Unlike most people, Gopi begins his day in the evenings preparing hot milk and restocking sugar, tea powder, coffee powder, bournvita, plastic cups, and cigarettes. Once ready, he calls his wife back in Allahabad and speaks to her and their two little children.
After a quick dinner with his roommate, Rakesh the plumber in their tiny shanty, he sets out to Marine Drive where he plies his trade on his faithful cycle. After 9 years Gopi knows who comes for a walk on Marine Drive at what time, which couple meets at what spot at what time, most importantly though he knows all his customers inside out, how they like their tea, coffee, bournvita and which customer smokes which brand of cigarettes.
While serving them their beverage Gopi never misses a chance to chat up with them about the happenings in Mumbai, asking them about the well being of their family and his favorite topic cricket.
Gopi is not just another cricket fan, but a walking talking bible of cricket. So much so that his customers ask him for his prediction before a match, which he mostly gets right. Though he never bets on the matches, he’s made a lot of money for his customers with his predictions.
While his customers sit at home watching the IPL or at Wankhede stadium just across Marine Drive, Gopi uses his mobile phone to watch the match and gloats with pride when his predictions come true. Business after the IPL matches at Wankhede is always booming with his customers coming down to Marine Drive to discuss the match with him over a cup of tea.
At that moment he and his customers become one, they aren’t big businessmen and he isn’t just a hot beverage and cigarette seller, instead, they all become a bunch of cricket frenzied Mumbaikars talking, discussing, and fighting about their opinions about the cricket match that just took place. Life for Gopi couldn’t get any better!
Though the city of Mumbai doesn’t sleep, Gopi still has to, and at daybreak when his stock is exhausted Gopi heads home with his earnings. He stops by for some breakfast at the neighborhood restaurant and calls up his family to catch up before his children head to school. He then heads to his shanty to get some rest. While his roommate Rakesh and other Mumbaikars jostle with each other to get to work, Gopi puts on his little fan in his shanty and passes out.
His favorite holiday destination is going back to Allahabad to meet his wife, kids, parents, and grandparents.