This article discusses the ending of the Netflix film Milestone (also known as Meel Patthar), so it will contain major spoilers.
Milestone (also known as Meel Patthar) is a relevant character study from Indian director Ivan Ayr. A native of Northern India, his film is a close-up portrait of a man on his last legs. It’s a perfect follow-up to his meaty character study, Soni. Filmed right up to the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, it’s a film that many will relate to nowadays with themes of isolation, loneliness, and generations fighting to keep their spot in the world or take it for themselves.
Netflix’s Milestone ending explained
Ghalib (Suyinder Vicky) is the film’s main protagonist. He has been living in suspended animation after the death of his wife. He must come up with a figure to compensate his wife’s family for losing her financial support. All of this while being promoted to being a guru of a young apprentice who was clearly hired to replace him. The job is all he has as a way to cope since he has become detached from life.
He offers Pash (Lakshyir Saran) a large sum of money to quit his job so he can keep it. His young intern feels very uncomfortable with the proposition and leaves him in the truck. Later, Pash tells the older man that he will consider resigning from his position if Ghalib marries his oldest sister. This insults him and most likely signifies he is not over his wife while disrespecting the memory of his love. He smacks Pash almost immediately, leaves his job, and thinks he will never see him again.
After Ghalib packs up his apartment, he receives a call from Pash’s sister. She hasn’t heard from him for days. So Ghalib heads back to work and never lets his managers know the truck passed 500,000 miles and it crashed, ruining the truck. He finds Pash in his apartment and stays the night, but Pash is gone the next morning. Ghalib then calls the sister, who is relieved because she talked to her brother last night.
The film ends with Ghalib on the phone and he is asked if that was the wind she heard. He tells her no, it just started to rain. This interaction is significant because our protagonist has left his detachment behind and has re-engaged with his surroundings. Instead, he has his job back, has found closure, has moved on to the next chapter, and is no longer numb to the world after experiencing a period of great despair.
That’s the ending explained for Netflix’s Milestone (2021) — any thoughts on the film? Comment below.
