Waiting

Shiv Kumar (Naseeruddin Shah), an elderly psychology professor, arrives at a hotel in Kochi to visit his comatose wife Pankaja (Suhasini Maniratnam) who has been in coma since. Tara Kapoor Desphande (Kalki Koechlin), a young advertising agent, arrives in Kochi during the night after being delivered the news of Rajat Deshpandes (Arjun Mathur) car accident, her husband of six weeks. She is consoled by Rajats eccentric co-worker of Girish (Rajeev Ravindranathan), but she dismisses him abruptly. Tara is deeply disturbed to see Rajat breathing on a ventilator, and leaves immediately.While at the waiting lounge Tara approaches Shiv believing him to be a doctor and asks for his advice.

He reveals that his wife had a stroke eighth months ago while he was out watching a cricket match. The two bond over their similar situation. Girish later drops Tara and gives her Rajats bag. Tara finds his watch in it and puts in on. The next day Tara is angered on reading an intimate message on Rajats phone from a colleague Sheetal, who is later revealed to be a man.

Shiv witnesses the whole misunderstanding and the two share a light moment. He later visits Tara in her hotel room where Tara laments of her social media following and close friends for having abandoned. Tara commends his composure and calm nature, which leads to Shiv explaining to her the five stages of grief.Tara finds her resort in Shiv, her wiser more experienced counter-part. The two start spending most of their spare time together despite being completely opposite in nature, simultaneously coping up with their respective grief.

Shiv takes Tara to the temple as a part of his coping mechanism and in turn she takes him lingerie shopping as a part of hers. Dr. Nirupam Malhotra (Rajat Kapoor), Rajats doctor tells Tara that he has a hematoma in his brain and a surgery might help him recover, but it carries the risk of partial paralysis. Tara is torn between making a decision as she believes Rajat wouldnt want such a life, and seeks advice from Shiv who is already angered by Dr. Malhotras constant negative approach towards Pankajas case.

He dismisses him as a pawn of the hospital board and the insurance companies who care just about the money and not the patients. The two get into a heated argument and Shiv angrily lashes out at Tara for not giving Rajat a chance at life with Tara calling herself a realist, dismisses Shiv for being selfish and making his wife go through all the pain for his own sake.Taras best friend Ishita (Ratnabali Bhattacharjee) arrives at Kochi and advises her to start chanting prayers, and to inform Rajats parents, with whom the couple have had no contacted since their elopement. Tara despite being a firm non-believer in god and early apprehension chants Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, while alone with Rajat. Shiv desperately attempts to convince Dr.

Malhotra to perform a spinal decompression on his wife but he disregards Shivs research and refuses to proceed with surgery. Tara discusses surgery with Ishita and decides to not go ahead with it which further angers Dr. Malhotra. Ishita has to leave to aid her ailing son and Tara finally asks her to snap out of her faith and unrealistic world and later leaves angrily. Shiv and Tara finally make up and later the night smoke a joint and dance back at Shivs house, much to the amusement of his neighbours.

They later get upset thinking about their spouses and discuss love and what it meant to them, before falling asleep at the sofa.The next morning, Tara leaves early calls Rajats mother and layer decides to go ahead with the surgery after all. Girish brings Tara the required insurance papers and she thanks him saying that he was always their for her and she never acknowledged it. Rajat is taken to surgery and Tara holds his hand up until they arrive at the OR. Shiv, on the other hand decides to take Panakja off the ventilator and let his wife have the final call, Panakja tries to breathe on her own as the viewers are treated with the flashbacks of the day of the heyday of both the couples.

Tara later takes a seat at the waiting lounge, and is joined by Shiv who sits next to her as the camera pans out.