I swear on you, Kwan Tai Kwon…
as long as I am alive,
I will not speak a word in Hindi.
See that temple over there?
Just stop right by it.
That's it.
Here you go.
-Okay, sir. -Okay.
-Namaste. -Namaste, brother.
Kwan Tai Kwon, Kwan Tai Kwon,
please bless us,
so we overcome all crises and hardships.
Hey, Sui, my child.
By the grace of God,
our property dispute has now been solved.
No reaction?
Hey…
Sui, my child, is everything okay?
What happened?
Talk about smoke without fire!
Also, I come bearing gifts for you.
But you'll get them on the day of Raksha Bandhan, not before that.
Pickled chicken, special pants from Patiala, and footwear from Jalandhar.
And this.
Amritsar's famous rice pudding.
Shut up!
What happened?
Our cuisine has four great traditions.
All the four directions.
West, North, South, and East.
One minute.
Be it any cuisine,
the taste doesn't come from the spices…
it comes from love.
Confucius said…
that if the food is semi-cooked, then man will not eat it.
If it's overcooked, then man will not eat it.
If it doesn't have the right sauce, then man will not eat it.
And?
If the belly is not full with alcohol, then man will not eat it.
Good boy.
Cheers.
-Cheers. -Cheers.
Cheers.
How delicious!
Sweet corn soup.
My grandfather invented it.
No way!
Mom…
What Mom?
This is our family history.
Actually, what happened is…
Oh! Auntie, one minute!
Yes.
My grandfather came here in 1932…
in search of work.
He was a cook in a local restaurant.
Slow down there, lassie!
Slow down there!
Wait, hold on there.
Wake up, you dunderheaded fobs!
Shit!
You're crazy!
What's he staring at?
-Give me that! -Tell him!
Cook us a quick meal, won't you?
Yeah, really fast.
Delicious!
The British went crazy after having the soup.
And in this way, sweet corn soup was introduced to the world.
And who is that?
That's my father.
And this is Ming's father.
He was also a dentist.
Renowned.
I know.
It was his dream that Ming would grow up to become a dentist like him.
But after he died, his education…
Oh God, I barely knew anything.
Other than cooking.
So that's what I did.
Nariman Point.
How sweet!
At lunchtime, the most famous item was our dim sum.
It would sell out in no time.
-Do you know how? -How?
Thanks to Ming's singing.
He would sing so well that people would flock over to eat dim sum.
Really?
Of course. Ming, let's hear it. The dim sum song.
Stop embarrassing me!
Please, I want to hear it.
You too!
Where is this from?
Deoli, Rajasthan.
When was that?
1962 War.
It was an internment camp for Chinese migrants.
Can we… talk about it, Auntie?
If you don't mind…
Yes.
Some other time. Don't you want to see the temple?
It's a very old temple.
From the British era.
Any Chinese who came to Bombay…
would stay here until they found work.
Since when have you been taking care of it?
About 16 years.
When Ming's father passed away,
I came here for the first time.
And then,
I stayed.
-Auntie! -Yes?
Moonstones.
Whatever you want to ask, think about it, and then toss the stones.
If they land one curved side up and one flat side up,
that means it's okay.
If both land curved side up, that means it's not okay.
If both land flat side up,
that means God will have to deliberate on the issue.
Come on. Toss them.
Here.
Go on.
Oh, dear!
Nice!
Nice.
Do you know what I asked?
What?
Should I marry my boyfriend or not?
Congratulations.
Who's the lucky guy?
Someone…
Mom, I'm hungry.
Should we eat?
Yes.
Come for the Chinese New Year celebrations this year.
The whole community comes here that night.
All the girls buzz around him like flies.
Mom, please.
And this year is going to be even more special.
Really?
Indeed.
He is moving back here from Andheri.
Really?
Yes.
Last New Year, we made a deal.
If he can't make it as a singer in one year,
then it's back to being a doctor.
You didn't tell me.
Why aren't you eating anything?
Do you not like it?
No, no, Auntie, it's not that.
This is all vegetarian, I swear!
No, Auntie, it's not that…
I told you, right?
What?
Garlic…
Mom, I told you she doesn't eat garlic!
But I put so little.
Just a teeny bit.
-But why? -Hey!
Don't worry, Auntie!
I can even eat milk and cornflakes.
I love that, I can eat cereal for all my meals. Tell her.
I can have that. Easily.
Oh, dear…
Stir-fried eggplant.
Oh, Auntie!
I'm loving this.
You're a magician!
Please, now you have to send me a box of this eggplant every week.
Okay? Promise?
Promise.
How did you both meet?
You don't know?
He was an intern at my dad's clinic.
Papa!
Open your eyes and behold
What is on offer
Pillows full of dreams
Clouds cushioned in the eyes
Seasons draped in a canopy of leaves
I'm the one who pushed him to leave his job and
follow his dream in Bollywood.
Open your eyes
And behold
This fuc--
He has canceled the trip.
The local trains have also stopped running.
I think it's safer for you to stay.
Mom!
Mom, can Megha spend the night here?
Is that even a question?
This is her house as well.
Come, buddy! Come, mister!
