The film opens with a question on if we value life at birth or at death, and with text that says Bengaluru is the 2nd largest home to migrants in India after Mumbai, making up 51% of the city's population, making it one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country.
This story is about 4 such individuals from Manipur who work at "Noodle House" and the local owner, who, much like the workers, also wants a better life and hopes to build a "Noodle Palace".
The four of them speak Kannada and one of them is in a proper relationship with a Kannadiga and none of that feels forced (vs the Kannada imposition narrative that you see online) thanks to a decent amount of time spent in the first half in the world building. There are several messages, on cultural assimilation, old values vs the changing world, how (un)welcoming a place can be to outsiders, how you've got to "Put up with the rain, if you want the rainbow" etc., thrown at you very subtly and not in a preachy way which makes you feel like this is a film that's surely gonna be a "lighthearted serious movie".
There's a 'twist' about halfway through and for me, the film fell apart from there. The story couldn't decide if it wanted to answer the question about the value life, or if it wanted to tell the migrant story and in a bid to address both, it ended up doing a little too much for my liking and went all over the place.
That said, the film is being well received and many seem to like it, so you may too. This is apparently the director's first film - decent first one, IMO. We also don't get a lot of films on addressing the lives of folks from the North Eastern parts of the country in other parts of India, so this provides a glimpse of what it's like and how the work/sacrifices you've got to make for dreams and aspirations, regardless of where you are from and where you live, are similar. Support the story and the first-timer, especially if you're looking for something different.
