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Screenplay-Cockroach
THE COCKROACH
Written by
Vijender singh
Based on true events
Note: Dialogues will be in authentic accents,

But for the sake of reading it's simplified.
SWA- 42141
Phone Number-7683016616
Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

2022-04-03 17:51:01 SWA Membership Number:42141
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Screenplay-Cockroach
FADE IN:
Tittle card over video: DR NABARRO, THE SPECIAL ENVOY OF WHO.
The recorded interview of Dr Nabarro the special envoy of WHO

with The Spectator, to be played exactly: as he looks into
the webcam and say this:
DR NABARRO
We in the World Health Organization
do not advocate lockdowns as the
primary means of control of this
virus, The only time we believe a
lockdown in justified is to buy you
time to reorganize, regroup,
rebalance your resources; protect
your health workers who are
exhausted...But by and large, we'd
rather not do it!
FADE TO BLACK.
OVER BLACK WE HEAR: CLUNK AND CLATTER OF STEEL SPOONS

STRIKING WITH STEEL PLATES (THALI BAJAO), PEOPLE CLAPPING,
BELL TINGLING AND SHANKHNATH, ALL SOUNDS MIXED UP.
Over this consuming chaotic sound it reads

Or if allowed we can use PM MODI’s
Declaration of Nationwide lockdown in voice over:
On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India

ordered a nationwide lockdown, limiting movement of the
entire 1.38 billion population as a preventive
measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Upon its announcement, a mass movement of people across

the country was described as the largest since
the partition of India in 1947.
The chaotic sound suddenly comes to an abrupt halt, leaving

us deaf with black screen.
APPEARS:
You may find this exaggerated, but shamefully this actually happened.
BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

3/151
Screenplay-Cockroach 2.
FADE IN:
EXT. STREET-DAY
We are close on the ground surface: right next to an open

filthy sewage gutter hole. A rope dangling into it, hooked on
a crane parked near by and slowly from inside appears a dead
male body, lifelessly hanging as knotted on the rope, smeared
in black grease like filth of sewage, lifts up from it.
But rather than focusing on the body we hold onto the sewage
gutter hole- Slowly, two cockroach antenna appears from
inside. A dark brown-grown cockroach carefully crawls out,
flickering antennas, cautiously stops, and finally crawls
ahead. Three more brown cockroaches follow behind. Two small
and one medium size. We follow this cockroaches family as
they march ahead.
After a moment, they crawl between pairs of human feet,

standing in a line. These are poor and hungry people’s dirty
feet, waiting for their turn. Some feet wear torn chappals,
weatherbeaten shoes, and some even bare feet.
Slow motion: The cockroaches move ahead between these dirty

poor feet, terrified, when suddenly a foot come crunching the
little cockroach, DHAAM! A slimy yellow mucus spills out of
the little one. The other three, dead-scared, run for their
lives, as one by one foot comes stomping on them, the other
little one gets squashed, then the grown one, yellow-greenish
mucus spills from them.
Now only the medium size keeps running for her life. Another
foot comes up, right on to us, about to flatten it but
somehow stops at the very last movement, inches away from it.
The cockroach freezes, play dead for a while, but after
realizing, just hurriedly runs away.
The foot slides from us and We reveal the man who does not
kill the cockroach, He is NANDU, smiling down at the
cockroach. He is a poor migrant worker in his mid 30’s, but
after living a life of constant struggle and poverty, he
looks older than his actual age, say mid-40’s.
Thin to bones and tanned to the soul. He is waiting in the

ration line as he adjust his homemade black cheap unclean
mask on tiny face as the ration officer-says- “NEXT”.
EXT/INT. GOVERNMENT RATION SHOP-STREET- CONTINUE
Hundreds of unfortunate People, mostly poor migrant workers,

under the scorching sun, await their turn to get free
government ration grains.

4/151
Their hungry sweaty faces are covered with homemade cheap

masks, scarves, and some even with hands. With hope in eyes-
Young, old, crippled, men and women, everyone is here. Social
distancing is nowhere visible, Hunger is.
Nandu stands in the line, trying to position himself in the

white circle marked on the ground outside the shop. Sweating
under the sun, impatient for his next turn, he looks back at
the middle age RATION AGENT, sitting inside behind a computer
on a huge desk with an N-95 mask and gloved hands, as he
quarrels with a middle-aged MUSLIM MAN, who is pleading for
more Daal.
MUSLIM MAN
Sahib ji, bada parivaar hai mera
Sahib ji, thoda sa daal aur dedo
Ramzaan aaney vala hai, issey ho ni
paayega sahib ji, meharbaani sahib
ji..
He joins his hand to plead, but Ration Agent is agitated.
RATION AGENT
Arey bhayi itna hi milega, aur bhi
log hai bhayi, chal agey badh..
MUSLIM MAN
Sahab chote chote bacchey hein
sahab...
He is almost on the verge of tears.
RATION AGENT
Itney bachhey paida kyon kartey ho
tum log, hein? Jo khaney ko bhi na
miley? abaadi bada ke karna kya
hai? hein? Nikal chal, aur bhi log
hein.
He points at Nandu to come up.
RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Haan be aaja.
Nandu comes inside. Muslim man still stands folded hands.
MUSLIM MAN
Sahib ji naayi ka kaam karta tha,
ye laakdown me sab barbaad ho gaya
sahib ji, thoda sa bas daal aur
dedo sahib, chota chota bachaa hai
sahib ji , bhooka mar jayega sahib
ji.

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Nandu looks at begging Muslim man.
RATION RATION AGENT

Arey Sampat.. nikal is mulley ko
yaar, khopdi kha ra hai..
A middle age Delhi police constable SAMPAT come up.
CONSTABLE SAMPAT
Ke ho gya ji?
RATION RATION AGENT

Aur daal dedo..daal dedo, kiye jara
ra hai, nikalo yaar isko...
MUSLIM MAN
(verge of tears)
Sahib, thoda sa aur dedo, ek hafta
se ek ek time ka khana bhi nasib
nahi hai sahib...
Constable grabs his arms and pulls him out.
CONSTABLE SAMPAT
Bhenchod ye tablighi jamaat me tum
katuo ne hi failayi bimaari, dheka
maine news me... isliye sarkar ko
lockdown karna pada hai, ab tumhey
hi jyada rashan bhi chaiye, hein?
yahan ka khaa ke yahi hagtey
ho...nikal chal... behen Ke lode..,
nahi gaand pe ek lathi padegi sara
jihad nikal jayega yahin..
Constable just pushes him aside, and lashes a lathi on his

back, he almost falls on the ground. People waiting in line
just attend the drama happening, quite entertained.
The humiliated teary eye Muslim man looks back at constable

with deep hatred but just moves away.
EXT/INT. GOVERNMENT RATION SHOP- CONTINUE
Nandu looks at the Ration Agent as he hides a small bags of

daal, maize, and rice under his huge desk, next to a
cardboard box filled with more packets and covers it with
files, stealing.
The agitated Ration Agent settles back into his seat. Nandu
stands next to him, eager eyes.

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RATION AGENT
Dheka bhencho mulla kitna uchhal
raha tha...saalon ko abaadi badhani
hai aur fir sarkar se bheek bhi
mangni hai...
Nandu just nods.

Thodey din aur in dallo ko desh se
hi bhaga dengey...kyu?
Ration Agent winks at Nandu. He just stands there, waiting

for grains.

(writing down)
Ration card hai?
NANDU
Nahi sahab..
RATION AGENT
(without looking up)
Naam, umar aur pata bata.
NANDU
Narender Yadav, battees saal,
balhaan, saupaul jila, Bihar.
RATION AGENT
(writing down)
karta kya hai?
NANDU
Chaai ke dukan pe kaam karta tha
sahab, band ho giya.
Ration Agent looks back, cheered up.
RATION AGENT
Naam Narender aur chaiwala?
tu yahan kya kar raha hai bhencho?
tujhey toh Pardhanmantri hona
chaiye, hein?
He laughs at his own joke, Nandu just stands, waiting for his
grains.

Adhaar card hai?

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NANDU
Hai sahab, lekin gaaon me hai,
yahan naahi hai.
Ration Agent looks back at him for a while then passes a

biometric-touch pad.
RATION AGENT
Le yahan ungli laga.
Nandu puts his finger, a click on a computer next to him.

Dhang se laga!
Nandu puts the finger- Again - Insert screen- INVALID!

Nahi hoga tera, Adhar card la, fir
milega ab.
Nandu gets anxious.
NANDU
Sir kuch karkey deddijiye sir,
mahina bhar ho giya sir lackdown
ko, ab kuch nahi bacha sir khaney
ko..thoda rashan dedo sir.
RATION AGENT
Arey aise thodi na milta hai, koi
document laa pehley, rashan card,
adhar card, jab milega, chal aage
badh..
NANDU
Sir thoda sa de do, chota chota
bachha hai sir, roj ka khana kamana
tha sahab...paisa bhi khatam ho
giya sir..
Moisten-eyed, he folds his hand.
RATION AGENT
Yaar ajeeb hai? Document laa aur
leja bhai...sarkari rashan hai mere
baap ka thodi hai...
NANDU
Mehrbaani kardo sir...bhuka mar
jayngey...gharwali Pet se hai sir..
RATION AGENT
Arey toh mainey thodi kari hai?

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The helper inside laughs out at this, Nandu stares back,

controls, pleads.
NANDU
Sir meherbaani kardo sir, kuch bhi
dedo...
RATION AGENT
Fir bulaaun kya constable ko?
Nandu looks back, teary eyes.

(to an old woman next)
Haan aajaa..
Nandu steps out, helpless. He looks at the spilled maize and

daal on the cemented stairs step of the shop.
NANDU
(pointing at spilled daal)
Sir ye gira hua daal utha loon sir?
RATION AGENT
Abey nikal bhosdike yahan se, abhi
kisi ne photu votu leli, afsar meri
le lengey, nikal chal, kahin aur
dhek jakey.
Nandu looks back at him, raging moisten eyes for a while and
burst out.
NANDU
(teary but angry)
Aur jo aap ye mej ke nichey chupa
ra hai uh Rashan kiska hai?
Everyone in line looks at the Agent, who sits there, stunned.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(teary voice)
Sala chaar ghanta se dhoop me line
me khadey hein, aur yahan aake
bolta hai nahi milega, aur khud
garib ka rashan chori karta hai..
Ration Agent stands up from his seat and calls for the
constable.
RATION AGENT
Sampat nikal is bhosdivaley ko
yahan se...
Constable Sampat comes running.

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CONSTABLE SAMPAT
Ab Ke ho gaya?
RATION AGENT
Nikalo madharchod ko yahan se, kuch
bhi boley jara hai, maar lathi ek,
khudpe kagaz nahi hai, aur humey
baatey suna ra hai...
NANDU
(to crowd)
Chori karra hai ye rashan..
Everyone just looks back, keeps quiet, they eventually have

to go to the Agent. Constable takes his lathi and it lands on
Nandu’s ankle. He runs away in pain, trying to rub it.
CONSTABLE SAMPAT
Behnchod ek toh tum bhikaariyon ki
madad karo, aur tum humey e baatey
sunatey ho...bhaag yahan se...
Cockroach ki tarah nikal aaye kidey
behenchod...
He again lashes a lathi on his back and Nandu runs away,

humiliated. The crowd is yet again, just entertained.
EXT. SLUM STREET- LATER
Close on: Nandu’s swollen ankle. We follow him- as he limps

down a narrow slum lane. Tired and discouraged, he enters a
lane where a rivulet of filthy waste flows down the middle.
Vegetable peelings, cigarette butts, used masks, latex

gloves, used condoms, eggshells bob along the surface.
We can hear PM MODI addressing the nation on covid guidelines

on TV from homes he passes by.
A little further, the lane narrows and turns almost entirely

into a gutter. He steps carefully on wooden planks flowing on
human waste. Hordes of cockroaches scuttles along.
People looking at him limping- through small windows, cloth

masks on their faces, four skulls in a small window, and
sometimes even eight through one. People on the roof, women
outside their homes with infants. Children in street playing
in filth. Social distancing here in the slum is an absurd
joke.
Nandu arrives at his home, a rusting tin clustered cabin.

10/151
INT. NANDU’S SLUM CABIN- LATER
Nandu slides off the dirty Saari curtain and moves inside. A
single yellow bulb lights this 8 by 6 feet rusted tin cabin.
We see BINDIYA, Nandu’s wife, thin as paper with an eight-
month sprouting pregnant belly, seething in anger as she
stitches a cloth mask.
AMIT, son, 8, crying heavily and JYOTI, daughter, 12,

silently eating plain rice in a corner and in intervals
feeding a street dog who lays next to her, he is RANCHO.
NANDU
(to crying Amit)
Kaa hua?
Amit’s cries intensify as Nandu enters.
JYOTI
Mummy maari Amit ko.
NANDU
(to Bindiya)
Kahey?
Bindiya looks back in anger.
BINDIYA
Khana hi nahi kha raa tha, sahab ko
sabji chaiye khaaney ko..kahan se
laayein sabji?
Nandu just looks at Amit, limping he sits next to him.
NANDU
Bas itni si baat pe ro padey
Salmaan khan?
He puts him on his lap. Amit sobs.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Pata hai Salman Khan ka body itna
mast kyu hai?....kyunki voh faaltu
ka sabji nahi khata, bas bhaat
khata hai, namak daal ke, aur rota
toh bilkul nahi hai, nahi toh aansu
me sara taakat beh jata
hai..samjhey..?
Nandu wipes Amit’s tears and Jyoti silently slides the boiled
rice bowl with a salt packet. Nandu mixes it with his hand.

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NANDU (CONT'D)
(mixing rice and salt)
Ee bana Salmaan khan ka body ka
raaj...lo khaao..khaao..
He feeds sobbing Amit. Bindiya stares back.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua rashan ka?
NANDU
(feeding Amit)
Bina rashan card ka naahi milega..
She looks back at him, distraught.
BINDIYA
Ab?
NANDU
Kal jaingey rashan card ka pata
karney..
BINDIYA1111
Achha? ee lackdown me tumka Rashan
card banayenge ye log? achha khasa
din me toh banta nahi...
NANDU
Toh kaa karey?
She just throws the mask away.
BINDIYA
Kar kaa sakat ho tum?
Nandu do not reply. She looks at him and then at his swollen
ankle.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Ee kaa hua?
NANDU
Kuch nahi, moochiya giya..
She looks back at him for while, takes out a cloth, warms it
on the cylinder stove, and puts it on his ankle. Nandu
flinches with pain, she did not react and keep the warm
cloth.
BINDIYA
(pressing it slow)
Kal jaiyngey hum hi Khanna memsahab
ke yahan, de de toh kuch paisa..

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Amit is done eating and what is left Nandu eats.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Chaudhry bhi aaya tha, kiraya
maangney, bolra tha do mahina ho
giya, ab chahiye kiraya..hum kal ki
boldiye..kal aayega fir...
Nandu just looks back, blank.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Aur Chawal ke alawa kuchho nahi
bacha hai, namak aur chawal hai
bas..ye hi khhilatey rahein inkaa?
Nandu quietly listens.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(to Jyoti)
Aur ek ee maharani hai, khud kam
khati hai ee kutta ko jyada khilati
hai...
Jyoti just looks back and pushes Rancho to go out, he wiggles

his tale, licks her hand and runs out.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(to Nandu)
Ab bolaa kuch tum? Ke naahi?
Nandu just stands up and walk outside.
BINDIYA (o.s.) (CONT'D)

Humara toh zindagi barbaad ho
giya...aisa nithalla se bhiya
karkey...bada Sehar me aana tha
inkaa...
EXT. GOVERNMENT RATION SHOP- NIGHT- LATER
Nandu walks outside the shop, still limping, it’s dark, the
shop’s shutter is down. A guard is snoring in a corner. Nandu
stands at a distance, looking if anyone around.
He cautiously moves ahead, ducking down, and slowly comes to

the steps of the shop and takes out a small poly-bag from his
pocket and hurriedly collects spilled daal on the cemented
steps, carefully looking around.
Close on: The brown cockroach comes with a sweep of his hand
with daal and dust inside the poly bag and hides under a
handful of dirt filled daal he collects. Guard wakes up.

13/151
GUARD
Aae kon hai? Kya karra hai?
He grabs Nandu’s collar from behind.
GUARD (CONT'D)
Kya karra hai be?
Nandu turns back and Guard looks back at the small poly bag
with little collected daal from steps.
NANDU
Kuch nahi karra bhaiya ye thoda sa
daal pada tha ye uthaa ra tha...
bhaiyaa....bas..
Guard melts, he leaves his collar. Nandu folds his hands and
hurriedly leaves.
INT. NANDU'S SLUM CABIN- NIGHT-LATER
Nandu enters. Jyoti is studying a math-book. Amit is looking

at a Salman khan song on a cheap Chinese smartphone, smiling.
Bindiya cooks rice in the corner, drenched in sweat, fighting
the stove heat.
Nandu gives her the poly-bag of daal.
NANDU
Liyo ye daal mila ke khichdi bana
liyo...
Bindiya takes the poly bag.
BINDIYA
Kahan se mila?
NANDU
Leke aaye hein kisi se, dho liyo ek
baar.
Bindiya knows he is lying but just take it and open it in a

cracked steel bowl. As she spills it, the brown cockroach
runs out, Bindiya screams.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kaa hua?
BINDIYA
(terrified)
Kukrooch...

14/151
Bindiya takes her chappal and goes after the cockroach, she
hits the chappal but before it can kill it, the cockroach
runs into the clothes nearby.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Pata naahi kahan se le aaye,
(mocks)
daal laya hun..
Amit and Jyoti laugh out at Bindiya, Nandu burst out laughing
too.
NANDU
(laughing)
Koi nahi, Dho leyo, aur bana
leyo...
Bindiya laughs out looking at them, giggling at her . A

moment of happiness in the time of crisis. A cheerful Family
for the moment.
EXT. HIGH RISE APARTMENTS-DAY
Masked, Nandu and Pregnant exhausted Bindiya arrives at the

entrance of a luxury high rise apartments society. A masked
uniformed security GUARD instantly comes out from the glass
cabin as they arrive.
GUARD
Haan? Kahan?
BINDIYA
Bhaiya hum kaam kartey the yahan,
Khanna madam se milney aaye aaye
hein, kuch kaam tha..
GUARD
Yahan nahi hai kuch, Pata nahi
lockdown hai? nikalo yahan se,
ander jaana mana hai tum jaiso ka
ab..chalo..
BINDIYA
Arey phone toh kariye, Khanna
madam, ek hazar sola number, dusra
tower me, bataiye toh Bindiya aayi
hai..
GUARD
Arey bola na, kuch nahi hai yahan,
chalo nikalo..

15/151
NANDU
(fold his hands)
Arey bhaiya aap bas phone laga
dijiye na, bhaut jaruri
hai...mehrbaani hogi aapki..
Guard looks back at him and moves inside his glass cabin and
we see him dialing on phone.
CUT TO:
INT. LAVISH LUXURY APARTMENT-DAY
A middle age KHANNA MADAM, wearing a full blown makeup and

dressed up in a silk saaree making a tik-tok with a baked
cake on her velvet couch, when the intercom rings up.
She ignores it, the lip-sync of video is important. It keeps

ringing. Frustrated she get up and picks it up.
KHANNA MADAM
Hello?
She listens.
KHANNA MADAM (CONT'D)

Bindiya? Kam vali? achaa, haan, voh
kya karne aayi hai?
She listens.
KHANNA MADAM (CONT'D)

Free atey hein kya pasie? Kaam
thodi na karvaya hai ab humney jo
paise dede, boldo jaaye
vapas...jhuggiyo me se virus leke
aayi hogi...Modi Ji kitna kuch kar
toh rahein hai in logo ke liye, fir
bhi muft me chaiye sab...bhaga do..
She hangs up.
EXT. SLUM STREET-LATER
Nandu and Bindiya walks back home, defeated.
BINDIYA
Kaa karengey ab?Paisa khatam hai
bikul, school ka fees bhi nahi
diye, phone pe bhi band kar diya
padhana dono ka...

16/151
NANDU
Kuch kaam dhekta hun..
She looks back at him, hopeless.
BINDIYA
Hum mana kiye the tumka yihan bada
sehar vehar nahi aana..kam Khaa
letey...lekin gaao me kuch toh khaa
letey....lekin tum/
Suddenly, they hear someone calling. Far away- from slum, we

see someone coming.
RAMA
(barely audible)
Aae Nanduaa, jaldi jaa..chaudhry
bhagavat hai sabka...
They come closer, The man is RAMA, a dalit man in his early
50’s. Sweating heavily as he holds a cloth sack on his head.
Behind him is Rama’s disabled nephew SHIVA, slumped upon a
small wooden platform fitted with castors, which raises him
four inches off the ground. His fingers and thumbs are
missing, and his legs are amputated almost to the buttocks.
The beggar kid, we see on red lights.
NANDU
Kaa hua re Rama?
RAMA
Arey corona ho gya hai jhuggi me
kuch logan ka, suna hai gadi me
pakad ke le jaarey hein logon
ko..Oh Chaudhry nikaal ra hai,
kiraya maang ra hai, kahan se laaye
bhaiya kiraya, khaaney ko toh hai
nahi...
RAMA (CONT'D)
Ab kahan jaat ho?
RAMA (CONT'D)
Gaaon jaa rahey bhaiya, bimaari se
pehley yahan toh bhukaa maar
jaayngey...
NANDU
Bus train toh kucho hai nahi?

17/151
RAMA
Aur kaa karey bhaiya... marna hi
hai toh apney gaao me jaa ke mar
lengey..yahan toh koi aag laganey
vala bhi nahi milega...suna hai
murda ko nadi me baha deta
hai..bina kiriyakaram ke....
NANDU
Arey afaah hai ye sab..dheke hum
samachar pe...aisa kuch nahi
hai..sab control kiye hein modi ji
acchey se...
RAMA
Bhaiyaa yahan rahein toh mar
jaienge...
Nandu looks at his nephew Shiva behind him, who nods.
SHIVA
Sehar toh ab bheek bhi nahi deta
bhaiyaa...
Bindiya gawp back at half-body nephew.
RAMA
Tum jaao apna baali bachha dheko,
voh chaudhry sabka samaan bahar
phekat hai...
Nandu nods and Bindiya hurriedly moves ahead.
EXT. SLUM STREET- LATER
As they move ahead into the slums- they see poor families
heading out of the slum. It’s chaos. People push and shove
one another to evacuate the slum. We can hear ambulance
sirens from far away.
Everywhere, people are on the move. Mask on faces. Little

children cry. Women and men carry their belongings in cloth
bags, on their backs and their heads. They walk with short,
brisk steps, demanding their children to stay together, to
hold each other's hands. Infants in their mother’s arms. All
comes out of the slum, horror, hopelessness, hunger and fear
written bold on their faces.
INT./EXT. NANDU'S SLUM CABIN- LATER
Nandu and Bindiya arrives, it’s total chaos here, two

ambulance siren blares chaotically on overlap nearby.

18/151
They see Jyoti holding hand of crying Amit stands outside

their slum cabin, with their belongings scattered outside.
RANCHO, the street dog stands next to the children, barking
at people moving out in haste. Nandu in shock keeps looking
at them, his world falling apart.
BINDIYA
(breaks his spell)
Khadey khadey mooh ka dhekat ho,
samaan baandho...
Nandu get into action and hastily starts to pack things into
a bed sheet, clothes mostly. On verge of tears.
(Close on: the cockroach getting packed with clothes).
Jyoti picks up her math-book to pack inside, but Bindiya take

it out and throws away.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Iska jarurat nahi hai... jaruart ka
samaan daal, jakey cylinder uthaa..
Jyoti, heartbroken, stares back at her math books floating

away in the gutter lane. She moves inside to grabs the
cylinder instead. Nandu packs the clothes in haste and makes
a sack of it.
NANDU
Chalo..chalo...
Nandu puts the sack on his head and grabs the cylinder from
Jyoti. Pregnant Bindiya balancing a small sack on her head.
The family moves out. Rancho barks and follows Jyoti. Nandu
bawls him away. Rancho wiggles his tail.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Rancho hatt...jaa vapas..
Rancho wiggling his tail, keeps following. Jyoti looking at

him teary eyes.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(pretend to throw a stone)
Jaa..
Rancho stops, but his tail keeps wiggling, flatten ears.

Jyoti on verge of tears.
JYOTI
Papa le chalo na isko, isko kon
khilayega yahan..sab toh jaa rahe
hein...

19/151
BINDIYA
Tu kaa khilaygi iska, khudka khaane
ko hai nahi...chal Chup chaap..
Bindiya moves ahead.
JYOTI
Papa le chalo na rancho ko bhi..
NANDU
Humara apna nahi pata beta, iska
khayal kahan se rakhengey..
JYOTI
Aapko rakhney ka jarurat hi nahi
papa, hum rakhengey, pakka, ye agar
pareshan karega toh hum khud bhaga
dengey, lekin abhi le chalo..dekho
kaise ro ra hai..
Rancho looks back, puppy eyes. Wailing. Nandu gives up and

moves ahead.
Rancho, suddenly joyful , comes running to Jyoti and she hugs

him, rubbing his back.
They all move out of slum.
EXT.INDIA GATE CIRCLE- EVENING-LATER
Streets are empty, no cars, no traffic but poor migrants are

on the move.
Fathers carrying children on their shoulders, women balancing

belongings on their heads, hapless faces we have seen fixing
our streets, cleaning our toilets, sweeping our homes,
building our houses, now walk on abandoned city streets, all
determined to find a way home.
The sun is dying into the horizon, as Nandu’s family walk

aimlessly behind the crowd of poor which itself is walking
somewhere nobody knows, but everyone is walking, tired and
hungry.
AMIT
Papa, dheko India gate...
Nandu looks back, smiles slowly, nods.
JYOTI
Pata hai iska jyoti kabhi nahi
bhujta...aise hi jalta rehta hai
humesha...

