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FILM & TELEVISION INSTITUTE OF INDIA
Sanskaar
A screenplay by S. MANASVI
INT. BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Telephone is continuously ringing. A lamp lights up and a
man in his early thirties picks up the call. A young girl
is sleeping on the other side of the bed.
ABHAY
Hello!
VOICE
Abhay! Abhay its me... Babuji.
ABHAY
(not recognizing)
Babuji!
VOICE
Me... son... Radha's father
Abhay looks at his watch irritated.
ABHAY
Tell me...
VOICE
Son... Radha... Radha is no more.
Abhay yawns, unmoved.
ABHAY
Sorry to hear that...
Abhay gets up and moves towards the bottle of water kept on
the chest drawer.
VOICE
Son, please come here at the earliest.
You will have to perform the last
rites.
ABHAY
Hold it! Hold it! Wasn't she
supposed to be my wife when she was
at your place for the last six months.
Now to hell with wife and rites.
Let anyone else do it.
Abhay tosses the cap off the bottle and drinks water listening
uninterested.
VOICE
Please don't say so. Its just a
matter of four hours.
ABHAY
What the hell! You expect me to
drive all night for a woman whom I
never considered my wife.
VOICE
(pleading)
Please son, don't refuse. I have
never asked for anything. She was
the link of our relationship and now
that she is gone, after these rites...
ABHAY
(interrupting)
Ok ok. I am not in the mood of
listening to these sermons so late
at night. Will be there by morning.
VOICE
Please don't delay. Early morning
itself we have to...
Abhay bangs the phone down.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING HALL -- NIGHT
An old man holding the receiver of the phone hears a click
on the other side. Another man of his age, TRILOK, is sitting
near him waiting for the reaction. Few people are in the
background discussing something. A lady in her fifties is
sitting on the sofa, sad but not crying, almost statue like.
She is old man's wife.
TRILOK
Is he coming?
BABUJI
Hmm... yes.
TRILOK
What are you doing, Vallabh? That
guy could never be a husband to his
wife when she was alive. After her
death will he...
BABUJI
No trilok! He has told me, he will
be here by morning.
Babuji comes and sits on the sofa next to his wife's. Trilok
looks at him for a moment. Babuji does not want to see him
eye to eye.
TRILOK
What tortures he has given to Radha,
don't you remember? She used to
look like a living corpse. Your
grand child could never see the light
of this world.
(points towards the
old lady)
Your wife suffered a stroke because
of that. His own father left this
world crying for...
BABUJI
What's the point in digging old tales?
Let it be. Last rites will be
performed only by the husband.
A lady in her late thirties comes and the conversation going
on is interrupted.
LATA
The ice is here.
BABUJI
Yes.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Abhay pulls away bed-sheet from the girl who is sleeping on
his bed and throws few hundred rupee notes at her.
ABHAY
Come on, get up. Get going. I have
to leave.
Girl wakes up suddenly feeling awkward.
GIRL
(sleepy)
Come on! Where would you go so late
at night?
Abhay is wearing his shirt in front of the mirror. He laughs.
ABHAY
My wife has expired.
GIRL
Wasn't she staying with you?
ABHAY
Nope. Had left me six months back.
Abhay is looking at her through the mirror.
ABHAY
I would have kicked her out much
earlier but my father used to favor
her a lot. When he left this world,
I made her...
Abhay notices that the girl is again trying to slip between
the sheets. He turns to her in anger.
ABHAY
Hey you! Didn't I ask you to take
your money and get moving. I have
to reach poona!
The girl gets up from bed, annoyed.
(Moments later)
Girl is wearing her sandals sitting on the bed. Abhay comes
out from the bathroom and sits down to wear his shoes.
GIRL
Boss! Would you drop me at lonavla?
ABHAY
Why? Am I your father's driver or
what?
GIRL
Point being? You will have my company
for the journey.
ABHAY
Is it?
GIRL
(naughtily)
Isn't it?
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING HALL -- NIGHT
Lata is trying to feed soup to MAA. The attempts go in vain.
She turns to Babuji.
LATA
He will come, won't he?
BABUJI
Lets see...
LATA
Wonder what sin we did to bear this?
Radha was in hell all these years.
If we wouldn't have known?
BABUJI
Leave it lata! Let these rites
happen...
Saying this, he gets up and takes the bowl of soup from her.
He tries to feed his wife himself.
BABUJI
We will try not to remember that we
ever knew this demon.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY -- NIGHT
Abhay is driving. The girl is seated next to him and smoking.
GIRL
It's our season in lonavla. Christmas-
New Year time is the boom-time.
ABHAY
Why are you reporting this to me?
Am I suppose to do a thesis on your
profession!
GIRL
Why do get so cross? I need to talk
for a time pass. So quiet in a
journey...
ABHAY
I like it that way.
The car turns and stops at a roadside motel.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROADSIDE -- CONTINUOUS
The car stops. The girl closes the car window before getting
out.
GIRL
Thank you boss! Next time if you
call me, I will give you a five
percent discount.
Abhay pushes her angrily.
ABHAY
Ok ok... I know, get lost.
The girl gets out laughing.
ABHAY
Bloody whore.
Abhay puts his car in gear and moves ahead. The car hardly
moves and almost hits another call girl who has suddenly
come in front of the car from nowhere.
RAJANI
Who the bastard is it?
Rajani looks at Abhay and comes closer with a tempting
attitude.
RAJANI
Where are you leaving for? The night
is young.
ABHAY
I have had one night miss...
(whatever)
RAJANI
Ra-ja-ni. Room number 113. Thousand
rupees a night.
ABHAY
But isn't half a night already over?
