In a Mumbai hospital, a senior nurse finds satisfaction and purpose in her work with patients and colleagues, but her personal life remains in limbo due to an absent husband. Meanwhile, her younger colleague, who is also her roommate, has a boyfriend her family would not approve. Facing societal pressure, they struggle to find intimate spaces in a densely populated city. For those of lower social standing, it can be a challenge just to keep a roof over their heads.

In her first fictional feature film, Payal Kapadia pays tribute to the everyday lives of people finding joy and disappointment in a city of millions. The film includes interviews and documentary-like footage, giving this understated drama an authenticity few fictional films can achieve. Set against a backdrop of monsoon rains and crowded trains, the film captures the beauty of Mumbai’s bluest nights.

The screening will be followed by a talk with writer-director Payal Kapadia.

Payal Kapadia (b. 1986, India) directed A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021), a documentary film inspired by the 2015 student strikes at her alma mater, the Film and Television Institute of India. Her next film, All We Imagine as Light (2024), won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival.