Shri, R. Madhavan, a middle-aged Sanskrit professor based in Jamshedpur, finds himself drawn to Fatima Sana Shaikh, who plays Madhu Bose, a lively French instructor from Kolkata. What begins as a cautious acquaintance soon grows into something warmer, a connection that challenges Shri’s quiet, orderly world and invites him to reckon with a desire he has long kept at bay. The unfolding relationship between a conservative academic and a spirited modern woman unfolds with gentle humor, awkward honesty, and a shared longing for belonging.
As a boy, Shri struggled to decipher female feelings, the kind of confusion that lingers into adulthood. A crush on a classmate named Rakhee ends badly when she reveals that she sees him only as a friend. Shri’s hurt turns sharp when Rakhee scolds him for his vanity, even cursing that he will never taste love or sex and then she slaps him to seal the point. That memory casts a long shadow over Shri’s search for a partner, shaping his cautious approach to love even as life nudges him toward Madhu.
In Shri’s orbit are Deepak, Namit Das, his best friend, and Kartik, Divyam Dubey, Shri’s most sincere student, who observe as Shri stumbles through romance with the confidence and humor that only a single, grown man can muster. Shri’s daily routine includes a peculiar companion—a mouse he calls Pandey that enters his apartment each day and whom he eventually releases with a kind, almost ritual tenderness. This small, odd friendship mirrors Shri’s own longing for connection, steady in its rhythms even when his life feels uncertain.
The story widens to the Tripathi family: Bhanu, Manish Chaudhari, a sharp-witted property dealer; Kusum, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Bhanu’s wife who longs for more passion in her life; and their niece Nisha, whose future seems bright even as the family’s conversations about tradition and duty swirl around them. Shri has rented his apartment from Bhanu, adding a practical tension to the romance as Shri contemplates leaving his teaching job to join Bhanu’s property ventures. At 42, Shri has spent fifteen years hunting for a suitable match, and Kusum is equally restless, hoping her husband will take her seriously and honor her own desires.
Deepak introduces Shri to a provocative new avenue: a sex-chat app called Aap Jaisa Koi, which promises privacy for Rs 699 a month. Shri isn’t sure at first, but curiosity wins, and he begins exchanging messages with Madhu without knowing each other’s identities. Madhu’s world is equally complex: her family—her mother Anupama, her maternal uncle Joy, her grandmother Nani, and two aunts, including Shona and Bidisha—lives with a blend of matriarchal strength and bustling, interconnected households. Joy, a neighbor and admirer of Kusum’s pickles, even suggests a marriage between Shri and his niece Madhu, a plan that Shri initially resists even as the idea takes root.
When Shri and Madhu finally meet in a Kolkata coffee house, the chemistry is immediate. Shri is captivated, and Madhu is unusually candid—she’s willing to relocate to Jamshedpur if they marry. Yet the shadow of reality lingers: a curious deception is underway. Deepak’s skepticism leads to a plan—Rakesh, Sachin Chaudhary, Shri’s rebellious student, travels to Kolkata posing as Madhu’s student to learn more about her family. What Rakesh uncovers is a past that surprises Shri: Madhu had an affair with a man named Namit, who wanted to know whether she was a virgin. Madhu admits she lost her virginity at sixteen, a detail that unsettles Shri even as his feelings deepen.
As differences between Shri and Madhu begin to surface—Shri’s patriarchal family background versus Madhu’s matriarchal upbringing; Shri’s virginity versus Madhu’s sexual experience; Shri’s reserved nature versus Madhu’s outspoken confidence—their bond is put to the test. The two families convene to discuss marriage, and Madhu uses her seductive charm to test Shri’s commitment. When Shri learns that Madhu is the woman from the app, his sense of betrayal is acute. He tries to distance himself, even attempting to flee to Agartala, but Madhu confronts him at a bus station. She reveals that she, too, is on the app, and that she earns nothing from it—she is a paying member who seeks connection and equality, not exploitation.
Shri confronts the reality that Madhu’s honesty and desire for equality could be the foundation for a life together. Yet the revelation shatters the engagement, and Bhanu explodes with frustration, while Kusum calmly reminds him that she, too, has a voice and a need for respect. Shri and Kusum’s bond deepens as they exchange perspectives on gender, power, and autonomy, and Nisha counsels Shri by reminding him that Madhu chose him with love and a desire for partnership, not for flattery or control. Nisha leaves with Kusum for Kolkata to attend a corporate meeting, and Shri realizes the magnitude of his misjudgment.
In Kolkata, Shri seeks Madhu again and finds her meeting Namit, who is on the cusp of launching a hospital in partnership with his father after earning an MD from Johns Hopkins. Shri interrupts their gathering, tells Madhu he’s ready to forgive, but Madhu makes clear that forgiveness isn’t the point—equality is. The tension widens as Bhanu travels to the wedding venue with financial pressures, and Kusum is seen roaming the city with Joy, challenging the traditional power dynamics in the households. A confrontation at the hotel venue culminates in a painful admission: Kusum finally declares that she has no real identity within the home, and Bhanu’s neglect threatens to erase who she is. Kusum chooses independence, and the couple’s future becomes murkier than before.
Yet in a final act of courage, Shri stands with Kusum in Kolkata, supporting her stance against the old order. He stays with Kusum and Joy for the Durga Puja festival and uses the time to reflect, learn, and grow. In a hopeful turning point, Shri apologizes to Madhu and vows to learn how to love her as an equal, not as a reflection of his own expectations. The film closes on a note of reconciliation: Shri and Madhu repair their bond and commit to a partnership founded on mutual respect, shared desires, and a reimagined sense of equality that honors both their lives.
