Mumbai is shown in three dimensions - as a mirror, a mirage, and a magnet - reflecting the lives of its inhabitants, eluding their dreams, and attracting those who come into contact with it, respectively. A metropolis like Bombay has become a subject of literary exploration. Cities' dystopic characteristics are increasingly becoming the focus of a number of studies that are guiding predictions about future cities and the future of cities in general, as well as the future of cities themselves. The city, as a character - or, more precisely, as the protagonist around whom the entire plot revolves - is therefore established as a plot device.