20/151
AMIT
Mai bhi bada hoke fauji
banuga...fir tero goli se udaa
dunga...
Amit laughs out and Nandu giggles at him.
NANDU
Goli se nahi Amit...tope se...
He laughs out and Bindiya turn back with sack on her head, to
give him a look- It’s no time for jokes.
EXT. PARLIEMENT BUILDING -LATER-NIGHT
Amit annoys exhausted Bindiya to take him into arms, but she
just do not listen. Her hands on her back as she walks arched
with the pregnant belly, balancing the sack on her head.
Sweating Jyoti alongside Rancho walks slow, a heavy bag on

her shoulders, almost giving up.
Crying Amit comes to Nandu to grab him into his arms.
AMIT
Papa god me utha lo, dard hora hai
pairo me, papa, utha liyo..
Drained Nandu stops, take off the sack from his head put the
cylinder down and take him on his shoulder and pick up the
sack and cylinder again, the weight too much to bear.
AMIT (CONT'D)
Ye konsi building hai papa?
Nandu looks back at the parliament building behind the iron

bars.
NANDU
Ee parliament hai beta...
AMIT
Parliament kya hota hai papa?
Jyoti laughs out at him.
NANDU
Ee humarey Raja ka ghar hai
beta...yahin se sara desh chalta
hai..sabsey bada raaja bhi yahin
baithta hai...desh Me kya hona
hai..kya nahi hona hai...yahin se
hota hai...

21/151
AMIT
Toh chalo naa ander...
NANDU
Kahey?
AMIT
Chalke rajaa ko bata detey
hein...lackdown hata le...aur
humkaa khana dede..aur gaao bhijvaa
de...
Nandu keep looking at the parliament building as they move

ahead, realizing the innocent but profound appeal.
EXT. CITY STREETS-NIGHT
Close on: Rancho’s dog-tired huffing tongue drops outside his

mouth as the family walks through a suburb, empty roads, only
few people sleeping on pavement, they are all tired and its
visible in their slow discouraged walk.
Suddenly Nandu hears him name from the darkened pavement.
RAMA (O.S.)
Aaie Nanduaa..
He looks around and finds Rama, sitting on the pavement.

Shiva the half-body nephew laying down next to him on his
wooden castor.
NANDU
Rama..?
RAMA
Aaie ajaao, sasta leyo thoda,
ajaa..raat me police vala nahi
chalney dega...aajaa
They all move into the direction, all relieved they will
finally sit.
EXT. PAVEMENT-CONTINUE
Rama spreads his cardboard sheet for them.
RAMA
Aaja..bhait leyo...aram Karliyo..
Nandu’s puts the sack near by and cylinder next to it. All of
them slowly settles down, relieved to stretch the legs
finally. Rancho sits next to Jyoti.

22/151
NANDU
Kaa karogey ab?
RAMA
Kaa karey bhaiyaa...kuch samjh hi
nahi araha...
Rama lights up two beedi together and passes is to Nandu. He

takes it. Bindiya looks back at Nandu, smoking.
NANDU
Kaise pahuchenge bhaiya ghar..?
RAM
Suna hai humarey Modi ji chalaaye
hein hum garibo ka liye sapecial
train...mazdooran ko gaon chorda ke
khatir...
NANDU
Achha? kaise milega e train?
RAMA
Kaa pata bhaiya... humka padhna
likhna toh aata nahi....suna hai
koi faram milta hai usey bharkey
milega ticket..phone pe ata hai
sab...humpey na phone hai ab, kahan
se karey itna kuch, humaar liye toh
kala akshar bhains barabar..
NANDU
Humka aata hai likhna
padhana...humpey phone bhi hai..
RAMA
Toh kal chala fir jila adhikari
office pe? vahin milat hai suna hai
faram..
NANDU
Haan kal chala subah...
EXT. PAVEMENT-NIGHT-LATER
Under the yellow street light Nandu tries to flame up the

cylinder with matchstick while Bindiya pour handful of rice
to cook. Sweaty fagged Amit is sleeping and Jyoti feeds
Rancho with biscuits, patting his back.

23/151
BINDIYA
(shouting)
Isi ka khila de saara biskut, baad
ma tu humkaa khaa liyo..
Jyoti looks back and puts the packet away, Rancho licks her
hands.
NANDU
(flaming the cylinder)
Leyo paka leyo..
He looks at Rama and Shiva at a distance, no food there.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(to Bindiya)
Thoda aur chaval ho toh daal leyo,
Rama ko bhi de dengey..bhooka hoga
bechara..
Bindiya shows her a plastic jar, almost empty.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Thoda sa bana leyo, bhooka hoga
bechara voh bhi..
Bindiya, seething, empties the jar into the cooking pot.
BINDIYA
Bartan unka hi manga lena...
Nandu looks back at her for a while, questioning eyes.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(whispering)
Musahar hai voh jaat se ...bhool
gaye ka? Ya seher me aakey do rupya
ki beedi piney me jaat paat sab
bhool gaye?
He looks back if Rama heard them, he is looking right at

them.
EXT. PAVEMENT-NIGHT-LATER
Close on: Little cooked Plain white rice with a pich of salt
on a piece of soggy newspaper as a hand mixes it.
RAMA
(prays before eating)
Hari om! Bhagwan tumhara baali
bachha banaye rakhey bhaiya...kal
Raat se ab ann nasib hua hai...

24/151
Rama tries to control his tears as he mixes it and first

offers it to Shiva’s mouth and then he eats it. Nandu sit
next to them, smoking beedi.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Humpey toh deney ko kuchho nahi hai
bhauji ko, pehli baar khana khaye
unka...
Nandu shakes his head and looks back at his family, Exhausted
and asleep at a distance.
NANDU
Koi jarurat nahi hai...
RAMA
Humsey galti ho gaya bhaiya..humney
dhyan nahi diya..
NANDU
Kaa galti hua?
RAMA
Hum tumko apna beedi jala ke de
diye hathon se..hum suney bhauji
kaa bolin...lekin dekho fir bhi hum
choti jaat valey ko bhaat
banayi...bhagvaan banaye rakhey
tumko..
Nandu shakes his head, thinking, smoke from his nostrils.
NANDU
(lost eyes)
Bhook se chota jaati shayad koi aur
nahi hota Rama...aur iyahan sab
bhookey hein...
Rama and Shiva both stares back at him for a moment, deep.
EXT. DISTRICT MAGISTRATE OFFICE-DAY
Close on: A government poster showing smiling migrant labour

men waving from the grilled window of trains with a promise
written beneath their smiling face-
“MAZDOOR BHAIYON-BEHNO KO MUFT GHAR PAHUCHANEY KA SANKALP

lIYE SHRAMIK SPECIAL TRAIN CHALAKAR!”
We move lower from it to see hundreds of poor migrants

pushing each other to get any information about the forms.

25/151
Rama and Nandu struggles between these sweaty dirty men.

Elbows push and shove their ribs and faces. Two Masked
policemen outside the gates with thick lathis in their gloved
hands trying to stop them to get inside. It’s rising chaos.
BENGALI MAZDOOR
Sir chaar din se ye kagaz lekey
ghum rohey hein sir, jama karva do
sir, ghor pe mera maa baap bimaar
hai sir...bula rohey hein sir...
POLICEMAN#1
Arey yahan nahi hai kuch, yahan
aney se kuch nahi hoga, apney apney
police thaney me jaao, vaha se form
lo, voh form bharkey, apney jiley
ke tees logo ko dhundke, form
ikkhata karkey, police station me
dediyo, vahan se apney aap yahan
aajeyga, aur tumharey phone pe date
aajeygi train kab ki hai..
Rama and Nandu listening between the crowd, learning, elbows

shoving them.
NEPALI MAZDOOR
(folded hands)
Sahab ji, thaney me bolta hai DM
office me deke aaney ko form? Kya
karey sahab ji? Nepali hun sahab
ji!
POLICEMAN#2
Arey DM ko yun hi samajh rakhha hai
kya, jo form leta ghumega? Thaney
me jaao vahan milega, vahin jama
hoga, chalo nikalo sab, chalo,
Suddenly their walky-talky squeaks in their hands, they

listens to it and get into action.
POLICEMEN
Chalo chalo, hato gate se, chal...
They shove their lathi into the chest who are near by and
poor migrants fall back.
POLICEMEN (CONT'D)
Chalo chalo, niklo...
The crowd spills out. Nandu and Rama moves along with crowd.

26/151
EXT. POLICE STATION-DAY-LATER
Rama and Nandu arrives at the station, it’s pandemonium here.

Wild and noisy Migrant workers all over, fists high in air
gripping their documents. Desperate to get any informations.
The same poster of smiling migrants hung high on the station.
Rama and Nandu moves ahead into the chaos.
NANDU
Kahan milega faram?
RAMA
Vahan dheka, mej pe log bhaita hai,
vahan milega shayad?
They move forward through the disorderly crowd, but suddenly

a hand stops them to move ahead towards officer under tree,
he is SOUTH INDIAN guy, with bushy mustache.
SOUTH INDIAN
Kidar jata? Line me aaney ka!
Nandu and Rama tries to trace the end of the line which is
not visible, it’s an endless line of human males, desperate
to get to the two officials sitting under a tree with a table
full of forms, sweating and frustrated working over hours.
All of sudden, a brown monkey jumps right on the officer’s

table from the tree, hurriedly grabs a form paper and runs
away.
OFFICER
Itney saarey bandar kya
kam they jo in bandoro ko
bhi form chaiye ab..
A laugh comes out of crowd. Nandu and Rama walks at the end.
EXT.POLICE STATION- DAY/NIGHT
Nandu and Rama, standing almost at the end of the line, the
officer behind the table seems almost a kilometer away from
here, the sun above is merciless.
With TIME lAPSE: we see them moving forward in line, as

slowly sun from right above them, moves ahead, gets dim to
almost dark.
Finally, Nandu and RAMA arrives at the desk, just behind a

one person. The official takes the document of the person
ahead and announces.

27/151
OFFICER
Chalo bas band, itna hi hai aaj ka
ab kal. khatam faram, Chalo.
They stand up from chair, wrapping up. Rama cries out.
RAMA
Sahab subah se khadey hein sahab,
humara de dijiye sahab..
OFFICER
Arey form khatam ab, ab kal
milega...chalo chalo..
A sigh of frustration breaks out from the line and crowd walk
back. Few abuses from behind. Rama and Nandu looks back at
each other, defeated.
RAMA
Sahab kuch dhek lo ho jaaye toh?
Officer looks back, interested.
OFFICER
Kya dhekey tum hi batao?
RAMA
Kuch toh sahab?
OFFICER
Dheko form toh ho gaya khatam,
tumharey hissey ka shayad voh
bandar utha ke leke gya, kyu mishra
ji?
Both officer laugh out. Nandu and Rama stands there straight
face.
RAMA
Kal firsey shuru se lagna padega
sahab, aaj pura din ho gya sahab
bhooka pet khadey khadey...
OFFICER
Ek kaam kar saktey hein, kal tumhey
line me lagney ka jarurat nahi
padney dengey, agar tum bhi thoda
corporate karo toh..
RAMA
Sahab humpey jyada toh kuch hai
nahi, garib aadmi hai sahab...

28/151
OFFICER
Koi nahi, ek hara vala dediyo, bas?
RAMA
Panch sau?
Officer nods. Rama looks back at Nandu, to take it out. Nandu

reaches his pocket and its just two hundred.
NANDU
Do sau hai sirf.
Officer shook his neck.
OFFICER
Pata hai kitna logo se 1000 liye
hein, tumsey toh bas 500 mangey aur
ab tum hoshiyar ban rahey ho..ke
200 e hai...
Rama again looks back at Nandu and he takes off his cover
from back of his phone and gets 200 more.
NANDU
Ab nahi hai...
RAMA
Sahab 400 se lelo sahab, ab nahi
hai sahab, garib log hein, mazdoori
kartey they...sahab...
Officer looks around- no one is looking.
OFFICER
Kal line me lagne ka jarurat nahi
hai, sidhaa faram lelena aake, thik
hai?
They both nods folded hands and move ahead.
EXT. PAVEMENT-LATE NIGHT
Fatigued Bindiya lays down on pavement, grabbing her pregnant

belly. Jyoti pets Rancho in a corner.
Amit tries to capture the running cockroach with a steel

glass, cockroach escapes back into the sack. Shiva laughing
at Amit’s amusement on the castor.
People are almost asleep around, few cooking and some

discussing in groups.

29/151
Bindiya gets up as Rama and Nandu arrives, slumped shoulders,

exhausted.
Amit leaves the cockroach capturing and runs into Nandu’s

arm, excited.
AMIT
Kab jaeingey papa train me?
Nandu just drops Amit off the arm and sit down, stretching
his legs. Rama sits next to him.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua mila faram?
NANDU
Nahi..
BINDIYA
Nahi milaa? nahi Mila ka matbal?
Pura din kahan gayab rahey fir..
NANDU
Arey jab number aya tab tak faram
hi khatam...kal jayngey fir...
BINDIYA
Aur kal bhi nahi mila fir?
RAMA
Mil jayega kal..
Bindiya looks back at Rama and goes quite. Rama looks at

Shiva on castor.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Kuch khaaye Shiva?
SHIVA
Ji, bhauji ne diya tha subah khaney
ko, hum thik hein...aap khaye ka
kuch?
Rama nods back.
RAMA
Haan kha liya, so jaao ab..
Nandu looks at him-he knows Rama is lying.

30/151
EXT. PAVEMENT-LATE NIGHT
Rama sleeps next to Shiva. Exhaustion has taken over hungry

stomach.
A hands taps him to wake up. Rama wakes up and finds Nandu, a
packet of Parley-G biscuit in one hand.
LATER: Rama and Nandu sits on the pavement, crunching on the

biscuits, smoking beedi. Looking at the people laying around,
almost looking like dead corpse.
RAMA
Salaa e kaisa bimmaari aagya nahi?
Sara jati vala Chuaachoot ho
giya...jisko hua voh hum jaisa
dalit ho giya..
He laughs out the smoke. Nandu grins at his wit.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Sala saans lene se hojata hai ee
corona..aisa lagta hai bholenath ne
tisra ankh khol diya ho, sab
barbaad honey vala ho...Saans lene
se mar jaeingey toh ab sala saans
kaise rokega aadmi... nahi? Suna
hai murda ko plastic ka panni me
lipate ke jala deta hai bhatti me,
koi kiriya karam, kuch nahi...bhaut
darr lagta hai kabhi toh...
NANDU
(lost in thought)
Bimaari se jyada dar toh bhooka
marney se lagra hai, nahi?
Nandu looks back at Rama, silent. Smoke from nostrils.
EXT. POLICE STATION-DAY
Nandu and Rama sit on their haunches under the shade of

smiling migrant poster, bewilderedly looking at the form.
RAMA
Ee toh angreji me hai re Nandua?
Nandu trying to read, blank face.
NANDU
Koi nahi Jyoti ko ata hoga..uh
padhti hai angreji...

31/151
They get up.
EXT. PAVEMENT-LATER
Close on: Jyoti holding the form, trying to read it. Rama,
Nandu, Bindiya, Shiva and Amit and even Rancho, staring back
at her as she Reads. She is struggling.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua? Kaa padhney jaati thi
school me?
Jyoti looks back at Nandu.
NANDU
Kaa hua?
Jyoti almost on verge of tears.
JYOTI
English ke teacher school kabhi
aaye hi nahi...
Nandu looks back at crying Jyoti and without saying anything

just takes back the form from her hand.
BINDIYA
(shouting)
Aur leke aao inkaa seher me
padhaney, bada aadmi banainge
baccho ka.. sara paise phooko inka
padhayi mai, aur inko kucho aata hi
nahi...
Amit giggles out. Jyoti sobs, head into knees, ashamed,

wiping her tears. Rancho sniffs her face.
Nandu sits next to Jyoti, hand around her shoulder.
NANDU
Aaie Pagli, roti kaahey hai, ro
na...humey pata hai tu ganit me
bhaut achhi hai..tumhara galti
thodi hai...jab sikhaney vala nahi
hoga toh sikhegi kaise...chalo ro
na....
Rancho licking her from other side, barks at her. Jyoti rubs
Rancho’s back and he calms down.

32/151
NANDU (CONT'D)
Angreji nahi aayi toh kaa
hua..Rancho ka bhasha toh tum sikh
hi gayi...kyu?
Jyoti burst out giggling, wiping her tear. She looks back at
Nandu.
JYOTI
Shuru shuru me do din aayi thi
teacher, fir unka salary nahi mila
toh chali gayi..fir aaya hi nahi
koi...
Nandu nods, understanding.
JYOTI (CONT'D)
Hum khub achhey se padhenge papa,
Ek din aap ko pakka ghar leke denge
sehar me....apna khud ka ghar
hoga..jahan Bijli bhi hoga.. saaf
paani bhi...fir Humko aise bhagna
nahi padega...
Nandu just stares back at her moisten but determined eyes.
NANDU
Tu ek din bhaut badi aadmi
banegi...badi gaadi se aya jaya
karegi...haina?
Jyoti nods.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Fir tu hum garib logo ko kahan
puchegi..
Nandu and Jyoti laughs out when suddenly police van siren
wails out loud. Growing louder.
Two blue police van arrives, gate thuds back open and a dozen
of police men jumps out, gear up with lathis and
polycarbonate shields. Rancho burst out barking at them.
Jyoti tries to control him.
A fat belly inspector stands out with bullhorn.

33/151
INSPECTOR
(lousy voice)
Yahan curfew laga hua hai, kisi bhi
aadmi ko sadko pe nikalna mana hai,
jo jahan se aaya hai vahan chala
jaaye, sarkar aapkey khaney piney
ki vyavasta kar rahi hai....aur
jaldi hi aap logo ke liye train ki
vyavastha kardi jayegi...chalo apna
apna samaan yahan se uthaao aur
jahan se bhi aaye ho vapas chaley
jaao....
An old man from the pavement comes forwards, fold his hand,
pleads.
OLD MAN
Sahab koi jagah nahi hai jaaney ki
sahab, jhuggi me corona ho gaya
logon ko or makan maalik ne ghar se
bhaga diya sahab, kidhar jaaye?
Every face on the pavement looks back at the bulging belly

officer.
INSPECTOR
Humey adesh hein tumhey yahan se
hataney ke, jagah nahi hai toh rain
baseron me chaley jaao, lekin yahan
koi nazar naa aye....sarkar Ka
sakht adesh hai..road pe koi na
nikaley...
A young man, boiling in anger speaks up.
YOUNG MAN
Sala ye kon hai jo garibon ko road
se bhi hataaney ka adesh detey
hein....sab Kuch toh cheen liya..ab
ee road pe bhi nahi soney dega
kyaa...
INSPECTOR
Aaee bhosdike...faltu ki baatey
nahi...mujhey bhaashad baaji karney
ki koi jarurat nahi...chal nikal le
nikal..chal..
He swings is lathi in air and few people on pavement

instantly grabs their belongings and treads away.
Bindiya looks around people moving in haste and immediately

packs their belongings, telling everyone to grab the stuff
fast. Whole family get into action. A chaos rising.

34/151
Nandu keep looking back at the young man next to him, staring
at the inspector as he packs the cloth sack.(THE COCKROACH
AGAIN HIDES INSIDE THE SACK).
YOUNG MAN
(murmurs in low voice to
Nandu)
Ye thulla sala kya samjhega kisi ka
majboori..
Inspector comes closer.
INSPECTOR
Kya bad-bada ra hai be bhenchod?
YOUNG MAN
Kuch nahi...gali kahey de rahey
hein...
INSPECTOR
behend ke lodey saman utha aur
nikal...jyada garam hora hai kya
khoon tera...
YOUNG MAN
Gaali mat dijiye..hum kuch nahi
bol rahey hein aapse...
Inspector moves forward and smacks him with a lathi on his

back. Nandu jumps aside from him. The young man falls down on
the ground, grabbing his ribs. Inspector kicks him in the gut
again. The young man spits out blood from his mouth. Almost
unconscious.
Nandu stares back at the man’s blood filled mouth. Crowd

burst out fast, running away wildly. Hue and cry erupts.
INSPECTOR
Faltu bolega behenchod...tumhey hi
sambhanley me lage rahey
hum...humare Baali bachey thodi
hein!
He again hit his back with a lathi and looks around.
INSPECTOR (CONT'D)
Bhago yahan se behenchodo...keedey
saaley...nikal aaaye bill se
bimaari pehlaney...cockroach
bhenchod..bhaago...
Crowd on the pavement runs away in haste, Nandu and his

family hurriedly moves away, scared. Rama and Shiva on castor
along.

35/151
BINDIYA
Cylinder reh giya...
RAMA
Chordo abhi, nikalo yahan se, kahin
lathi charge kar diya sab par
toh...bachha hai chota
chota...chalo chalo..
Nandu tries to hold onto children's hands. Jyoti trying to

look for Rancho. He is not with them.
JYOTI
Papa Rancho!
She looks back: Rancho still on the pavement, barks at the

Inspector, standing next to the Young Men laying on the
ground, blood on his mouth, not moving.
NANDU
Chord usko...abhi..chalo...
They all moves away from the pavement. Jyoti keeps looking
behind at Rancho as they move ahead, teary eyes. Suddenly she
leaves Nandu's hand and runs back to the pavement.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Jyoti...
She reaches and calls Rancho with authority.
JYOTI
Rancho..idhar aaa..
Rancho immediately runs to her, wiggling his tail and they

both move back.
Nandu and Bindiya looks back at her, shakes their head.
BINDIYA
Eee kutta hi sab kuch hai eeka..
They all walk away.
EXT. UNDER A BRIDGE ON YAMUNA-EVENING-LATER
On the cemented Bridge wall it reads- “YAMUNA SAFAYI ABHIYAN-

SWACH BHARAT ABHIYAN” with painted Gandhi’s smiling face.
We move between: Similar faces from the pavement among

hundreds of other poor migrants taking shelter under the
bridge, holding on to their scant belongings.

36/151
Severely old men and women sits staring into nothingness,

small children crying for food, few months old fragile
infants in mother arms. Everywhere we see it’s personified
misery with hope in it’s eyes. Most of them have been hungry
for days, and some have fallen sick. Cough and sneeze with
groans rises from the people time to time.
Rama on dirty ground and Shiva on in his castor laying down,

exhausted. Nearby, Bindiya along with the help of Jyoti and
Amit try to organize their left over belongings.
At a distance, exhausted and lost Nandu, alone sits quietly

on the bank of Yamuna river under the bridge-staring blankly
at the filthy river ahead. Dying sun rays shimmers on broken
earthen pots, rotting flowers, tattered pieces of saffron
cloths, semi-dissolved god idols, filth littering the banks
of the Yamuna. Hordes of stray dogs sniffs the garbage piles
for sweets and food buzzing with flies.
Nandu’s eyes follows a paper thin man in wretched clothes,

his long hair and huge beard matted with dirt and his face
almost a raw skull. He haunches next to the dog sniffing the
food and takes a soaked paper packet of rotten sweets full of
dead flies and in sheer desperation of hunger, swallows it.
Nandu blank of thoughts keep staring at him and the lunatic
man looks back at him and smiles back, full mouth of soggy
dead-flies sweet, chewing on it, his eyes cheerful.
Disgusted, a jolt of puke fills Nandu’s throat and he vomits-

he spots blood clearly in his spew.
EXT. POLICE STATION- DAY
Rama and Nandu stand under the shade of giggling minister’s

poster. Bewilderedly staring at the chaos of hundreds of
people desperate to get any information here.
RAMA
Ab kaa karna hai re Nandua?
Nandu without any reply, just look back at the form in his
hand and looks straight at the chaos again, no clue.
NANDU
Ee faram bharva ke kisi se jama
karana padega..kahan hoga kya hoga
kuch pata toh chaley..
A young boy in his late teens lurking near by wearing a “Make

in India locomotive lion” logo blue t-shirt comes next to
them.

37/151
RAMA
Yahan toh maara maari ho raha hai
itna...
The young boy approaches them.
YOUNG BOY
Haan? Kya karvana hai? Ticket
chaiye train ki?
Rama and Nandu nods instantly.
RAMA
Haan bhaiya, lekin kuch samajh nahi
aa raha, kaa karey?
YOUNG BOY
Koi nahi pareshan mat ho, aao mai
karvata hun...
Nandu hesitates, skeptical, looks back at Rama.
YOUNG BOY (CONT'D)

Arey ghabraao mat, yahan paas me
Travel angency hai mere bhaiya ki
vahan sab online karva
dengey...yahan toh tum bhool jaao
kuch bhi hona...
Nandu looks at the pool of people pushing and shoving each

other for getting some information, a pandemonium in front of
him. Nandu and Rama walks along with the Young boy.
EXT. PIYUSH TRAVEL AGENCY- CONTINUE
A weatherbeaten flex-board reads- “PIYUSH TRAVEL AGENCY” with

train and Airplane drawn around it.
* (PIYUSH GOYEL WAS THE RAILWAY MINISTER DURING LOCKDOWN)
Nandu and Rama follows the blue t-shirt young boy inside.
INT. PIYUSH TRAVEL AGENCY-CONTINUE
They both enters and a fat young man sits here laughing his
head out, He is PIYUSH, laughing as he watches a vulgar roast
video of you-tuber Carry Minati. Eating a bowl full of
Pakoras. He lowers his mask puts the pakora inside and cover
it again, munching inside it.

38/151
Its a small cheap cafe with couple of computers. Dozen of

Teenage boys with similar “lion” logo blue t-shirt sitting
all over, glued to the computer screens in front of them,
filling forms. Some other migrants sits with them.
PIYUSH
Haan?
YOUNG BOY
Bhaiya inko bhi train ticket
karvani hai apni..
He tells him and moves out again in search of new customers.

