After her husband, a police officer, dies in the line of duty, Santosh takes on his position as part of a government policy for families of fallen officers. On her first day in uniform, Santosh tries to file a missing person report for a Dalit man’s daughter, only to be met with ridicule by her superiors. Shortly after, the body of a 15-year-old girl named Devika is found in a well. As the case begins to escalate into an issue that not only draws widespread criticism of the police but touches on class discrimination and political tensions, the authorities assign the investigation to a tough and experienced female officer named Sharma. Santosh, a rookie constable, becomes her assistant in tracking down the culprit. Sandhya Suri’s Santosh explores the themes of resistance, compromise, struggle, and survival in a complex reality through the nuanced portrayal of these two female officers, earning an invitation to the Un Certain Regard section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. (CHOI Eun)