Being Cyrus

Cyrus Mistry, a wandering soul, arrives at a quiet hill town house in Panchgani and enters the life of the retired sculptor Dinshaw Sethna and his wife Katy. He quickly becomes part of their orbit, taking on the role of an apprentice to Dinshaw. The couple’s peculiar rhythms—Dinshaw’s affable detachment and Katy’s restlessness—set a tense, curious mood in the house.

Katy begins flirtations that unsettle the balance, and Cyrus quietly acknowledges that he’s 'playing Katy,' hinting at the manipulative game he’s drawn into. The dynamic among the three settles into a measured, uneasy humor as desire and loyalty intersect. Dinshaw remains gentle, while Katy tests boundaries.

Cyrus settles into his role as apprentice and increasingly becomes part of Katy's shifting plans. The tension underneath the surface grows as Katy's ambitions begin to eclipse the domestic routine. Dinshaw's detachment acts as both counterpoint and shelter for the others.

Katy co-opts Cyrus to venture to Mumbai to confront her father-in-law, Fardoonjee Sethna. The plan threads in procuring a stash of money and a murder that could clear the path for Katy to escape her life with Dinshaw. Tina Sethna, Farrokh's young wife, is a quiet presence whose fate is bound to the scheme.

In an extended flat in Mumbai, the plot thickens as Cyrus is urged to help secure the money and carry out the killings. The plan targets both Fardoonjee and Tina, reflecting Katy's ruthless pursuit of wealth and autonomy. Cyrus’s calm, merciful framing of the murder underscores the moral ambiguity of the scheme.

The night of the first murder unfolds as Cyrus sits with Fardoonjee, sharing his favorite food before striking. He frames the act as mercy, implying that Fardoonjee is released from his wretched life. The murder is swift and clinical, marking a brutal turn in the plan.

Farrokh Sethna arrives and Cyrus kills him as well, a step Katy sees as a success for her plan. The double murder dramatically raises the stakes and leaves the family vulnerable. As the bodies mount, Katy's confidence begins to wobble.

After the killings, Katy and Dinshaw are subjected to police interrogation, the investigators probing the strange, possibly unseen Cyrus. The officers find no evidence of Cyrus existing in Panchgani, leaving the case oddly open. The household is left to grapple with the fallout and the hollowness of their alibi.

Tina, spared from immediate blame, returns to her quiet life as the public investigation unfolds. The discovery of a missing Cyrus haunts the family dynamic, illustrating how far the deception has twisted their world. The mood remains unsettled, even as routine resumes.

Months pass and Cyrus reappears at Tina's apartment, revealing a deeper truth: Tina and Cyrus are siblings. Tina's complicated plot to inherit the Sethna property unfolds with renewed urgency as she manipulates events from behind the scenes. The revelation reframes the earlier actions as parts of a longer, concealed scheme.

A newspaper bearing Tina's mark reveals she has her sights on another wealthy target, revealing the breadth of her scheme. Cyrus refuses to participate in any further killings and decides to flee with the stolen money. Tina remains to face the consequences alone as the plan collapses around her.

The ending settles on Cyrus choosing life over crime, breaking away from Tina's lethal blueprint. He leaves behind the broken echo of a family that never quite found its footing. The mood lingers as the audience is reminded of the moral weight of desire and loyalty.