You'd expect a film with a premise like this to make constant parallels between its two main storylines, or to at least have them intersect more often and more significantly. But impressively, Mast Mein Rehne Ka makes the jump from chance encounter to wandering slice-of-life drama with ease—becoming a portrait of Mumbai and the isolation that various people experience due to discrimination against their class, their age, or their gender. The film's tonal balance certainly isn't perfect, as the more lighthearted adventures of the widower begin to clash more severely with the literal life-or-death situations faced by the young would-be thief. But consistently solid filmmaking and heartfelt performances smooth over the rougher edges and the occasional bits of dramatic excess.

There are plenty of moments to choose from in Mast Mein Rehne Ka, but one of its more difficult feats is how it sells a meet-cute romance between the young thief and a woman who also attempts to scam him on the streets. Not dissimilar in tone to another socio-economically grounded release this year, Third World Romance, this part of Mast Mein Rehne Ka feels so rich not because the romance makes the characters' poverty easier, but precisely because it doesn't. It's a sobering, realistic take on the bond between those whose survival outweighs their need for romantic love, and it's all the more powerful for it.