Raincoat

Manoj, a poor countryman, leaves his hometown of Bhagalpur and travels to the city in hopes of starting his own business after losing his job. He is desperate to secure money to survive. In Calcutta, he stays with his friends Alok and Sheela who will help him in various ways.

In Calcutta, Alok, a wealthy TV producer, tries to leverage his connections for Manoj. He makes several phone calls and writes a letter to Manoj's former classmates asking for financial help. Manoj feels ashamed about relying on a letter and contemplates asking people in person.

Despite Alok's push, Manoj insists on asking for money face-to-face rather than relying on the letter. He tells Alok to forget the letter and plans to leave the next day. The decision marks his stubborn insistence on confronting his past.

To prep Manoj for the day, Alok gives him an address book of potential donors. Sheela provides a mobile phone and a raincoat to keep him dry and connected. The practical tools set him for a long, exhausting fundraising day.

Manoj ventures into the city in pouring rain, approaching people for help. He manages to gather 12,000 rupees along the way, a small but hopeful sum. The rain underscores the hardship of his mission.

He stops at Neerja's house, the woman he long-ago loved, and a flood of memories returns. Neerja welcomes him to stay until the rain stops, offering fleeting comfort. The moment unsettles him, revealing how much has changed since their past.

Neerja reveals she is anxious about burglars and urges Manoj not to answer the door. A visitor at the window prompts a tense moment; Manoj insists on answering anyway. He also recalls a feverish moment from the past when he learned of Neerja's engagement.

Conversation reveals Manoj's embellishment of life as a producer and owner of a company. Flashbacks show his illness, his past longing for Neerja, and the strained memory of their bond. Neerja senses something is off as Manoj presents a version of his life.

A landlord arrives and reveals that Neerja and her husband are not wealthy and are near eviction due to debt. The truth shatters Manoj's image of the situation. He gives the 12,000 rupees to the landlord to cover three months' rent and pleads for mercy.

Back at the house, Manoj writes Neerja a letter explaining that he now knows the truth and that, had they been married, he would have supported her. He hides the letter under a sofa cover as a tangible token of his remorse and resolve.

Neerja returns with food and finds Manoj still living in a lie about his life. She expresses feeling trapped and even jokes about ending up in a difficult situation, while Manoj promises to stay and help, though his deception lingers.

Manoj returns to his friends and reveals that the money he collected has been lost. Alok is furious at the setback, while Sheela tries to calm him and remind him of the overall goal. The plan has not yielded the hoped-for funds.

Before bed, Sheela hand-delivers an envelope found inside the raincoat pocket. It contains golden bangles and a letter from Neerja begging for the money he came to Calcutta for. The discovery reveals a new, personal form of help from Neerja.

The accompanying note explains Neerja's decision to give Manoj her jewelry to support him, noting that if they had married, he would have accepted such a gift. The gesture gives Manoj a fragile hope and moral incentive to continue his struggle.