In the early 1940s, an arrogant Subedar, Naseeruddin Shah, the local tax collector in colonial India, and his henchmen ride into a village, casting a shadow over a group of women who are fetching water. Among them, Sonbai, Smita Patil, stands her ground and politely asks that horses not be allowed to contaminate the village’s potable water source.
Subedar settles into his camp while the Mukhi, Suresh Oberoi, visits to pay respects. The Subedar’s gramophone becomes an object of fascination for the men, a small portal to a world beyond the fields they know. The Mukhi’s frequent absence from home breeds tension with his wife, and the schoolmaster, Benjamin Gilani, tries to persuade her to enroll their only daughter in school. When she finally enrolls, other women mock her, a reminder of the social pressures that weigh on them all. The Mukhi drags his daughter away and viciously beats his wife for defying him. The Mukhi’s younger brother, Mohan Gokhale, is secretly in love with a girl from a lower caste, but he dares not speak of it aloud. When their liaison is discovered, the girl’s father steps in with force, attempting to arrange a marriage, but the Mukhi rejects the proposal as unsuitable, revealing the rigid codes that govern their lives.
The Subedar’s men routinely raid the village for food, livestock, and other supplies. When Mukhi brings a woman to the Subedar, the ruler is disappointed that she isn’t Sonbai, yet he beds her nonetheless and continues to press his claims. Sonbai resists, but the Subedar’s demands grow more aggressive, and she finally slaps him and runs away. Enraged, he orders his soldiers to seize her. She seeks refuge in a masala karkhana, a spice factory where red chillies are ground into powder. Abu Mian, Om Puri, the wizened gatekeeper and factory guard, shuts the factory doors and blocks the soldiers from entering. He refuses to compromise on his duty to protect the workers.
The Subedar issues threats to raze the village unless Sonbai yields. To counter this, the Mukhi convenes a village panchayat, but the assembly blames Sonbai for provoking the Subedar and stubbornly insists she surrender. The schoolmaster warns that yielding once will invite further demands, possibly even against the mukhi’s own wife. The Mukhi strikes him and ejects him from the gathering. He then reports that they will hand over Sonbai to placate the Subedar, on the condition that the Subedar refrain from making additional demands; the Subedar, however, laughs off this compromise and has the schoolmaster tied to a post.
Pressure mounts on Sonbai, and even the women inside the factory grow wary of her, fearing that resistance may invite further abuses. Yet Sonbai remains resolute, bolstered by a quiet courage. Abu Mian chides the Mukhi and the villagers, reminding them that they may lord it over their wives at home, but they are not men enough to face the Subedar when he arrives with real force.
When the Subedar orders an assault on the factory, his soldiers smash the doors. Abu Mian manages to shoot one attacker, but is killed immediately afterward. The Subedar ventures into the factory and tries to seize Sonbai, but the women inside rise up in defense. They attack in coordinated teams, hurling bagfuls of lal mirch masala (fresh ground red chili powder) at the intruders, using the element of surprise to turn the tide. The Subedar ends up on his knees, his face and eyes burning from the chilli, as the women’s fearless resistance triumphs in a moment of collective courage. The film closes on this hard-won stand, a stark portrait of resistance against oppression and the power of solidarity among those who are told they have nothing to lose.