Come, madam! Come!
-Come and eat this magical dim sum! -…eat this magical dim sum!
Come and eat this magical dim sum!
Mom, enough. That's a lot.
I can't eat so much food in a week.
Mom.
Are you listening to me?
No.
I'm deaf, and blind too.
Good morning.
-Breakfast? -What's cooking?
Dim sum.
"Magical dim sum."
I'm getting late for the office, Auntie. I'll call for an Uber.
I'll change as well.
What's going on?
What do you mean?
Auntie Monica is coming for dinner day after tomorrow.
With Lin.
Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested in her!
Then who are you interested in?
That…
vegetarian witch?
Wit--
Witch?
Yes! Witch!
She will eat you alive.
Who advises someone to give up dentistry…
to pursue a career in singing?
Have you ever thought about…
how you will live your entire life without garlic
on vegetables alone?
Look, you can eat all the local cuisines from East or West outside.
I don't care.
But only dim sum and noodles will be cooked in my house.
You will only marry within our community.
Understood?
Mom, you are the one who needs to understand.
Not me.
Minga!
And defiant too
Demands for it
Man, pay attention to the pronunciation!
It's "gustaakh" not "gustaak."
Did you get it?
"Kh." Gustaakh. Say it?
Gustaakh.
Have some shame, guys.
A Chinese is better at Hindi pronunciations than you.
Sir, I'm Indian.
Right. Let's go, Mr. India. Teach them all how to pronounce "Gustaakh."
-Gustaakh. -Gustaakh.
-Sir, let's try it. -Okay, again.
And defiant too
Mom?
You?
No, it's my ghost.
Shit.
What is this?
Last night's dinner.
I'm sorry, Mom.
No problem.
I'm quite used to being humiliated like this.
I have told you so many times I'm not interested in Lin.
But you're so stubborn, you don't listen to anyone.
Yes.
Because I'm crazy.
You have embarrassed me in front of the whole community!
They all must be laughing at me!
-That vegetarian witch… -Mom.
has done black magic on you.
Auntie?
Wha--
What is she doing here?
Mom, she came in the morning to have breakfast.
Mom!
Shameless!
Mom, please, don't create a scene.
First, get her out of the house.
Mom, she just--
I WANT HER OUT!
She's just a friend, she came over--
-Mom-- -Come on! Come on!
Auntie, this house belongs to my dad.
He's a paying guest here.
Oh, dear!
So, this is your landlady?
Dear Auntie.
Do your parents know
that you two live together?
Yes.
Yes?
Oh, dear!
Mom!
Mom, listen.
Mom, please.
Mom, please listen to me! Mom!
Why did you have to tell her the truth?
And why did you have to hide it?
If an ostrich buries its head in the sand,
the world around it doesn't disappear!
What?
You think you're trying to protect her or me by not telling the truth?
But it's actually the other way around-- Listen to me!
Megha!
I knew how my dad would react when I told him about us.
But I did it anyway.
I'm sorry.
I just need some time to fix this.
Okay?
You will have to bring my son back to me.
Otherwise…
I swear on you, Kwan Tai Kwon…
as long as I am alive,
I will not speak a word in Hindi.
What did you do!
Sui, my child.
Anyway…
don't worry.
By God's grace, everything will be alright.
Uncle Pappi!
Hey, Ming, my son!
When did you get back?
Not too long back. Come on up.
I have brought some rice pudding for you.
Be right there!
Let's go.
Sui, hold this.
I'm off, okay?
I have cooked chicken soup noodles. Stay for dinner.
But--
-There's lots of work at the garage. -You are not going anywhere.
Mom? What happened?
Why do you care?
What?
It's nothing. Have a seat.
Okay…
If it's nothing, then why is she talking like this?
The grocer--
I have taken a vow.
What?
Vow!
She's taken an oath.
What kind of oath?
To free you from the clutches of that vegetarian witch.
It's a secret oath. She can't say what it is.
Why don't you tell him the truth?
Why break his heart?
When he breaks my heart, that's okay with you?
The grocer messed up the order, that's why she's angry.
Uncle…
I can understand a little bit of Cantonese.
Did she call Megha a witch?
Megha?
Who's Megha?
Come on.
(in Hindi) I'm leaving, Mom.
(in Hindi) Next week, I might come on Sunday instead of Saturday.
(in Cantonese) Whatever makes you happy.
(in Hindi) Mom, stop giving me so much food.
(in Hindi) Then I can't eat anything else!
(in Cantonese) So don't eat it. Throw it to the dogs.
(in Hindi) "Cow"?
(in Cantonese) Gao!
(in Cantonese) Bow-wow! Gao!
(in Hindi) Oh! Feed it to the dogs!
(in Hindi) Why should I feed it to the dogs when I'm here?
(in Hindi) Your little piggy.
(in Cantonese) Go away, naughty boy. You make me so angry…
(in Cantonese) I could die.
(in Hindi) Mom, have you packed the stir-fried eggplant this time?
(in Hindi) You always forget about it!
(in Hindi) Next time, don't forget.
(in Hindi) Yes.
(in Cantonese) Yes, yes.
-Hello, Auntie. -Hello, son. How are you?
-Very good, Auntie. How are you? -Good.
Good evening, doc.
Tastes amazing, Megha.
You have to teach me how to make these koftas.
Papa! Didn't you like anything?
Have some of this.
No, no. Pass me some pasta. It's very delicious.
This is Chinese pasta, Papa.
Ming made it.
Seems like you wasted your time on dentistry.
If your singing career doesn't kick off,
your cooking career just might.
No, why do you have to be sorry?
He's right.
I've been singing in the chorus for a year.
Haven't even got one solo song yet.
Being a singer is not my destiny.
Bullshit.
You know, those people who say that
"It's just bad luck," or "I didn't get the chance,"
they're lying.
Really?
Yeah.
Chance is like a revolving balloon.
Look! A balloon…
that flies by everyone.
The trick is,
when it comes to you,
are you ready to burst it or not?
If you spot the balloon
and then start looking for your gun or your bullets,
it will fly past you and go to someone else.
And that's why…
day or night, sleeping or awake,
keep your gun loaded and ready.
So that as soon as you spot the balloon,
close one eye, aim, and shoot straight at that fucker, bang!
Ming!
"Lost Chinatown of Mumbai.
In a community that is slowly fading away…
Sui Mei is a lone warrior.
Battling endlessly to keep her Chinese roots alive."
Witch!
What?
Chop, chop, chop…
(in Punjabi) It's been 12 years…
(in Punjabi) since I've been coming here, and not once…
(in Punjabi) have you made me feel like an outsider.
(in Cantonese) I regret it now.
(in Punjabi) Why can't you also give that girl a chance?
(in Punjabi) You've embraced your son so tightly that he is suffocating.
(in Cantonese) Pappi brother, you should see a doctor. You are going nuts.
(in Cantonese) Finish your drink.
The shooting is tomorrow. Do you not understand that?
What should I tell Anurag now?
Why don't you explain it yourself? Here, talk to him.
Hello?
Hello!
Dumbass hung up.
Are you screwing with me?
No, he was on the line. He's unwell.
He will prioritize us once he feels better.
And how do I shoot without the song?
Let's record a dummy?
A dummy? It's a lip-sync song.
I'm shooting one for the first time.
Useless!
We'll have to rework the schedule. Hey!
What are you making him sign? Figure out tomorrow's shoot first.
Focus on the schedule.
Why are you still here? Should I send you to Motwane?
Thank you.
Singers these days are bigger than fucking stars.
Pushing the shoot will cost us at least one crore rupees.
Wrote many texts Couldn't send even one
Unknown tweets I ended up retweeting
Ended up liking the posts of my enemies
I called you by my name all night
All night
In separation
Everything happened
Yet nothing did
I held my breath till sunrise While browsing the net
And gazing at my inbox
All night
Waiting for an email
Kept flickering like a firefly
All night
In separation
Everything happened
Yet nothing did
What's the report, sir?
Hi!
They were last week's leftovers.
They were rotting inside.
Even after throwing so much food away,
the fridge is still full.
There's no space for me here.
Mom.
I can't take so many boxes anymore.
Mom, please. Enough is enough.
What do you think this is?
This is my heart.
What is the point of me loving you so much?
Your love has encaged me.
And no one except you is allowed to love me.
Oh, dear!
Ming's papa! Listen to what your son says!
He makes me so angry I could die now.
I should have followed you to your grave.
Oh, dear.
Mom, your drama won't work anymore.
I will not take these boxes today.
We don't eat just to fill our stomachs.
Megha and I…
we also want to cook for each other.
You're the one who always said,
"The simplest and most honest way to show love is through food."
Mom, I'm sorry.
But…
you understand what I'm trying to say, right?
Okay, Mom, I'll take one box today.
Two boxes!
At least, two boxes!
Okay.
The stove is still on, make way, make way!
I held my breath till sunrise While browsing the net
And gazing at my inbox
All night
Waiting for an email
Kept flickering like a firefly
All night
What happened?
The balloon has burst!
What does that mean?
It means what it means!
Sui, it's a miracle!
Sui, look at this.
Our Ming has become a star!
The song has gone viral.
Wrote many texts Couldn't send even one
Unknown tweets I ended up retweeting
Ended up liking the posts of my enemies
I called you by my name all night
In separation
All night
Actually, I had given up.
But my girlfriend…
she said something very beautiful.
She said that chance is a revolving balloon,
which flies by everyone, it goes to you, it comes to me,
and…
at that time, when it comes to you, you have to be re--
-Sir! -Yes?
-Good day. -Good day.
Your mother had come to drop this off.
-My mother? -Yes.
-Alright, thank you. -Thank you.
Minga!
Hey.
-Didn't you go home today? -No.
She left the food bag with the watchman.
-Strange. -Yeah…
You know why?
There are three boxes instead of two today.
A thief may stop stealing, but they can never stop deceiving.
Should I heat the food?
No, keep it in the fridge. We'll have pasta tonight.
Okay.
Ming!
The heart is childlike and defiant too
Asking for what can't be given
What is close to it, is not precious
Whom it lives for every day
It dies for every night