Undercover policewoman Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) walks the streets of New Delhi at night, carrying out sting operations to catch men who would prey on local women. Stressed out by her duties and an unsettled home life—her ex Naveen (Vikas Shukla) keeps showing up uninvited at her apartment, insisting she needs a man in her life—Soni loses her temper and retaliates physically against her arrestees. Her supervisor Kalpana (Saloni Batra) is sympathetic to Soni’s situation, perhaps in part because of her own domestic pressures: she’s married to a fellow officer (Mohit Chauhan) who she hardly ever sees thanks to their busy work schedules, and her mother-in-law (Mohinder Gujral) won’t stop emphasizing her desire for grandchildren. Kalpana and Soni form a bond that deepens even after the latter is demoted to another department—a bond that meets the challenges of sexism and prejudice by similarly transcending class boundaries, as well as the thin line separating the personal and the professional. Ivan Ayr’s expertly performed, visually sumptuous film marries incisive social critique to the police procedural, producing one of the most acclaimed debuts in recent Indian cinema. – Josh Martin, Programmer

“The film draws on a subject much in the news and spins it into a multilayered yet low-key study without preaching or sensationalizing.”– Jay Weissberg, Variety

“Each scene… is directed with aplomb.”– Siddhant Adlakha, Polygon

“Proves the ideal vehicle to explore a wide variety of issues related to gender battles in contemporary Indian society…”– Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter

Student Admission: $9 – To receive your student discount you must purchase tickets at the box office and show your student ID.

AFS Members receive $2 off.

Interested in seeing multiple films and supporting AAAFF? Festival badges and passes are available at:https://www.aaafilmfest.org/attend/