C*nsorship

By

Mitali Panganti
Dattaprasad Godbole
Page 1

Panel Description Dialog

1.1 We see a young person, Caption: Somewhere in India, near

CARTOONIST, wearing future.
tantra-shirts, harem pants,
sketch-pad, and an earring,
stepping out of a bus into
a remote village. There are
posters of Golmaal 25 & Dhoom
20. The cast consists entirely
of Robots.

1.2 Cartoonist is sketching on a

wooden boat on a river.

1.3 A pigeon with a note to his OARSMAN

leg is in the foreground
sitting on the tree. In the
background, the boat 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 with his right
hand while pocketing some cash
with his left hand.
Before you meet him, you’ll need
to hand me your wallet, cellphone,
Sim-card, even key chain with
compass.
CARTOONIST
Alright, here’s everything I
have.

1.4 Extreme close-up of his CARTOONIST

left-hand, we see the notes. (thought bubble)
Some 100s, 50s, and 2000s. Almost everything

1.5 The pigeon’s leg with the note

is in the foreground, the face
of the Cartoonist reaching for
it in the background.

1.6 The note reads: Where do

pigeons go for Honeymoon?
Page 2

Panel Description Dialog

2.1 The Cartoonist writes,

"Cooorrrrg"...

2.2 ...and releases the pigeon and

it flies away.

2.3 A bearded disheveled Caption: Some time later...

silhouette, EDITOR, emerges
behind the cartoonist. There’s
a pigeon resting on shoulder
of the silhouette. Just below
the pigeon are multiple of
stains of poop. Silhouette has
been doing this doing this for
a long time, unlike cleaning.
Meanwhile, the cartoonist is
passing time by picking his
nose.

2.4 The Editor’s silhouette comes EDITOR

close and with menacing eyes "What brings you here?"
says:

2.5 The cartoonist smiles and CARTOONIST

replies "Visa to jail, as you call it"
EDITOR
(Rolling his eyes)
"Damn! New submissions. Let’s go
to my office!"
PIGEON
(rolling his eyes)
"Cyoooon!!!"
Page 3
Panel Description
3.1 The office is set up in a
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 center. It
is surrounded two shelves. The
shelves have smaller boards on
them. The 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.
3.2 The Editor and the cartoonist
take their seats.
Dialog
PARROT 1
"These aren’t your marriage photos
to be in color"
PARROT 2
"Remove the first two paragraph
and the last two paragraphs,
rewrite the rest of them."
PARROT 2 BCC
(This parrot is the same design as
Parrot 2, but blind)
"BCC: Remove the first two
paragraph and the last two
paragraphs, 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
4.1 The cartoonist is 2 feet up in
the air with excitement.
4.2 The cartoonist has a smile as
wide as a television.
4.3 The Editor’s head expands
to shout on the cartoonist,
who has shrunken down at this
display of rage.
4.4 The cartoonist meekly says
Dialog
CARTOONIST
"Can’t wait to tell you the ideas.
They’re brilliant."
THE EDITOR
(left eye twitching)
"Damn the brilliant ideas! Sigh...
Ok, tell me."
CARTOONIST
"A judge has recently been caught
in a scandal giving verdicts for
favors. We can show lady justice
covering her eyes, but have her
one eye sneakily open."
EDITOR
"That’s contempt of court. Why
don’t you submit it directly to
the police station?"
CARTOONIST
"Ok, how bout 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

"Stop! Stop! Stop!.."
CARTOONIST
(stiffens like a stick
interrupting the editor)
"Now what?"

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. Do
you want me to fire this parrot?
She has a whole species that banks
on her to not be extinct."

5.5 The cartoonist mellows down CARTOONIST

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

5.6 The editor holds his own head EDITOR

"Yes, please..."
Page 6

Panel Description Dialog

6.1 The cartoonist with dreamy CARTOONIST

eyes "We show how all festivals are
adding to the pollution"

6.2 The editor’s eyes spring out EDITOR

of his sockets "NOOOO!!!!"

6.3 Cartoonist equally rolls his CARTOONIST

eyes "Oh, c’mon!"

6.4 The editor continues EDITOR

"You vilify religions, you go
to jail. To avoid jail, you
appropriate the religions."

6.5 The smile has returned to CARTOONIST

the Cartoonist’s face, he’s
bending forward.
"You mean, we should make cartoony
feel-good content?"
EDITOR
(back to normal)
Yup!

6.6 The editor’s expressions EDITOR

become series (a beat later)
Nope!

6.7 The cartoonist melts into the CARTOONIST

chair "Whyyyyyy??"
Page 7

Panel Description Dialog

7.1 The editor shrugs EDITOR

"Earlier, except a few, nobody
minded cartoons. Now lawmakers
mind cartoons, stand-ups,
movies,and everything else except
their business."

7.2 The editor is dejected and EDITOR

drooping "You know what? Let’s chuck it."

7.3 The cartoonist gasps CARTOONIST

"Chuck?! The cartoon for this
edition?"

7.4 The editor resigned to his EDITOR

fate and serious. "No. Forever. When joy has no
place in the world, why should
the cartoons?"

7.5 After the editor says this, a SUAVE POLICE OFFICER

barrel of a gun slides up from (under the table, off-frame)
under the desk, and the speech "You’re under arrest"
bubble says.
Page 8

Panel Description Dialog

8.1 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.

8.2 Rest of the officers emerge PARROT 1,2,3,&4

from the trees. The birds are BANG-BANG!! THAYE-THAYE!!
making sounds BISHOOM-DISHOOM!!

8.3 From the top view, the editor CARTOONIST

and the cartoonist are pinned "Arrested for what? We didn’t even
to the ground. decide a cartoon yet."

8.4 The view zooms towards the SUAVE POLICE OFFICER

cartoonist’s hands which are (off-screen)
cuffed behind and resting on "UAPA"
the harem pants out of which
notes and change have fallen CARTOONIST
(off-screen)
How did you even find us?

8.5 Now we’re zooming right on the TWO THOUSAND RUPEE NOTE
notes, especially the Rs.2000. Bleep!
(Panel-In-Panel) There’s a
chip in it. It lights up with
sound effect.