C*nsorship

By

Mitali Panganti
Dattaprasad Godbole
Page 1

Panel Description Dialog

1.1 A young person, CARTOONIST,

rests beside a bus’s window.

1.2 He steps out of the bus into a Caption: Somewhere in India, near
remote village. He’s wearing future.
tantra shirt, harem pants,
sketch-pad, and an earring.
Around him are the posters
of Golmaal 25 & Dhoom 20.
The cast consists entirely of
Robots. In the background, a
man lurks behind him, OARSMAN.
He looks suspicious.

1.3 The Oarsman man grabs the OARSMAN

Cartoonist and whispers in Psst... Are you the Cartoonist?
his ear.
CARTOONIST
(confused)
Yeah?
OARSMAN
Follow me.

1.4 The Oarsman and the cartoonist

travel in a boat

1.5 In the background, the boat OARSMAN

is on the banks of a river,
near the edge of a forest. The
Cartoonist is handing over his
cell phone and wallet to the
oarsman. In the foreground, a
pigeon with a note to his leg
is sitting on the tree.
My role ends here. No phones or
recording devices beyond this
point. For further instructions,
check your Goo-Mail.
CARTOONIST
Goo-Mail?

PIGEON
Gooter-Goo!!
Page 1

Panel Description Dialog

1.6 The pigeon’s leg with the OARSMAN

note is in the foreground, (Off-screen)
the Cartoonist reaching for it Gooter Mail - World’s Most Secure
is in the background. Mail Service.
9/10 News Agencies Recommend
Gooter.

1.7 The note reads, "New Mail

Security Question: Dear
Cartoonist, where do pigeons
go for Honeymoon? Ans. (Blank
Space)
P.S: Send the pass-code
and wait for further
instructions."
Page 2

Panel Description Dialog

2.1 The Cartoonist writes

"Cooorrrrg..." in the blank
space.

2.2 ...and releases the pigeon.

2.3 The cartoonist is passing Caption: Some time later...

time by picking his nose. A
disheveled silhouette, EDITOR,
emerges behind the cartoonist.
There’s a pigeon resting on
her shoulder. Just below the
pigeon, there are multiple
stains of poop.

2.4 The Editor’s silhouette comes EDITOR

close with veined eyes and "Thanks for your patience. After
says: the last raid on our footpath
co-working space, only this jungle
was available. So, what brings you
here?"

2.5 The cartoonist smiles and CARTOONIST

replies "Your visa to jail, Editor."
EDITOR
(Rolling her eyes)
"Damn! New submissions. Let’s go
to my desk!"
PIGEON
(rolling his eyes)
"Cyoooo!!!"
Page 3

Panel Description Dialog

3.1 The office is set up in a EDITOR

clearing in the middle of
the forest. There’s a large
board that reads ’The Urban
Chronicle’. There’s a table
and a chair at the centre. It
is surrounded by two shelves.
The shelves have smaller
boards on them. The left board
reads ’Inbox’ and the right
board reads ’Editorial Notes’.
The Inbox has cages with
pigeons poking their heads
out of them. The Editorial
Notes has a row of parrots
repeating different feedbacks.
The Editor and the cartoonist
enter. The birds and the noise
distract the cartoonist. The
editor notices this.
Don’t mind the noise, this is just
my Gooter Feed. Take a seat.
PARROT 1
"These aren’t your marriage photos
to be in color"
PARROT 2
"Remove the first two paragraph
and the last two paragraphs, and
rewrite the rest of them."
PARROT 3
"Send it to the press immediately"
PARROT 4
"Get to the point in the first
line or write a resignation
letter"

PARROT 5
(Looks insane)
"Mazaa nahi aa raha... Mazaa nahi
aa raha"
Page 4

Panel Description Dialog

4.1 The cartoonist is 2 feet up in CARTOONIST

the air with excitement. "Can’t wait to tell you the ideas.
They’re brilliant."

THE EDITOR
(left eye twitching)
"I hate brilliant. Give
me something that can be
published..."

4.2 The cartoonist has a smile as CARTOONIST

wide as a television. "Let’s take up the judge’s
verdict-for-favour scandal. Let’s
show lady justice covering her
eyes, but peeking anyway."

4.3 The Editor’s head expands EDITOR

to shout on the cartoonist, "That’s contempt of court. Why
who has shrunken down at this don’t you submit it directly to
display of rage. the police station? "

4.4 The cartoonist meekly says CARTOONIST

"Okie, how bout we tackle the fake
medicines?"
EDITOR
(relieved)
"Phew! That sounds harmless."
Page 5

Panel Description Dialog

5.1 Cartoonist is excited again, CARTOONIST

"So, we have Baba Afro Swamy
showing a vial of Covinash..."

