During peak rush hour, the Mumbai metro turns into a bustling microcosm of the city’s social fabric. Largely shot inside women-only carriages, Rebana Liz John’s compelling documentary lends an ear to the everyday stories that would have otherwise been lost amid the incredible flow of urban dwellers. From her interviews with various commuters, a tapestry of faces and voices emerges beautifully, highlighting the challenges faced by women in Indian society.

The weight of family and gender expectations hangs heavily over the candid conversations, filmed in stunning black and white. One woman mentions a childhood goal of becoming a professional cricketer, a dream thwarted by her parents’ disapproval. While some speak of marital inequality as a matter of course, others see traditional matrimony as a trap to be avoided. In between questions, John occasionally asks her interview subjects to read excerpts out loud from feminist poems by Indian activist Kamla Bhasin. The powerful verses prompt enthusiastic agreement as well as rare flashes of anger. In one striking scene, a passenger’s recitation is rudely interrupted by her fellow commuter, an older woman who condemns such desires for liberation as pure “nonsense”.

Evidence of the gap between generations, this brief moment of discord also conveys how, against all odds, social norms are changing. Though the women we hear from are largely strangers to one another, the evocative editing brilliantly evokes an atmosphere of sisterhood and community. From time to time, the camera takes in more tender images: the sight of vendors selling bangles to excited passengers, or friends huddling close to take selfies. The warmth that emanates from these scenes offers a welcome reprieve from the hectic rhythm of city life. In a manner not dissimilar to Payal Kapadia’s acclaimed All We Imagine As Light, Ladies Only deglamorises Mumbai, while carving poetry out of the hidden intricacies of women’s emotional lives.

• Ladies Only is on True Story from 17 January.