Centred on a Muslim prostitute coming from Muzzafarpur to Mumbai, Kali Salwaar was an almost abstract odyssey into migration, marginalization, and displacement.
Although the main themes are displacement and the sense of loss in an anonymous metropolis, the setting breathes a striking intimacy.
Sultana, the main character, together with her husband and pimp Khudabaksh, soon find out that life in Mumbai is often beyond their control.
With nothing left to make ends meet, Khudabaksh is attracted to fakir mysticism, leaving behind his wife, alone with the desperate wish to find a black garment to wear during Moharram, the Islamic month of mourning.
In a silent way it creates contemplative spaces in which the audience can pause and let imagination, emotions, and memory roam free.