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1 INT. BLACK 1
Opening credits kick in.
Credits end.
We hear the sound of a phone buzzing.
CUT TO:
He yawns.
He stops peeing... closes his pants' zip.
A beat.
In the next line, he types "CLOSE UP on the face of Criminal"
Ameer breaks the egg into a steel cup -- Some part of the egg
yolk falls outside the cup.
The kitchen sink -- there's a few dirty dishes.
Ameer takes out a plate from the sink, lazily washes it and
places it near.
CUT TO:
He gets back to the stove and reaches his hand to the salt
container kept by the side of the stove.
He accidentally touches the edge of the HOT pan. He lifts his
hand, making the pan fall to the floor.
AMEER
Fuck!
CUT TO:
Ameer sits at his table and starts eating bread slices from
his plate while watching an interview of Quentin Tarantino on
the laptop.
CUT TO:
The clock on the wall reads 11:22 AM. The empty plate lies on
the table.
Sighs.
He looks up at a poster on the wall -- of Quentin Tarantino.
A beat.
MATCH CUT TO:
8 INT. 8
The camera pans to reveal -- a female interviewer sitting
opposite to Ameer. And a cameraman, standing next to her.
5.
INTERVIEWER
Ippo malayala cinemayil mathramalla,
Indian cinemayil thanne one of the
best filmmakers enn ariyapedunna
oraalaanu ente mumbil irikunnathu.
The one and only Aby Mathew! welcome
to the show.
INTERVIEWER
Aadhyathe cinemayaaya erangiyappo
thanne IFFK-yil nalla reethiyil
angeekaram kittunnu... India
muzhuvanumulla cinema premikalde
shredha pidichu pattunnu...
Thudarnnn randu state award-um oru
national award-um nedunnu... How do
you feel at this point?
AMEER
Uh, nalla santhosham thonnunnu.
AMEER
Aah.
JESSIE
Eda nee Innu free aano?
AMEER
entha?
JESSIE
Njan oru aaru mani aakumbo office-
een erangum. Nammak onnu porathu
poyaalo? To a restaurant or
something.
AMEER
Poratho... Script ezhuthaan und.
JESSIE
Nee oru MAASAM aayitt ezhuthi konde
irikuvalle... You need a break
AMEER
Edi I'm so close. Ee script onnu
theeratte... I don't want any
distractions.
6.
JESSIE
Ninne onnu kanaan vendi alle njan
parayane... enthuvaada nee ingana...
Ninne okke Keri pranayikaan thonniya
enne venam parayaan
AMEER
Athusheri... Ente script-inu state
award-o national award-o okke kitti
kazhiyumbo ithu thanne
parayanotto...
JESSIE
(sarcastic)
national award mathiyo? Oru Oscar
engilum vende?
AMEER
Onnu podo...
JESSIE
Nee aa room-eenn vellappozhokke
porath erangu. Eth neravum script
enn paranj nadakkalle... There's
more to life.
AMEER
Tsk... I'm fine this way
JESSIE
Nee ingana onnum aayirunnilla
JESSIE
Araa?
AMEER
ariyilla nokatte
JESSIE
Eppa vilikkum?
AMEER
(annoyed)
Eppozhelum vilikaam!
JESSIE
7.
AMEER
Dheshyapettillallo...
JESSIE
Pinne?
AMEER
Tsk... njan door-ilu araann nokatte
AMEER
(to uncle)
aah, maman entha ivide?
UNCLE
Ivade aduthulla oru client-ine
kanaan vannatha... Ninnem koodi
kanditt pokaam enn vachu
AMEER
Ah...
A beat.
AMEER
va akathu irikaam
8.
UNCLE
Aah.
Uncle removes his shoes and steps inside.
AMEER
Njan joli kalanjathinte pinakam
ithuvare mareetilla.
UNCLE
Oh, Avalu parayanathilum karyam
ille? joli kalanjathu mandatharam
anenne njanum parayu.
Ameer doesn't respond.
