Aate Di Chidi

Vikram, Eliza, Dilip and Lavi live in Canada as a Punjabi family. Eliza dislikes Dilip's insistence on teaching Lavi Punjabi culture, believing he will grow up far from it. Dilip longs to visit India and stay connected to his roots, but Eliza withholds his passport. This tension underpins the family's daily life in Canada.

Dilip expresses a strong urge to travel to India to reconnect with his homeland. Eliza keeps his passport, blocking the trip and heightening the strain between them. Vikram and Lavi become caught in the middle as the trip seems increasingly possible yet fraught with risk.

Dilip's father-in-law travels from India to stay with the family. Gurpreet Ghuggi's character initially objects to his stay, but after much pleading he is allowed to remain. Their discussion hints at generational tensions and respect within Indian in-law relationships.

At a party, the father-in-law and Dilip hatch a plan to obtain Dilip's passport so he can go to India. They weigh options and keep the scheme from Eliza for now. The plan marks a turning point that pushes the family toward an overseas trip.

Eliza discovers the plot and confronts the reality that the entire family may travel to India. Dilip announces that everyone will join him on the trip, shifting the household dynamic from suppression to shared adventure. Preparations begin amid mixed emotions of excitement and fear.

Before departure, the neighbor's daughter asks Lavi for an Indian keepsake. Lavi promises to bring back an Aate Di Chidi, a dough bird that symbolizes Punjabi childhood and culture. The promise binds him to his heritage even as the journey approaches.

The family lands in India and Dilip is confronted with how much has changed since his last visit. He notes dances at funerals, the reach of social media, and a new pace of life. The nostalgia clashes with present-day reality.

Dilip complains that the village sign lists three languages with Punjabi at the bottom, underscoring how language pride has shifted. He struggles to reconcile his memory of Punjab with the modern, multilingual place before him. The moment crystallizes the film's theme of cultural change.

Vikram and Eliza want to see the nearby city, but Lavi prefers the village, which delights Dilip. The tension between modern curiosity and traditional roots becomes a lens for the family’s evolving relationship with Punjab. Dilip's interest is rekindled by the village atmosphere.

Dilip's Punjabi friend invites them to a wedding, and Vikram's coworker hints that they should contribute financially. They attend in traditional attire, but a gatekeeper mistakes them for dancers. At the wedding, Eliza initially tries to distance herself, yet she finds herself caught up in the risky display of guns and alcohol on stage.

After the wedding, Eliza feels Punjab isn't as wonderful as Dilip described and grows frustrated with the reality. She regrets trying to shield Lavi from his heritage, realizing cultural lessons are more complex than she thought. The trip exposes the gap between perception and reality.

The family visits Vikram's coworker's house to collect money for the parents back home, bringing hope for financial stability. The coworker's spoilt son creates a quarrel that escalates into a fight, and Dilip's turban falls off, symbolizing a loss of honor and rising tensions. The scene underscores the changing social dynamics in Punjab.

Dilip accepts the harsh truth that Punjab and India have changed. Eliza regrets trying to protect Lavi from his heritage. The village sign is updated to put Punjabi at the top, signaling a renewed emphasis on mother tongue and cultural identity, even amid change.

Just before the flight back to Canada, Lavi searches for the Aate Di Chidi but cannot find it. The failed quest mirrors the imperfect grasp of tradition in a modern, globalized life. Yet the promise remains a reminder of the deeper ties to home.

Back in Canada, Eliza fulfills the promise by giving Lavi and the neighbor's daughter an Aate Di Chidi. The gesture suggests that cultural knowledge can be carried abroad and learned outside Punjab. It reinforces the film's message that roots can be maintained across borders.