Indian director Santosh Sivan departed from his successful 1998 The Terrorist, a political thriller hailed as one of the most beautiful films ever to come from the subcontinent, to make this magical portrait of the inner life of Malli, a poor eight-year old girl. Malli works to help her parents collect firewood and plays with her best friend, the deaf and mute daughter of a middle class family. She longs for two things in this world: a new bright yellow dress and a magical blue bead that purportedly will restore her friend's hearing. Depicted with a surreal, occasionally nightmarish texture, the film lyrically shows both the easy friendships and bitter disappointments of childhood and the power of the imagination.