Crisscross (2018) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Crisscross is set in Kolkata, a sprawling Indian metropolis known for its vibrant cultural scene and urban challenges. The city's crowded streets, markets, and offices provide the backdrop for five women from different walks of life, with the urban setting amplifying their conflicts, resilience, and intersecting destinies.

• kolkata
• setting
• india
• urban
• city

Crisscross follows five women: Meher, an aspiring actress supporting her family; Ira, a successful photojournalist balancing career and romance; Miss Sen, a ruthless businesswoman recovering from a separation; Rupa, a timid housewife facing terminal illness and abuse; and Suzy, a single mother and freelance graphic designer struggling for financial stability.

• meher
• ira
• miss sen
• rupa
• suzy
• characters
• cast

The film portrays empowerment as each woman asserts agency within Kolkata's challenging urban world through career pursuits, seeking fair treatment, and balancing family duties. The intersecting stories illustrate solidarity and everyday acts of resilience, suggesting empowerment comes from community, self-belief, and refusing to be defined by circumstance.

• empowerment
• theme
• women
• resilience
• community

Abuse in the film appears in multiple forms, domestic pressure, harassment, and the undermining of women's ambitions. The narratives reveal how fear, stigma, and power imbalances shape decisions and limit opportunities. The characters confront these forces, revealing inner strength and the consequences of speaking out against oppression.

• abuse
• domestic
• harassment
• power
• women

Motherhood threads through Meher's responsibilities to her widowed mother and sickly brother, and Meher's care for her family. The film portrays the unpaid and emotional labor expected of women, often at odds with their career goals. Motherhood serves as both a source of motivation and a constraint for the female characters.

• motherhood
• family
• responsibility
• caregiving

Independence is dramatized through Ira's photojournalism career and Miss Sen's independent business. The characters pursue autonomy in a city that pressures traditional roles, highlighting the costs and rewards of self-reliance. The narrative frames independence as a continual negotiation between personal desires and social expectations.

• independence
• autonomy
• career
• self-reliance

Meher is an aspiring actress portrayed by Nusrat Jahan who takes on bit roles and endures humiliations in pursuit of her dream. She supports her widowed mother and sickly brother while juggling unreliable payments and scarce opportunities. Her resilience grows as she navigates a male-dominated industry and the emotional toll of economic precarity.

• meher
• actress
• aspiring
• struggle
• family

Ira is a successful and independent photojournalist portrayed by Mimi Chakraborty who must balance a demanding career with a priority-driven boyfriend who wants to marry. She thrives on reporting and photography, but relationship expectations threaten her independence. Her story explores modern ambition, romance, and the compromises required to balance both.

• ira
• photojournalist
• career
• independence
• romance

Miss Sen is a ruthless, successful independent businesswoman portrayed by Jaya Ahsan who appears to be weathering a career storm after separating from her husband and daughter. She navigates strategic decisions that reveal the costs of ambition and the vulnerability of personal life, shedding light on resilience in a male-dominated corporate world.

• miss sen
• businesswoman
• ambition
• career
• separation

Rupa is a timid middle-class housewife portrayed by Sohini Sarkar who is subjected to in-law abuse and constant bickering from her husband. Her mother-in-law blames her for not conceiving, while a manipulative brother-in-law adds mental and physical pressure. When she learns she has a terminal disease, her story focuses on endurance, dignity, and the will to survive.

• rupa
• housewife
• abuse
• terminal illness
• marriage

Suzy is a freelance graphic designer and single mother portrayed by Priyanka Sarkar, struggling to land stable work and receive payment on time while raising her son. She navigates the predatory nature of the market and the challenges of parenting on a tight budget, highlighting determination and creativity under economic pressure.

• suzy
• single mother
• freelance
• graphic designer
• finances

Crisscross has a melancholic tone defined by a pervasive sense of quiet sadness and reflection amidst grim circumstances. The film presents an unrelenting intensity through hardships like addiction, poverty, terminal illness, and abuse, creating a consistently heavy emotional burden while exploring resilience through intersecting stories of women in Kolkata.

• tone
• melancholic
• emotional
• intense
• heavy