"Sabhi

jagat yeh pooche tha,

jab itna sab kuch ho riyo tho
Toh sheher hamaara kaahe bai sa
aankh moond kar so riyo tho?
- Piyush Mishra



[the world wants to know, o city, why you slept
while blood was spilt and the starving wept]

Devashish Makhija, 2015

BLACK SCREEN

We hear someone typing on a laptop keyboard intently.

In the background a film or some footage seems to be playing on some device
sounds of voices shouting protests
walls being broken

A skype caller tone interrupts the sound of typing.
Then the typing resumes.
The caller tone interrupts the typing again.
The typing resumes.
A phone rings. Someone answers

WOMANS VOICE
Jamil, transfer mein ek ghanta aur lagega
main voh stay order ke liye appeal draft kar rahi hoon
khatm kar ke call karti hoon

The call gets cut. But
The skype caller tone again.
The womans voice sounds irritated.
Opens the call

Jump Cut To

1
FAIZAS ROOM INT LATE NIGHT

The laptops web camera (our POV) comes on and we see Faiza (28), looking
right at us, horrified as from off screen

GIRLS VOICE
(babbling)
Didi! Baaju ke Rahim chacha ko maar daala

FAIZA
Kya? Kisne?

Cut to

2
RUKHSANAS SHANTY INT LATE NIGHT

Through another laptop cameras POV Rukhsana (19), trembling, pale, scared,
is babbling at Us.

RUKHSANA
Maar daala didi

I/C
Devashish Makhija, 2015


FAIZA
Relax Rukhsana kis-ne?

RUKHSANA
Voh log zabardasti ghus gaye
baaju ki kholi mein

FAIZA
Aise kaise maar daala?
Baaki sab log kidhar hain?

RUKHSANA
Chacha chilla rahe thhe didi
zor se chilla rahe thhe ab nahin
chilla rahe us ko maar daala

And now shes on the verge of tears. Faiza is calm, stern, scolds

FAIZA
RUKHSANA!

Rukhsana stops, stares.
Just then a train passes in the distance a low rumble and the camera shakes
slightly

FAIZA
Baaki sab log kidhar hain?
Unko andar aane kaise diya?!

RUKHSANA
Nahin pata didi main baahar bhaagi,
koi nahin thha darr gayi
andar aa gayi

FAIZA
Voh chaar policevaale kidhar gaye?

RUKHSANA
(desperate)
Pata nahin didi koi nahin hai
main kya karoon didi?

Just then there is a loud banging on the tin door below

RUKHSANA
(drops her voice in fear)
Didi! Aa gaye

Devashish Makhija, 2015

FAIZA
Darr mat bilkul mat darr
main aa rahi hoon

RUKHSANA
Nahin pahunch sakengi itni jaldi

The tin door below gets broken open!
Banging on the hatch in Rukhsanas floor now!

RUKHSANA
(squeals) main kya karoon didi?

FAIZA
Mat khol darwaaza chup
kuch nahin hoga main abhi aayi,
police ko leke aayi

And as Faiza is about to get out of her chair

Rukhsanas hatch BREAKS OPEN!
She scrambles away from it, out of frame.

Two men barge into the frame, knocking our POV over as she screams

We now face the ceiling. We cant see whats happening.

But we can hear someone hit Rukhsana then muzzle her as she struggles to
scream.

FAIZA
(shouts)
Chhodo us ko! Dont touch her!
<Police aa rahi hai udhar>
<kaun ho tum log?!>
<aise kaise ghar mein ghus gaye?>
<kya kar rahe ho?>
<mujhe se baat karo>
<rukhsana, mujh se baat karvaao>

Faiza tries to see something, anything. But

We hear a knife hacking into flesh and bone
Silence.

FAIZA
Rukhsana?!

A long silent beat.
Devashish Makhija, 2015


FAIZA
<himmat hai toh saamne aake baat karo>

A hand adjusts the laptop
straightens it
to reveal Mahender (35) He peers at Faiza/us.

FAIZA
(shaken)
Rukhsana kahaan hai?
<Kis ne bheja hai?>
<aap humko darra nahin sakte>

Mahender simply continues staring at us, doesnt utter a word
He studies the web-chat window
Then turns to someone off screen, leans out of frame, mumbles

MAHENDER
Vahi hai lagta hai.

Someones hand must have passed Mahender something he leans back into
frame fiddles with something below frame, looking down, then
holds up a phone camera aims it at Faiza/us
Flash.

Cut to


FAIZAS ROOM INT LATE NIGHT

Faiza, panicked, slams the laptop (our POV) shut

BLACK SCREEN.

Silence We only hear her heavy breathing a long beat. Then -

The laptop opens slowly
The screen (our POV) tilts up, to reveal Faiza
looking at us, her eyes searching fearful guilty confused

She leans to one side
then the other
searching the frame

FAIZA
Rukhsana?

Cut to

Devashish Makhija, 2015


RUKHSANAS SHANTY INT LATE NIGHT

Nothing
Empty silent frame A beat.
A train passes in the distance the frame trembles then goes still again.