Rama and Nandu stands their, hands folded.
NANDU
Bhaiya voh farum bharvana tha train
ka.
Piyush nods, controls laughter and pauses the video, Rama

stares back at delicious pakoras in front of him.
PIYUSH
Bas bharvana hai ya jama bhi karana
hai?
NANDU
Jama bhi ho jayega?
PIYUSH
Form bharney ka 500 rupya per form,
jama karana ka 1000 rupya per
aadmi, kiriya jo sarkar legi voh
alag, form do detail do, bas,
message sidha aayega ghar kab jana
hai phone pe...
RAMA
6 log hai jana vala...
PIYUSH
Haan 1000 rupya ek aadmi ka, or
sidha ticket chaiye toh 6 jano ka
9000, plus train ka kiriya jo
sarkari hai...aur medical mai bata
dunga kahan hoga...
NANDU
Bhaiya sarkar toh free me bhej rahi
hai na?
PIYUSH
Behenchod bihari ke bihari hi rahey
tum...chutiya thodi hai sarkar..
(MORE)

39/151
PIYUSH (CONT'D)
abey Free me havayi jahaj chal
skatey hein, train thodayi.. aisa
kuch nahi hai...ticket ke paise
lagengey...
NANDU
Aap humara faram bharva dijiye
bas..
PIYUSH
Toh 1000 rupya me bharvaao, aur
teen din line me lag ke gaand
ghisvaao..fir voh bolega tees jano
ko dhundo jo tumahrey jiley ke ho,
fir medical mangega, fir kiraya aur
jab gaand fategi fir vapas yahi
aaogey..jitney paise hai voh bhi
udaa ke....
Boys filling the form giggles out, Nandu and Rama stands
their straight face, humiliated.
PIYUSH (CONT'D)
Araam se jaa, paisa ka jugaad
laagao, aajaana, ye itni jaldi
khatam nahi honey vala, abhi toh
shuru hua hai, Aur humara naam
“Piyuuush” hai, train humsey puchey
bina thodi chalegi, kyu?
He winks and boys giggles again.
RAMA
Bhaiya Ticket toh pakka ho jayega
na?
PIYUSH
Khando pe bitha ke chord ke aaunga
apne bhai ko...
Everyone laughs out again and Rama and Nandu just nods and
moves out.
EXT. UNDER A BRIDGE ON YAMUNA-NIGHT
Nandu haunched eat plain rice with salt, Jyoti and Amit
sleeping next to him and Bindiya is looking at him in anger
wiggling a cardboard at sleeping children.
BINDIYA
(slowly whispering in
anger)
(MORE)

40/151
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Inka tum kaahey sochat ho, tumhar
behnoyi lagat hai ka? unhey jana
hoga toh khud laayngey, tum kahey
hero ban rahey ho...Apna paisa pura
karo aur faram jama karaao...unsey
kaa logey...?
NANDU
(furious)
Hai tumpey aath hazaar rupya?
Bindiya looks back, seething.
BINDIYA
Eee khaat kahan se ho? hum bachaye
nahi hotey, toh in baccho ke kapda
latta pe hi kharch kar detey sab,
payi paayi jod ke bachaya they kuch
paisa, voh bhi khatam, bas 700
rupya hai humpey ab...aur tum pura
jila ko sath lejana chahtey ho..
NANDU
Hai toh humaar gaao ka hi...
BINDIYA
Gaao ka? Gaao me inka dehliz me
nahi ghusna det hein...Pata nahi in
musahar mein ka nazar aat hai
tumka...
Nandu stares back and Jyoti coughs out loud, Nandu looks back
at her, she is sweating in heat.
NANDU
(looking At Jyoti)
Kaa hua ika?
BINDIYA
Khansi uthra hai kal se..
He stares back at Jyoti coughing out in sweat- symptoms of

covid.
EXT. UNDER BRIDGE ON YAMUNA- LATE NIGHT
Rama and Nandu, sits, crunching on biscuits and smoking

beedi. Shiva laying down on his castor next to them. Awake.
Nandu’s family sleeping at a distance. People laying down
near by looks like corpse and the numbers have increased.
RAMA
Ab ka hoga bhaiya?

41/151
NANDU
Kitna paisa hai tumpey?
RAMA
Kuchho nahi bacha, jyada se jyada
do sau..char sau rupya..aur kaa...
NANDU
Humpey bhi bas, do hazaar hi bacha
hai ab, Bindiya ke pass hoga chaar
paanch sau aur kaa... paanch saat
hazar fir bhi chaiye, aur fir
khaney ko bhi...ka karengey?
RAMA
Ka pata bhaiya...aise rahey toh
bhukan mar jayengey...train bhaut
jaruri hai milna...
NANDU
Kuchho samajh nahi arahaa kaa
karey...
They both hold each others gaze, disappointed.
SHIVA (O.S.)
Chacha?
They looks back and Shiva Sits up on his castor.
RAMA
Kaa hua?
SHIVA
Hum kar sakat hai kuch paisa ka
jugaad...
Nandu looks back, confused.
RAMA
Tum kaa karogey aisa lackdown ma?
SHIVA
Sunaa hai sarkar videsh se logon ka
bula ra rahi hai hawai jahaj maa
abhi bhi?
NANDU
Haan, suna toh hai...hawayi jahaj
free me lara hai videsh se logo
kaa..

42/151
RAMA
Ka free ka hawayi jahaj? Aur garib
ka train ka paisa maang ra hai?
NANDU
Kaa boley bhayia...sarkar hai kuch
v kar sakta hai...tum bolo Shiva
kaa bol rahey they?
SHIVA
Hum bolat hein ke.. Aap humko bas
havayi adda ka aagey vala road pe
le chaliye, hum paisa ka jugaad kar
dengey...
Nandu looks back at him for a while.
RAMA
Police vala vahan ab bheek nahi
maangney dega re aise me..
SHIVA
Hum jaantein hein vahan ke
policevala ko..Koshish kar lengey
unsey jugaad karney ka...jo bhi
bheek milega, uska kuch hissa lene
ke badley voh jaaney dega...hum
Jaanat hein...
Rama nods, and looks back at silent Nandu.
RAMA
Koshish kar letey hein..
SHIVA
Ye karkey dhek letey hein, ka pata
ho jaaye..bas ek baar ee aspesal
train mil jaaye aur gaaon chaley
jaaye fir kabhi nahi laauntengey
yahan...
Nandu just nods at Shiva.
EXT. AIRPORT ROAD-DAY
Rama and Nandu walks down the empty road, fear of police in
mind. Shiva on his castor following them. They are near by
the airport locality. They stop at a distance, the police
barricades ahead.
RAMA
Police..

43/151
Nandu and Rama stops.
SHIVA
Aap rukiye yahin, hum jaatey
hein...
RAMA
Rukaa...
Rama kneels down in front of Shiva and tear up his scarf,

from bottom and ties it around Shiva’s head. Squeezes a wound
on his hand rubs his finger on drops of blood and paints the
blood on cloth on shiva’s head. Extra effects for begging.
Nandu gawp back at this.
SHIVA
Ab vapas jake gaao, fir nahi
aaiynge kabhi ?
Rama nods and he moves ahead.
RAMA
Mana karey toh ajaana, kuch aur
dhek lengey...aaj kal e bhaut mara
lagey hein suna hai...
SHIVA
Kucho nahi hoga...rukiye..
Nandu and Rama stops behind, lurking from a wall.
Through their POV: we see Shiva moving his castor ahead with
his half hands and reaches the police barricades.
A police constable swings his lathi to stop him. Shiva stops

and salutes the constable with his amputated hand.
We can’t here but it’s clear constable asks him- where?

Shiva salutes him, folds hands, trying to convincing him,
saying something to him. Police constable shake his neck.
Shiva takes out a 200 rupee note from his tin can and salutes
him again. Officer looks around and takes it with a smile.
Shiva moves forward.
Rama and Nandu takes a sigh of relief and sits on the

pavement near by, waiting for him to get back.

44/151
EXT. AIRPORT ARRIVAL ROAD-LATER
From behind we follow Shiva and suddenly in an animated

voice, Shiva howls out to beg as soon as he see good looking
people with proper mask and gloves existing the terminal.
SHIVA
Aiee babu kuch de de re...aiee
babu..
People scared to go near him, throws coins at him. He paces

towards the coin and with help of his both bare knuckles
picks it and puts it in his tin can.
SHIVA (CONT'D)
Bhagwan tumko bachaye rakhhey
mahamaaari se...de de
bhaiya...bhagwan Tumko bachaaye
rakhey corona se..
Air hostess in full PPE exist the terminal and Shiva know
they are good catch, he rolls his castor fast towards them.
SHIVA (CONT'D)
Aaie Madam, kuch dedo re..bhuka hun
do din se...dedo re madam...corona
se bachaye rakhe bagwan tumko
madam..aaie madam..
Few girls sympathetically take out hundred rupee notes and

from a distance throws it into his tin can. Shiva joins his
knuckle at them, nodding.
EXT. PAVEMENT-DAY
Rama and Nandu sits on the pavement, waiting, smoking beedi.
NANDU
Tumko bhi lagta hai sehar nahi ana
chaaiye tha?
RAMA
Ab lagney na lagney se kaa hota
hai bhaiya...sehar koi apni marji
se thodi aata hai..kaun Apna ghar
baar maap baap ko chordke aana
chahta hai?...har kisi ko majboori
leke aata hai...
Nandu nods, smoke form nostrils.

45/151
RAMA (CONT'D)
Humko humaara mazboori, humaara
jaati lekey aaya, gaao me unka
tatti peshab bhi saaf karo, chuha
pakdo..aur fir gaali bhi khaao,
yahan kam se kam tatti peshab saaf
karkey do paisa toh dhang ka milta
hai...ab toh sala voh bhi band,
kisi ke yahan jaao toh usko lagtaa
hai ye bimaari humsey hi hota
hai....
Nandu nods, thinking. Rama looks back at him, remembering

eyes.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Babasaheb ka murti dekho ho apne
gaaon mein?
Nandu nods, thinking.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Tum chotey hogey jab, gaao me
Ambedkar ji ka murti lagney aya
tha, tumhara jaati vala ne khub
virodh kiya baba saheb ke murti
lagney ka, sabko laga murti lagney
se choti jaat ko bal mil jayega...
humare pita ji khub ladey, police
bulvaa liye...babsaheb ka murti toh
stapit ho gaya, lekin police k
jaane ke baad humara pura parivaar
ko tumhara jaati vala khub mara,
tumharey pita ji ne humaari behen
ka kapda tak faar dala tha...hum
sabko gaaon se bhaga diya unchi
jaati ne..aur hum Jaake bichuaa
gaaon me bas gaye..hum jabsey hi
bhaag aaye the sehar...
Nandu looks back, understands, nods, guilt rising.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Tum kaahey aaye seher maa?

46/151
NANDU
Shayad jo uu tumare sath kiya pita
ji ne uska saja mila..baad ka pani
mein sara jameen kat gaya tha,
kheti baadi me toh kuch bacha
nahi..Thoda bhaut padh liye they,
toh sochey kahin kaam mil jayega,
yahan ek naukari lag gaya tha pest
ka company me, thoda kamaney lagey,
toh sochey bali bachha ko dhang ka
zindagi dengey, so yahan le aaye..
Nandu take a deep drag of beedi.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Lackdown se pehley e uh factory
band ho gaya..fir chai ke dukaan
laga liye railway ke pass..aur fir
lackdown me sab barbaad ho
gaya....ab bas gaon me ghar ke
dehlij mil jaaye bhaiya...zindagi
me kabhi nahi lautengey...uga ke
kha toh sakat hai gaaon me...ee
sehar agar zindagi bana sakta
hai..toh ab pata lag gaya...zindagi
le bhi sakta hai... Baccha ka
bhooka shakal dhek ke bhaut dar
lagta hai kabhi kabhi....
Rama looks back at Nandu, he is on verge of tears.
RAMA
Humey bhi apna dar nahi re Nanduaa,
humey Shiva ka hai, hum toh yahan
khud aaye the, lekin uh yahan
humarey karan hai, woh bichuaa ka
bolenath ka mandir hai na?
Nandu nods.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Voh bechara toh vahan rehta tha,
aney jana vala log usko khilata
tha, voh mandir ka saaf-safaayi
karta tha, khush tha...log vahan
usko taras khakey nahi, punya ke
liya khilaatey the...
Nandu looks back, understanding his feelings.
EXT. AIRPORT ROAD-DAY-CONTINUE
Over Rama’s voice over-we see Shiva begging rigorously.

47/151
RAMA (O.S.)
lekin hum jab sehar aaye toh sala
hum chatur ho gaye, pata laga Shiva
jaisa hona toh sehar me soney ka
murgi honey jaisa hai...na hath na
pair, aisa ladka ko dhek toh bada
gaadi vaalo ka dil hi khul jayega
bheek deney ko...aur hum usko utha
laaye, voh mana karta raha, rota
raha pura rasta bhar, aur hum yaha
laakey usko bhikaari bana
diye...voh bhi dhirey dhirey ban hi
gaya...
Slow motion: We see Shiva begging on the airport arrival

pavement, folded hands, rattling his tin can in front of
people exiting the terminal. Begging his best of abilities.
Rama moisten eyes looks back at Nandu.
RAMA
lekin agar ab usko kuch ho gaya na
re ...bhagwaan kasam hum apney aap
ko zindagi me kabhi maaf nahi kar
paingey....
Rama on verge of tear, hides his face under his knees,

crying. Nandu looks back, raises his hand to put on his
shoulder, stops- thinks for a while and takes his arm back.
Untouchable.
Nandu just sit there, thinking lost in thought, when rattling

of tin can appears. Shiva comes with sweaty face, grabbing
the tin can in his thighs. Rama wipes his tears and Nandu
stands up.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Aa bhi gaye?
SHIVA
(disappointed)
Waha ka army vala bhaga diya..
Rama picks up the tin can filled with coins and notes. Nandu
nods at Shiva, sympathetic.

48/151
EXT. STREET-LATER
Rama, Shiva and Nandu walks back home, empty suburban

streets.
RAMA
Kitna lagta hai ho gaya hoga?
SHIVA
Kaa pata, madam log di thi bada
note, sab ghabra rahey they pass
aaney me....
They pass a vegetable vendor, when Rama stops.
RAMA
Ruka...rukaa
Rama ducks down in front of Shiva and takes out a hundred

rupee note.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Aae Nandua kuch sabji vabji le
liya..bhauji aur bachha bhooka
hoga..
Nandu stares back at the note form tin.
NANDU
Bhaiye ee paisa toh ticket ka hai..
RAMA
Jaan bachega toh hi naa train me
bhait paayengey...le liya..
They move to the vegetable vendor near by. He is man in his

middle age but he doesn't look like a vegetable vendor, with
pointed pen in his shirt pocket and a maintained gushy
mustache, he more of a teacher kind.
NANDU
Aaie bhaiya..aalu kaisa diya...
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Pachaas rupey per kilo.
RAMA
Pachaas? Aaloo se korona thik hot
hai ka?
Vegetable vendor gawp back.

49/151
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Arey sir mehngi hogyi hein
sabji..mujhe pichey se itni mili
toh us hisab se rate hai..
RAMA
Arey bhaiya..aalu ka bhaw hum janat
hai...ye Lackdown me sab majboori
ka fayeda e uthaa rahein hein
kya..thik thik laga leyo...
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Bhaiya mai sabji vaaley nahi
hun...ye toh mujhe majburi me
lagana pada..imaandari se bataun
toh chalees ka laaya hun..ab tumko
jo thik lagey uppar ka de do...
Nandu looks back at him and his honesty.
NANDU
Aadi kilo de dijiye..
Vegetable vendor picks up potatoes.
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Teacher hun mai..sarkaari school me
itihaas padhata tha...ye lockdown
me koi salary hi nahi deta..toh
socha sabji bech lein...bheek toh
maang nahi saktey...
Shiva looks back at him from ground.
SHIVA
Bheek maangna bhi koi asaan thodi
hai bhaiya..
Vegetable vendor looks back at him, apologetic and suddenly

two policemen on bike arrives.
POLICEMAN
Haan? Kaisey bheed laga rakhi hai
be?
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Sir, sabji kharidney vaaley hein..
POLICEMAN
Andha nahi hun mai...
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Jaa rahein hein sir kharid ke..

50/151
Vendor hands Nandu the potatoes.
POLICEMAN
Yahan kaise laga rakhi hai tuney ye
redy?
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Sir sabji essential item ki list me
hai..allowed hai..
POLICEMAN
Bhenchod Mujhey mat sikhaa...nikal
le yahan se..
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Sir mai teacher hun...mujhe Pata
hai...allow hai sabji vaalo ko...
POLICEMAN
Behen ke lode..samajh ni aata?
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Sir, ye e-card hai mera, allow hai
sir..
Vendor take out the card from his packet. Seething in anger
the policeman jumps from his bike and in a split second,
kicks his cart and it turns upside down. All the green
vegetables spills on the road, potato and tomato rolls on the
pavement and into the gutter lane.
POLICEMAN
Tumhari hi nigraani me lage rahey
hein hum...nikal le yahan se
behenchod...
(to nandu, Rama and
Shiva)
Tum sab bhi...nikal lo..
He gets on his bike, kick starts it and moves away.
Rama, Nandu get to help the vendor in collecting his spilled

vegetables all around.
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Dekha kya system is desh ka...
hum log sirf keedey hein...
cockroach..jab marji chahey kuchley
jaa skatey hein...
Nandu picks up his wooden cart and puts back the item.
NANDU
aap Aur kahin laga lijiye...

51/151
Rama collects the last tomatoes from pavement and put it

back.
RAMA
Kitna hua aaloo ka bhaiya..
Vegetable vendor looks back at them.
VEGETABLE VENDOR
Kuch nahi hua...le jaao...
Nandu still puts the money on his cart and look back.
NANDU
Cockroach sabsey sehensheel aur
shaktishaali hota hai, sar kat
jaane ke baad bhi jee sakta
hai...cockroach Hona sabke bas ki
baat nahi hai...
Vegetable vendor looks back at Nandu. Shiva also stare back

at him for a while and they move away.
EXT. UNDER BRIDGE ON YAMUNA- NIGHT-LATER
Nandu, Shiva and Rama sitting close to each other, whispering

as they count the money from the tin can, Cautious of people
lurking.
NANDU
(whispering)
900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 200, 50, 4
rupya, Barah sau chauwan rupaya...
RAMA
(lost)
Itne se kaa hoga...
NANDU
Tumpey kitna hai?
RAMA
800 hai...
NANDU
Laao...
Rama looks back at Shiva for a moment and takes it out and
gives him.

52/151
NANDU (CONT'D)
Ee hua 3054...humpey hein lagbhag
1700...eee hua..(thinks for a
while)
Nandu tries to calculate in his hands, fails, looks back at

Jyoti near by.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Aaie Jyoti? Yahan aao?
Jyoti comes running, Bindiya from distance peeling potatoes,

looks back, skeptical.
JYOTI
3054 me 1700 milaya toh kitna hua?
Jyoti thinks for a while.
JYOTI (CONT'D)
4754 hua.
NANDU
Ab ismey kitna milaaye ke nau 9
hazaar ho jaye
Jyoti looks back for a while, thinking.
JYOTI
Umm..4246...
Nandu nods.
NANDU
4246 aur chaiye humka...ab
(to Jyoti)
Jaao tum kha leyo kuch..
Jyoti returns back.
RAMA
Ab kahan se layngey bhaiya ye?
SHIVA
Humey airport se bhagaa diya jaldi
nahi hum aur kar letey...
NANDU
Nahi Shiva, tum bhaut achha kiye...
RAMA
Ab re Nandua? Ab ka?

53/151
Nandu just nods, thinking, Looks back at his Family at a

distance- Exhausted Bindiya looking back at them while Jyoti
laying down wiggling a card board on her and Rancho. Amit
next to them playing in phone, his face lit up by the screen.
EXT. PIYUSH TRAVEL AGENCY-DAY
Fat Piyush sits with headphone around his neck and mask under
his nose, counting the rupee notes, which seems too much of
change.
PIYUSH
Abey bihariyon bheek maang ke laaye
ho kya? bees ke dus ke note? sikkey
bhi? Hein?
He laughs and boys around giggles. Rama and Nandu stands

there, hands folded.
PIYUSH (CONT'D)
Abey ye toh 4650 hein bas? Baki ke?
NANDU
(folded hands)
Bhaiya ye sab jod jaad ke juta paye
hein, kuch dhekliyo, meherbaani
hoga..
Piyush looks back, bewildered.
RAMA
(pleading folded hands)
Garib aadmi hein sahab..
PIYUSH
Abey yaar...ye haath vaath mat
jodo..mere paas thodi aayega
sab...uppar tak khilana padta hai
bhai logo ko...lakho log ghumrey
hein chutiyaa baney sadko pe...
Nandu takes out his cheap Chinese mobile from his pocket and
slides it across Piyush’s desk.
NANDU
Bhaiya ye phone hai humra..ye
rakhliyo...aur humara ticket kara
diyo bas...kuch kimat toh hoga hi
iska...
Piyush picks up his phone, flips it.

54/151
PIYUSH
Chinese hai ye toh..
NANDU
Do baccha hai bhaiya...gharvali pet
se hai...inka bhatija apahij
hai..bhaut jaruri hai ghar
jana...yahan Mar jaiynge..
meherbaani kar do bhaiya...
He is almost in tears.
PIYUSH
Haan chal koi ni, rona vona nahi
hai..kal aajana le lena...thik hai?
A moisten eye smile run across Rama and Nandu’s face.
RAMA/NANDU
(folded hands)
Meherbaani bhaiya......
EXT. UNDER A BRIDGE ON YAMUNA-DAY-LATER
We follow Rama and Nandu walking towards the bridge, smiling.
RAMA
Humey toh laga tha sasura mota
manega hi nahi....
NANDU
Ab bas ee train ka ticket mil jaye
kal aur ee narak se nikaley...
bachha ko roj khali pet sulana aisa
lagat hai jaise phansi pe chad gaye
ho... Dhekna Amit kood uthega train
me janey ka naam suntey hi ...usko
bhaut pasand hai train...
They come under the bridge and a shock engulfs their whole
body. Nandu freezes, out of thoughts on what he is looking
at, and we reveal-
Under the bridge their is no one. All is left is scattered

torn chappals and shoes, which indicates of some horror has
happened here. Hordes of dogs sniffs through the left over
bags and clothes of people once here. Rama puts his hand on
his mouth in disbelief.
RAMA
Ee kaa hua?

55/151
Nandu suddenly feel out of breath, almost collapse into

Rama’s arm, he hold him.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Sambhaal re Nandua...Sambhaal
They look around, not a single human in sight. Nandu moisten

eyes moves towards the corner where his family was and all he
see is the small bag of Jyoti laying there with a dirty boot
print on it. He picks it, tear rolling down his eyes as he
imagine all sort of possibilities that must have happened
here.
Rama looks at Shiva’s wooden castor left behind, its tilted

upside down. He picks it up.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Yahan hua kaa hai?
All of a sudden they hear an unnerving laughter from

somewhere. They look around, no one. The laughter continues
and they trace the sound and comes next to a tree.
VOICE
(almost singing)
Charo taraf dharam ka dhanda tha,
pura desh usmey andha tha.. karona
me pata laga.. adha desh toh bhooka
aur aadha desh nangaa tha....
A lunatic voice laughs out, almost singing appears. A man

sitting on the tree giggles. He is the same man Nandu has
seen eating the sodden dead fly sweet from the filth on
banks. He is a Lunatic.
RAMA
Kaa hua hai yahan Bhaiya? Kahan
gaye sab?
The lunatic laughs.
LUNATIC
Le gaye..le gaye...dilwaley
dulhaniyaa le jaayngey...
Nandu come and stand next to Rama looking up at him.
RAMA
Kahan lekey gaye?
LUNATIC
Bus me...bus me....bhar ke le
gaye...le gaye..bus me...

56/151
NANDU
Kahan le gaye bus me bhar ke?
LUNATIC
Mai toh ped pe chad gaya...bulaa re
they....Ajaa..ajaa.... I said no,
never, no!
He laughs out again. Nandu tries again.
NANDU
Kahan lekey gaye?
LUNATIC
Le jaayngey...le jaayngey...Dilwale
dulhaniyaa le jaayngey....
He gives up.
RAMA
ghabraao nahi pata
karlengey...chalo...
Nandu looks back at Lunatic again.
LUNATIC
Us bhikari ko toh lathi bhi padi
thi ek...mazaa aagya...tutey haato
se hath jod ra tha..
(acting Out)
Maaf kardo..maaf kardo..
He laughs maniacally again. Rama looks back-he is talking

about Shiva.
RAMA
Kidhar ko lekey gaye hein?
Lunatic burst out singing again.
LUNATIC
(singing)
Charo taraf Dharam ka dhanda tha,
pura desh usme andha tha, corona ne
bataya.. adha desh toh bhuka aur
adha desh nanga tha..
They both just looks back at him, thinking when they hear a
dog barking.
LUNATIC (CONT'D)
Aagya haramzada kutaa...aagya...

