Ship of Theseus

The film opens by framing the central question of identity through the ancient Ship of Theseus paradox: if every component of a ship is replaced, is it still the same ship? It then references Hobbes' twist of assembling the decayed parts into a second ship. This sets up the ongoing contemplation of identity that threads through the three main stories.

Aaliya is a celebrated photographer who relies on sound and text-to-speech tools to craft images. She is undergoing a cornea transplant to restore her vision, with her husband supporting her every step. Doubts about the quality of her own work loom large as she faces this life-changing procedure.

The surgery is successful, and Aaliya's vision is restored. Yet she struggles to adapt to a new sense of sight, finding that her previously spontaneous images now feel controlled or staged. She must relearn how to photograph with her restored perception.

To reconnect with instinctive photography, Aaliya even shoots with her eyes closed in a bid to recapture raw perception. She travels to the mountains to seek inspiration, hoping nature will rekindle her casual, witty style. Despite her efforts, nothing comes naturally.

Maitreya, a Jain monk and activist, undertakes long walks to petition the High Court of Mumbai against animal testing. He is diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and is told that a transplant is his only viable option. He grapples with medical intervention while maintaining his ethical stance against certain medicines.

In a bid to purify his lifestyle, Maitreya stops cooked food and retreats from the world as his condition worsens. The disease brings visible sores and bodily decline, yet he clings to his beliefs until he finally agrees to medical care. His arc probes the fragility of ideals when confronted with mortality.

Navin, a young stockbroker, has just received a new kidney. He soon discovers a case of organ theft involving Shankar, a poor bricklayer who had a kidney removed during a routine operation. This revelation plants the seeds of guilt and moral dilemma as he weighs the possibilities of restitution.

Learning that the donor kidney's origin has broader consequences, Navin travels to Sweden to help Shankar get his kidney back or secure another donor. He also ponders whether a financial settlement might help Shankar more than reclaiming the kidney. The journey tests his ethics and pushes him toward cross-border action.

Navin attends a meeting with all eight beneficiaries of the donor's organs. He learns the allocation: Navin received the left kidney, Maitreya the liver, and Aaliya the corneas, among others. The gathering highlights how interconnected their fates are and reframes the question of who truly owns what was given.

The film interweaves Ship of Theseus with Plato's Allegory of the Cave, arguing that people mistake appearance for permanence. It suggests that a philosopher's task is to guide others out of the cave of their own existence. The narrative uses the three stories to probe whether anything remains the same beneath changing surfaces.

In the closing moments, a shadow on the cave wall lingers as a reminder that sameness is elusive. The film refrains from a tidy conclusion, leaving audiences to weigh identity amid transformation. The final image ties back to the central paradox and invites ongoing contemplation.