Chala Mussaddi - Office Office 2011

Mussaddi Lal Tripathi, a retired schoolmaster often seen as the quintessential ‘Common Man’, is troubled by his wife’s serious illness. He takes her to the hospital, where the utter negligence and vested interests of the doctors result in her untimely death. The tragedy lays the groundwork for a story about dignity, loss, and the quiet battles that ordinary people endure.

Mussaddi, accompanied by his young, unemployed drifter son Bunty, sets out for a pilgrimage to the four holy sites to immerse his wife’s ashes. In his absence, pension officers arrive at his home to inquire about his status. His neighbour Gupta tells them that Mussaddi has gone far away, and the Pension Officers interpret that Mussaddi Lal Tripathi has expired and report him dead in their files. When Mussaddi returns, he discovers to his utter shock that he is dead according to government files. He tries his heart out to make the pension office staff believe that he is alive, but they are not convinced at all as they want proper proof.

Bemused and dejected by the irony of the situation, Mussaddi sets out on a mission to gather proof that he is alive, while the Pension Office employees resolve that whatever proof Mussaddi brings, they will not allow him to be officially alive since they have already mopped up his pension money. Mussaddi decides to revolt in his own way and takes the law into his hands. Does Mussaddi finally get his justice, or does he remain a dead victim of the bureaucracy? Can Mussaddi overcome the corrupt system and its officials and be triumphant and alive, if so, how?