57/151
Nandu looks back and finds Rancho, running towards them, his
tongue dangling out and he runs straight into Nandu’s legs,
tails wiggling.
Nandu kneels down, rubbing his ears.
NANDU
Rancho kahan leke gaye Jyoti ko?
Rancho? kahan leke gaye hein? Bata
na?
Ranchi licks Nandu’s neck, sniffs the Jyoti bag in Nandu’s

hand and moves forward, Nandu and Rama follows.
LUNATIC (o.s.)
(faintly audible now)
Charo taraf Dharam ka dhanda tha,
pura desh usme andha tha, corona ne
bataya.. adha desh toh bhuka aur
adha desh nanga tha..
Rama and Nandu moves away from him, following Rancho.
EXT. OVER THE BRIDGE OF YAMUNA- DAY- LATER
Rama and Nandu, just two of them alone on the empty bridge.
Worried and exhausted follows Rancho, as he walks briskly on
his all four, sniffing all along.
NANDU
Pata nahi kahan lekey gaye
hongey...kaa karrey hongey...
RAMA
Ghabraao nahi mil jaayngey...
A little ahead and a Police constable without mask come out

of a booth near by, Swinging his lathi. Rama and Nandu stops,
Rancho keeps moving forward sniffing.
CONSTABLE
Haan bey kahan tehel rahey ho?
RAMA
Sahab humara parivar vala ko utha
le gaye hein policevala, yahan pull
ke nichey rukey hue they...
Nandu looks back at Rancho, now stopped at a distance ahead,

looking back.

58/151
CONSTABLE
Abey pata nahi tumko curfew hai
pradesh me? Hein?
RAMA
Sahab koi jagah nahi hai
humpey...yaha rukey they...suna hai
bas me bhar ke le gaye sabko..
CONSTABLE
Abey bhosadikey tumhari vajeh se
pata hai S.H.O sahab ko kitna sunna
pada humarey, voh deshdrohi NDTV
vala aagya tha bridge ke neechey,
TV channel pe chala yahan ka
khel...
RAMA
Hum nahi bulaaye the sahab unka...
CONSTABLE
Tu nahi bulaya tha...par voh toh
aake bola na..sarkar kuch nahi kar
rahi hai...
Nandu and Rama looks back at each other.
CONSTABLE (CONT'D)
Tumsey thodey din ruka nahi jata?
Thoda sa afat kya aya.. nikal aaye
bill se cockroach ki tarah gandagi
failaney?
RAMA
Kaise rukey shahab, na kuch khaney
ko, na rehney ko? naa koi sarakari
madad..
CONSTABLE
Haan yahi kaam hai bas sarkar
ko..tumhey khilati rahey...
aur kaam thodi hai...
NANDU
Kahan lekey gaye sahab un logo ko?
CONSTABLE
Sarkari school me sector ikees
ke... aur mask kahan hai tum logo
ka?
NANDU
Tut gaya tha sahab...

59/151
CONSTABLE
Toh tujhe bhi tod dun? ek hazar hai
chalaan bina mask ke? Nikaal..
RAMA
Sahab garib mazdoora aadmi
hai..laga lenge sahab..
Rama covers his face with his scarf.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Jaaney do sahab, bhaut pareshaan
hai...Galti ho gaya sahab...dhak
lengey muh...
Nandu stares back at constable in anger.
CONSTABLE
Tu bhi dhak..chal..shirt utaar aur
muh pe laga..chal...
NANDU
Aap bhi toh nahi pehene hein koi
mask?
Constable stunned for a moment, looks back, furious.
CONSTABLE
Behenchod jabaan ladata hai? Murga
ban..behenchod..ban murga..
He raise his lathi. Rancho barks out from a distance and Rama
immediately hunch down and becomes ”murga”. Nandu stares back
at constable for a while, seething.
RAMA
Nanduaa banja murga...
Nandu also hunch down and takes the Murga position.
CONSTABLE
Chalo...ab..jahan jana hai aise hi
chlakey..jaaoo..chalo...
He blows a lathi on their buttock from behind, forced to hop

down a main road with bags strapped to their backs.
EXT. ROAD-CONTINUE
Under the scorching sun Rama and Nandu now doing frog jumps
moves ahead, following Rancho in front.

60/151
RAMA
Bhosdivala vala madad toh karta
nahi...bhuka pet jaleel aur krta
hai...
They finally stops to look back if constable still looking at

them- he is no where to be seen. They stand up and straight
their aching back.
NANDU
Tum bajaye they thaali, modi ji ke
kehney pe?
Rama looks back, silent, nods.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Hum bhi bajaye they...
He stares into his eyes and moves ahead with Rancho.
EXT. GOVERNMENT SCHOOL-CONTINUE
The huge gate of the school slides open and a bus filled with
migrants moves inside. Nandu and Rama follows behind Rancho
into the cloud of dust from bus and moves inside the school
gates.
EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-LATER
Rama and Nandu walks inside- poor migrants in thousands of

crowd is here. People all over, small children crying, women
sitting under tree shades, men in a corner waiting in a line
to get a cup of cooked rice from few charity people. It’s
chaos. Rancho between so many people comes back to Nandu,
tail under legs.
RAMA
Dheka tum jaakey, yahi laya hoga uu
baali bachha ko...
Nandu nods and moves towards the women’s area, where women
are sitting, every face is exhausted here. Rancho sniffing.
Rama on the other side, tries to look on the floor for Shiva,
exhausted men all over laying on floor. After a while he
spots him in a corner, laying down on the floor.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Aaie Shiva...

61/151
He puts his hand on his shoulder from behind and as Shiva

turns back, Rama is shocked to see his swollen face, his eyes
bulging out and blood red.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Eee kaa hua?
Shiva tries to talk with a swollen jaw.
SHIVA
hum boley humarey chacha abhi aaye
nahi hai...hum nahi jaayngey unkey
bina..toh policevala ne muh pe laat
mara...dard hot hai bhaut...
His tries to touch his swollen jaw with his knuckles. Rama’s
eyes fills up with tear.
RAMA
Train ho gaya hai..nikal jayinge
yahan bas ab...humkaa maaf
kardiya..
Shiva shakes his head, it aches.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Humka maaf kar diya re !
He folds his hand in front of Shiva, crying.
EXT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR-CONTINUE
HERE: Nandu looking at poor women faces, exhausted, many of

them with small crying infants and small children, faces
covered with saree instead of savage heat. It’s wretchedness
all around. Hordes of miserable people.
Rancho suddenly sniffs something and run towards a corner,

Nandu immediately follows and comes to find Bindiya and kids.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR- CONTINUE
Crying Amit looks back at Nandu, forget his cry and comes
running into his arms.
AMIT
Papa aagye...
Nandu overwhelmed with emotions grabs him in his arms.

Bindiya turns back and Nandu can see sleeping Jyoti laying on
Bindiya’s lap. A wet cloth soaking on her forehead.

62/151
NANDU
Kaa hua isko?
BINDIYA
Bhukaar aat hai..ulti bhi hua hai
abhi....
Nandu kneels down next to Jyoti and she opens her eyes
slowly, glad to see him back.
NANDU
Kaa hua re?
She just looks back at him, not enough energy to speak up.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(to Bindiya)
Policevala maara vaar toh nahi
tumkaa?
BINDIYA
Naahi...Shiva ko maara tha..
Amit grabs Nandu from behind.
AMIT
Kab jayngey papa train mein?
Bindiya looks back at him.
NANDU
Bas kal ticket ho jayega...fir
chaley jayengey...
AMIT
Haan chalo jaldi...yahan Accha nahi
lagta.. bhook bhi lagri hai..
BINDIYA
Ho giya ticket?
Nandu nods.
EXT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR-NIGHT-LATER
Rama hold his curled up scarf in his mouth to warm it with

his breath and slowly puts it on Shivas’s swollen jaw. He
flinches away with pain.
RAMA
Thoda sek lag jayega toh thik ho
jayega..

63/151
He again puts the scarf in mouth when Nandu arrives and sits
next to Shiva, looking at his swollen jaw.
NANDU
Aise nahi hoga kuch..haldi Laga
liyo thoda...patak jayega...
RAMA
Haldi nahi hai bhaiya...
NANDU
Jaake le aao Bindiya se...uspe
bacha hai..
Rama nods and leaves. Nandu looks back at Shiva.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Jyada dard hora hai?
SHIVA
Pehle se kuch kam hai ab..ho jayega
kam dhire dhirey..
Nandu nods, thinking. Shiva looks back at him.
SHIVA (CONT'D)
Bhaiya aap kahey the us din
cockroach sar katney ke baad me jee
sakat hai? Sach hai kaa? Hum jabsey
hi puchna chahtey they..
Nandu looks back, smiles.
NANDU
Haan, hum jab pest ka company me
the jab humey kida ke baare me
bataya gaya tha, tab vahan training
me jaane they...cockroach Bahut
sehensheel aur shaktishaali hota
hai, gandi se gandi jagah me jee
leta hai, jehrili hawa me jee leta
hai..hafton tak bhooka reh leta
hai...aur Agar sar shareer se alag
bhi ho jaye toh bhi kafi din jee
sakat hai...
SHIVA
Kamaal hai, hum kitna cockroach ko
yun hi ragad ke maar diye..kabhi
sochey hi nahi...

64/151
NANDU
Isliye humey jab koi cockroach
bolta hai ..toh ab utnaa bura nahi
lagta...bhaut si baatein vakayi me
milti hein humari aur cockroach
ki...hum bhi gand me jee rahey
hein...jehrili hawa me saans le
rahey hein...bas sar se alag nahi
jee payeinge..kyu?
He laughs out and shiva giggles, his Jaw aches immediately.
SHIVA
Train ka ticket sach me ho giya na?
Nandu nods.
EXT. PIYUSH TRAVEL AGENCY-DAY
Frustrated Rama and Nandu stands with their hand folded in

front of fat Piyush crunching on a chips packet.
NANDU
Par bhaiya aap toh boley the naam
register ho gaya hai...ticket le
lena...
PIYUSH
Toh bol toh raa hun bhai
registration ho gaya..karva diya..
ticket nahi milegi abhi
lekin...permission nahi aayi hai
tumhari state se...news vews nahi
dhektey.. kya Drama chalra hai?
RAMA
Nahi bhaiya..humey samajh nahi aat
hai kya boley aap..
PIYUSH
Abey chutiyon...tumahrey Bihari CM
ne tumhey vapas bulaaney se mana
kar diya hai...yaani railway ko
ijajat nahi di train bihaar tak le
jaaney ki...isliye...abhi koi train
nahi hai vaha ki...aur isliye koi
ticket nahi....jab tumhara CM
ijajat dega..tab ticket mil
jaayegi...
They both stand, their folded hands, cheated.

65/151
PIYUSH (CONT'D)
Ab meri khopdi mat khaao....pata
kar lena agley haftey fir
aakey...ya news pe dhek lena..jab
ijajat milegi aajanaa...le lena
ticket...ab nikal lo....
NANDU
Aap humaarey sath thik nahi
kiye...humney apna khana pina ka
sab paise ismey laga diyaa...bheek
manga...aur ab ticket bhi nahi?
Nandu stare back at him in with tearful angry eyes.
PIYUSH
Arey ooh chutiye bihaari.. mujhsey
baat mat bana...jaakey apney CM ko
bol...tumahri state tumhey apna ni
samjhti.. mai kya karu....nikal
chal..chal...
NANDU
Toh itna baat pehley bolta na..
Piyush furiously stands up from his seat.
RAMA
Arey rehne do bhaiya..hum jaat
hein..
Rama grabs Nandu’s arm and walks out.
Bindiya seething with anger sits, looking at lost Nandu.
BINDIYA
Ee musahar hota hi manhoos hai.
Sara pasia luta diye Inke chakkar
me aur ab bolat ho ticket nahi
hoga...
Nandu just look down at Jyoti, a wet cloth soaking at her

forehead.
NANDU
Mukhyamantri ji ijajat dengey toh
ho jayega train, fir chaley
jayengey...

66/151
BINDIYA
khaaogey ka ab yahan...pait me ee
jo pal raha hai isko toh chaiye
jananey ko kuch..ke naahi..tum Toh
maza leke bhait gaye..pet me humaar
chord gaye ika?
Nandu just sits, without any reply just looks in front at the
cue of hundreds of people, waiting for packaged “Khichdi”
being distributed by NGO people. Amit with bowl in his hand
between them.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Mana karey they hum, mat jaao sehar
ma...lekin humaar suntaa kon
hai...bada aadmi banana tha na
baccho ko...uuu dheka...beehk Ki
khichdi ki line me khade hein
tumhaar suputra...
Lost Nandu just stares back at Amit in khichdi line, moisten

eyes, get up and leaves.
EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-DAY
Amit holding bowls in his both hands, waits impatiently for

his turn. Sweating in heated sun in woman’s cue for Khichdi.
Amit head tilts up- FROM HIS POV- we see a brown Monkey jumps
from the first floor balcony of school straight onto the NGO
people’s table and hurriedly grabs shiny silver package of
khichdi and runs away.
AMIT POV- Suddenly another Monkey jumps from the same balcony-
grabs another silver package of Khichdi and runs away. AMIT’s
eyes follow the monkeys- both the monkey jumps from tree to
tree and after a while Amit clearly sees a hand coming out
from behind the tree trunk and Both monkeys hands the silver
food package to him. Amit runs away from line following
monkeys.
EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-TREE-LATER
Amit comes running, following monkeys and from behind he sees

a man, with a black scarf tied to his head in a pagdi,
smoking a chillum as he sings a Kashmiri folk song.
MONKEY MAN
(singing in Kashmiri)
Watheu badlev panun taqdeer Karo
tameer nov kashmir
(MORE)

67/151
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Naven khaban karo tabeer Karo
tameer nov kashmir
Dapaan yeth reshi waari andr Chi
kyetah laal tai jawahar
Kadam tul jal cze moo gas geer
Karo.. tameer nov kashmir..
Monkey-man open the silver foil and eats from it with hand
and feeding the two monkey’s as well.
As AMit comes near by, Monkey growls at him revealing all

their canine and Amit move back scared, he falls down. MONKEY
MAN in black turban turns back, dark smoke from nostrils, he
is a man in his mid fifties, with kajal in his puffy eyes and
rings in his ears, a mystic face.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Lagi toh nahi?
He stands up and helps Amit back on his feet.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Thik ho?
Amit nods, looking back at the monkeys.
AMIT
Ye aapkey bandar hai?
Monkey man smiles and nods.
MONKEY MAN
Haan, milna hai..?
Amit feels nervous to say yes but curious.
AMIT
Nahi, khaa jayngey merko...
MONKEY MAN
(smiling)
Nahi...nahi..katengey...humarey Hi
poorvaj hai..aaao..
He holds Amit hands and takes him to Monkeys, this time they
do not growl and are focused on food.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Chuoo...
Amit hesitates, nervous and scared, smiles.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Chulo chulo...kuch nahi bolega...

68/151
He takes Amit’s stiff hand and slowly brushes on Monkey’s

soft furry brown back.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Ye hai Abdul, aur ye hai Radha...ek
Dusrey se behad mohbbat kartey
hein..
Monkey do not respond. Amit burst out laughing in excitement.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Dekha..kuch bola?
Amit giggles and looks back at plenty of food here.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhook lagi hai?
Amit slowly nods.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhait jaao....
Amit sits next to monkeys, little nervous and scared. Monkey

man puts little khichdi in front of him.
Monkey sit next to them, Abdul carefully taking out lice from
Abdul’s back hair now.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Aur tumhara naam kya hai?
AMIT
Amit...Aap mere aur meri behen ke
liye mangva do aur khichdi
insey..bahut lambi line hai...badan
bhi jalta hai dhoop me...
MONKEY MAN
Jyada baar bheja toh logo ko shak
ho jayega...lo ye le jaao ismey
se..
He packs back the remaining khichdi in one packet and hands

him to Amit.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Le jaao...
Amit stand up, licking his finger of khichdi and waves his
hand at monkeys.

69/151
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

(animated voice)
Abdul-Radha..salaam karo sahab
ko...
He pulls their rope in neck and Both the monkeys suddenly on

two legs in attention salutes Amit and smile spreads on his
face and he salutes back to monkeys.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Jaao..
Amit walks back with a smile, holding the shiny silver

packet.
INT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-LATER
Jyoti, Nandu, Bindiya and Amit- sits in a circle around

handful of cooked Khichdi, eating as little portion as they
can to keep it for longer in mouth. It’s heartbreaking.
NANDU
Ab apne bander valey ko shukriya
jaurur bolna..
Bindiya looks back, not liking it.
BINDIYA
Koi jaurat nahi hai kisi bander
fander valey ke pass janey ka...
Nandu looks back at Amit and they both smiles.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR-NIGHT
Laying down Nandu waggles a cardboard piece at sleeping

children and Bindiya. Looking at them, thoughts in his mind
when a hand tap on his shoulder slowly. He turns back. Rama
is there.
Rama places his finger on his lips to be quiet, not to wake

up the rest of people in corridor. He ask him to come along.
They move away.
EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-LATER-CONTINUE
Rama fold his hand in front of Nandu.

70/151
RAMA
Nanduaa humey tumhara madad
chaiye...
NANDU
Kaa hua?
RAMA
Do Hafta hogiya re Nandu ee
sapecial train ka intezaar dhekat
dhekat, humsey aaur nahi ruka
jaeyga, bhooka mar jayngey re
yahan...aur Shiva ko is halat me
dhek ke humara aatma rota
hai...usko laadh ke ghar paidal toh
nahi jaa paingey...tumhara madad
chaiye...
NANDU
Hum Kaa madad kar sakat hein
bhaiya...humpey bhi toh kucho hai
hi nahi..
RAMA
Tumka likhbey toh ata hai na..
Nandu nods.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Chala humarey sath..
EXT. GOVERNMENT SCHOOL-NIGHT-LATER
Rama and Nandu stands at a distance from the school gate.
RAMA
Voh cycle nazar aat hai...humko uu
cycle churaana padega bhaiyaa...hum
Shiva ko paidal khinch ke gaao nahi
le jaa paingey...
NANDU
Cycle se? Gaaon? Hazariyon
kilometer hai bhaiya...
RAMA
Aur kaa karein bhaiya..koi aur raah
nazar nahi aat hai..ee special
train jaane kab milega... .kaise
bhi karke apna dehrij mil jaaye
bas..

71/151
Under a street pole yellow light- a red painted Atlas bicycle

with fancy shiny ribbons and an iron square carrier on the
back, bigger than normal bicycle, is chained with the street
pole.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Humney zindagi mein bahut sa bura
kaam kiya hoga, lekin kabhi chori
nahi kiye..bhagwaan kabhi maaf nahi
karega chori ko, isliye chahtey
hein ee cycle ka maalik, jo bhi ho,
humara majboori jaaney, aur ho
sakey toh humka maaf kardey...
NANDU
Hum kaa karey bhaiya?
RAMA
Ek chitti likh deyo humarey liye
cycle ke maaalik ko, cycle ke jagah
chord jaingey maafi maang
ke...chori ka paap ka prashchit
karkey...
Nandu heartfelt looks back at him for a while and nods, takes
out pen and Rama take out his train registration form from
his pocket.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Ee train ka kagaz ke pichey likh
diyaa.
NANDU
Bola kaa likhey...
RAMA
(moisten eyes)
Namstey ji, Main mazdoor hun,
majboor bhi... Main aapka gunehgar
hu... Aapki cycle lekar ja raha
hu... Mujhe maaf kar dena... Mujhe
Bihar tak jana hai. Mere pass koi
saadhan nahi hai.. aur ek viklang
baccha hai, chal nahi sakta, aapka
abhaari aur gunhegaar rahunga....Ek
majdoor aur ek majboor...
Rama Pauses, thinking, tear lurking.
RAMA (CONT'D)
Bas.
Nandu nods back, moisten eyes himself, understands.

72/151
They move ahead, looking around and comes next to the

bicycle. Rama takes out a screw driver from his pocket and
removes the lock.
Nandu puts the letter where cycle stood and puts the removed
bicycle lock over it. They move ahead with bicycle.
INT. SCHOOL CAMPUS-LATER
Nandu and Rama with cycle arrives back where Shiva laying
down on his castor, snoring. Rama tries to wake him up.
RAMA
Aai Shiva uthaa, aai utha Shiva.
Shiva wakes up, rubbing his eyes, his face still swollen.
SHIV
Kaa hua chacha?
He looks at Nandu with the cycle.
SHIVA
Ee cycle kiska hai?
RAMA
Eee sab chord, aa humaar god
me...gaaon nikalna hai...
He tries to pick up Shiva in his arms, but even the half of

his body feels heavy.
NANDU
Ruka hum uthaat hai, tum cycle
pakdo..
Rama takes the cycle and Nandu picks up Shiva in arms and
places him on the iron squared carrier behind with his
castor. Rama hands folded nods at Nandu.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Sambhal ke jana..
Rama nods and gets on the cycle, thinks for awhile and
reaches into his pocket and takes out a five hundred rupee
note.
RAMA
Maaf kard diya bhaiya..hum ye ek
note chupa liye the...
He gives it to Nandu and folds his hand. Nandu shakes his

head and puts the note back in his pocket.

73/151
NANDU
Sirf tumne nahi rakha tha bacha
ke..
They both nods to each other, Rama fold his hand again and
this time out of the blue Nandu moves forward and warmly hugs
Rama for a while, moisten eyes.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Gaao me miltein hein jaldi...
Rama nods and paddles off the cycle, Nandu stands their
looking at them disappearing into the night.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR-NIGHT-LATER
Nandu comes back to find Bindiya is awake. Amit sleeping near

by. Coughing loudly, Jyoti is gasping for breath in her lap.
People around sits up, suspiciously looking at family.
Corona’s symptoms. Rancho sniffing Jyoti’s legs.
BINDIYA
Kahan chaley gaye the?
NANDU
Kaa huaa?
BINDIYA
Khaasi uthey jaara hai, saans nahi
aara...
Nandu takes Jyoti into his Lap.
NANDU
Aae Jyoti kaa hua?
Jyoti coughs rapidly. Nandu puts his palm on her neck.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Ee toh tap rahi hai....
BINDIYA
Bukhaar utara hi nahi...
Jyoti looks up at Nandu.

74/151
JYOTI
Papa, dard hora hai chaati mein...
Coughing rapidly. Nandu rubs her back, pats it.
NANDU
Ghabraao nahi...
Jyoti’s eyes roll back.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Aaie Jyoti...aaiee...Jyoti?
Her head falls back, unconscious. Nandu looks back in shock.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua? Behosh ho gayi?
Nandu instantly grabs her in arms and runs out.
CUT TO:
EXT. PRIVATE HOSPITAL-NIGHT-LATER
Horrified, Nandu runs into the elegant entrance of private

hospital building near by school. Rancho following him along.
Carrying half conscious Jyoti into his arms. He runs towards
the gate with emergency red neon glow sign.
A masked Guard runs out from side cabin and stops them.
Rancho barks aloud at him. Nandu forcefully tries to get in.
He push him aside.
GUARD
Haan? Kahan? Yahan allow nahi hai
aise...
NANDU
Bhaiya...humar beti behosh ho
gayi..saans nahi aara hai...jaaney
diyaa bhaiya...
He tries to move ahead, but guard again spread his arms to

stop him and another guard arrives with a stick, and grabs
him by arm. Rancho barks rapidly.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bhaiyaa..mat kijiye aise..mar
jaaygi humaar bacchi...
bhaiyaa..doctor ko bula deyo....

75/151
A Mercedes car arrives with good looking but tensed people

with an elderly man with a mask on his face, gasping for
breath and the other guard swiftly reaches the door and let
them in.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bhaiya behosh padi hai bhaiya..
GUARD #1
Arey bhaai...aise nahi dekhtey ab
yahan...corona ka test kara ke
aao...pichey hato...
They dig their stick in his chest to push him away.
NANDU
Bhaiya isey saans nahi aa
rahi...bhaiya...meharbaani karkey
doctor ko bula diya...
GUARD #2
Bhai humarri bhi toh naukari ka
savaal hai, saaf maana hai aise
kisi ko bhi aane dene se..kahin
aaur dhek jaake..
Nandu puts unconscious Jyoti on the pavement near by. Rancho

immediately sniffs her face.
NANDU
(join hands)
Bhaiyaa...doctor ko bulvaa
do..bhaiya humaar beti pe taras
khaao...bhaiya...
Nandu’s tears fall out in desperation.
GUARD #1
Corona ka test karake aa
bhaai...jab hi ilaaj hoga
yahan...or Itne mehnge asptaal me
kara bhi nahi paayega tu..mana hai
aise yahan ilaaj ab...jaa Kahin
sarkaari me dhek le...jaaa
NANDU
Kahan hoga bhaiya ee test...
GUARD #1
Bhai..isey kahi aaur leja..yahan
paas me ek clinic hai..shayad voh
lele...jaa..nahi toh mar jayegi
ye...

76/151
Nandu wipes his tears and pick up unconscious Jyoti again and
runs out. Rancho march along.
NANDU
(running)
Aaie Jyoti..beta..Jyoti...
He tries to shake Jyoti into her arms. She coughs out and
vomits on to him.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kuch nahi hoga re beta..kuch nahi
hoga...hum hai na...
She almost unconsciously coughs soggy vomit out onto Nandu’s

chest. He don’t even notice it. Running along with her weight
and empty stomach.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kuch nahi hoga re beta...
He runs out and on the way Bindiya joins. Following up trying

to walk as fast as she can with her pregnant heavy belly.
BINDIYA
(heavy breath)
Kaa hua?
NANDU
Yaha nahi le rahey bharti...
He runs past her. She follow him behind, grabbing her belly.
Rancho barking aloud follows Nandu.
EXT/INT. CLINIC-CONTINUE
Nandu enter the clinic area towards the entrance. No guards

in sight, he tries to run straight into the closed double
gate with two small window.
A paper sheet on both the gates read- ‘NO OXYGEN- NO BED’
He immediately puts Jyoti near by on the floor and tries to

open the door. It’s locked. He thumps hard on the door.
NANDU
Aaie kholo..koi hai..kholo...
Rancho barks aloud. Nandu thumps his fist hard into the door.
No one. Kicks it hard in frustration.

