Paheli

Synopsis

Brij Mohan leaves his village home and settles down in Bombay, India. His mother refuses to go with him and remains alone in their palatial home. Brij gets married, his wife gives birth and shortly thereafter tragically passes away. Years later, Brij is now an established businessman, his son, Montu, is studying in the final year in school. He asks Montu to visit his grandma, and he reluctantly agrees to do so on the condition that his friends also accompany him. Upon arrival in the village, the group is besotted with nothing but problems, and his friends decide to return back, leaving Montu alone with his grandma. Montu strikes up a friendship with a precocious village girl named Gauri, who is an orphan, living with her cruel aunt, and two equally cruel cousin sisters. Montu and Gauri’s friendship blossoms and they meet each other regularly, & Montu does not find village life as boring as he had expected. He also meets with a struggling farmer named Balram, his mother, and his betrothed, Kanak. Balram would like to go to a big city, make some money, so that he can marry, but his mother refuses to let him go. Montu returns home with his dad but promises to be back again next year. Montu finishes School, joins college, learns how to drive a car and after about a year returns to the village – only to find that nothing is the same anymore. Balram has married and left the village; his ailing mom has passed away; Gauri refuses to speak with him, while her uncle and aunt are looking for a suitable groom to get her married. Amidst familiar surroundings, Montu now finds himself alone and a stranger, and must now decide to return home – never to return.