Chhaya Kadam
Parvaty
Hridhu Haroon
Shiaz
Azees Nedumangad
Dr. Manoj
Tintumol Joseph
Nurse Shanet
Anand Sami
Lovleen Mishra
Dr. Supriya
Madhu Raja
Kaki
Shweta Prajapati
Young Woman
Ardra K.S.
Nurse 1
Sisira Anil CK
Nurse 2
Aparna Ram
Nurse 3
Kashish Singh
Young Nurse
Nikhil Mathew
Male Nurse
Bipin Nadkarni
Advocate Desai
Snehalata Siddharth Tagde
Union Leader
Saee Abhay Limaye
Teenager at the Shack
Sanjay Balu Ghanekar
Father
Shailaja Shrikant
Lady in Doctor's House
Director, Writer
Payal Kapadia
November 30, 2024
7
"Prabha" (Kani Kusruti) is a nurse in a busy Mumbai hospital who shares her tiny apartment with the usually skint "Anu" (Divya Prabha). We quickly learn that she is married but her husband left her some while ago to work in Germany and she hasn't heard from him in over a year. "Anu", on the other hand, has a different emotional problem. She has fallen in love with a young Muslim man "Shiaz" (Hridhu Haroon) but knows full well that neither her colleagues nor her family will ever permit such a relationship, let alone any marriage - so perhaps elopement is their only solution. Meantime, whilst these women deal with their own domestic issues, their friend "Parvaty" (Chhaya Kadam) is facing eviction from her home as the developers want to move in. Their threats have given way to more practical action as her electricity has been disconnected. In the face of this, she decides it's time to return to her ocean-side village where at least she has her own home. Sympathetic to her plight, the two friends agree to accompany her and it's whilst there that we discover through conversation and flash-backs a little of just how each woman found themselves where they are now, and we take a look at what opportunities might present themselves for their futures. It's a delicately presented story this, set amongst the hustle and bustle of a city that never stops. These women care about others all the time, but are gradually becoming aware that they also have to start caring more about themselves - and for "Prabha" who has attracted the interest of the kindly "Dr. Manoj" (Azees Nedumangad) she has to decide whether to remain faithful to her past or look to what might be next. There's some solid photography throughout capturing both the lively (and frequently rainy) urban busyness as well as the beauty of the water and the ancient peaceful symbolism carved in the caves, and the whole thrust of the narrative illustrates poignantly the choices (or lack of them) that these women can make in a society where conformity is the order of the day. It can be quite fun at times too, these women are not sackcloth and ashes characters, but there's still a potent message that creates an engaging and characterful study that's well worth a couple of hours.