77/151
NANDU (CONT'D)
Humaar bacchi mar jaygi
re...kholo...koi hai..kholo
A man in mask appears from behind the small glass window,

looks outside. First at Nandu and then unconscious Jyoti on
floor and barking aloud dog. Nandu comes to the window
immediately.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bhaiya...khol deyo bhaiya..huamra
beti ko saans nahi araha hai...
Man from the glass window stares back for a while.
MAN
(from behind the window)
Bed nahi bacha hai yahan.
NANDU
(crying out)
Bhaiya...koi dava.. koi toh.. kuch
dedo..huamra bitiya ko bhkuaar
hai...saans nahi aaraha...
Man looks at pleading crying Nandu and moves back into the
building.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(screaming into the
window)
Bhaiyaa...bhaiyaa...mar jaeygi
humaaar beti...bhaiyaa...
He screams so loud his head hurts. Grabbing his head he

collapse on floor next to Jyoti. Take her into his lap,
crying. Rancho sniffing her feet.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(slowly slapping her to
wake up)
Aaiee Jyoti...beta...Jyoti...
Jyoti coughs out, blood in her vomit. Rancho sniffs the

vomit.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Beta...kuch nahi hogaa...beta..
Bindiya arrives out of breath.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua?

78/151
She kneels down with them, puts her hand on Jyoti.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Jyoti? beta...Jyoti..
Bindiya stares back at Nandu looking at Jyoti, lost teary

eyes. Abruptly, Gate thuds back open and the man who was
behind the window appears, wearing a blue PPE Kit holding a
small pulse oximeter and a small cylinder attached to a
plastic inhaler mask.
NANDU
Bhaiya....dekho...bhaiya...saans
Nahi aaraha hai..
He kneels down in front of Jyoti, take out a water bottle.
MAN
Iska muh saaf karo...
Nandu takes the bottle with shivering hands, cleans of the

vomit from her mouth. While the man in PPE, clips the
oximeter on Jyoti’s finger and it reads just 43. He unclips
it and again puts it back on her finger- it reads 41.
The man immediately put the band of inhaler on back of

Jyoti’s head and covers her nose and mouth with inhaler. Sets
the oxygen pressure on small cylinder. Jyoti’s body gasp for
sudden oxygen. Fog appears on inhaler as she breathes into
it.
MAN (CONT'D)
Ye laaga ke rakho...hatana mat..aur
jitna jaldi ho sakey...oxygen Ka
intejaam karlo..test kar lo corona
ka...aur apna bhi..bacchi Ko jaldi
se jaldi Aiims le jaao..vahan
corona ko letey hein...samjhey?
Nandu gawp back and nods.
MAN (CONT'D)
Ab jaao..aur kisi ko mat batana
mainey ye cylinder diya
hai...samjhey?
Nandu and Bindiya immediately nods, folding hands to him.
MAN (CONT'D)
Jaao..aur sabsey pehley oxygen
dhundo..samjhe...jaldi..ye sirf
kuch ghanta chalega..oxygen nahi
mila toh mar jaayegi ye..samjhe?

79/151
Nandu nods, trying to understand with moisten eyes.
BINDIYA
Bhaiya test hoga kahan?
MAN
AIIMS me le jaao..vahan ho jaayega
kuch..
Bindiya holds the small cylinder and Nandu picks Jyoti into
his arms and they move out. Rancho treading along.
EXT. AIIMS PAVEMENT-LATE NIGHT
Sweating to his pants, Nandu out of breath try to walk as

fast as he can, carrying Jyoti on his back and holding the
small Cylinder too. His exhausted body giving up.
As he moves inside- from his POV- Helpless poor people sit

and lay down on the road and pavement at the entrance in
hundreds. People with their sick kins. Cough and sneezes
blows all around. Rapid ambulance sirens blows out,
overlapping one another, it’s disturbing to the core.
Nandu puts Jyoti on the ground carefully. Rancho sniff her

again. Looking around. An old skeleton thin ‘[man looks back
at him, coughing rapidly. He is alone, no one is their to
attend him. Nandu exchange a brief look with him when Bindiya
arrives.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua?
NANDU
Tum sambhaalo ee ka...hum pata
karkey aatey hein...
BINDIYA
Kaa?
NANDU
Kahan hoga bharti..
BINDIYA
Tum jaake cylinder dhundo..hum pata
kartein hein jaaake..khatam ho
jayega cylinder jaldi..
They both exchange a agreeable look and Nandu walks out.

Bindiya puts Jyoti’s on the grass in the lawn and adjust the
cylinder’s inhaler on her nose properly. Rancho alongside
keep sniffing Jyoti’s body.

80/151
Bindiya gets up and looks back at Rancho, who looks up at

Bindiya, tail wiggling.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Dhyaan rakh iska..
Rancho sniff Jyoti again and Bindiya moves into the hospital.
INT. EMERGENCY BUILDING- CONTINUE
We follow exhausted pregnant Bindiya as she enters and it’s a

total mayhem of people in here. Feels like all of the city is
cramped here, people coughing, shouting overlaps, pleading,
crying.
She sprints past people standing, sitting, sleeping in the

corridors and in the stairwell. She rushes into the emergency
room as stretcher after stretcher with people gasping on it
making its way in and out of the lifts.
Full beds, with two patient on same ICU beds. Patients on

floor gasping for breath, four patients attached to a single
oxygen cylinder. Coughs and groans. Crisis personifying.
Nurse, doctor, volunteers, security guards and relatives of

patient all attending people in need. It’s hell of a medical
crisis. Doctor and nurses in PPE running from one critical
patient to other, some trying CPR to revive dying ones.
Men and women in huge line outside two glass wall with a
hole. Exhausted overworked men and women sits behind the hole-
shaking their heads to people.
Bindiya looks at the masked uniformed guard near by adjusting

a cylinder for four older patient attached to it.
BINDIYA
(to guard)
Bhaiya..ee corona ka jaanch kahan
hota hai...?
He points his eyes towards the first glass wall hole.
Fog on Jyoti’s inhaler appears in intervals. Slow breath.

Rancho curled up next to Jyoti. The old man next to them
coughs rapidly for a while and all of sudden he collapse on
ground- No more coughs are heard. Rancho barks back at open
mouth old man, lay dead near by.

81/151
EXT. OXYGEN FILLING PLANT-NIGHT-LATER
With vomit all over his shirt and exhaustion bulging from
eyes, Nandu arrives at the small shop where people are ready
to kill for a oxygen cylinder. He stops at a distance and
looks back at the bedlam- people carrying their own cylinder
to refill. Other just waiting, few even crying near by.
He moves into the crowd.
INT. EMERGENCY BUILDING-LATER
Bindiya half way into the line now, sweating between people
shoving her from front and back. Praying in distress.
EXT. PAVEMENT-LATER
Rancho sniffing Jyoti’s face. Fog on the inhaler still

visible.
Close on: pressure meter on cylinder slowly dropping down.
EXT. OXYGEN FILLING PLANT-NIGHT-LATER
Nandu now at the front line, screaming to the vendor.
NANDU
Bhaiya ek chota cynlider de diyo,
mera bachhi mar jayegi
bhaiyaa...jaruri hai bhaiyaa...
People around look at him, with caked vomit on him and filthy
clothes and teary eyes. No one wants to stand near by. He
pleads like a mad man. Folded hands. A show for public on
display.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bhaiyaa meherbaani...humar bachhi
asptal me padi hai.mar
Jayegi...bheek de diyo...
VENDOR
Bhai cylinder nahi hai...tujhpe hai
toh le aa mai bharva dunga..lekin
cylinder nahi hai ab..
NANDU
Bhaiya..kisi aur chiz me bhar ke
dediyo bhaiya...dedo bhaiya...mar
jayega humaar bachi...

82/151
People around with cylinder in hands, just look back, they

have their reasons. Nandu just looks back, teary.
INT. EMERGENCY BUILDING- LATER
Bindiya now at the counter.
BINDIYA
Bhaiya humar beti ko saans nahi aa
raha hai...ulti bhi hua hai..uska
corona ka jaanch karana hai...
Man behind the glass looks at her for a while.
MAN
Doctor ka prescription laaye ho?
BINDIYA
Kaa bhaiya? hum to doctor ko
dhikaney aaye hein...? voh clinic
me bola tha corona ka jaanch
karaney ko..
MAN
Likh ke diya doctor ne jaanch ka..?
Bindiya shakes her head.
MAN (CONT'D)
Bina doctor ke parchi ka ilaaj nahi
hota hai...pehley parchi laao...
Bindiya’s eyes swell up.
BINDIYA
Bhaiya doctor ko hi toh dikhaney ko
bolat hein...
MAN
Doctor nahi hai, bahar se jaanch
kara ke aao..
A man from behind pushes Bindiya.
MAN FROM BEHIND

Arey hatt chal...aur kahin pata
kar.. mana kar rahey hein toh...
Bindiya exist the line, defeated, she looks around the chaos-
One of patient on the same ICU bed, suddenly falls of the bed-
Dead! A shrieking cry appears from a young woman next to him-
probably his daughter.

83/151
Bindiya runs out.
Bindiya arrives, slow slumped walk and collapse near by

Jyoti. Rancho curled up around her. Fog on inhaler still
visible. She rubs her hand on her forehead, tear fell down.
Suddenly Nandu arrives.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua? Mila?
He just keeps looking at Jyoti. Lost.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Bolat kaahey nahi ho? Kaa hua?
NANDU
Nahi mila...
Bindiya looks back at him and grabs her head in disbelief.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Ander ka bola?
BINDIYA
Koi sunta hi nahi hai..mara maari
hora hai ander...tum dheka jaake ek
baar..
Suddenly Jyoti’s body shudders for breath, Oxygen pressure

almost on the brink. Nandu kneels down immediately.
NANDU
Jyoti, beta? Jyoti?
He helplessly rub her back. Her body shudders as oxygen

diminishes.
BINDIYA
Jaao jaao jaldi jaao pata karo..
INT. HOSIPTAL-LATER
Nandu comes running inside and People in long line already.

Nandu runs straight to the glass wall hole counter. Few
people from behind screams.
PEOPLE
Arey bhai line me aa..

84/151
Nandu in desperation come to the glass hole.
NANDU
Bhaiya humari beti saans nahi le
paa rahi...bhaiya..doctor ko dhikva
do..bhaiya..
PEOPLE
(from behind)
Ooh bhai..line me hoja...
NANDU
(to counter man)
Bhaiya...mar jaaygi...bhaiya...
COUNTER-MAN
Line se aaiye pehley aap...
Nandu joins her hand. An Old Man behind Nandu asks the
counter man.
OLD MAN
Koi nahi...Dhek lijiye inka
pehley...
Nandu folds his hand to him.
COUNTER-MAN
(to Nandu)
Kya hua?
NANDU
Bhaiya saans nahi aaraha
usko...cynlider lagaya
tha...kahtaam hone vala hai...
Counter man takes a form, rights something on it and slides

it through the glass hole. Nandu looks back at it.
NANDU (CONT'D)
kaa karein ab?
Counter man Calls a security guard near by, adjusting

cylinder for patient.
COUNTER-MAN
Arey Wardhan?
The Guard in uniform comes running.
GUARD
Ji?

85/151
COUNTER-MAN
Iskaa patient dhek, koi jagah ho
toh cylinder pe laga de..
GUARD
Koi khali nahi hai..
Nandu folds his hand immediately.
NANDU
Bhaiya choti si bacchi hai bhaiya
mar jayegi bhaiya...kuch kar diyo
bhaiya...
GUARD
Bhai dhekta hun, thodi bhaut der me
koi mar gaya toh uski jagah de
dunga terko..
Guard looks back at him and moves towards a corner. Nandu

follows him along.
NANDU
Bhaiya dhek liyo bhaiya..
Guard adjust cylinder on other patients, now he knows it

after doing it from a while.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bhaiya meherbaani hoga bhaiya..
Suddenly on one of the cylinder, a man collapse on floor,

neck slumped. Dead.
Nandu looks back at the dead, horrified.
GUARD
Khul gayi teri kismat..
Nandu looks back.
GUARD (CONT'D)
Jaa leke aa jaldi..mai ye body
hatata hun...aur kuch kharcha paani
kar diyo..baad me..
Nandu nods and run out in haste, he slips at the gate on wet
floor, gets up again and runs out fast.

86/151
EXT. AIIMS PAVEMENT-LATER-EARLY MORNING
Bindiya holding Jyoti in her lap cries, Covering Jyoti’s face

with her saaree when Nandu arrives, out of breath. Rancho
sniffing Jyoti’s legs, very much rigorously.
NANDU
Chalo chalo...mil gaya cylinder,
chal..
Bindiya do not move, her inaudible tears fall.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(denying his thought)
Aaie Bindiya kaa hua...chala..mil
gaya cylinder..
INAUDIBLE SLOW MOTION-Bindiya slowly takes off the Saaree

from Jyoti’s face. Inhaler on her mouth is no longer foggy.
Nandu looks back at Jyoti’s pale dead face, he immediately
collapse and hold onto Jyoti as he screams aloud.
EXT. AIIMS PAVEMENT-LATER-EARLY MORNING
INAUDIBLE SLOW MOTION-
Close on: Jyoti’s dead face in crying out Nandu’s lap. Slowly
a deep red petal of rose comes falling onto her dead
forehead. Nandu picks it and looks up. An Indian air force
helicopter, hovers above showering flowers petals on us. Very
pretty yet ruthlessly disgusting.
We move back: as Jyoti’s lays dead in Nandu’s arms. Bindiya

sobs grabbing her. Rancho howling next to the body. The whole
family is curled up together, as flower petal from above
shower on them. The old dead man lay next to them.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. AIIMS PAVEMENT-DAY
Bindiya holding onto Jyoti’s dead body. Her dead face covered
by her saaree. Rancho, sadly curled up near Jyoti’s body when
Nandu arrives huffing.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua? Milaa koi?
NANDU
Koi ambulance nahi hai, bolta hai
khud le jaao...

87/151
Nandu looks at the old man’s dead body near by, flies buzz in
and out of his open dead mouth.
BINDIYA
Aise kaise le jaaye?
NANDU
dhundta hun koi...
Nandu before leaving goes to dead old man’s body and puts his
scarf over his open dead mouth.
EXT. STREET-LATER
Nandu walks in search of some Rickshaw puller. No one on

road, expect one or two moving car. He spots a police van and
moves forward.
Two policemen sits inside with double masks on their faces.
NANDU
Namaskar Sir.
They both looks back, nods.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Sir, meri beti ka dehant ho gaya
hai sir, uska body ko le jaane ke
liye sadhan nahi de rahe aspataal
me...kuch kariye sir, ek aur aadmi
ka laash pada hai bahar patri par..
POLICEMAN
Corona se mari hai?
Nandu nods. They both look back at each other.
POLICEMAN #2
Gaadi se dur khada hoke baat kar.
Nandu slowly takes few steps back.
NANDU
Sir aspatal me maara maari ho raha
hai, koi sadhan dene ko tayiaar
nahi..garib aadmi hun sir, koi
madad kardo...
POLICEMAN #1
Bhai hum ke karey? Hospital valo ko
hi bol..voh hi kara dengey
ambulance...

88/151
NANDU
Mana kartey hein sir..bol rahey
hein busy hai sab..
Policemen spots a garbage small truck, two teenage young boys

loading filthy garbage near by.
POLICEMAN #2
Kahan leke jayega?
NANDU
Koi bhi Samshan me sir...
POLICEMAN
Laa 500 rupye nikal.karvata Hun
tera jugaad...
Nandu looks back for a while.
NANDU
500 toh nahi hai sir..
POLICEMAN
Beta dhek, voh kude ka truck nazar
ara hai..ussey bolunga..aur voh
mana karega..toh kuch usko dene ko
toh chaiye...baki teri marji
hai..hum toh madad karney ko bol re
hein..
Nandu takes out two hundred rupee note.
NANDU
Ye e hai bacha hai sir bas...
Policeman honks the horn, few times until garbage worker boys
looks back at them and he raises his hand to call him. A
garbage worker comes running.
GARBAGE WORKER
Ji sahab?
POLICEMAN
Ek kaam kardey beta...is bhai ke
sath chala ja...aur ek body hai
iski..voh gadi me daalkey...aur
samshan ghat tak chordke
aaja..chal..
GARBAGE WORKER
Lekin sahab..voh kudaa bhar liya
mainey toh..

89/151
POLICEMAN
Arey toh kya ho gya..uppar daal
liyo aur le jaiyo..body e toh
hai...
Nandu just looks back.
POLICEMAN (CONT'D)
Jaa chal iske saath chala jaa ye le
jayega..thik hai...dedega kharcha
terko
Nandu nods, folds his hands and moves away with garbage
worker.
EXT. AIIMS PAVEMENT-LATER
Nandu arrives in the garbage truck with workers. Bindiya

looks at him, confused. He gets out.
NANDU
Chala...ismey le chala....
Bindiya looks back at him, silently crying.
BINDIYA
(wailing)
Hum Jyoti ko kuda ka truck me nahi
le jaayngey...
NANDU
Aur koi sadhan nahi hai re..chal.
Bindiya cries out loud and grabs on to Jyoti’s pale body.

Rancho barks out, furiously.
BINDIYA
Naahi...
Nandu holds Bindiya from behind and instructs garbage worker.
NANDU
Utha leyo bhaiya...
Bindiya shudders to hold onto Jyoti’s body but Nandu keeps

her grip strong on her and his emotions.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Utha leyo..
Garbage workers picks up Jyoti’s body. One hold her hands and
other her legs as her dead head swings on spineless neck.
Rancho barks, furious.

90/151
BINDIYA
(screams)
Sambhaal ke..humaar bacchi hai...
In a single move they throw it onto the pile of garbage in

open truck.
Nandu looks at the old man near by.
NANDU
Bhaiya ye body bhi utha liya...
WORKERS
Bhai humari baat ek body ki hui
thi...
NANDU
Humar baap jaisa hai bhaiya..utha
leyo le lena aur paise...
Worker looks back at them and finally move to pick it up.
Workers pick the old dead man’s thin body and throw it onto
the garbage truck as well.
EXT. TRUCK-MOVING
Close on: Jyoti’s pale purple feet dangling out on the side,
lurching with the trucks rhythm. Heartbreaking.
EXT. CREMATION GROUND-LATER
Garbage worker unloads the bodies on the pavement outside the

cremation ground gate which has a huge blue SHIV idol on it.
In big bold hindi letter it reads- “MOKSH DUAAR”.
Bindiya and Nandu stand next to the two bodies. Rancho sniffs
Jyoti’s body silently. Garbage worker men hands them two huge
yellow poly bags to wrap the bodies.
GARBAGE WORKER
Issey lapate lo body ko..jabhi
jalaney dega ander.
Nandu nods and takes out 500 rupees and give it to them.

91/151
INT. CREMATION GROUND-LATER
On a make shift wooden stretcher with wheels, Nandu carries

two bodies inside, wrapped in yellow plastic with red bio-
hazard signs. Bindiya exhausted by whole night of struggle,
walks along with a arched back. Rancho trudges along.
As they move in all they can look around is burning pyre.

Wherever the space is available, a body is burning.
A pandit in haste, wearing dhoti arrives with shield mask and

gloves.
PANDIT
Haan?
NANDU
Ye humaar beti aur baap hein..kriya
karam karana tha...
Pandit nods, hurriedly moving towards a pyre near by.
PANDIT
Wahan waiting line me naam likhvaa
do jaakey...
Bindiya and Nandu moves ahead and they get shocked to see the
dozens of dead human bodies lay there wrapped in white
plastic and few in yellow plastic bags. The whole platform is
full of dead bodies.
Mourners of dead sit near by on red benches, few crying and

few just lost, everyone holding a piece of waiting coupon.
Nandu and Bindiya arrives when a clerk come to attend.
CLERK
Haan ji?
NANDU
Antim sanskar karana tha bhaiya..
CLERK
Samshaan me aaye toh ye hi hoga..
He looks at them with a smirk. They don’t respond.
CLERK (CONT'D)
Waiting hai kamse kam barah ghantey
ki bhatti me jalaney ko...aur lakdi
se karaogey toh kam se kam pandrah
ghantey....

92/151
NANDU
Lakdi se hi karaana hai bhaiya...
CLERK
Tumhari jo iccha bhai..lakdi ka
5000 with pandit....aur Bhatti ka
7000...waiting tumhey bata
diya...body ke liye locker chaiye
toh.. 50 rupiya ghantey ka...
Nandu and Bindiya gawp back at him.
NANDU
Sansakar ka itna paisa lagta hai
bhaiyaa yahan?
CLERK
(smirking)
CNG kharch hoti hai bhai bhatti
me...aur lakdi aur pandit ka
alag...is desh me maut zindagi se
jyada mehngi ho gayi hai
ab..samjhey..?
Nandu just looks back at him without a word.
CLERK (CONT'D)
Sochlo...fir bata dena vahan
counter pe jaakey...
He shake his head at them in disgust and moves ahead towards

an Ambulance and it delivers another dozen bodies wrapped in
bio hazard plastic bags.
Nandu and Bindiya exchange a teary silence, they know they

don’t have money for this. They look back at Rancho sitting
next to Jyoti’s body wrapped in plastic bag.
CUT TO:
EXT. CREMATION GROUND- SRTEET-LATER
Fighting back their tears Bindiya holds onto Nandu’s arms

strongly, almost dragging him along, as they moves away from
cremation ground. They both cries as they move away. Rancho
standing next to Jyoti’s bodies keep barking at them from
behind, as if cursing. Both are broken to souls, but
helplessly moving away. They abandoned the body. No choice.

93/151
EXT. STREET-CONTINUE
Both of them comes at the end of road and Nandu collapse in

middle of the road, cries out like a child. Totally
shattered. Bindiya sits next to him and hold onto his
shivering body, crying herself.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR -LATER
Bindiya and Nandu arrives. Eyes swollen. Amit nowhere to be

seen. Nandu calls out his name.
NANDU
Amit?
People around looks back at him.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(to a man near by)
Bhaiya mera beta ko dekha hai
kaa...
Man shake his neck.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Tum samaan bandho...hum dhundtey
hein...
Bindiya nods and Nandu moves down.
Nandu looks for Amit between crowd of people waiting in line

desperate for food from NGO people.
NANDU
Amit?
He is nowhere to be seen between this pool of people. He is

getting worried.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Amit?
Suddenly he sees a monkey jumping on the NGO people’s table,

grabs the food packet and runs away, Nandu follows the monkey
and arrives at the tree near by where Monkey hands the packet
to Amit, who sits here eating the khichdi, back to us ,
feeding another monkey. Near by him sits Monkey man in his
black turban eating. Nandu takes a sigh of relief.

94/151
NANDU (CONT'D)
Amit?
He turns back and smile spread across his face.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Papa...
He pace at him and Nandu grabs him into his arms. Both
Monkey’s growls and shows their jaws to Nandu. Amit shuts
them off.
AMIT
Abdul ye mere papa hai..bhait
jaao...
Both monkeys immediately sits. Nandu bewilderedly looks back.

Monkey man comes.
MONKEY MAN
Ye aapka beta hai?
He smiles at Amit. Nandu nods.
MONKEY
Bhaut bahadur hai..
AMIT
Papa ho gayi Jyoti thik?
Nandu looks back at him and his eyes moistens.
NANDU
Nahi..asptal me bharti kar
aaye...chalo..gaaon chalrey hein..
MONKEY MAN
Kahan hai bhai aapka gaao?
NANDU
Bihar me...
MONKEY MAN
Bihaar toh laghbag hazaar pandra
sau kilometer hoga bhaai...kaise
Jaa rahey ho?
NANDU
Ka karey bhaiya..Paidal hi
jaaingey...yahan toh marna hi narak
se bura ho gaya hai.

95/151
MONKEY MAN
Paidal?
Nandu nods.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Amit bata raha tha.. aapki biwi bhi
pet se hai?
Nandu nods.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Thode din me sab thik ho jayega
bhai...paidal jana sahi nahi hai
aise..
NANDU
Lekin ab yahan tehrna bhi galat hai
bhaai ji...dhanyvaad iska khayal
rakhne ke liye..
Nandu grabs Amit’s arm and walks away. Amit looks back at the
monkeys and smiles.
AMIT
Bye Abdul, bye Radha...bye..
Nandu and Amit walks away. Monkey man stares back at them
from behind.
CUT TO:
Bindiya balancing a cloth sack on her head. Nandu carrying a

back pack and holding onto a cloth sack in hand (in a close
up: we see the cockroach hidden inside.). Nandu hold Amit’s
hand and moves out of the school on an arduous journey to
Bihar, almost a thousand kilometers away.
-----INTERVAL------
EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF CITY-DAY
Close on: Huge road side real-estate billboards- exclaiming

about the wonderful promising life in cities with visuals of
blond smiling families. Offering luxury homes of crores.

96/151
Ironically, we move down from these huge billboards to

reveal: Contrast to it: on newly built highway roads- we see
migrants walking away from the city. Along with them Nandu’s
family, all sweaty, tired and hungry walking on the highway
between these promising billboards of a happy promising life
in the city, along with the trails thousands of migrants
moving away from the city.
EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF CITY-HIGHWAY-LATER-EVENING
Crowds of migrant worker, disorderly trying to get into a

truck, or a lorry or bus or three wheeler, or whatever is
available here to get them near their home. It’s a chaos of
human helplessness, desperate to get a transport for them.
Nandu carrying Amit on his back, Bindiya holding onto her

belly arrives at the bedlam.
Truck drivers howling out their destination, people crying,

folded hands to driver to get them a seat.
DRIVERS
Moradabad, Agra, Muzaffarpur,
gonda, Ayodhya, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Bengal.
People counting 2000 rupee notes to give them. Every truck

has hundreds of people around it. Pleading the driver.
It’s a chaos all around, women carrying their infants in

arms, holding their scant belongings, cries of small
children, peopling calling out their family to be together,
it’s a confusions of hope and fear.
NANDU
Mai pata karke ata hun, koi gaadi
miley toh.. yahin ruko...
Bindiya holds onto Amit arms and sits on the pavement,

exhausted.
EXT. NEARBY TRUCK-CONTINUE
Nandu push his way inside the crowd and come next to a
driver, sweating, counting notes.
MONKEY MAN
Bhaiyaa...kitna logey bihar tak
kaa?

97/151
DRIVER
Ek aadmi ka 3000, chota bachha
bhudaa sab ka 3000..
Migrants nearby offering thief gold earrings, phone, Driver

shaking head to them.
DRIVER (CONT'D)
Paisa do paisa...hanji 3000 aadmi
3000 admi, bihar...bihar...teen
hazar...
Nandu already lost, moves back- no money left.
CUT TO:
Nandu comes back to Bindiya, holding onto Amit.
BINDIYA
Kaa hua?
NANDU
3000 mangra hai ek aadmi ka..
Bindiya looks back at him for a while.
BINDIYA
Unn musahar ke chakkar me nahi
padey hote toh hota kuch paisa..
Nandu just sits on the pavement lost as he stares back:

nearby at a distance, a young teenage boy trying to cut off
the plaster from his fractured leg, a backpack strapped to
his back.
AMIT
Papa kab jayngey ghar? bhook laga
hai..
Nandu do not have a answer, he just stares back at the

teenage boy, as tears off the plaster away from his leg, gets
up and slowly hobble away on foot on the highway.
BINDIYA
Ab bola kuch ke naahi? Ka karein?
Nandu looks back at Bindiya, moisten eyes, when suddenly

monkey man arrives with both monkeys on his shoulders. Amit
jolts up in excitement.

98/151
AMIT
Abdul Radha
Nandu looks up at Monkey man.
MONKEY MAN
Mila koi gaadi?
Nandu just shakes his head in- NO.
NANDU
Bahut jyada paisa maangta hai...hai
nahi...
Monkey man looks at pregnant Bindiya next to her.
MONKEY MAN (O.S.)

Aao mere sath..ek jugaad
NANDU
Aap nikal jaiye bhaiya...humpey
paisa nahi hai...
MONKEY MAN
Arey aao jyada mehnga nahi
hai...dhek Lenge kuch...agra tak ka
hai...aao..
They all get up in haste, Nandu picks up Amit on his back,

Monkey man gets his Monkey back on his shoulder and they move
fast.
LATER:
Nandu’s POV : We follow monkey man with both monkeys on his

shoulder as he get away from the crowd towards a less crowded
corner of the road and come across a cement mixer tank. A
paper thin Driver awaits.
Bindiya looks back at the huge round filthy tanker of the

cement mixer as a man get inside it’s small hole.
DRIVER
(to monkey man)
Jaldi karo bhaiya..kisi ne dhek
liya toh lafdaa ho jayda...
MONKEY MAN
Chalo chalo jaldi guss jaao...
NANDU
Kitney maang ra hai...500 rupya
aadmi..maine de diya hai...baad me
dedena..chalo abhi jaldi...

99/151
Nandu looks back, nods and pick up Amit immediately.
AMIT
Chieee...Mai nahi jaaungaa ismey...
Amit throws his leg, crying out.
MONKEY MAN
Arey beta maza aayega...ismey
chupke jana hai...pakde nahi
jana...chupan chupayi khelto ho na?
Amit nods.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Haan thik vaise hi...humey Log
dhundenge lekin hum chupe
rahenge...aur jeetne valey ko Taj
mahal dhekne ko milega...
AMIT
Taj mahal?
Monkey man nods, excited eyes. Nandu looks at him,

understanding.
MONKEY MAN
Aao aao...jaldi
Amit nods and monkey man pick him up and puts him inside the
tanker.
CUT TO:
INT. CEMENT MIXER TANK-MOVING-LATER
Slow motion: Nandu holding onto Amit in his lap, Bindiya

holding her legs as she sits cramped in this tank with
fifteen other souls. Monkey man with both monkey in his laps,
holding them tight in his arms. Everyone is strangely quite.
Their sweaty bodies move in harmonize rhythm of motion. Every
face has a longing, hunger and hope in eyes.
Bindiya moves her legs in pain, her pregnant belly is pressed

against her leg- stiffing her back. She moves her posture
rapidly in discomfort.
NANDU
(whispers)
Kaa huaa?
BINDIYA
Peshaab aaya hai humka..

100/151
Nandu stares back.
NANDU
Ye wala naka paar ho jaane de..fir
rukvaa denge...abhi rok le..
BINDIYA
Nahi rok paayngey...aise..
People around can hear them-staring back at Bindiya.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Nahi rok paayengey...zor se aara
hai...
Her eyes fills up by the shame of it and slowly we see urine

running down her legs, onto the floor. People move back their
feet away from urine stream. Some groans.
MAN
Behenchod pagal aurat hai kaa,
mutaas karkey nahi aa sakti thi...
Nandu takes off his scarf and tries to wipe it off.
NANDU
Maaf kardo bhaiya...pet se hai...
Man looks back at Bindiya in disgust. Bindiya cries out,

covering her face in her saree, shame-full. Nandu cleans off
the urine with his scarf.
Everyone covers their mouth with hands from stench.
MAN
Puraa rastaa bhar ab ee baas me
jaao..
Monkey man glares back at Man, furious eyes.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY TOLL-NIGHT
Driver POV from inside the truck: they arrives at a toll,

Police yellow barricades shines ahead in the head light.
Policemen swings their lathis to stop.
DRIVER
Iski maa kaa..rok liyaa
(to helper and few men
with him)
(MORE)

101/151
DRIVER (CONT'D)
Puchey toh boldena tum hi ho..aur
paisa nahi liye hein...
(to Helper)
bhola tu baat kar, kuch paisa vaisa
leke ho jaye toh...
The driver window come across a policeman standing down. He

stops and looks down at him.
DRIVER (CONT'D)
Ram Ram sahib..
POLICEMAN
Kahaan jaa raha hai be ?
DRIVER
Sahab Agra ka chakkar hai..
POLICEMAN
Agra ka?
DRIVER
Ji sahab..
Policeman peeps into the truck front seats with his torch
light. Three men and his helper Bhola sits there.
POLICEMAN
Ye kon hein..?
DRIVER
Sahab voh helper hai, ye log
bechare paidal the toh bhitaa
liya..pareshaan they...
Three men scared to Death looks back at him, faces lit up in

flashy blue torch light.
POLICEMAN
Kitney paise liye isne..?
All three of them freezes for a moment and in unison reply

back.
MEN
Nahi liyaa sahab...
Policeman looks back at them and a smirk appears.
CUT TO:

102/151
FEW MOMENTS LATER:
Driver, three men and helper Bhola stand in front of an

higher officer who sits there eating chicken legs curry
dripping in ghee.
OFFICER
Beta baba ji ki sarkar pata hai
kitni sakht hai..tuney toh inhey
chada liya.. paise tu
kamaaye..gaand hum de sarkar
ko...hein nahi tu bata..yahan garmi
me raat ko naake pe pade rehna kuch
toh banta hai beta humara? Hein?
Driver nods.
BHOLA
Sahab ji kuch le deke dhek lo...
CUT TO:
INSIDE THE TANK:
Everyone is quite here, not moving, Nandu holding Amit close,

Bindiya eyes closed, Monkey man holding both monkeys mouth.
Everyone is quite. Pin drop silence.
BACK TO:
Here Driver slowly counts three thousand rupees and hold it
for officer.
OFFICER
(showing his dirty hands)
Beta mere hath me toh maas
hai..usey dede...
The policeman takes it and officer nods
OFFICER (CONT'D)
Kitney hein?
POLICEMAN
Teen hazaar hai sahab?
Officer looks back at the three man standing next to him,

staring back at his yummy chicken curry.
OFFICER
Kitney liye bhayi isney tumsey?
Hein?
A thin man without realizing it replies back.

103/151
MAN
Sahab 500 per aadmi..
Officer looks back at policeman.
OFFICER
Aur ye humey dera hai 3000? Matlab?
CUT TO:
INSDIE THE TANK:
The small gate on tanks hole thuds back open and torch lights
penetrate Nandu’s eyes.
POLICEMAN
(shouting out)
Aur bhi hein daroga ji...
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY TOLL-NIGHT-LATER
From the mixer hole one by one- eighteen souls come out.
Driver, helper with their slumped neck stands next to
Officer, caught. Nandu, Bindiya, Amit and Monkey man with
monkeys stand in line along with other.
OFFICER
Behenchod, insaan toh insaan bandar
bhi savaari kar re hein..
He laughs out and other policemen giggles.
OFFICER (CONT'D)
(to monkey man)
Inkey bhi liye kya isney paise?
MONKEY MAN
Paise toh sahab sarkaar ne bhi liye
they train ke...ye Kam se kam se
pahuchaa toh ra hai...
Officer stares back for a while.
OFFICER
Bechond..bhasad baaji...
(to constable)
gaadi band kar, paise le is
behenchod se..aur in sab ko band
kar...inki maa ka...

104/151
POLICEMAN
Ji sahab...
A man from the line gets scared and tries to run away- the
policeman chases him-he runs wild onto the road and out of
the blue abruptly a truck runs over him- bang!
Everyone looks back at officer as he stand there stunned.
OFFICER
Bhaago yahan se
bhenchod..bhago..chalo...nikalo....
All of them in haste pick up their belongings and moves away.

Amit looks back at the flattened body of the man right under
the truck. We move away.
EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY-NIGHT
Under the high beam head lights of trucks passing by: we see
Nandu holding sleepy Amit on his back, Monkey man with both
the monkey and Bindiya, walks slow and discourages on a
lonely highway.
Bindiya suddenly stops, holding her belly.
BINDIYA
(gasping for breath)
Goad me dard hora hai ab, ruk jaao
thoda...
Nandu looks back at her, Monkey man also stops.
NANDU
(to monkey man)
Haan Thodi der sastaa lete hein,
thak gaye hongey...
Monkey man nods and they move to the corner at a rusting tin
cabin, must been a shop sometime.
They all come and sit next to the road side tin closed shop.
Nandu puts sleepy Amit down.
AMIT
(sleepy voice)
Papa bhook lag rahi hai...
Nandu looks back at Bindiya and she shakes her head- nothing!
MONKEY MAN
Humaare paas sattu hai...ruko..

105/151
Monkey man takes his bag off from shoulder and takes out a
small polly bag filled with sattu.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

(giving it to Bindiya)
Lo ye ghol ke pilaa do..
Bindiya slowly nods and take it.
NANDU
Thoda tum bhi pi lo..bhuka hogi...
Bindiya takes it and moves into a corner with Amit.
Nandu and Monkey man sits down, both monkey sleeping together
near them. Taking their back to the tin shop, Nandu and
monkey man stretches their legs, finally relieved. A moment
of silent runs- as they both looks back at trucks and lorries
passing by at a distance on highway- filled with migrant
workers.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Aapko bhi train nahi mila?
Monkey man looks back at him for a while.
MONKEY MAN
Mila tha...Abdul aur Radha ko le
jaane se mana kar raha tha....toh
Hum bhi nahi gaye...
Nandu looks back, confused.
NANDU
Abdul aur Radha?
Monkey man smiles.
MONKEY MAN
Mere bandar...
He slowly brushes his hand softly on their brown as they

soundly sleep next to them.
NANDU
Radha or Abdul? Ye kaisi jodi hai
bandaro ki?
Monkey man looks back, a smirk.

106/151
NANDU (CONT'D)
Ab insaani zindagi me toh Abdul or
Radha ek ho nahi sakey, toh socha
janwaro me hi ek kardu..suna Hai
inko jaati dharam se koi fark nahi
padta...
Nandu looks back at his lost eyes as he says it.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Tumhar naam ka hai?
MONKEY MAN
Hum toh bandarvala hein..aur kya?
NANDU
Abdul?
Monkey man shakes his head, remembering eyes.
MONKEY MAN
Hum toh bas bandarvala hein
ab..Abdul toh banaras ke ek gaaon
ka ladka tha, uski pados ki ek
ladki thi Radha, voh uskey yahan
andey lene aaya karti thi, ye uskey
yahan doodh lene jaya karta tha..
Nandu staring back at his remembering face.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Aur ye vyapaar kab pyaar me badlaa
kisi ko pata hi nahi chala..un
Sarso ke kheto me chupke milna,
kasbey ke cinema me chup ke
jana...na jaaney kab is chuptey
chupatey pyaar ko kisi dil jaley ne
dheka aur Radha ke ghar bata
diya...ek raat ek gussayi
bhauklaayi bheed- mashaley,
talvaare hath me liye..“love jihad-
love jihad-jai shree ram-jai shree
raam ka nara lagatey hue ghar me
ghusi..abbu ammi ka katl karti hui,
ghar me aag lagati hui aayi...mai
chat pe tha..issey pehley kuch
samjah pata...mujhey chacha ne chat
se kuda diya khet me aur mai Dilli
bhaag aya...chori chakari ki..fir
pata laga ek ameer chori kare toh
business hota hai, garib kare toh
jurm..jail ho gyi..
(MORE)

107/151
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

vahan ek bandarvaala mila, fir uske
sath kaam kiya, jab uskey jodey ko
bacchey hue toh mainey ye dono rakh
liye aur khud ek bandarvala ban
gaya....
He smiles with moisten eyes and looks back at Nandu.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Toh mera naam Abdul nahi hai..sirf
Bandarvala...
NANDU
Ye mazjab jaati ki khaayi dhekna
tum bhaut jaldi khatam ho jaayegi..
MONKEY MAN
Mujhey lagta hai ye khaayi is daaur
se pehley kabhi itni gehri hui hi
nahi..
They both hold a brief look when Bindiya arrives with two
small steel glass of Sattu and they both holds it.
In two gulp it’s finished.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhabi ji..thoda sa ek katori mere
bandaro ko bhi ghol dijiye..ye bhi
bhuke hein..
Bindiya nods. Nandu stares back Abdul and Radha sleeping in

his lap- realizing.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY-EARLY MORNING
Sun rises wonderfully as all of them briskly walks along the

highway. Many other walking migrants ahead and behind them.
Amit holding Monkey’s rope as they walk in front of him,
almost dragging him.
EXT. HIGHWAY-DAY-LATER
The sun above is spitting fire as they now walk, slow,

discouraged and slumped, the sun soaking out the water from
their souls. Everyone of them is sweating to their pants.
Dehydrated parched lips. Amit in now on Nandu’s back and both
monkey’s on Monkey man’s shoulders. Bindiya holding onto her
belly suddenly stops, almost collapsing, when Nandu instantly
grabs her arm.

108/151
NANDU
Sambhaal Bindiya...
Bindiya almost collapsing, rolls her eyes.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bindiya?
Amit hurriedly comes down. Nandu hold onto Bindiya.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Aaie Bindiya...
(slapping her cheek
slowly)
Bindiya?
Bindiya opens her eyes, painful.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kaa huaa?
Monkey man immediately takes out a water bottle and gives it

to her mouth. She slowly drinks it.
BINDIYA
Aaa raa hai?
NANDU
Kon aara hai?
Bindiya, painfully closes her eyes.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kaa huaa?
Slowly, water like mucus comes out of her legs-her water

broke.
BINDIYA
Aara hai..
Monkey man understands.
MONKEY MAN
Uthaaao jaldi, voh ped ke nichey
leke chalo...
Nandu hold her in his arms and steadily comes under the tree.
AMIT
Kyaa hua papa mummy ko?

109/151
MONKEY MAN
(to Amit)
Kuch nahi huaa beta...tumhara koi
bhaai behen aney vala hai...lo
Inhey pakdo tum.
He hands monkey’s rope to Amit.
NANDU
(crying out)
Kaa karye bhaiyaa hum?
Bindiya suddenly screams out of pain. Nandu’s eyes fills up

with tears.
Migrants passing by on the road looks back, not stopping.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Nahi re ghabraao nahi..sab thik ho
jayegaa...ghabraao nahi...
MONKEY MAN
Koi saadi ya chaddar hai ?
Nandu looks back at him for while, out of thoughts- then

nods.
NANDU
Haan samaan me hoga...
Monkey man hurriedly opens it and take out the saree, the
cockroach comes out along with it.
MONKEY MAN
Amit ye pakdo yahan...
Amit hold the one edge.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Abdul ped pe chad..
He offer the saree edge to Abdul and points at tree. Abdul

immediately takes the edge of saree and climbs the tree.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Radha tu ye pakad.
He gives one edge to Radha and she grips it and stands where
told- a perfect cover for Bindiya’s delivery is set up.
Monkey man gets inside the cover- Bindiya screaming out.

110/151
NANDU
(crying)
Kaa karey bhaiya..?
MONKEY MAN
Ghabraao nahi..karna toh padegaa...
He puts his hand on Nandu’s shoulder. Nandu sits at her legs

and Monkey man at Bindiya’s head.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

saree uppaar karo..aur kapdey
utaaro ander ke..
Bindiya shakes her head- painful eyes.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

karna padgea re...
Nandu looks back at screaming Bindiya.
NANDU
Humka maaf kardey re...
He states and immediately push her saree up and takes out her
panties. Monkey man looks away..
MONKEY MAN
Sar nazar aara hai?
NANDU
Nahi...
MONKEY MAN
Bhabhi zor lagaao...jitni himmat
hai...zor lagao..baccha atakna nahi
chaiye...
Bindiya closes her eyes and she pushes with strength.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Aaya?
Nandu shakes his head, teary eyes.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhabhi aaur zor ki..puri takat
se...
NANDU
Laga bindiya zor aur..laga..
Bindiya again pushes hard, screaming her head out.

111/151
MONKEY MAN
Aaya?
Nandu looks back.
NANDU
Haan thoda thoda..
MONKEY MAN
Bhabi lagaao zor...thoda aur..
Bindiya pushes hard- but she do not have enough energy, she
haven’t eaten properly from a while. She loose her breath.
NANDU
Bindiyaa.. thoda aur ree..thoda sa
aaur..
Monkey man tries to think.
MONKEY MAN
Tel hai? Koi chiz chikna kuch?
NANDU
Haan bag me sarso ka tel ka botel
hoga...
Monkey man runs fast. Amit, Radha and Abdul, stands on thief
position holding on to the saree cover, in close up we see
the Cockroach on saree’s edge, antenna flickering towards
Bindiya.
Nandu hurriedly comes back with a small oil bottle.
MONKEY MAN
Ye baccha ke sar ke aas pass aur
vahan laago..jaldi...
Nandu takes it shaking hands and put it.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhabhi ek baar aur..bas ek baar
puri takat se...ek baar
She hold onto Monkey man’s arms this time and with a piercing
shriek she pushes her head out and next second we hear a baby
cry.
EXT. HIGHWAY- UNDER THE TREE- MOMENTS LATER
Sun is about to die in the horizon. Amit, Monkey man with his
monkeys, sits at a distance, looking away towards the highway-
filled with migrants walking in groups.

112/151
Amit stares back at a boy on the highway, dead tired from a

walk, his little body can hardly take, sleeps on a suitcase
being wheeled by his mother. The weight has almost doubled
for the woman, who drags the suitcase and her sleeping son
both, but doesn't slow down as she keeps pace with the small
group walking on the highway. Amit looks up at the monkey
man.
AMIT
Merko bhi vaise leke chalo..
Monkey man looks back at his innocent appeal.
At a distance- Bindiya holding on the paper thin new born

baby girl, wrapped in a bed sheet, Nandu teary eyes, gives
her his thumb and she with her tiny thin hand grips it.
Nandu’s tear fell down.
NANDU
Hummar Jyoti aagyi re vapas..
Bindiya looks back at the baby- thinking.
EXT. THE TAJ MAHAL-MORNING
In a wide shot- from the behind on the banks of filthy Yamuna

far away in the background we can see The white marble Taj
mahal shimmering in early morning sun rays - very pretty-
until- A poor migrant appears close into the frame- slowly
revealing- he is walking along with an ox with heavy wood
puller on his back - pulling an ox-cart carrying his poor
family with small children slouched on the cart.
The animal is exhausted too, but the man and the ox try their
hard to pull the cart.
Following them is Bindiya holding the new born wrapped in a

bedsheet to her breast and balancing sack on her head, Nandu
carrying Amit on his back and Monkey man with both the
monkeys on his shoulder and a never ending trail of poor
migrant workers walking home.
The shimmering Taj in the background now seems like a mockery

on their fate.
A profound image.

113/151
EXT. CITY ROAD-DAY
All of them, along with other migrant worker, walks down the
road between the city. A Navigating board ahead declares-
Welcome to the city of Taj.
All of them exhausted and unmotivated, walk down the city

road, slumped, tired and dreary.
A little ahead and they can see about 30 migrants sits

squatting in group near a bus stand, police men trying to
arrange them in order. A fire brigade tank stands next to
them and dozen of people in white protective gears hovers
around the crowd.
As soon they arrive. Two policemen come forward to stop them.
POLICEMAN
Haan..Ruko, ruko-ruko, sare yahan
line me lag jaao...chalo...
An old man with a heavy sack on his head, fold his hand.
OLD MAN
Kaa huaa maalik?
POLICEMAN
Arey huaa kuch nahi..yahan lag
jaao...abhi sabki safaayi
karengey...fir bus lagegi aake..aur
tumhey chordegi jahan jana
hai...chalo yahan bus stand ke pass
bhait jaao baaki logo ke sath
chalo..muh karlo bus stand ki taraf
aur bhait jao..chalo..
OLD MAN
Bus milega yahan sahab?
POLICEMAN
Haan-haan, bhait jaao...safaayi
hoga fir..bhejengey...
A smile of hope appears on Nandu’s face- a bus is coming.
NANDU
(to Bindiya)
Chalo chalo..bhait jaao..bus mil
jayegi ab toh..ajao ajao..
Monkey man a little skeptical looks back at the policeman.
MONKEY MAN
Sahab ji ye fire brigade kyu hai?

114/151
Policeman look back, already stress.
POLICEMAN
Jyada mood mat khaa.. bhait
jaa..abhi pata laega..ye apne
Bandaro ko pakad ke rakhiyo dhang
se..chal..bhait jaa line me..
Monkey man without reply joins Amit who sits along with Nandu
and Bindiya, she holds the new born close to her wrapped in
cloth. A man in protective white gown comes forwards with a
bull horn from behind the crowd.
MAN
Sarey log apni aur apney baali
bacho ki ankhey band karlein..hum
apko bimaari ke virus se saaf
karengey....apni Sab ankhey band
rakhey...
As soon as monkey man hears it, he stand up from the crowd

hunched on their feet.
MONKEY MAN
(to policeman)
Sahab ye bandar pe mat daalo..isko
sahab voh...
POLICEMAN
(shouting out)
Bhait jaa chup chaap..abhi ek lathi
me inhi bandaro ki trah
nachega...bhait jaa...behchod
bimaari leke aagye Dilli se pardesh
me..bhait Ja...
Monkey man stares back at him for a while.
NANDU
(looking up at him)
Bhiaya..bhait jao...bhait jao..
Monkey man slowly sits down, grabbing the monkey’s rope

tightly.
MAN (o.s.)
Sab aankh band rakhey...
Bindiya immediately wraps the new born into the bed sheet
covering her face. Nandu puts his hand on Amit’s eyes and
closes himself. Monkey man closes his eyes and presses both
monkeys face on to his chest, covering their eyes.

115/151
Slow motion: From behind the effusion of white slimy water

hits their back, sousing them. Bindiya closing her eyes shut,
grabs her baby to her breast, protecting her as much as she
can, it’s fucking humiliating.
Both monkey shakes their bodies as the chemical itches it,

but Monkey man holds them tight in his grip. The monkeys
scratch their body with their feet immediately.
The chemical is sprayed on all of the poor migrants for a

good one minute. They all sit like animals in a farm, obeying
and enduring quietly. The outpouring finally comes to a stop.
MAN (CONT'D)
Chalo sab khadey ho jaoo, muh poch
ke...
Every one stands, wet to the edges, along with their soaking
scant belongings.
POLICEMAN
Chalo ab sab, uthao samaan aur
aagey bhado..
Nandu looks back bewildered.
NANDU
(politely)
Sahab voh bus kab tak aayegi?
Policeman looks back at him and a smirk appears.
POLICEMAN
Aagey bus stand milega vahan
milengi khadi...chalo..
Nandu looks back at him, knowing his lie.
NANDU
Ji sahab..
They all pick ups their belonging and moves ahead, once again
on foot.
EXT. RUMI DARWAZA- LUCKHNOW- DAY
All of them, along with other migrant walking through the

famous and historic Rumi darwaza. The empty roads are
haunting.
BINDIYA
Thodi der ruk jaao, pair me dard ho
rahi hai...khujli machra hai...

116/151
Nandu nods and looks at the empty bus stand near by and
moves. Monkey man with Amit follows and they all sit.
MONKEY MAN
Sala koi..madad toh karta
nahi..jillat Dete hein...
Nandu looks back Amit.
AMIT
Jal ra hai pair me..
NANDU
Idhar aao...
Nandu bows down and take out Amit’s small cheap shoes and
reveals Amit’s little feet and as he looks at his feet sole,
small red blisters are clear. Nandu’s eyes moistens. He
slowly touches the pulpy blister. Amit flinches.
AMIT
Aah, dard hor hai..
Monkey man looks back at moisten eyed Nandu and puts his hand
around his shoulder.
MONKEY MAN
Jaldi pahuch jayngey ab ghar..
Nandu looks back at him, tear welling up.
EXT. HIGHWAY- DAY
All of them, along with other hundreds of migrant worker walk

down the bridge. Far away they can see a barricading on the
bridge. Police van parked.
As they arrive near by, the can see a huge truck dangling
upside down from the bridge.
MONKEY MAN
Lagta Accident hua hai..
They move further and a constable stops them.
CONSTABLE
Haan? Aagey jana mana hai...vapas
jaao..
MONKEY MAN
Sahab hum toh ghar ja rahey hein,
bihaar..

