NR | 1h 45m | 2022The film, set in current times in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, explores the life of Manas, an ex-factory floor manager. After losing his job, he is forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app on his phone and the world of ratings and incentives. He struggles to make ends meet for his wife, two children, and an ailing mother. Simultaneously, Pratima, a homemaker, begins to explore different work opportunities to support his income. From being a masseuse for rich women to a cleaner at a mall. The fears of these new experiences are coupled with the joys of a newfound independence.
The film is a homage to Charles Chaplin's Modern Times. The film was made in the 1930s, at the height of industrialization and captured the deep-seated anxiety about the tussle between man and machines. Today we face a similar struggle between man and algorithms. The gig economy has become one of the largest employment sectors but also has posed new challenges for its workers.
It is the story of the relentlessness of life, but not without their shared moments of joy. The film captures the lives of invisible ‘ordinary’ people that are hidden in plain sight.