It's legendary Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah's first try at directing and he does a pretty good job with it.
This film is different from other Bollywood ones which would be hero-heroine, hero-villain story. Here the people seen are real people.
The film has four stories running simultaneously. The timing is Mumbai, September 2001.
A bride, Tillotamma Das(Konkona Sen Sharma) got married to a S/W Enginner Hemant(Jimmy Shergill) settled in USA after an internet romance. Unfortunately Hemant has to leave for USA and Tillotamma has to live with her in-laws. Her sister-in-law and mother-in-law are nuts and they make her crazy. Only her father-in-law is OK. She has to go to America somehow to join her husband.
A stockbroker, Salim (Irfan Khan) has got green card. He and his brother Javed will go to USA. But Salim is madly in love with Namrata, a much older woman. But Namrata basically uses him as one of her young lovers. Salim finds that he is cheated. He goes to America. He tries to forget her but can't.
Talented doctor Rahul has got an admission into US University. But he has his sick father to take care of in India. How will he manage his expenses. But he has a rich friend Khusboo(Ayesha Takia) who has more than soft corner for him. He is in dilemma. Will he go to US or not.
The fourth character is Rajabhai(Paresh Rawal). He takes money from people and arranges them to send to US as part of dancing troupe. One day his old fame Tara of 19 years comes up and asks him to send her daugther to US. The soft lover in hard businessman Rajabhai risens.
The paths of all four crosses from time to time and changes forever.