Sultana, a small town prostitute, migrates to the big city with her pimp. She goes about her artful seductions, but somehow misses her targets and the business collapses. Sultana’s despair gets objectified in her desire for a ‘salwaar’, a dress that she needs for the observance of mourning.

The debut feature from director Fareeda Mehta, this Mumbai-set drama offers a graceful look at female identity, urban life, and the role of religion in contemporary Indian culture. A colorful, poetic tale of self-discovery, based on a series of short stories by Urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto.