EXT.

BACKGROUND PINK PURPLE GRADIENT TINT - EVENING 1997

GOD’S VIEW shot, over the head :

SYED, A BOXER WEARING PINKISH PURPLE BOXING GLOVES. HE IS

STANDING ALONE ON A TERRACE. HE TURNS AROUND TO SEE A GUY
WHO CALLED HIS NAME .

Medium close shot :     AADIL

      (CONFIDENT)
        Syed, tum kya ho ?

             SYED
      (CONFUSED)
        MAI.. EK BOXER HU.

    AADIL
Boxer,tum ek boxing arena ke
andar    ho, uske bahaar kya ho ?

SYED IS BLANK AND IS UNABLE TO ANSWER AADIL’S QUESTION.

  

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. JHANSI FORT ROAD - DAWN

SONG- NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP, RICK ASTLEY

CAMERA tilts UP FROM THE WHITE STRIPS OF ROAD DIVIDER

WITH SOMEONE’S SHOES VISIBLE WHO IS RUNNING TO MID LEVEL
SHOT OF THE PERSON WHO IS RUNNING ON THE ROAD, HE LOOKS
FULLY DETERMINED.

NARRATOR (V.O.)
SYED, ISS SHEHER KA SABSE ACCHA
BOXER. PICHLE SAAL FINALS MAI
ZAROOR HAAR KA SAAMNA KIA THA.
LEIKEN PHIR BHI SABSE ACCHA
BOXER.

HIS TRAINING FOOTAGES CAN BE SEEN under above voiceover

and we also see flashbacks of syed’s last tournament
final match that he lost few times which shows his
insecurity and guilt of lost. HE FINALLY REACHES ON THE
FRONT GATE OF FORT WHERE SOMEONE IS WAITING FOR HIM.

                   NARRATOR (V.O.)
Aadil, syed ka bada bhai. Ammi
abbu ke chale jaane ke baad aadil
(MORE)
 2.

NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D)

hi syed ka sab kuch hai. Paanch
samay ki namaaz padhne waala saaf
dil ka , kumar sanu fan.

IN THE ABOVE VOICEOVER WE CAN SEE FOOTAGES OF AADIL

PRAYING AND STICKING KUMAR SANU PHOTO ON THE WALL OF HIS
ROOM.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. SYED AND AADIL’S HOME BALCONY - EVENING

camera pans right from kuma sanu’s poster on wall to SYED

SITTING ON THE CHAIR AND AADIL STANDING TO HIS LEFT BY
THE BOUNDARY OF balcony in a full shot. SYED IS LITTLE
DISTURBED BY THE THOUGHTS OF HIS LAST TOURNAMENT LOSS.

    AADIL
gaana badlo, woh lagao saanso ki
zaroorat.

SYED WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING COMPLIES TO HIS COMMAND AND

CHANGES MUSIC .

Song- saanso ki zaroorat hai jaise, kumar sanu

    AADIL
Tum fikar matt karo, pichli baar
jo hua so hua, mujhe pata hai
tumne mehnat mai koi kami nahi
rakhi thi.

    SYED
Phir bhi haar gaya.

    AADIL
Toh kya hua, iss baar hum aur
mehnat karenge, aur jeet humari.

    SYED
Yeh dekho aap newspaper waale kya
likh rahe hai.

Newspaper article: SYED THE SLOW BOXER?

    AADIL
Newspaper waale toh kuch bhi
likhte hai, mai tumhare saath hu
hamesha, tum buss mehnat karo.
 3.

Syed gets memory flashbacks of him getting smacked In

last tournament’s finals. His self doubt is increasing
abruptly.

                       SYED
mai waada karta hu AAPKO, ISS
BAAR NIRAASH NAHI KARUNGA.

Aadil nods his head to say “yes”

    AADIL
Aur jab interview hona, toh chup
matt baithna. Bina dare sateek
jawaab dena.

    SYED
(Softly speaks)
ji bhai.

    AADIL
Woh konsa angrezi gaana sun rahe
toh kal tum .

Syed plays that song and with the start of this music
( real slim shady -eminem) we jump to the boxing matches
of syed with this music Being played in background. and
arena rings sound .

INT. FOOTAGE: SYED AFTER MATCH INTERVIEW IN BLACK AND

WHITE AND OLD RATIO FOOTAGE.

INTERVIEWER
KYA LAGTA HAI AAPKO, ISS BAAR
KAHA TAKK JAAENGE ?

    SYED
CAMERA CHALU HAI?

INTERVIEWER
Ji chalu hai.

    SYED
yeh arena mera hai aur mai yaha
harr match jeetne aaya hu.

INTERVIEWER
Leiken!!
 4.

    SYED
(Bold voice)
Mai jeetne aaya hu aur mai jeet
kar hi jaaunga.

