T

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l
a
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by
Rachit Agarwal

Story by
Sana Chandok
INT. AURO’S HOUSE, KITCHEN - PRESENT, MORNING

It’s a normal middle class kitchen - a GRANITE SLAB with

a FOUR BURNER along one wall, the DOOR and a FRIDGE
facing them. It’s big, but not huge.

Working on the slab is a WOMAN, dressed in a NIGHTIE,

with BEGALI BANGLES adorning her hands, proclaiming to
the world that she’s married. Young, around 25. This is
KRITIKA.

She is making ROTIS, while also monitoring the simmering

SUBJI and boiling MILK kept on the burner. Her whole body
is tensed up, and her actions indicate hurry.

A man, same age as KRITIKA, enters while buttoning the

CUFFS of his FORMAL SHIRT. He’s dressed for the office.
This is AURO, Kritika’s husband.

Hearing him walking up, Kritika’s body tenses up even

more.

AURO
Aaj der ho sakti hai...

Kritika nods, almost obediently, and rushes to attend to

the milk which has now boiled over.

Auro, who has finished buttoning his cuffs, goes off into
the adjoining LIVING ROOM to grab his LAPTOP BAG. It’s
clear that he’s irritated with Kritika’s apparent snub.

Kritika picks up a packed TIFFIN from the slab and hands

it to Auro when he re-appears.

Auro leans in to give Kritika a hug and a peck on the

cheek, but she blocks his movement by placing her hand
slightly between herself and him, and turning a little,
in the direction of the burner.

KRITIKA
(meekly)
Subji...

And rushes off to turn the gas off.

Auro, now very angry, storms off, out of the house,

banging the DOOR behind him.

Kritika rushes to a WINDOW, to see Auro sit down

irritably into the driver’s seat of his CAR, reverse, and
drive off.

And then, Kritika Sen heaves a sigh of relief and relaxes

for the first time that morning.
 2.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - PRESENT, SOME TIME LATER

Kritika, still wearing the same nightie, is seated in

front of a COMPUTER. A CHAT WINDOW is open, and she’s
typing quickly.

After sometime, she gets up and leaves, and we see the

contents of the chat thread.

Kritika: Still no news of Auro.

Mili: That’s pathetic. How long has it been now?

Kritika: Close to 3 months. Though I’m not really sure.

It’s like one second he was here, and the other, he
wasn’t.

Mili: Hmm...police?

Kritika: Lemme try again...

Kritika returns with a ringing PHONE pressed against her

EAR. The ring stops.

KRITIKA
Hello...I’d like to report a
person missing. Name: Auro Sen.

POLICE
(over the phone)
There’s already a report under his
name, ma’am.

KRITIKA
Yes, I know. Any news?

POLICE
I’m sorry ma’am, but you’ll have
to come down to the station to
discuss the matter.

KRITIKA
I don’t know about that. My
husband won’t let me.

POLICE
Your husband doesn’t beat you up,
does he? That’ll be a domestic
violence case, and you should
rep...

(CONTINUED)
 3.
CONTINUED:

KRITIKA
(cutting him off.
rude)
I’m sorry, that’s my personal
issue.

And she hangs up.

Still angry, she goes and plomps down by a window (not

the same one featured earlier).

She turns her gaze outside, lost in thought. Her

expression changes to mild surprise at what she sees. We
reveal it to be--

EXT. AURO’S HOUSE - 3 MONTHS AGO, LATE EVENING

A CAR draws into the driveway. A man (Auro, but don’t

show his face during this scene) gets out of the driver’s
side. Kritika gets out from the front passenger side a
little later, a little TIPSY. Auro has something in his
hand.

Both Auro and Kritika are smartly dressed in JEANS and

TEES. Kritika is NOT wearing the bangles.

AURO
Catch!

And he flicks what he has in his hand across the car,

towards Kritika.

She catches it, and unwraps the BROWN WRAPPING. It’s a

DVD of RAB NE BANA DI JODI.

KRITIKA
(smiling)
Tu pagal rahega, such mein!

AURO
(faux filmi)
Kritika, tujhme rab dikhta hai,
yaara mein kya karoon?

KRITIKA
(laughing)
Andar chalke coffee bana de!

Auro, while walking towards the DOOR-

AURO
Haan madam. Ji madam. Aayiye
madam.
(CONTINUED)
 4.
CONTINUED:

He unlocks the door and -

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - PRESENT, NIGHT

The door opens, and Auro enters to find Kritika sprawled

on the floor, in her nightie, completing a PUZZLE.

AURO
(trying to make
conversation)
Oh puzzle?

Kritika looks up, nods slightly, gets up and-

KRITIKA
Haanth-moonh dho leejiye, mein
khaana lagati hoon.

She goes into the kitchen, and Auro, again irritated,

dumps his laptop bag onto a chair, and goes into the
bathroom.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

Auro rolls up his sleeves and starts washing his hands.

His face is grim set, and there’s a violence in his
action.

He rinses his hands, splashes his face with water, takes

a breath and goes out of the loo.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Auro enters the living room, and takes a seat at the

DINING TABLE. Almost on cue, Kritika enters with the
FOOD. She keeps the food in front of Auro - not gently or
gracefully, but with a certain amount of frustration and
anger - and marches off into the bedroom, while Auro
just watches her.

Auro gets up and follows her, a look of concern on his

face.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Auro enters. Kritika is tucked under the sheets,

pretending to sleep. She opens her eyes when he enters.

(CONTINUED)
 5.
CONTINUED:

Auro closes the door behind him, and Kritika gets a

little shocked, as we flash back to -

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - 3 MONTHS AGO

Auro (show his face) closes the door and locks it.
There’s an oddly satisfied look on his face. He advances
towards Kritika, who’s on the bed. She now appears
visibly drunk.