UNCLE
well, on the other hand,
kudumbathilu oru filmmaker ollathu
nalla karyama. Pakshe you should be
successful as a filmmaker, allengi
aarkum ninne oru vila undavoola.
(a beat)
9.
AMEER
aah first draft theeraar aayi
almost.
UNCLE
katha entha?
Uncle pulls up his legs on the couch to make himself
comfortable.
AMEER
Uh, athu cinema erangumbo you'll
know
UNCLE
alla enikk detail aayitt onnum
ariyanda. Just oru synopsis paranja
mathi.
AMEER
Uh... okay
(clears throat)
katha oru train yathrene pattiya...
UNCLE
Train yathra?
AMEER
Aah
UNCLE
Appo cinemede thudakkam thott
avasanam vare ee train yathra thanne
aano?
AMEER
Uh, kind of... Full katha train-nte
akathu vachu thanneyaanu nadakane.
Pinne edakk kurach flashback scenes
okke und.
UNCLE
Oh, okay okay.
AMEER
Randu main charcters und. Oru
criminal-um oru prostitute-um
UNCLE
prostitute-aa?
10.
AMEER
Aah. Ee criminal ee prostitute-ine
train-ilu vacha parichayapedane...
Katheyilu main aayitt ivar thammil
ulla conversations aanu olle. Uh, ee
randu characters-intem different
perspective towards life, uh,
athokke explore cheyaan aanu njan
nokunne...
UNCLE
Oh... Ithu orumathiri Adoor-nte okke
polathe cinema aayi poyi. Ithokke
arelum Kanaan varuvo?
AMEER
Athu saramilla... Kananavar
kaanatte...
UNCLE
Angana allallo. That's a wrong
attitude. Njan parayana kekku... nee
commercial cinema cheyy... you're
sure to achieve success. nalla paisa
undakaan pattum. Allathe ee rand
aalkaru train-il irunna samsaarikana
okke kanaan arelum varoonnu enikk
thonnanilla
AMEER
(Sighs) njan ithu paisa undakaan
vendi cheyunnatha alla... It's my
passion.
UNCLE
Ah best... Passion anengi vella part
time aayitt cheytha porayirunno?...
Joli okke kalanj ivide Vann irikande
karyam undo? nammal oru joli
cheyumbo ath sucessful akaan vendi
venam cheyaan. ippo ente karyam
thanne nokku... Enikk school-ilokke
padikumbo padaan nalla kazhivu
undaayirunnu. Annu njan
vicharikkuvayirunnu "ho,
veluthaayitt venam oru paatukaran
akaan" ennokke... but later I
realised I was stupid. Ippo enne
nokku, I have a real job. I have
money. I'm successful.
AMEER
Success is not always about money.
Ente cinema oraalu engilum kand
11.
CUT TO:
The clock clicks to 12:44 PM.
UNCLE (O.S)
Enna sheri...
Uncle stands out, putting on his shoes.
He puts them on.
UNCLE
Enna, pinne oru divasam varaam
AMEER
Aah.
Ameer puts the phone in silent mode and gets back to the
laptop.
He continues to type....
KID
13.
AMEER
Aah
The boy hands over the box to Ameer.
AMEER
Ah, thanks.
KID
paathram thirich thanne...
AMEER
Ah
KID
Aa Rubik's cube araa solve cheythe?
AMEER
Uh, njanaa
KID
Solve cheyaan ariyuvo?
AMEER
Ah.
KID
Ente veetilum und. Pakshe enikku
solve cheyaan ariyathilla...
AMEER
Oh...
enna sheri..
The boy nods and walks out.
Ameer closes the door.
CUT TO:
1:19 PM.
Ameer sits in front of the laptop.
He starts typing slowly... picks up speed... starts typing as
if he is a machine.
We get different shots of him typing. A smile grows on his
face as he is typing.
CUT TO:
The clock ticks to 3:48 PM
Ameer has reached the last page of his script. He types "THE
END".
Ameer, with a big smile on his face, takes a deep sigh of
relief and lays back on his chair.