INT. OFFICE

WE CAN SEE A PERSON FROM BACK HE IS SITTING ON A CHAIR

LOOKING AT TV TO THIS INTERVIEW , HE LOOKS LIKE A WISE
POWERFUL PERSON. HE TELLS HIS ASSISTANT TO CALL THIS GUY
SYED BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MEET THIS BOXER WITH BEAST
ATTITUDE.

WE SEE SYED AND A STRANGE GUY WALKING IN A LOBBY FILLED

WITH MORE THAN 100people and They are WALKING TOWARDS THE
OFFICE OF THAT PERSON WHO CALLED SYED. SYED CONTINUOUSLY
QUESTIONING THE GUY ABOUT WHO IS THAT PERSON AND THIS
PLACE LOOKS SO BIG , WHO IS HE . TO WHICH THAT GUY
REPLIES STRANGELY.

    SYED
YEH TOH BOHOT BADI JAGAH HAI.

STRANGE GUY
HAA SAHI KAHA

    SYED
aapke jo malik hai woh mujhse kyo
milna chahte hai .

STRANGE GUY
Ek baat dhyaan rakhna aankho mai
dekh karr baat matt karna hAIDER
BHAI KO pasand nahi hai yeh.

    SYED
HAIDER?

STRANGE GUY
(Scoldingly)
HAIDER BHAI!

Syed Is super confused about that person and his

curiosity to meet this guy is piling up with each passing
steps towards office. Admist these steps we see footages
of cOCAINE BEING CUT AND MIXED on the table with the
razor sharp blade.WE CAN SEE FLASHES OF HAIDER KILLING
PEOPLE. Now syed enters office and now there is a table
in front of him a guy leaning his head on the table and
two escorts standing behind HIM and as that person lifts
his head after sniffing cocaine and looks towards syed we
 5.

get a crash zoom of him with (“JEE HA MAI HU

KHALNAYAK“ SONG) being played in background.

NARRATOR (V.O.)
HAIDER, jab dil waale dhulania le
jaaenge mai shahrukh ne bike rok
ke peeche mud kar dekha, ushi din
haider KO SHAHRUKH SE PYAAR
HOGYA. Apne abbu ke dabaav mai
akar haider ko boxing chodh kar
unke saatebaazi aur nashapatti ka
dhandha sambhaal na pada. Uska
rishta boxing se waisa hi jaisa
nayi bihai bahu ka aapne maike
se.. milne ka mann toh karta hai
magar, mil nahi sakte.

During the above voiceover we can see visuals of shahrukh

khan’s clip from ddlj and haider getting scolded by his
father standing outside the door helpless , haider as a
boxer. And him helplessly leaving boxing. HAIDER’S ABBU
PUTTING

INT. HAIDER’S OFFICE - MORNING

Shot continues from the crash zoom closeup of haider who

sniffed cocaine. He waves at syed to be comfortable and
sit on the chair right in front of him. Syed is nervous
and scared too after looking how everyone is respecting
this 16year old kid who is exactly of his age. Haider
glances at syed but syed struggles to look him into his
eys because he was warned not to look into haider’s eye
by that strange guy.

HAIDER
GAANA BADLO , shahrukh(signing
escort to play shahrukh’s song)

One of the two escorts changes song from khalnayak to

“yeh kaali kaali aankhen”. we can hear each sound from
taping of button of music player to walking of escort,
taping of razor sharp blade on table into cocaine more
precisely to excentuate syed’s feeling of anxiety and
fear to us.

HAIDER
(Dominating voice)
Survival, sabse zyada zaroori
hai. Boxing arena ke andar bhi
aur uske bahaar bhi.
 6.

Haider glances at syed and syed nods head to say “yes”.

HAIDER
(Dominating voice)
Ghamand, bilkul aaskta hai normal
hai. Tum toh iss sheher ke sabse
acche boxer ho toh tumhe toh, aur
aasaani se aaskta hai.

SYED IS JUST SO NERVOUS HE DOESN’T EVEN REACTS.

    SYED
Mai aapki… kaise madad karr sakta
hu.

   HAIDER
Pichla tournament, jiske final
mai tum haare.

Syed nods head to say “yes”

HAIDER
Tum apni speed ke kaaran nahi
haare!

Syed is shocked because all this long he thought he lost

because of his slow speed in final regardless of his
intensely fast speed in rest of the tournament. HAIDER
SHOWS HIM SOME PILLS .

  HAIDER
ISKE KAARAN HAARE !

    SYED
(Shockingly)
Yeh kaise ho sakta hai!?