5.2 The Editor pops a nerve EDITOR

(angry)
"Stop!

(angrier)
Stop!
(angriest)
Stop!.."

5.3 The editor blows up like a EDITOR

volcano "Baba Afro Swamy keeps this
publication afloat. If he pulls
out money...

5.4 The editor points towards EDITOR

the parrot. The parrots
rearrange themselves like a
poor-destitute family.
(continuing)
"I’ll have to fire this parrot.
(Link bubble)
Do you want me to fire this
parrot? Her whole species is
banking on her to not be extinct."

5.5 The cartoonist laughs CARTOONIST

nervously "Alright, how ’bout environment?
That’s a cause everyone can get
behind."

5.6 The editor holds her own head EDITOR

"Yes, please..."
Page 6

Panel Description Dialog

6.1 The cartoonist with dreamy CARTOONIST

eyes "We show how the pollution caused
by all the festivals..."

6.2 The editor’s eyes spring out EDITOR

of her sockets "NOOOO!!!!"
CARTOONIST
"C’mon!"

6.3 The editor continues EDITOR

"Why attack the religion and be
in remand when you can hijack the
religion and be in demand?"

6.4 The smile has returned to CARTOONIST

the Cartoonist’s face, he’s "Like our leaders?"
bending forward.
EDITOR
(back to normal)
"Yup! Turn them into Gods"
CARTOONIST
"...and literally demonize their
rivals?"
EDITOR
"Now, we are on the right track!"

6.5 Immediately, a barrel of a gun SUAVE POLICE OFFICER

slides up from under the desk, (under the table, off-frame)
and the speech bubble says. "You’re under arrest"
Page 7

Panel Description Dialog

7.1 The SUAVE POLICE OFFICER is

suave, wears Khaki but has
mannerisms of an FBI officer,
also wears aviator shades, was
crouching all along under the
desk.

7.2 Rest of the officers SUAVE PARROT 1

HAWALDAR 1 & SUAVE HAWALDAR 2 BANG-BANG!!
emerge from the trees. Suave
Hawaldar 2 was the Oarsman PARROT 2
who dropped the cartoonist THAYE!!
before. They’re holding their
sticks like guns. The birds PARROT 3
are making sounds BISHOOM!

PARROT 4
DISHOOM!!
PARROT 5
(still looks insane)
Mazaa nahin aaya... Mazaa nahin
aaya

7.3 The editor is in the SUAVE HAWALDAR 1

foreground and surrounded by
the Suave Police Officer and
Suave Hawaldars.
"You have to remain silent... "
SUAVE POLICE OFFICER
"Arre! It is right to remain
silent, Hawaldar!"

SUAVE HAWALDAR 1
"Thank you, sir. You have right to
remain silent."

7.4 The Editor screams. EDITOR

"What are you arresting us for?"
SUAVE HAWALDAR 2
"Defaming our leader to
destabilize our nation."

EDITOR
"What? We were praising his
Holiness."
Page 7

Panel Description Dialog

7.5 The Cartoonist is baffled

Page 8

Panel Description Dialog

8.1 The Suave Police Officer SUAVE POLICE OFFICER

raises an eye brow above his You’re showing our humble leader
shades. as if he considers himself a God?

(Link bubble)
You’re under arrest.

8.2 The Suave Hawaldars slap the

Cartoonist.

8.3 The Editor, still cuffed, EDITOR

but smiling, trying to talk
herself out of the situation.
"Alright, we’ll portray him as if
he could be any one of us."
SUAVE POLICE OFFICER
"What?! You want to compare our
leader to any Om, Deep, and Hari
out there?
(Link bubble)
You’re under arrest.

8.4 The Suave Hawaldars slap the CARTOONIST

Cartoonist again. (In tears)
"Why did I join arts?"

8.5 The Editor gives a frustrated EDITOR

grin "How bout our great leader tells
us how to portray him? We’ll show
him like that."

SUAVE POLICE OFFICER

"Now you’re implying our leader’s
a dictator. So, guess what?"
Page 8

Panel Description Dialog

8.6 All the Suave Hawaldars and
Police Officers pose up like a
boy band
SUAVE POLICE OFFICER & EVERYBODY
ELSE
(singing)
"You... are... under arrest!!"
Caption: No Animals, Editors, or
Cartoonists were harmed during the
making of this comic, yet.