117/151
CONSTABLE
Road pe koi ni chalega ab, sakht
adesh hai...
MONKEY MAN
Hua kya sahib?
CONSTABLE
Dhikaayi ni dera? 26 log maare
gaye..truck me bhar ke jaa re
they...takra Gaye...2 cycle vala
bhi mara gya..
He points at the cycle and Monkey man beholds it and

recognize.
MONKEY MAN
Ye toh meri cycle hai!
Constable bewilderedly looks back.
CONSTABLE
Kya?
Monkey man immediately runs towards it and we look close at

cycle-it is the same cycle Rama and Shiva have stolen earlier-
the glossy red cycle- but now it’s all twisted and it’s big
carrier broken. Nandu in sudden shock just keep staring at
the cycle.
NANDU
Ye aapka cycle tha?
MONKEY MAN
Haan, koi bhala aadmi le gaya
tha..ye chitti bhi chord ke gya
tha..koi vikalang tha uskey sath...
He takes out the letter from his pocket and offers it to

Nandu, who just stands there, tear welling up, fighting back.
He suddenly collapse on his knees in front of the bicycle and
slowly traces his finger on the seat- he spots matted blood
clearly on the off-white seat.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Kyaa hua?
Nandu looks back and just hugs him, crying.
CONSTABLE
Aaie, utha yahan se, chal-nikal-
yahan se nahi jaayeg akoi
aagey..chalo..bhago..

118/151
Monkey man holds Nandu up and walks away along with other
disappointed migrants.
EXT. HIGHWAY-MOMENTS LATER
Nandu walking along with Monkey man.
MONKEY MAN
Rishteydar they tumhare?
Nandu shakes his head in- NO.
NANDU
Humarey gaao ke the...dalit
the...humara khub sath diye the
sehar mein...voh Chitti jo aapko
mila unhi ke kehne pe hum likhe
the...
Monkey man nods.
MONKEY MAN
Chitti padtey hi mai samjh gaya
tha..ye Jo bhi hai...bhaut majboor
hai...
Nandu looks back at him, understanding.
NANDU
Pata hai jab voh cycle pe nikala
tha toh hum sochey...kaash ye cycle
hum chura letey...hum bhi aasani
chaley jatey...biwi baccha ko
liye...lekin Ab..
He stops mid sentence. Monkey man nods to him.
EXT. OFF THE HIGHWAY-DAY-LATER
From above we see: Trails of hundreds of migrants now walks

between the vast empty agriculture fields along the smooth
highway. Nandu’s family between them.
NANDU
Bhaiya ee kachi sadak toh khatam
hai aagey ganga pe, pull pe police
chadney nahi dega? Ab?
Monkey man looks back, both monkeys on shoulder.

119/151
MONKEY MAN
Dhekenge kuch..kuch na kuch jugaad
toh hoga hi..itna sara log
hai..kuch na kuch dheknge...aur
vaise bhi is mausam me ganga ji
shant hi hota hai..
AMIT
Papa ganga ji me naha ke jaynge?
NANDU
Haan naha lenge...
Bindiya holding onto the new born baby, walks slow behind
them, totally exhausted.
EXT. BANKS OF GANGA-DAY
They arrive at the end of road. The slow stream in Ganga

flows, crowd of migrants stands on the bank, looking at each
other. Few men in a bamboo boat of some boatmen rides into
it. Nandu’s Family and Monkey man stands there thinking.
MONKEY MAN
Naav vaaley se baat karta hun...
Far away at the other end of bank- Nandu can see some men
digging up graves, his eyes moves along and at a little
distance from them, a death pyre burns, unattended. Haunting.
The boat comes back and they runs towards it with other
people.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Bhaiya kitna logey paar karaey ka?
Other men around shouting back. The boatman try to

understand, his boat rocks in river a little.
BOATMAN
200 rupyaa aadmi hai...baali bacch
sab ka...
Nandu looks back at monkey man.
NANDU
Hai aapke paas?
Monkey man shakes his head, tanker valey ko de diya tha jo

bacha tha.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Aap isko bolo rukey...

120/151
Monkey man nod and Nandu move back hurriedly to Bindiya.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Bindiya kuch paise bacha hai?
Bindiya looks backs and shakes her head.
BINDIYA
Ab nahi hai..ek paayi bhi...
Nandu defeated looks back at the boat getting filled up and

just looks down and his eyes get fixed on Bindiya’s blackened
silver toe rings. (BICHUA- A very important rings for all
married woman- need to wear all time.)
NANDU
Laa ee bichuaa de..
BINDIYA
Paglaa gaye ho? Bichuaa nahi denge
hum...suhaag ka hai..
NANDU
Aarey pagli suhaag issey thodi
hai..humsey hein...hum Hein na tere
sath...
BINDIYA
Apsagun hota hai
bhaut...uataarna...
NANDU
Kuch nahi hota...bas Ek baar ghar
pahcuh jaane de...bhaut mehnat
karengey aur fir dela denge...
Bindiya just looks back, moisten eyes, and slowly sits to

take them out- she struggles to get them off her toes. Nandu
helps and it get out. She immediately tears up corner of her
saree and splits the fabric in small strip and tie it up on
his toes like rings.
Nandu comes back to the boat, monkey man trying to calm the
boat.
MONKEY MAN
(to boatman)
Aara hai bhaiya...ruko..bas
Nandu comes, out of breath and offers the blackened silver

toe rings. Boatman looks back.
BOATMAN
Arey ye toh halkaa sa hai..

121/151
NANDU
Chaandi ka bichuaa hai bhaiya..bas
Do log hai..humar Biwi aur ye
humara bhai...aur chota
baccha..humko tairna aata hai...bas
inko bhita lo...
Monkey man emotionally looks back.
MONKEY MAN
Bhabhi ka bichuaa utaar laaye?
NANDU
Ghar ka dehlij se jyada abhi kuch
jaruri nahi hai...
BOATMAN
Thik hai..bas do log aur
bachha..baccha ko godi me rakhna
aur ee bandro ke dhang se...
Nandu nods, folding hands and immediately calls Bindiya and

Amit.
EXT. BOAT ON RIVER-MOVING-LATER
Monkey man with Amit in his lap and monkeys on shoulder.

Bindiya holding onto new born in her arms, sits inside the
boat with 20 other people in small boat. Nandu holding on the
edge of boat, swims along with it. Only his head visible out
of water. Amit laughs out looking at Nandu swiming. Bindiya
is worried.
AMIT
Papa maza araa hai?
NANDU
Haan bhaut..thanda hai paani
bhi...tum sambhal ke bhaito...uchko
nahi..
BINDIYA
Sambhaal ke..pakde rehna...
NANDU
(breathing into water)
Arey humaar chintaa mat kar...bhaut
baad dheka hai humney...tairnaa hum
maa ke pet se sikh ke aaye they...
Monkey man slowly nods to him, understanding. Suddenly boat

is rocked , as if something hit it, stops. Cry and hew
erupts.

122/151
MONKEY MAN
(to Boatman)
Kaa hua bhaiyaa?
BOATMAN
Jaaney? Lagta hai kuch phasa hai
aakey...
(to Nandu)
Aae tairaak bhai..jara Dheknaa kya
hai....
Nandu nods and moves ahead to the boat and dips into water.
Everyone looks back at the water bubbles where he just
disappeared, nothing for a while and suddenly, he comes out
with a dead body wrapped in yellow plastic in his arms.
BOATMAN (CONT'D)
Iski maa ka...subah se salla dasiyo
body nikala hai....pata Nahi kaa
kartey hein log...ganga Me baha
deta hai salaa sab...
Bindiya looks back at Nandu holding onto the body wrapped in

yellow plastic. Nandu beholds her eyes- something deep.
BOATMAN (CONT'D)
Ye pichey baans me laadh deyo...
Nandu hols it and throws up at the boatman and he dangles the

body bag on the bamboos ahead. The boatman takes the boat
forward.
EXT. GANGA BANKS-LATER
Nandu drenched form head to toe helps Bindiya and Amit get
out of boat on the other end.
BOATMAN
Aa tairak bhaiya...ee body zara
utha ke idhar phek diyo..baad me
gaad denge...
Nandu nods and holds onto the edge of the plastic body bag
and tries to pull it, it’s edge get stuck in bamboo. Nandu
again pulls it and suddenly the body bags tears out open and
a body dangles out of it.
A woman’s young body- face against the sand on banks. Nandu

slowly moves forward and turn it and out of shock it reveals-
It’s Jyoti. Her daughter. Her dead face- all purple. Bindiya
holds onto her mouth and falls down on knees in sand Amit
wails out loud suddenly, as if scared, Bindiya hold onto to
him. Hugging him.

123/151
MONKEY MAN
Kaa hua bhaiya?
He tries to control his tears.
NANDU
Humaar beti hai bhaiya...
Monkey man understands and puts his hand on Nandu’s shoulder.
MONKEY MAN
Ro mat, aaao yahan kinare pe gaad
dete hein...
Nandu nods and slowly nods.
EXT. GANGA GHAT-MOMENTS LATER
Sobbing Bindiya holding onto crying Amit and baby. Stand at a

distance looking back Nandu and monkey Man taking Jyoti’s
body near by.
Nandu and monkey man finds a spot.
MONKEY MAN
Yahan thik hai..
Nandu nods, puts the body bag down. Monkey man finds some
thick wood sticks to dig up.
Nandu takes a stick himself and dig, His eyes moisten as he

digs- thinking-looking back at the sand and just as he digs
the shovels- on the spot he is digging- he finds a hand in
sand- a body already there.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

Yaha toh lash hai...
They put the sand back and moves a little distance and stars
to dig.
> Few shovels and again a human leg.
>Another spot and few shovels and a child’s head.
We move back from ground over head and from above we see the
whole area has hundreds of body buried in it. Few have
saffron clothes over and few just sand but it’s clear they
are graves.

124/151
Finally the have dig up a spot and Nandu slowly puts Jyoti’s
body in it.
CUT TO:
Close on the ground- next to Jyoti’s grave: as we clearly see

out of focus Nandu, Bindiya , Amit and Monkey man moving away
from it.
EXT. HIGHWAY-DAY
The move back for a while and see few migrants going off the
highway roads into the side fields - a railway track can be
seen at a distance-migrant found the alternative of roads-
railway tracks!
EXT. RAILWAY TRACKS-EVENING
All of them with hundreds of other migrant worker walk down

the railway tracks. The uneven path of railway tracks-
difficulty in walk on bumpy rocks and wooden blocks.
EXT. RAILWAY TRACKS-EVENING-LATER
The baby cries. All of them are on Railway tracks, relaxing.

Monkey man with two monkeys and Amit lay down, with their
bags underneath their head. Monkey man telling him stories-
Near by them, Nandu laying down, while Bindiya sits trying to

calm the little baby, she is crying her head out. Bindiya is
annoyed trying to stop her from crying.
NANDU
Udhar le jaao dudh pila do thoda
sa..
Bindiya looks back , seething and stand up, she moves off the
railway track towards near by a tree.
Near by tree-continue
Bindiya tries to calm the baby down, but she screams with
cry. Bindiya open her blouse and take her right breast out,
put the baby’s mouth on the nipple. Baby suck on it for a
while but again starts crying.

125/151
Nandu looking at her from a distance, it’s dark.
The baby cries, Bindiya again puts her mouth on the breast
nipple, she again sucks on it, but after a while, again start
crying. Bindiya looks back at her, tear in her eyes.
Bindiya grabs her breast in her hand and tries to squeeze out
the milk-few white drops comes out, she give the nipple to
the baby, she suck on it for a while and again cries out,
immediately. Bindiya fights her tear back, again squeezes her
breast and puts baby mouth again. She sucks again but this
time she cries out loud. Nandu comes up.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kaa hua?
She looks back, tear lurking her eyes, baby crying out loud.
NANDU (CONT'D)
(sitting next to her)
Kaa hua re Bindiya? Ro kahey rahi
hai?
Bindiya cries out, inaudible. Nandu takes the crying baby in

his arms, trying to calm her down. Bindiya couldn't stop
crying.
NANDU (CONT'D)
Kaa hua re?
Bindiya hold on to Nandu and cries out.
BINDIYA
Humaar dudh nahi utar raha, kuch
khaaye hi nahi hai..dudh ban hi
nahi raha hai..
Nandu looks back, tear swelled eyes.
NANDU
Roo na...jaldi pahuch jyngey...ro
na...
Bindiya cries inaudible.
BINDIYA
Jyoti ko kho diye hum, isko nahi
khona chahtey...jaldi kuch
karo..ghar chalo...
Nandu nods, tear lurking, the baby stops crying, almost

asleep in his arms.

126/151
NANDU
(passing the baby)
Leyo, so gayi, chalo so jao thoda..
BINDIYA
Hum nahi so rahe patri pe, chubhta
hai pichey...
NANDU
Toh yahin so jaao.. Hum bhi yahin
so jatey hein...bas thoda kida
kucha ka dhyaan rakhna..jhadi Udi
hai pass me..
BINDIYA
Nahi tum jaao soye jaao Amit ke
pass, humko toh ye aadmi bilkul
sahi nahi lagta hai...
NANDU
Badiyaa Aadmi hai..sabka aapna
majburi hota hai..
BINDIYA
Jaao amit ke pass soye jaao..hum so
jayngey...jaao
Nandu shakes his head with a smile, get up and moves to the
tracks where Amit and monkey man sleeps next to each other,
both monkey lays next to them, looking for lice in each
other.
MONKEY MAN
Aao Nandu bhai, aajao..he gives him
is bag to put under his bag.
NANDU
Amit dekha kitna saara taara nikala
hai aaj...
AMIT
Itna saaraa log mar gaya?
MONKEY MAN
Mar gya?
AMIT
Jo marta hai voh tara banta hai na?
MONKEY MAN
Nahi..aisa kuch nahi hai..bas jab
ameer aadmi marta hai toh tara
banta hai..hum jaisa marta hai toh
aankda...

127/151
Nandu looks back at him.
NANDU
Baccha hai bhaiyaa...
Monkey man looks back at him and slowly smiles.
MONKEY MAN
Gaaney sunogey Amit?
AMit excitedly nods and he starts to sing.
MONKEY MAN (CONT'D)

(singing)
Hum mazdooron ko gaaon humare bhej
do sarkar..suna pada ghar duaar..
majboori mein hum sab majdoori

karety hein...ghar baar chord kar
ke, sehero me bhatak tey hein...(2)
jo leke humko aaye voh hi chord

gaye majhdhaar...
kuch toh karo sarkar..
hum mazdooron ko gaaon humarey bhej

do sarkar...suna Pada ghar duaar..
humko na pata tha ki ye din bhi

aayngey..korona ke karan gharo me
sab chup jayngey...(2)
hum toh bas papi pet ke karan jhel

rahey hein maar, kuch toh karo
sarkar..hooo suna pada ghar
duaar...
hum mazdooron ko gaao humare bhej

do sarkar...suna pada ghar duaar...
Humaraa suna pada ghar duaar..
As his vocals fades we see Nandu and Amit and everyone else
on tracks slowly slipping into deep sleep, batting their eye
lids, their tired exhausted body diving into rest mode.
Bindiya away from the tracks also sleeps and monkey man
finally falls drowse.
DISSOLVE TO:

128/151
INT. TRAIN ENGINE-NIGHT
Two government driver, one old and one young inside the
engine, driving the train- from the windshield glass, covered
with iron grills- we can clearly see the tracks under
headlights as train running fast on it.
OLD DRIVER
Dekho beta aap kuch bhi bolo...nau
jawan ho, abhi abhi naukri lagi
hai..utni samajh nahi hai tumhey..
inti janta hai...itni abaadi
hai..itna bada desh hai..voh akela
fakeer aadmi kahan tak
sambhlega...sattar saalo ka bhoj
leke jaise taise desh ko tarraki pe
lane ka paryaas kar raha hai....
jante ho? Pakistan me toh khane tak
ko nahi hai... ab kuch dino me
bullet train ka sapna bhi pura ho
jaeyga...kash humko bhi chalaney ko
miley...nahi bataiye aap
bataiyee...ye Tarraki nahi hai?
The other driver, much younger just smiles and taps some of
the button on the front, adjusting his eye glass.
YOUNG DRIVER
Sir, jis desh me har paanch me
teesra baccha kuposhit ho...
berojgari Ka tandav ho, adha desh
kuch dino ka lackdown me bhuka mar
jaaye..us desh me bullet train aur
raam rajya ka sapna behad vulgar
lagta hai sir, is corona ne is desh
ki aasli rago me behta jo ganda
peep hai usey iske sunahrey half
cut baaju vaaley suit se bahar
nikla ke fek diya hai...kyu sir?
The older driver looks him for a while, thinking and from the
windshield we can see the tracks in head lights, it’s running
between some bushes now.
OLD DRIVER
Kya tum bhi yaar...bhukmari kahan
nahi hai...pakistan me
dekho...whatsapp pe dekha
humney..itna bhookmari hai ke mulla
log ek dusre ko kha rahein hein..
The other young driver smiles.

129/151
YOUNG DRIVER
Bhakti aadmi ko andha kar deti hai
sir, aapki galti nahi hai..
Young driver see through the windshield and far away in

silhouette of light he can see human figures, suddenly Nandu
is visible and behind him a row of people sleeping on the
tracks, including Amit and Monkey man.
YOUNG DRIVER (CONT'D)

Sir, log..sir
In haste he stomps his hand on the blow horn a loud horn

blares out- from windshield we see nandu open his eyes in
shock as deer caught in the headlight but it’s too late now-
we run over him- in very fast moment of tracks- we can see
monkey as one of them jumps out as we run over them- A loud
shriek can be heard- Bindiya’s.
They both look at each other, as train bumps again and again-
as one by one sixteen bodies get crushed underneath. The
young driver hurriedly reaches towards the break.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. RAILWAY TRACKS-MORNING
Slow motion Without sound: We open on Abdul the monkey, as he

sits near the ghastly bloody body of Radha, all is left is a
ball of meat wrapped around monkey’s brown fur skin. He just
sits there next to it, looking at it and around at the
commotion of human: media reporting and police clearing the
bodies from tracks. An ambulance blare near by.
Bindiya in abysmal trauma, sits near by holding the crying

out baby in her arms under the tree next to a police
constable, she just wide eyed keep looking back at policemen
taking a small bodies away wrapped in cloth into the
ambulance, from her POV we can clearly see the small body of
Amit getting carried away, spots of blood is clear on the
white sheet over his body as policemen finally load it in the
ambulance along with other sixteen bodies, including monkey
man and Nandu. She is lost, no severe emotions, just sits on
haunches next to the police constable, holding onto the
crying baby.
Slowly, a young urban woman, FATIMA, comes along. She is in

plain suit, wearing mask and gloves and apple ear-pods in her
ear, comes and greets the constable.
FATIMA
Hello, is she the survivor?

130/151
CONSTABLE
Kya ji?
FATIMA
Ye hien jo haadsey me bachi hai?
CONSTABLE
Ji, aap kon?
She shows her NGO card to him.
FATIMA
I am Fatima Ansari, NGO se hun,
mujhey insey baat karni hai...
Bindiya just stares back at the ambulance, full of dead

bodies, as Amit’s small hand dangles from the back of van.
CONSTABLE
Ji kariye...
Fatima slowly sits next to her at a distance.
FATIMA
Aap thik hein?
Bindiya do not give any kind of response, constable looks

back at Fatima.
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Kya naam hai aapka?
Constable speaks up.
CONSTABLE
Baat naa karayi jo, na police valan
se, na kaayi se...jaako pati aur
ladika kuchalo gao train se...gham
bhait gayi jaake, kuch na bol rahi
kaayi se...sahab ne kuch
puchie..toh Batayi pati aur baccha
oo..fir kuch boli e naa...
Bindiya just lost staring into space, when suddenly ambulance

siren wails out and it starts to move away, Bindiya abruptly
stand up and run behind it, like a mad dog, holding onto her
baby to chest. Fatima immediately follows her.
Bindiya runs behind it for a while until its gone. Fatima

comes running behind her.

131/151
Finally, Bindiya screams out and collapse on the ground.

Fatima holds her in her arms and she cries out loud and baby
in her arms also wails out loud along with her. It’s
heartrending.
FATIMA
(holding onto her)
Sshh.sshhhh....bas..bas...
Fatima tries to console her, holding her and Bindiya grabs

onto her for comfort, crying her head out.
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Shshsh...mai pahuchaungi tumhey
ghar..shshhss...
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION-DAY-LATER
Bindiya holding onto the baby sits on the bench outside SHO’s
office, through glass window on door we can see Fatima
inside.
INT. SHO CABIN-CONTINUE
Fatima sits in front of a big belly SHO, not much interested

in her words, but herself.
FATIMA
Uska ek baccha aur pati mara gaya
hai sir, severe trauma me hai..aise
nahi chord saktey...new born baby
hai uskey pass, please usko bihar
ja rahi train me bhijva jaaye..
SHO cleans his hand with sanitizer in front, smiles a little

and looks back.
SHO
Bhaut bura hua bechaari k sath
madam...lekin ye railway vala
department humare pass toh hai
nahi..dhekiye..
FATIMA
Lekin aap yahan k administration se
toh baat kar saktey hein na..?

132/151
SHO
Arey madam ji khud bhi pareshan ho
rahin hein..mujhey bhi kar rahin
hein... ek toh in logo ki vajeh se
humey itna sunna pada hai uppar
se...
FATIMA
Sir she is an illiterate woman, ab
koi nahi bacha hai uske paas jo
usey ghar take le jaaye.. I don’t
think usey ghar ka rasta bhi pata
ho..
SHO
Arey madam ji apko aapki story mil
gayi..humey laasho ki ginti..ab kyu
faltu baat ki khaal nikalni..agar
ye araam se thode din ruk jaatey
toh ye bata kyu hoti, bataiye..?
Cockrocho ki tarah pure desh me
bimaari failane nikal gaye... patri
koi chalney sone ki jagah hai? Nahi
bataiye?
She just stares back at his filthy smile and stands up.
FATIMA
Patri chalney ki jagah nahi hai
sir, lekin shehar me bhook nahi
rukney deti inhey, sadak pe aap aur
partri pe train...lekin aapki
galati nahi hai...galti inki hai,
ek cockroach cockroach ki tarah hi
marta hai..tadap ke...
She states and leaves.
EXT. SHO CABIN-CONTINUE
She comes out and finds Bindiya sitting, trying to calm her
crying hungry baby.
FATIMA
Aao chalo..
Bindiya stands up, trying hard to calm the baby..
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Bhooki hai?
Bindiya looks up to her, moisten swollen eyes.

133/151
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Kuch khaya hai?
Bindiya just meet her eyes for a moment, and baby cries out
loud.
EXT. POLICE STATION-PAVEMENT-DAY
Fatima open her car door and take out her lunch box and
offers it to Bindiya.
FATIMA
Lo, ye khaa lo, ghar ka khana
hai...
Bindiya looks back, shakes her head slowly, eyes fixed on the
box.
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Bacchey ko dudh pilana hai na? khaa
lo..
Bindiya takes the box and sits near by on the pavement.
Fatima looks back at her: Bindiya slowly opens the lunch box
and with a lump in her throat looks back at the full meal
inside, 4 chapatis rolled up nicely in a foil paper, with two
small compartment filled with two different aromatic dishes
and a small compartment of freshly sliced cucumber and spicy
mango pickle.
Bindiya for few seconds just keeps staring at the meal and a
lump of tear fell out from her. She just realizes how hungry
she has been all the while, finally with a shivering hand she
picks up a small pieces of cucumber and crushes it between
her thumb and finger and puts inside the crying baby’s mouth
and she suddenly stops crying, sucking onto the cucumber.
Heartbroken Fatima tries to hold her tear looking back at

Bindiya as she finally takes a full bite and wipes her tears
from her saree- almost after two months she fills her stomach
properly.
EXT. COLLECTOR OFFICE-DAY-LATER
Fatima and Bindiya arrives at the collector office.
FATIMA
Tum yahin ruko mai aati hun..
Bindiya nods and she gets inside the building.

134/151
Bindiya sits on a bench near by, holding on to her baby and

feeds her, this time the baby suck out milk for a while,
Bindiya slowly traces her brown cheeks.
Fatima comes back with a man, two constable with him. He is

collector. Bindiya immediately stand up, nervous.
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Sir ye hein, Bindiya, her husband
and a son died in the train
accident that happened. She really
needs support sir.
Collector comes forward, with mask and gloves.
COLLECTOR
(to Bindiya)
Kya naam hai bacchi ka?
BINDIYA
Jyoti...
Collector nods.
COLLECTOR
(loudly)
Aap ghabraao nahi..hum pahuchauge
aapko ghar...thik hai..
Bindiya slowly nods, folds his hands.
COLLECTOR (CONT'D)
Kahan hai aapka ghar?
BINDIYA
Saupal jila, Bihar.
COLLECTOR
Thik hai, aap inkey sath jaiye..ye
aapko train me bhaita
aayengi..bilkul pareshan naa
ho..thik hai?
Bindiya nods, tear filled eyes, folds her hand.
COLLECTOR (CONT'D)
(to Fatima)
Don’t worry, I will arrange it.
Fatima nods, thankful.