HAIDER
( stylishly)
Jis fighter ne tumhe haraaya
thha. Usne yeh pills use kari
thhi. uske ek ek punch ..ek ek
foot movement ki speed itni
sateek thi.. kyoki uska dimaag
poori tarah uss… pal mai thaa.

SYED
(Sad+subtle anger)
Aapne aisa kyo kia?!
 7.

HAIDER
(saracastically smiling
face)
Survival, tumhare haarne parr
humne lakho rupaye miley.. jis se
humne aur business kia ..iss
jagah ko aur sundar banaya.

syed is disgusted on discovering the reality of the

business that goes around this tournament that is so
important to him .

HAIDER
(Serious)
Ab kara jaae ghamand, woh kaafi
hai mujhme. Baat rahi
tumhari ..tum iss ke bina jeet
nahi sakte

Haider is reffering to pills through “iske”.

HAIDER(CONT’D)
Pichli baar jaise haare thhe.
yaad hai.

Syed is so broken now and he is hardly processing

anything told to him now.

    HAIDER
Toh TV mai agla interview ache se
dena. (Haider gives a creepy wide
smile at the end to finish this
conversation)

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. SYED AND AADIL’S HOME BALCONY - EVENING

Background song :tumhe apna bana ne ki kasam , kumar sanu

Syed walks into the gate with complete anger on his head
and also he is very traumatised by this revelation of
reality of things going around the tournament.

    AADIL
(Seriously concerned)
Kya hua ?!?!
 8.

    SYED
(Tearful)
Bhai, mai sabko maardunga .

   AADIL
(Seriously concerned)
Aarey, hua kya hai yeh batao aur
yeh kise maarne ki baat karr rahe
ho !?!

    SYED
Bhai mai slow nahi thaaaa. uss
fighter ne drugs lie thhe, isliye
woh tez khel raha tha.

    AADIL
Mujhe yeh baat pehle se pata hai.

    SYED
Aapko kaise pata tha yeh ?!?!

    AADIL
Mai jaanta hu woh boxer haider ke
saath tha.

    SYED
Aap iss haider ko bhi jaante
ho ?,,

    AADIL
Haa, mai yeh sab jaanta hu.

    SYED
Aapne mujhe kyo nahi bataya, kuch
kia kyo nahi inn cheezo ka ?!?!

    AADIL
syed… samjho .woh kaam police ka
hai ,,,,Humaare saath ammi abbu
nahi hai ..Hum agar kuch kar
sakte hai toh woh hai ..unhe unhi
ke khel mai haraana… hum unhe
marenge nahi. Bure se bure insaan
ke andar bhi badlaaw aaskta hai …
hume kisi se nafrat nahi rakhni
hai…. Maaf karke aage badhna hai
… nafrat kisiki zindagi bigaad
saki hai …aur mai nahi chahta ki
tumhare haatho aisa kuch ho..
warna tum mai aur unme kya farak
reh jaaega.
 9.

    SYED
Bhai maine aapko jo waada kia hai
mai usko poora karke dikhaunga.
Mai aapko niraash nahi karunga…

    AADIL
Chal uthh ab rona bandd karr.

Syed wipes his tear ..

    AADIL
Ali shuffle practice kia.

    SYED
(Happy content full voice)
Ji bhai kia na yeh dekho .

NARRATOR (V.O.)
Ali shuffle. Syed ka final aur
semifinal ke liye tayaar kia hua
hatiyaar.

MATCH CUT TO:

Syed’s tournament matches continues and he wins all of

them one after the another amazingly. His trash talk on
TV continues in the interview which every viewer loves.

IN. TV FOOTAGE BALCK AND WHITE OLD RATIO

INTERVIEWER
Aapko lagta hai aap semifinal mai
jeetoge !?!

    SYED
Bilkul, mai hi jeetunga aur yeh
mujhe bohot pehle se pata hai !!!

INTERVIEWER
Faizal ke baare mai kya kehna hai
aapko.

    SYED
(Confident/loud)
Woh mota bhaisa, ushe toh mai
aath rounds mai haraunga …
everyone, attention. Faizal will
fall in eight to prove that I’m
the great. Hatao hatao .. band
karo yeh camera.
 10.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. RAILWAY STATION LOBBY - MORNING

Syed is on his routine morning jogging and as he passes

by the lobby he is stopped by haider who was waiting for
syed.

HAIDER
Syed , kaafi accha jaa raha hai
tournament. Faizal ne humse pills
leli hai , woh already itna
khatarnaak hai ab jaane aur kya
karega woh.

    SYED
Aapne yeh batane ke lie roka
mujhe.

HAIDER
Nahi bilkul nahi , madad karne ke
liye roka hai . Tum bhi yeh pills
rakhlo. Kyoki tumhara tv
interview dekh karr aur tumhare
andarr ki aag dekh karr mujhe
lagta hai tumhe iski zaroorat
padegi.