I/C with

Suddenly, a woman screams!
Faiza reacts, sees on the screen before her, in the footage, a woman being beaten
by cops. Nervous, Faiza pauses the video

She picks up her phone, takes a deep breath, her hand trembling now, scrolls,
dial. Stands up, starts pacing about
It rings. Someone answers.

FAIZA
Anna-wadi, Chembur mein ek murder hua hai
Main victim se video chat kar rahi thi
Main witness hoon
Aap please turant vahaan pahunchiye

COPS VOICE
Aap kidhar se bol rahe ho?

FAIZA
Versova

COPS VOICE
Toh witness kaise huye?

FAIZA
Abhi toh bataaya video chat pe thhi
Dekha hai maine

COPS VOICE
Naam?

FAIZA
Kis ka? Mera? Ya victim ka?

COPS VOICE
Complain kaun kar raha hai?

FAIZA
(takes a deep breath)
Faiza Khan.

We hear the cop mumble something to someone.
Devashish Makhija, 2015

COPS VOICE
Aap vahi ho jis ko last week
arrest kiya thha?
FAIZA
Haan main vahi hoon.
Ab is sab mein time waste mat kariye

COPS VOICE
Theek hai

FAIZA
Aap please jaldi pahunchiye
Voh shayad ab bhi zinda ho sakti hai

COPS VOICE
Ok main dekhta hoon

FAIZA
Chaar policewaale hone chahiye thhe vahaan
Order diya gaya thha aapko
Ek bhi nahin hai
You know thats illegal right?

COPS VOICE
(dry)
Madam? Dekhta hoon

Click. The calls cut.

Desperate, Faiza starts packing her stuff into a bag
A beat, she thinks exits frame
returns with a kitchen knife Puts it in the bag. When

THE DOORBELL RINGS.

Her hands freeze.

Banging on the door

The banging become louder, harder we hear the door rattle

Jump Cut to

3
PRIVATE CLINIC EXT LATE NIGHT

Javed (22) speaks to the camera (us) hes in a video chat on his smartphone
His head seems to have been freshly bandaged,
Devashish Makhija, 2015

some blood is drying on his forehead.

Hes standing in a dark corner outside what looks like a private clinic.
Weve caught him mid-conversation
He takes a long drag of a spliff, exhales, continues

JAVED
Thats when that cop whacked me.
And then you shouldve seen me
I went for him baby
I stood right in front of that bulldozer
Three huts were still left, but I just stood there
And the bulldozer had to back off
It backed the fuck off baby
I was a hero
First day baby and I was a hero!

From off screen (the other side of this chat)

GIRLS VOICE
Baby Im so proud of you.
But you should be careful now na ?

And the phone rings. The screen (our POV) flickers as it rings

Javed makes a face, cuts the call

JAVED
Dad

GIRLS VOICE
You shouldve taken the call babe
hes called like ten times no?

JAVED
No no, those calls were faiza

GIRLS VOICE
Ten times?!!

JAVED
(makes a face)
She needs a chill pill I just got my head
busted baby I need the night off
shes on this shit 24/7 mere se utna nahin hoga
ill call her in the morning theres nothing
in this world that cant wait until tomorrow.

GIRLS VOICE
Me?
Devashish Makhija, 2015


Javed smirks, blows her (us) a kiss, when

GIRLS VOICE
Whos that behind you?

Javed turns, looks (but we cant see who), turns back, shrugs
Takes a long drag, drops the spliff, stubs it out

JAVED
Ok baby Ill get home and call you

Suddenly, theres a tap on his shoulder Javed turns

MANS VOICE
Time kya hai?

Javed looks into his phone (at us), turns

JAVED
1.30

And the person leaves.

Javed starts walking out, while talking to his girl

JAVED
Bye baby, I love you

He blows her (us) a kiss, as he steps out of the gate into the semi-darkness
when

A hand grabs his shoulder from behind, swings Javed around
The girls voice screams
The phone (our POV) falls, tumbles about
semi-darkness (traces of light bleed in from the corners of the frame)
we cant make anything out

Javed shouts at someone Sounds of scuffle
The Girls Voice screams As we

Cut to

END-CREDIT SLATE 1

Over this screams, scuffle
Girl calls out Javed? hyperventilates.
Javeds voice, also shouting

Devashish Makhija, 2015

END-CREDIT SLATE 2

until theres that same hacking sound of a knife in flesh and bone
1 2 3 times
and Javed goes silent.

Silence. A beat. The darkness
gives way as a hand seems to pick the phone (our POV) away from ground,

The frame (our POV) tilts up to reveal
Mahenders face, looking at us (its the same stare he gave us in the shanty
earlier)

GIRLS VOICE
(accented)
Who are you?
Kaun ho tum?
Javed kidhar hai?

Mahender just stares, studying her (our) face
He looks lower on the screen, as if reading her name.

GIRLS VOICE
(squeals) kya kiya us ko?
Police ko call kiya hai

Mahender just looks unimpressed his finger reaches into frame (pointed to us)

GIRLS VOICE
Do minute mein pahunch

and he cuts the call

Cut to black

Title appears

AB KI BAAR

Devashish Makhija, 2015

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