Ending Explained
A Pakistani lesbian lawyer, Zaynab, finds love with Alma, a vibrant Mexican-American woman, while grappling with her family’s cultural expectations. Zaynab’s widowed mother attempts to arrange a marriage for her, oblivious to her daughter's secret passion for lucha libre wrestling. This pursuit of wrestling provides Zaynab with a sense of confidence and empowerment as she navigates her relationship and familial pressures.
Where to watch
Where can you watch Signature Move? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, Fawesome and Hoopla: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.
Ending explained · contains spoilers
How Signature Move (2017) ends, what the final scene means, which earlier moments set it up and how to read the ending if the film leaves it open. The full ending explained, with every spoiler.
In the end, Arvind’s deep love and heartbreak led him to sign the DNR papers, believing he was doing what was best for Madhu, to spare her pain and ensure her peace. He was overwhelmed by grief, despair, and a sense of helplessness, and in his emotional turmoil, he signed the papers, feeling certain that he was making the right choice. However, what he didn’t realize was that Madhu was still fighting to come back. Despite her medical condition, her fingers started moving, indicating that she was regaining consciousness and indicating her will to live. This revelation was a heartbreaking twist—Arvind’s decision to let her go was based on his assumption that she was unconscious, and his sadness and pain clouded his judgment.
As Ambu and others visited Madhu, they saw her showing signs of life, which gave them hope. When Arvind left the hospital, he was emotionally drained and had made up his mind to go through with the DNR, but the moment he learned Madhu was still fighting for her life, he was struck by the tragic realization of what he had done. In that moment, he was overwhelmed with guilt and despair, unable to cope with the fact that his attempt to free her from suffering had inadvertently been premature and mistaken. His signing of the DNR letter, which reflected his hope for her peaceful passing, ultimately contributed to his own demise—either physically, by his heart giving out, or spiritually, by his loss of hope and love.
In a final, poetic twist of fate, it appears that Arvind’s act of love—though driven by grief—ended in tragedy, as his life was lost just as Madhu’s consciousness was returning. While Madhu regained her awareness and strength, Arvind’s sacrifice and heartbreak might be seen as a tragic and poignant culmination of their story. It underscores the cruel and complex nature of love, aging, and loss—where the hope to save a loved one can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, and where letting go can be the greatest act of love, even if it costs everything. Ultimately, Arvind’s death suggests that sometimes, love and sacrifice are intertwined in the most tragic of ways, leaving behind a poignant reflection on empathy, devotion, and the inevitable passage of life.
Last updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:01
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