RAJANI
You are bargaining! Even if the
whole night was for us, how many
times would you have made it?
ABHAY
Is it!
Rajani dares him with her seductive smile. Abhay turns off
his car and the headlights go off.
CUT TO:
(A MONTAGE)
Abhay and Rajani in bed.
Radha's feet are decorated with aaltaa.
Abhay & Rajani's hands clasp with passion.
Radha's lifeless hands are made to wear bangles.
Abhay and Rajani make love.
Radha's face is made up like a bride and mangalsutra is put
in her neck.
Abhay reaches climax.
Pleats of red saree are tucked near the stiff waist of Radha
and the saree fills up the frame.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Police alarm can be heard. Rajani lights up the bedside lamp
and wakes up Abhay.
RAJANI
Get up. Get up. Its a police raid.
Abhay tries to get up, trying to understand the chaos but
the door burst open and a constable enters the room.
CUT TO:
INT. RECEPTION FOYER -- LATER
Few men and women are standing in two different rows. A lady
police is taking down names and addresses of the girls and a
policeman is noting down those of the men. Abhay standing
embarrassed at his state, stops the police inspector as he
passes past him.
ABHAY
Inspector sir! Please please let me
go. I have to reach poona in 2 hrs.I
am ready to give my bail here.
INSPECTOR
No way. Nothing can be done here.
You will have to come to the station.
Give the number of the person who is
going to pay the five thousand bail.
ABHAY
Five thousand. Who will bring such
huge amount. I will have to get the
money.
INSPECTOR
Why? Don't you have a close one?
Abhay is unable to answer this question. Inspector walks
away giving him a disgusting look. The policeman who is
noting down the numbers comes towards Abhay.
POLICEMAN
Name?
ABHAY
Abhay Chaudhary.
POLICEMAN
Speak louder man!
ABHAY
Abhay Chaudhary.
POLICEMAN
Address?
ABHAY
C-73, Rohit Apartments. Lokhandwala
Complex, Mumbai.
POLICEMAN
Bail-giver's name?
ABHAY
Deven... Deven Sinha.
POLICEMAN
Phone number.
ABHAY
2234979.
POLICEMAN
What is he in relation to you?
ABHAY
Err... friend... he is a friend.
Policeman writes this in his register stressing on FRIEND.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION -- LATER
The inspector is working on his table. Abhay is in the cell.
The policeman is standing with the register in his hand.
POLICEMAN
Deven Sinha, 2234979. This was the
name you had said of your friend?
ABHAY
Yes...
POLICEMAN
But he says he doesn't know any Abhay
Chaudhary.
ABHAY
Did you tell him my full name - Abhay,
Abhay Chaudhary.
POLICEMAN
Yes I did! Your full name, your
full appearance. Why the hell are
you her, everything! Tell me what
to do!
ABHAY
Please let me go. I am ready to pay
fifteen hundred right here. I have
to reach poona urgently.
POLICEMAN
(mutters 'poona')
Why! Supposed to be getting married
in poona? Did you go to Hotel Blue-
moon for the rehearsal of your wedding
night?
Abhay notices that the inspector is leaving the police
station. He takes out a 50 rupee note from his pocket.
ABHAY
Sir!
POLICEMAN
What is it?
Abhay passes the note.
ABHAY
Have to make a call.
POLICEMAN
Is it Local or STD?
ABHAY
Bombay-Poona is anyway on the local
lines.
Policeman is convinced. He opens the cell door.
(Moments later)
Abhay is on the phone. Babuji picks up from the other side.
VOICE
Hello!
ABHAY
Hello Babuji! Its me Abhay. I was
coming but met with an accident. A
man came under my car.
The policeman standing near laughs sarcastically.
ABHAY
To bail me out, can you send someone
with five thousand rupees.
VOICE
Yes, I will send it right away.
Which police station?
ABHAY
Lonavla highway police station.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING HALL -- NIGHT
Babuji on phone.
BABUJI
Okay!
He turns to Lata who is sitting next to Maa.
BABUJI
Lata, please send Amol or Rohan
urgently.
Babuji goes inside and Lata too leaves the room. Maa looks
around trying to gather what's happening.
Babuji comes out with a bundle of rupees and notices a young
man who has just entered the room.
BABUJI
Deven! Good you came. Take this
money to the Lonavla highway police
station. Abhay called up.
DEVEN
So he called you too. And you are
ready to bail him out.
BABUJI
All this happened because he was
coming here.
DEVEN
What are you saying, uncle? His
wife's dead body is waiting here for
last rites to be done and he...
BABUJI
Such hurry caused the accident, isn't
it?
DEVEN
Accident???
BABUJI
Yeah... A man came under his car...
DEVEN
Is that what he said? Anyway, first
call from the police came to me.
And the truth is that Abhay was caught
in the hotel blue-moon. And this
hotel runs a brothel. And while
coming to pune, Abhay in that hotel...
Everybody is shocked to listen to this. Deven can't say
anymore. His voice is choked. He turns his face away. The
bundle of rupees falls from Babuji's hand. He stays stiff
but then bends down to pick the bundle from the floor. He
picks it up and gives it to Deven
BABUJI
Still, go and get him Deven. These
last rites are more important.
Deven looks at him with surprise. He looks at Lata who shakes
her head suggesting that it's Babuji who takes the decision.
He looks at Babuji who is rather ashamed at his decision but
still sticking to it. He takes the bundle reluctantly and
turns to leave but a faint NO is heard. He turns. MAA's
face is no more expressionless. She is crying and asking
him not to go.
The dead body dressed as a bride is covered with a white
cloth.
[end credits roll]
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