Liar’s Dice

Kamla, a young mother, leaves the mountain village of Chitkul in search of her missing husband. She travels with her 3-year-old daughter and the daughter's pet goat, carrying only hope and grit. The journey marks a stark departure from home as they head toward the wider plains.

On the road, Nawazuddin intervenes when two truck drivers harass Kamla. He stands guard through the night, and his protective stance evolves into a brief companionship as he decides to accompany them to the bus station. The encounter hints at a complicated attraction and a fragile alliance born of necessity.

At the bus station, Kamla faces resistance to boarding with the goat. Nawazuddin negotiates a price for passage, first demanding 600, then settling on 500 rupees. They finally board the bus toward Shimla, continuing their precarious trek.

On the way, the trio skirts a military check-post by presenting themselves as a family. The ruse exposes the vulnerability of poor travelers navigating security and borders. It also underscores the precariousness of their rising hope.

In Shimla, Kamla finds the contractor's house and meets the boss's wife while the boss is away. She senses that the wife is withholding information about her husband. Kamla obtains the address where her husband is likely working, fueling the next leg of her search.

Kamla decides to cut ties with Nawazuddin and settles his payment. He reacts with anger, slapping her, revealing the volatility of survival and control within a relationship formed out of necessity. The moment underscores the strains poverty places on trust.

Nawazuddin follows Kamla and unexpectedly brings her tea at the train station, attempting a fragile act of care. Kamla decides to continue to Delhi and tell her husband, while Nawazuddin promises to accompany them to keep them safer. Their uneasy alliance lingers on the edge of dependence.

Nawazuddin presses for a closer role, asking for the gold bracelet Kamla wears, a last resource she clings to for protection. He convinces her to let him accompany the journey toward Delhi, albeit at a price. The pair then boards a train toward Chandigarh and subsequently a bus to Delhi.

In Delhi, Kamla and Nawazuddin rent a room but face greed and suspicion from the hotel manager. The manager overcharges and makes the stay feel transactional rather than safe, pushing them toward a precarious arrangement. The goat becomes collateral for the money owed.

The hotel forces Kamla out and takes the goat as collateral, prompting a confrontation. Nawazuddin fights the management, then strands himself to search for Kamla and her daughter. He eventually locates them, reuniting amidst exhaustion and fear.

Kamla eventually opens Nawazuddin's bag and discovers her husband’s wallet, watch, and belongings. The items indicate that her husband is dead and that the contractor and company were covering it up. Nawazuddin had known this truth before but kept it hidden, revealing the depth of deceit behind the search.

In the film's aftermath, Nawazuddin ends up working at the same construction site as Kamla's husband. This twist underscores how poverty ties people to the very labor that destroys them, and how justice remains elusive for those who are exploited.

The narrative closes with a sense of futility and anger toward systemic neglect. The bond between Kamla and Nawazuddin exists within a world where poverty, exploitation, and unreliable protection define daily life. The film challenges notions of justice for the vulnerable.