CUT TO:
Ameer stands in the middle of the room. He dials a number on
his phone. The phone rings. The person on the other side of
the phone is HARI (30s)
HARI
(through the phone)
Ahda para
AMEER
Nee therakilaano?
HARI
Alla alla, entha karyam?
AMEER
Eda ente script-nte first draft
finish aayi. Nee onnu vayichitt
engana undenn parayaamo? Njan ninak
mail cheythittund
HARI
(excited)
Nice, nice... I can't wait to read.
Njan vayichitt vilikaam
15.
AMEER
Aah. Pattoongi innu thanne vayichu
theerkane...
HARI
Aahda, sure.
Ameer hangs up.
Ameer dials another number. Phone rings. It's Jessie on the
other side.
JESSIE
Hello entha?
AMEER
Aah... I was thinking of going out
with you today
JESSIE
Wait... sherikum? Appo script
ezhuthande ninak?
AMEER
Script-nte first draft ippa ezhuthi
theerthe ollu.
(a beat)
So... you coming with me?
JESSIE
ezhu mani
AMEER
Ok poli. See you at seven.
WOMAN
Yeah... varuvallolle?
AMEER
vannirikkum!
Ameer hangs the call.
CUT TO:
AMEER
Hello
HARI
(through the phone)
Eda njan vayichu..
AMEER
Engana und?
HARI
Basic premise kollaam. Pakshe kore
prashnangal und. aadhyam thanne, nee
ithu kurachu koodi engaging akaan
nokaamo? Ninte kathakku oru shokam
feel aanu. I mean, I get what you're
trying to do here. Ithu oru sad
story aanu, I get it. But it's not
engaging. Kurachu fun moments okke
kondu vaa. No one's gonna pay to
watch a sad, depressing film.
AMEER
Eda... (sighs) To be honest I
thought it'd be cool for them to not
have any names...
HARI
Oh... Enna nee oru karyam cheyy. nee
dialogues-ilu avarde peru onnum
17.
AMEER
Ah, athu njan oru metaphor aanu
udheshiche...
HARI
Aah, athu manasilaayi. But aa scene
kurach out of place alle ennoru
samshyam.
AMEER
Aano?
HARI
Ah, enikk angana aanu thonniye.
and... aa brothel owner-nte charcter
ille. Ayaalu kurach unrealistic
aayitt aanu enikk thonniye. He's
just bad because he's bad. That's
not how people are in real life. Aa
charcter-inu kurachu koodi depth
kodukku...
AMEER
Oh.
HARI
And one last thing, ninte ending
nalla shokam aanu. There's no
resolution. There's no character
arc. There's nothing. Ending-ilu
sherikkum work cheyaan und. I was
expecting more from you dude.
(a beat)
By the way, no offense tto. I was
just sharing my thoughts...
AMEER
Eyy... I'm not offended.
(But we can tell he's
offended)
18.
He begins to type.
Suddenly, the laptop CRASHES - Ameer tries moving the mouse
cursor and pressing different keys -- it isn't responding.
AMEER
Fuck. Shit.
He SLAMS his hand on the table.
AMEER
(Sighs) Njan oru important aaya oru
karyam aanu ivide cheythond
irikane...
JESSIE
Ninak mathram aano important aayitt
karyangal olle? Ellavarkum important
aayitt karyangal und. But they are
not fucking obsessed like you
AMEER
(whispers)
21.
Shit.
CUT TO:
KID
Ithu solve cheyaan padipikkuvo?
Ameer stares at the kid. The kid looks at him, intimidated.
A beat.
Ameer SLAMS the door and puts the door bolt -- but he cuts
his finger in the process.
AMEER
Fuck!
Blood squirts from the finger... he holds the finger in pain.
CUT TO:
21 INT. BATHROOM 21
(insanity scenes)
(rage + punches air)
Contrasts
beginning:
Rushes as he makes noodles. Burns hand. Washes.
Doesn't answer mom's call
Always inside room
Ending:
Makes noodles, he's calm. Enjoys the process.
Calls mom.
Gazes outside through the balcony... Enjoys the view.