    SYED
Nahi mujhe iski koi zaroorat nahi
padegi.

HAIDER
Pichle baar finals .. iss baar
semifinal mai hi bahaar.. socho
tumhare bhaiya kya sochenge ..
newspaper phir tumhare baare mai
article nikalega … syed the slow
boxer. Hahahahaha . Nahi chahie
toh phek dena inhe yaha se…
(referring to off the bridge
“yaha se”).

Syed is helplessly stuck in the decisive moment whether

to throw these or keep it . He gets all flashbacks of him
loosing last tournament, promising his brother, interview
promises…. He is forced by all these memories to keep the
pills of “LSD” with him . He closes his fist and
continues jogging.
 11.

Syed is about to leave his home for semifinals he kept

pills in his kit bag and he is ready to leave but he just
stops to drink water and keeps his bag on the chair .
Aadil comes to just check that syed packed all his items
correctly and he finds out pills but dosen’t even says a
word infact closes the bag and pretends to know nothing.
Syed leaves normally for match.

NARRATOR (V.O.)
Aadil ko apne bhai par.. bharosa
thha ki yeh pills  pakka kisine
usko bhatkaane ke liye die hai
leiken syed iska istemaal nahi
karega.

Syed is inside his dressing room and deciding whether to

take lsd or not and here all those loosing fear, promise
he made to his aadil, things he said on tv, faizal’s also
on a drug trip. As soon as he hears the ring of the bell
for fighters to come to the arena. He swallows in a pill
of lsd impulsive ..he is feeling like he is inside a
swimming pool in air and he is just floating freely with
the wind. We get to see a pink tint background and him
running freely faaling freelt and experencing something
different weird.

He fights and he fights hard and when he tries to do ali

shuffle which is his secret weapon for semifinal and
final . He struggles with that and is about to fall but
balances himself and punches faizal and wins the
semifinal.

We see haider enjoying syed’s win because he made a lot

of money by betting upon his win , he knew and he was
super confident that syed will take pills and will win
this match and same thing happened but aadil is
disappointed because his brother broke his trust and he
knows it because he trained him to do ali shuffle
especially for semifinal and final but his unability to
do that move shows that he was on drugs. Aadil is
disturbed and he calls haider on ladline through the
number he searched through the directory.

    AADIL (OVER PHONE)

Haider!
 12.

INT. HAIDER’S OFFICE - HAIDER IS SPEAKING FROMM OFFICE

BACKGROUND SONG: WOH LADKI JO SABSE ALAG HAI.

HAIDER(OVER PHONE)
kon ?!

    AADIL
Mai syed ka bada bhai bol raha
hu.

HAIDER
Toh ?!!?

    AADIL
Mere paas saboot hai tumhare
khilaaf aur agar isme mera bhai
jail jaata hai toh jaae.. mai
police ko phone kar raha hu !

HAIDER
Arrey suno abhi time kya ho raaha
hai ?!

Aadil looks inside the room for time and tells.

                     Aadil
(Confusingly)
  Aath baj raha hai..

HAIDER
(Carelessly)
haa. toh sawa aath par kardena
police ko phone theekh.

Aadil gives a confused look while putting down the

receiver.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. SYED AND AADIL’S COLONEY STREET - EVENING

SONG- HO JAEGI BALLE BALLE | DALER MEHNDI

SYED IS WELCOMED BY ALL THE PEOPLE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD WITH

FULL DANCE AND SONGS AND SYED IS SEEM NERVOUS AND ANXIOUS
BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT HIS BROHER WILL ASK HIM ABOUT ALI
SHUFFLE ..SO HE IS PREPARING ALL POSSIBLE LIES.
 13.

EXT. SYED AND AADIL’S HOME BALCONY - EVENING

No song nothing neither on foreground Nor on background:

Syed enters the gate and finds aadil sitting on the chair
infront of tv and he stops behind him and starts with the
lies that he prepared on his way till here.

    SYED
Bhai, meri na thodi tabiyat
nasaaz thi islie ali shuffle
karte hue ladkhada gaya … maaf
kare mujhe, final mai yeh galti
nahi hogi !

Complete silence no reply from aadil and syed is more

anxious now as his brother is not even talking to him. He
touches him from behind and as he tries to hold him aadil
falls off the chair and syed holds him and keeps him in
his lap and now he know that his brother is dead, he is
sittimg by his knees with brither in his lap, he hugs is
brother , he is not crying but he screams madly in pain

but we cannot hear anything as all sounds are removed

from this scene to create uneazy,anxious,empty feeling
while rest of the film is packed with classic tacky
songs.

To be continued       

                   || ARENA VOL.1 ||

          SCREENPLAY by KRITAGYA SINGH RAJAWAT