He shrugged. "It’s all I can afford, Aunty."

Rohan stared at the blinking cursor on his laptop. The AC in his small Mumbai studio had given up, and the monsoon humidity was glueing his shirt to his back. All he wanted was a break. Two hours of pure, escapist Bollywood.

He typed into the search bar: .

She returned five minutes later with a dusty DVD. "From my son in Canada," she said. "He sends one every month. Proper 5.1 surround sound. No gambling ads."

The results exploded like a cracker. Dozens of sites with neon-green buttons and urgent promises: "Watch Pathaan Full HD!" "No Sign Up!" "Jawan Download 2024!"

She smiled, a knowing glint in her eye. "Wait here."

When the credits rolled, Mrs. Iyer patted his hand. "Next Sunday, you bring the chai. I have 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' on Blu-ray."