Auro takes his T-SHIRT off, and leaps onto Kritika,

pinning her under his weight, forcing her hands down.
Kritika, a little confused, and Auro look into each
others’ eyes.

Auro reaches out and grabs a packet of CONDOMS from the

BEDSIDE TABLE, and we -

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - PRESENT, NIGHT

Auro is seated next to a sleeping Kritika on the bed,

tucking a loose strand of HAIR behind her EAR. Kritika
opens her eyes. Seeing her open her eyes,

AURO
Sab theek toh hai? Tum mujhe dekh
kar ekdum behosh ho gayi...

KRITIKA
(fearful)
Yeh darwaaza. Darwaaza band kyun
hai?

Kritika starts hearing disembodied voies of her parents,

and starts looking for the source of the voice.

KRITIKA’S MOTHER (V.O.)

(stern)
Yeh kaise hone diya tumne? Hum
achche ghar ke log hain!

KRITIKA
Main achche ghar ki ladki hoon.

AURO
Kritika? Sab theek toh hai?

KRITIKA
Maa, hum pyaar karte hain.

(CONTINUED)
 6.
CONTINUED:

AURO
(concern rising)
Kritika? Kya hua?

KRITIKA’S DAD
(furious)
That doesn’t mean that you’ll
carry his bastard child!

KRITIKA
Tum Auro he ho naa? Bolo unhe
kucch!

AURO
Kisko? Kya tamasha hai yeh?

KRITIKA’S MOTHER
Ek upaye hai. Shaadi kar lo usse.

KRITIKA
Auro. Merese pyaar karte ho?

AURO
Yeh kya paagalpan hai? Tumhe bhi
uska jawaab pata hai!

KRITIKA
Toh unhe kuchh bolte kyun nahin?

AURO
Kisse? Kya boloon?

Auro starts patting her on her cheek to get her out of

her disturbing “nightmare”. Gently at first, and then
with increasing force, until he gives her one too many
and-

Kritika snaps back to consciousness, flaying her arms

wildly and trying to get away from Auro. She gets off the
bed, leaving a stunned Auro in her wake.

KRITIKA
Ek aur, aur mein police ko bata
doongi!

AURO
(trying to calm her
down)
Kritika, chill. Tumhe kya hogaya
hai? Pichchle teen mahino se bahut
strangely behave kar rahi ho.

Auro has been edging towards Kritika while saying this.

(CONTINUED)
 7.
CONTINUED: (2)

KRITIKA
Tumse shaadi nahin karni chahiye
thi!

Auro stops dead in his tracks for a second, and then,

while still edging towards her -

AURO
(hurt)
Ohk. Kal baat karte hain iske
baare mein?

KRITIKA
Tum woh nahin ho. Tum woh nahin
ho!

AURO
Theek hai. Magar tum woh hi ho.
Kritika, tujhme ab bhi rab dikhta
hai.

Kritika looks up at him, shocked.

KRITIKA
(blind fury)
Tumhe kaise pata? Kya kiya tumne
uske saath? KYA KIYA?

And she picks up throws a PILLOW at him blinding him, and

runs out of the door and into the loo, locking it.

Auro runs after her, and while he’s banging against the
door, we-

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BATHROOM - NEXT MORNING

Kritika is lying on the bathroom floor, huddled against

the door. She opens her eyes, gets up slowly, unlocks the
door and goes out.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The living room’s a mess - things have been strewn

around, and crockery broken. There’s no sign of Auro.
Kritika walks to the window and looks out to see that
Auro’s car is not in the driveway. Today, instead of
feeling relieved that Auro’s left, she tenses up even
more.
 8.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - 3 MONTHS AGO, LATE

EVENING

Kritika and Auro are sitting, sipping their COFFEE,

laughing, very much in love.

AURO
Abbey, tereko aur chadh toh nahin
jaayegi? Coffee sweet hai.

KRITIKA
Meri tarah?

AURO
Chal hut!

Kritika laughs. Auro looks at her. The laugh sounds like

a very drunken laugh.

AURO (CONT’D)
(suddenly serious)
Kritika, teen saal ho gaye hain.
Ab toh time ho gaya hai?

KRITIKA
(jovial)
Mister, tum log sab harami hote
ho!

AURO
Main mazaak nahin kar raha hoon.
Where’s this relationship going?

KRITIKA
Magar I don’t think I’m quite
ready for it.

AURO
Kitna time, Kritika? Teen saal toh
ho gaye hain..

Kritika bites her lip, deep in thought, deciding what to

do.

KRITIKA
(still unsure)
Ohk. I think now is the time...

CUT TO:
 9.

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - PRESENT

Kritika rushes into -

INT. AURO’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Takes out a TRAVEL BAG, dumps all her clothes into it.

JUMP CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON

It’s a secluded street. Kritika is walking down it,

wearing a loose T-SHIRT, JEANS and comfortable SHOES. Her
make-up’s smudged, and it’s apparent that she’s been
crying.

KRITIKA (V.O.)
Woh log sab harami hote hain! Woh
insaan jisse mein pyaar karti thi,
joh meri izzat karta tha -

- flash of Auro throwing the brown package towards

Kritika over the car three months ago -

KRITIKA (CONT’D)
- use bhi nahin chhoda -

- flash of Auro following Kritika into the bedroom (three

months ago, immediately after Kritika says yes), locking
the door behind them.

KRITIKA (CONT’D)
- Woh aadmi aaj bhi kahin hai.
Kissi gumnaam sheher mein, koi
gumnaam chehra. Bas chahiye, toh
chahiye koi talaash karne wala...

FADE TO BLACK.

[CREDITS]

[END]