135/151
EXT. TRAIN STATION-NIGHT
Fatima and Bindiya arrives with a constable. Bindiya holding

onto the baby along with her sack on her head.
Platform is filled with people standing in marked circle on

ground, waiting for train arrival. They enviously stare back
at Bindiya walking past them, without waiting in line along
with constable and Fatima.
INT. PLATFORM-LATER
They arrive on platform, waiting. Fatima looks back at

Bindiya, smiles and takes out few five hundred notes from her
hand bag and offers it to Bindiya. She immediately steps back
and shakes her head.
FATIMA
Arey rakhlo, kaam ayega..
Bindiya tries to join her hands, holding onto baby in arms.
FATIMA (CONT'D)
Arey kuch nahi hota.
BINDIYA
Nahi memsahab, aapney bhaut ehsaan
kar diya hai humpey, yahan tak
aagye aapki vajeh se...bas...aapke
Jaise kuch aur log ho is sansaar me
toh bhagwaan ka bhi jarurat nahi..
She folds her hand, Fatima moisten eyes smiles.
FATIMA
Bhagwaan ka toh nahi pata...lekin
Dost ke naate ye rakhlo...mai
aajungi lene baad me tumhare gaao..
She says with a dearly smile and stuffs the note into her
hand. Bindiya finally takes it and folds her hand.
A commotion happens and the collector with dozen of police

men arrives, along with media people and their camera and
stands next to train and collector nods.
TV REPORTER
Rolling? Okay?

136/151
TV REPORTER (CONT'D)
Ye dhekiye shramik special train
majdooron ke liye bani
saugaat...yahan collector khud aaye
hue hein logo ko vida karney ke
liye...
The train whistles out loud and every policemen starts to

clap. Train slowly screeches and moves.
From Bindiya’s POV from inside the train we see Fatima waving
towards her. Behind Fatima: policemen, collector and staff
clapping on the platform as we move away.
INT. TRAIN-MOVING-NIGHT
The clunk and clatter of train wheel. Bindiya half asleep

holding onto the baby in her lap sits, resting her head on
the side wall.
A man, in his mid 40’s, right in front of her berth, lays

awake, lustfully looking back at her blouse as the baby girl
tries to squeeze her mother’s breast in lap.
He looks up at the upper birth, the person on it sleeps. He

looks around, everyone is asleep.
He keep staring back at the baby girl in Bindiya arms.

Slowly, he moves forward, about to hold onto the child when
Bindiya wakes up. He immediately stops and sits back into his
seat.
MAN
(smiling)
Voh baccha gir jayega..sambhaliye..
Bindiya stares back and wraps the child into her saree and
sits awake, looking out from the window, into the dark.
INT. TRAIN- STATION-DAY
Bindiya exhausted sits, looking out from the grilled window

at the commotion on station. As migrants board the train from
here. He takes out a water bottle to drink but it’s empty
now.
The man right in front of her sits there, drinking form a

full water bottle, smiles.

137/151
MAN
Abhi yahan rukegi thodi der train,
jaake bhar laaiye paani, idhar ki
taraf hai..iske baad sidha bihaar
me hi rukegi.
Bindiya just nods, the baby cries out.
MAN (CONT'D)
Bacchi hum pakad lenge ghabraiye
nahi...le aaiye paani.
Bindiya stares back, not wanting to trust, but no choice.
She puts the baby on the berth and covers her in saree. She
cries.
MAN (CONT'D)
Jaiye..ghabraiye nahi hum hein...
She slowly nods and take the bottle and moves out.
EXT. TRAIN-MOMENTS LATER
Bindiya gets out and moves towards a water point at the end
of train station. She reaches and people in crowd, fighting
each other to fill up. Bindiya stands there looking back at
her compartment door.
Finally she gets to the tap and fills her bottle. The train
whistles and slowly starts to moves. She panics and
immediately runs towards the train with half filled bottle.
Other people also runs back to the train.
Bindiya runs fast as she can towards her compartment as

trains slowly picks up the pace. Her eyes fills up.
Suddenly, The man with baby in her arms comes at the door and
looks back at Bindiya running fast towards her. He eerily
smiles and get back inside.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN-MOVING-MOMENTS LATER
The man sits with the baby girl, she cries her head out as he
tries to calm her down. Suddenly Bindiya shows up out of
breath and hurriedly grabs the baby back and sits, taking a
sigh of relief. Heavy breath. The man in front just smiles.

138/151
INT. TRAIN-MOVING-NIGHT
The baby cries- Bindiya trying hard to keep her quite. The
man in front unable to sleep looks back seething.
Bindiya picks the baby up and moves to the toilet.
INT. TRAIN-TOILET-MOVING
Bindiya trying to calm the crying baby comes and open the
gate and it reveals- a woman with three small children sits
around the filthy toilet filled with human waste. Hiding in
it.
As soon as they see Bindiya all of them, including a three

year old baby girl fold their hands to her and she stares
back at them and slowly moves back, closing the door. She
stands in the lobby looking out of the glass door window. The
train on it’s highest speed. Trains wheel rattling loud.
She opens her blouse and take out her nipple, gives it to the
crying baby, she suck on it but no avail, she cries out.
Bindiya fights her tear back. Child cry grows louder. Bindiya
tries to squeeze some milk out of her breast but of no avail.
She lulls the crying baby, looking out, with teary eyes. The
man from her birth comes next to her.
MAN
Bachhi bhooki hai?
She just looks back.
MAN (CONT'D)
Ye biscuit pani me ghol ke khila
do.
He offer the parley-G biscuit packet to her and she takes it,
nods. He looks back for a while, a smirk.
MAN (CONT'D)
Dhanyavaad nahi kahogi?
Bindiya looks back, his eyes moving on her. A peril beneath

it.
BINDIYA
Meherbaani..
MAN
Bas?

139/151
Bindiya stares back and out of the blue, he grabs her and
pins her to the train wall. The baby cry out loud. Bindiya
smashes him between the legs with her knees and he jumps back
in pain. He looks back with seething eyes, about to do
something sinister but suddenly a man in eye glasses comes up
to wash his hands on the counter next to them. He just
snatches the parley-G biscuit back from her and moves back.
The man washing his hands looks back at exhausted Bindiya and
crying baby.
MAN (CONT'D)
Thik ho aap?
Bindiya just stares back, fighting back her tears.
BINDIYA
Kuch khaane ko milega bhaiya? Koi
biscuit koi chiz..humaar bachhi mar
jayegi...
Man looks back at her, nods and moves into the berth. Bindiya
just collapse next to the gate, holding on to the crying baby
when the man in glasses comes back and hands her two packets
of biscuit and a frooti. Bindiya almost like a beggar takes
it and cries out immediately.
INT. TRAIN-MOVING-NIGHT-MOMENTS LATER
Bindiya soaks the biscuit in water and slowly with a finger

put it in the new borns mouth, the baby hurriedly sucks on to
the finger. It’s heartbreaking. Bindiya stares back at the
paper thin baby. Tears fall down.
EXT. TRAIN STATION-DAY
The train arrives at the station and it’s tyre screeches and
stops.
INT. TRAIN-CONTINUE
Bindiya wakes up with the jolt of train stopping at the

platform. She looks out- arrived?
The man in front is no where to be seen. From her window POV:

she can see people on the platform- mostly men looking around
and at each other confusingly. She does not understand where
is she. She gets up to move out.

140/151
EXT. TRAIN STATION-LATER
She comes out and looks at the crowd. She clearly hear
someone shouts out.
YOUNG MAN
Salaa chutiyaa samjhaa hai ka?
Bharat darshan kara raha hai ka
sarkaar... Bihaar ka bole they
behenchod do din se train me ghuma
ra hai aur odisa le aya?
A crowd of men gathers on the platform-start protesting.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)

(shouts out)
Garibo ka dard na samjhey jo, voh
sarkar nikammi hai...
The crowd in unison shouts out. A chaos erupting. Bindiya

standing at corner just looks back at the crowd protesting
and moves back into the train.
Bindiya POV from window: Few policemen and railway staff

comes out and tries to calm the crowd. A man in railway
uniform stands on a higher platform and takes out a bullhorn.
RAILWAY MAN
Mere bahiyo, mai aap sabka gussa
samjh sakta hun, lekin kuch
technical issue ki vajeh se train
ka route badal gaya, aap bilkul
chinta na karein aur vapas apni
apni seat pe laut jaaye, ye gaadi
turant sidha bihaar ke liye
nikalegi...mai aashwasan deta
hun..sidha bihar.
A young man from the crowd shouts out.
YOUNG MAN
Kya hota hai ashwasan sir? do din
se ee train me bhitaye hein...naa
kuch khaane ko diye hein..na piney
ko paani...aur jahan ek din me
pahcuhna hai vahan chaar din
lagega...hum log garib hein
sir...lekin hein toh insaan
sir..aisa keeda cockroach ke jaisa
samjh ke kuch bhi mat kariye
sir...kuch Nahi kar saktey toh sir
bas sataiye mat sir....aur Ho sakey
toh khane ka koi intejaam kariye
sar....

141/151
The man and policeman stares back at the young man. The
railway man takes the bullhorn again.
RAILWAY MAN
Aapke pahcuhtey hi pakka railway
station pe hi khaane ka intejaam
milega...mai guarantee deta
hun...aap ko pahcuhtey hi vahan
nashte ka intejaam pehle se pehle
milega...ab bas kripa karke sab log
dhirey dhirey apni seat pe laute
taki jald se jald hum appko apke
ghar surakshit pahcuha
sakey..dhyanyvaad..
Slowly crowds get to move and people walks back into the
train.
INT. TRAIN-MOVING-DAY- MONTAGE
Bindiya’s moving POV: With baby’s shrieking cries we see

through the moving train window glimpse of rural Indian life-
mud huts, buffaloes, cows, woman working in the fields under
the hot sun. A hapless child staring back at us. Migrants
walking back home on foot. People in masks. A dead body
getting carried away. Dozen of burning pyre.
Finally we see a yellow board with black ink on it written-

BIHAR.
The train moves into a station and we finally arrive.
INT. TRAIN-MOMENTS LATER
Window POV: train slowly moves into the empty platform. From
Bindiya’s POV we can see in a corner in brown paper cartons
packet of biscuits, packet of water and chips are stacked. As
soon as trains comes to an halt- People rush towards it to
grab as much as they can. A choas erupts.
Bindiya hold onto the baby and runs out- Straight into the
crowd to get few packets for herself. The baby shrieks out
loud as Bindiya struggles between sweaty men to get a packet
of biscuit.
Men looting the cartons, putting dozen of biscuits in there

pants and under the shirt. A sheer desperation of hunger.
A packet falls down from a man’s shirt and Bindiya

immediately ducks down to hold it and a man’s boot crushes
her palm but she do not let go of the packet. The baby
shrieking out.

142/151
EXT. BIHAR RAILWAY STATION-DAY-LATER
Bindiya comes out of the station holding onto the crying

baby. The streets are empty. The migrant arrived on train,
walking back on feet again.
EXT. PAVEMENT-LATER
Bindiya sits on the pavement with crying baby in her lap and
open the packet of biscuit. The biscuit all crushed to powder
now. She slowly dips her finger into it and gives to the
baby’s mouth and baby immediately sucks on it. Bindiya
holding her tears, looks around. People walking on feet
holding their belongings on their head. No transport, empty
roads.
EXT. ROAD-LATER
Bindiya holding onto the baby with her sack on her head walks
behind a group of men walking home. A navigation board over
head reads: SAUPAL- 53 Km- her destination.
EXT. ROAD-CONTINUE-NIGHT
Bindiya is all alone on the road now. Holding onto the crying
baby. Baby is crying her head out. Bindiya trying to calm her
down as she walks down a city street. No one in sight. Just
empty road and shut down shops on the way.
Bindiya slides her blouse up and try to put baby’s mouth on

it- she sucks onto it and again cries out- no milk. Bindiya
walks again. Trying to calm her.
Out of the blue- a milk van rush past her and collides into a
street pole and turn upside down. The white milk comes
splashing out and onto the road. No one come out of it.
Bindiya approaches and looks into it. A dead driver twisted

beneath the steering wheel- all in pool of blood.
Bindiya looks around, no one- She looks back at the street-

dogs gathered to drink the milk flowing down the road. She
keeps staring back and looks around if anyone watching and
slowly reaches where the dog was drinking the milk.
Bindiya scares away the dog and sit onto her knees where the
dog was and cups the milk into her hand and drinks it, she
puts few drops into the baby’s mouth, crying, holding it.

143/151
Humiliated in shame: She looks around if anyone is watching

and through her POV: from a window a young boy making a video
on her smart phone. She stares back for a while and
immediately stands up holding the baby tight and runs away.
EXT. VILLAGE-MORNING
On a yellow-white navigation stone on road-side. It reads-

VILLAGE MARICHA- 0 KM- her destination.
She walks slow and slumped, holding onto the baby, finally
arriving home in a while.
EXT.VILLAGE-LATER
We follow her from behind- A small mud hut outside to the

left of the village- It’s clear it’s her home. She looks
back at it and teary eyes looks back at the baby in her arm’s
sleeping- She smiles with tears.
BINDIYA
Aai Jyoti dheka pahuch gaye- aae--
dheka dheka-uu raha ghar-ee
dhekaa..
She tries to wake up the baby, she wakes up and cries all
over gain.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(teary eyes smiling)
Aagye re...hum aagye...
She picks up pace immediately in excitement and as soon as

she is about to enter the village lane- a lathi swiping in
front of her appears. Two policeman stands in front of her.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Bhaiya uu humar ghar hai..yahin Ke
hum...Dilli se aaye hein..jaane
dijiye bhaiya..bas pahuch gaye
ghar..
Policemen nods.
POLICE MAN
Bahut accha hai aagyi
toh...shukriyaa..lekin aise thodi
na gaaon me jaa sakte hein...thoda
pichiye hatiye...
Bindiya takes a step back.

144/151
BINDIYA
Lekin kaa hua hai bhaiyaa...hum toh
ghar jaa rahein hein...uu
dhekiye..uu hai humaar ghar...
Bindiya folds her hand.
POLICEMAN
Arey aise nahi jaa sakt hein..adesh
hai sarkaar ka...karantine hona
padega 14 din...dilli se koi corona
forona laayi hogi toh?
Bindiya bewilderedly looks back.
BINDIYA
Kaa? ka hona padega?
POLICEMEN
Quarantine, alag se rehne
padega...14 din...uske Baad me
gaaon me jaane ko milega...udhar
gaao ka school me chalo..jo sab aya
hai vahin hein...tum bhi chalo...
BINDIYA
Bhaiya..humaar choti bachi
hai..kuch dhang se khaye bhi nahi
hai...7 din ka bachi hai bas...
POLICEMEN
Arey toh pura gaaon ko bimaari me
daal de...chaliye...school me
chaliye...14 din tak thik rahi toh
jaiyega ghar...chaliye...
They swing their lathi to take her towards the other way-
away from her mud hut- she keep looking back at her home as
she moves away.
EXT. SCHOOL QUARANTINE CENTRE-LATER
We follow as policemen leading her into the school campus.
INT. CORRIDOR-CONTINUE
Cry and hue of people erupts from locked room as they walk
down the corridor, like prison cells.

145/151
PEOPLE
(from windows)
Bhook laga hai, kuch toh manga
dijiye sahab...ek tho sabun e
dilvaa dijiye...paani...
Begging hands of people lurks out from the window.
Bindiya looks into the room through the grilled window and in
that small room dozen of men lays down on floor, few coughing
out loud. A shiny silver lock with chain locking the gate of
every classroom, like a prison.
INT. CLASSROOM-CONTINUE
They arrive at the last room and Bindiya peeps in through the
window, while policeman open the lock on door.
Bindiya’s POV: a dozen woman with few small children sits

inside, sweating in heat, using their sarees as a fan.
The door clicks open and policeman gesture Bindiya to get

inside. She looks back, pleading eyes.
BINDIYA
Sahab choti si bachi hai...
POLICEMEN
..chal ander...chal..
BINDIYA
Sahab...bhaut kasht jehla hai
sahab...aur nahi...sahab...
They grab her and throws her inside. Locking it again from
outside.
INT. CLASSROOM-CONTINUE
Bindiya holding the baby close to her chest covering her with
saree as she tries to kill mosquitos with her palm clap.
Other women young old with toddlers, lies on the cemented

floor. An old woman coughing out loud looks back at Bindiya.
OLD WOMAN
Kitnaa bada hai bachha?
BINDIYA
7 din ki hai...
She nods.

146/151
OLD WOMAN
Kaisa rakhash hai bhosdivala
sab...chota Chota baccha ko bhi
nahi dhekta hai...
Bindiya just looks at the baby Jyoti in her arms: thin as

paper, with her breath fast, her ribs inside her supple soft
flesh can be seen with each breath.
INT. CLASSROOM-NIGHT
The baby cry echoes at night. Women lying on floor, mostly

trying to kill mosquito hovering all over. The baby’s shriek
piercing the room. A woman annoyed looks back at bindiya
trying to calm her down.
WOMAN
Aaie doodh laga diya muh se...
BINDIYA
Lagaya..peet nahi hai...roye jaara
hai..
The old woman gets up and come to Bindiya.
OLD WOMAN
Laao humkaa do..
Bindiya looks back for a while and gives the baby to her. The
old woman takes her smoothly in her arms and slowly cradle
her, walk around the room and baby stops crying.
OLD WOMAN (CONT'D)

Ee toh tap rahi hai..bhukaar hai
ka...
Bindiya looks back, nods.
INT. CLASSROOM-NEXT DAY
Policemen with a bucket full of bananas and murmure with

green chillies comes onto the window.
POLICEMEN
Haan re chalo ek ek karke jholi
karo bahar..
The woman fighting each other comes to the grilling window

and take out their saree edge to collect the murmure.
The policemen grabs a handful of it and two green chillies

and give it to them one by one.

147/151
Bindiya comes onto the window, she gets her chillies.
BINDIYA
Bhaiyaa humko doodh milega
thoda...chota bachhi hai...isko
jaurui hai...pura din rota hai...
POLICEMEN
Doodh chaiye? Humara baraat me aayi
hai...jo milta hai khilaa de chup
chaap...jyada demaand mat
kijiye...kidaa sala...humara lanka
aaur laga hai yahan...nikal chal...
Bindiya looks back and moves inside.
EXT. CLASSROOM-NIGHT
The old woman coughs like a horse- hoarse coughing, almost

choking up, along with sound of crying baby in Bindiya’s arm.
The old woman sits on the one wall and everyone is away from
her on the opposite wall-concerned face-corona?
The old woman starts to choke up, grabbing her throat-

difficulty in breathing. Bindiya immediately gets to the
window.
BINDIYA
(through the window)
Aaie bhaiyaa...koi hai...ee aamaa
ka saans jara hai...aaie koi
hai....madad Karo...
She looks into the dark night-no one here.
INT. CLASSROOM- NEXT DAY
Old woman lay dead on the opposite wall. Bindiya along with
other woman sits stunned, looking back at her dead pale face,
trying to calm the crying baby. It’s horrible.
The gate thuds back open and two men in run down PPE enters
and grabs the old woman by hand and leg and take out.
Bindiya just stares back as the men almost drags her out of
the classroom.

148/151
INT. CLASSROOM-NIGHT
Baby cries, Bindiya tries to stop her, cradling her, walking

around. She just doesn't stop. Other woman looks back at her
futile attempts.
All of sudden the crying stops, nothing is heard for a

moment. Bindiya looks back at the baby in dark room, The baby
vomits onto her. Bindiya wipes her face from her saree. The
baby coughs out and cries again. Bindiya on edge of tear
grabs her closer trying to stop her.
INT. CLASSROOM-NIGHT-LATER
Bindiya leaning against the wall, still trying to calm the

crying baby in her arms, feeling sleepy, drowsing, neck
slumping.
INT. CLASSROOM-DAY
Bindiya wakes up. Leaning against the wall-baby in her arms,

not crying. She looks back- baby eyes closes lay in her lap.
She grabs her towards her breast, trying to stand up and
suddenly the baby’s head dangles backward-dead!
Shock engulfs Bindiya as she looks back, trying to wake up

the baby in arms.
BINDIYA
Aaie jyoti..beta..jyoti..beta...?
She tries to tap her cheeks to wake her up- she takes her
towards the window into the light and baby turns out to be
purplish in color. Bindiya still tries helplessly to wake her
up.
Few woman around wipes their tears looking at her. A woman

stands up and comes closer to her. Putting her hand on her
shoulder. Bindiya looks back at her.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(lunatic-ally)
Dheko ee uth nahi rahi...dheko..
(to baby)
Beta...Jyoti..utho...beta...ho giya
puraa din yahan..ghar chlenge..aaj
toh...uthaa beta...
The woman slowly grabs the dead baby from her and shakes her
head. The other woman comes and grabs Bindiya.

149/151
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
(coldly, out of mind,)
Ee bhi mar gayi?
The woman lays down the dead baby on floor and covers her
with a towel. Bindiya sitting across the body, keeps staring
back, smiles a little- gone mad.
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Ee bhi mar gayi...dhekaa..ee bhi
mar gayi...sab Mar gaye..hum bach
gaye...hum bach gaye...bach gaye
hum...
The gate thuds back open.
POLICEMEN (O.S.)
Chalo ho giyaa pura
qurantine...chalo utho...jaao...
Everyone grabs the belonging and moves out. Bindiya picks up

the dead baby and belongings and moves out too.
BINDIYA
(to policemen)
Ee dheko maar gayi ee bhi...hum
bach gaye..
Policeman looks at her, moves back, disgusted.
POLICEMEN
Chal hatt pichey..jaa ghar chal..ho
giya...gaad diyaa
jaake...chal...nikal..
BINDIYA
Sab mar gaye...hum bach gaye...
She walks out of the school- babbling out- ‘sab mar gaye..’
EXT. VILLAGE-DAY
Bindiya balancing her sack on head and dead baby in her arms
walks towards her home.
BINDIYA
(babbling)
Sab mar gaye...hum bach gaye..
From her shoulder WE SEE- her mud hut shines in the early
sunlight.

150/151
EXT. MUD HUT HOME-LATER
Bindiya arrives outside her mud hut, looks back at wooden

gate locked. A huge banyan tree stands next to her hut. She
comes and puts the dead baby on the muddy porch outside the
mud and looks back at home-is this everything was for?
BINDIYA
Hum bach gaye...
She puts her sack on the floor next to the dead body and
abruptly a cockroach comes out of it and runs towards the
home gate, but before it could enter the gate- DHAAM!-Bindiya
immediately crush it under her bare feet-
BINDIYA (CONT'D)
Sab mar gaye...
From Bindiya’s POV: we see the cockroach laying upside down

as a green mucus spills out her side- legs quivers as
cockroach dies slowly.
And with this image we
FADE TO BLACK:
ACCORDING TO A SPECULATED DATA- MORE THA 40 MILLION PEOPLE

MUST HAVE DIED AND AT LEAST HALF A THOUSAND OF MIGRANT
WORKERS DIED WALKING BACK HOME DURING THE PANDEMIC.
MOST OF THE COVID DEATH WERE DUE TO LACK OF OXYGEN.
DISAPPERS:
THE INDIAN GOVERMENT OFFICALLY SAID IN THE PARLIAMENT:
NO DATA OF MIGRANT WORKER DIED DURING THE LOCKDOWN
NO DATA OF DEATH OCCURED DUE TO THE LACK OF OXYGEN
FADE TO BLACK:
REAL HORRIFYING IMAGES OF MIGRANTS AND MEDICAL CRISIS OF

NEWSREELS TO BE PLAYED WITH CREDITS.

151/151
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ZAMAN HABIB
Hon. General Secretary
SWA
Author:
Vijender Singh
SWA Membership Number:
42141
Type of Creation:
Screenplay (Digitally Signed)
Title of Creation:
Cockroach
Date and Time
Sunday 2022-04-03 17:51:01
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Based on true events

Note: Dialogues will be in authentic accents,

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Tittle card over video: DR NABARRO, THE SPECIAL ENVOY OF WHO.

The recorded interview of Dr Nabarro the special envoy of WHO

OVER BLACK WE HEAR: CLUNK AND CLATTER OF STEEL SPOONS

Over this consuming chaotic sound it reads

On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India

Upon its announcement, a mass movement of people across

The chaotic sound suddenly comes to an abrupt halt, leaving

BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

We are close on the ground surface: right next to an open

After a moment, they crawl between pairs of human feet,

Slow motion: The cockroaches move ahead between these dirty

Thin to bones and tanned to the soul. He is waiting in the

EXT/INT. GOVERNMENT RATION SHOP-STREET- CONTINUE

Hundreds of unfortunate People, mostly poor migrant workers,

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Their hungry sweaty faces are covered with homemade cheap

Nandu stands in the line, trying to position himself in the

He joins his hand to plead, but Ration Agent is agitated.

He is almost on the verge of tears.

He points at Nandu to come up.

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Nandu comes inside. Muslim man still stands folded hands.

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Nandu looks at begging Muslim man.

RATION RATION AGENT

A middle age Delhi police constable SAMPAT come up.

RATION RATION AGENT

Constable grabs his arms and pulls him out.

Constable just pushes him aside, and lashes a lathi on his

The humiliated teary eye Muslim man looks back at constable

EXT/INT. GOVERNMENT RATION SHOP- CONTINUE

Nandu looks at the Ration Agent as he hides a small bags of

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Nandu just nods.

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Ration Agent winks at Nandu. He just stands there, waiting

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Ration Agent looks back, cheered up.

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Ration Agent looks back at him for a while then passes a

Nandu puts his finger, a click on a computer next to him.

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Nandu puts the finger- Again - Insert screen- INVALID!

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Nandu gets anxious.

Moisten-eyed, he folds his hand.

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

The helper inside laughs out at this, Nandu stares back,

Nandu looks back, teary eyes.

RATION AGENT (CONT'D)

Nandu steps out, helpless. He looks at the spilled maize and

Everyone in line looks at the Agent, who sits there, stunned.

Constable Sampat comes running.

Registered@www.swaindia.org ©Vijender Singh

Everyone just looks back, keeps quiet, they eventually have

He again lashes a lathi on his back and Nandu runs away,

EXT. SLUM STREET- LATER