Jan 20, 2020 · 4 min read
SCENE 1: Day of Marriage INT.ROOM/KITCHEN.LATE EVENING
LOW LIT ROOM
Two plates are on a dining table across one another. One plate is half eaten, and the other one filled with food — untouched.
The sound of distant bombarding fills the space. The steel plates vibrate due to the tremors.
A woman is sitting by the cot, away from the dining table. The bombarding cause the woman’s body to jerk, and she grips her fingers harder and stronger. Otherwise she is sitting still.
Her face is seen half seen through the veil because of the faint light that is falling from the closed window.
She is dressed in a maroon/dark red saree, from head to toe, and her arms are barely seen amidst all the new red and green bangles crowding her arms.
The dusk light quickly gives way to pitch darkness.
The woman’s head hits the pillow, and her paayal clad feet the other side of the bed.
She positions herself in bed, turns to the other side and runs her hands across the other side. After a few moments of silence, she says in a determined tone, to herself (as the sounds of bombarding continue)
YOUNG BRIDE
Pehla din…
SCENE 2: Day 4 since husband left for war INT.HOUSE.MORNING
The young bride in the same saree, (however not as new as before) is setting both sides of the bed: tucking the ends, fluffing both the pillows, and dusting the bed.
She removes a big aluminum vessel from the stove. She takes out two plates and places it on the dining table, opposite one another and serves food in the plates.
She waits a while, eats few mouthfuls from her plate. She looks up at the plate and the empty chair and pushes her food away, and looks towards the window, dejected.
YOUNG BRIDE
Chaar din…
SCENE 3: Day 7 since father left for war EXT.ABANDONED SHRUBBERY/GROUND.NOON
A young boy, aged 8–10, is writing- 7 with a brick… and a circle right below it, on a wall.
Adjacent to it, we see circles that are marked 1, 2, 3 up to 6.
He steps backwards, and takes out a ball from his pant pocket.
He starts hitting a ball continuously, with great concentration into the 7 circle.
Everything seems like the usual; but suddenly there is a loud explosion. This scares the boy and he stops playing. He looks in the direction of the bombarding.
YOUNG BOY (with fear)
Papa?
His eyes fill with tears. He clenches the ball tight in his hands and throws the ball in that direction.
Sound: The ball crashes the window of a house near by.
SCENE 4: Day 7 since husband left for war INT.NOON.HOUSE
As the young bride (still in the same saree) is standing in the kitchen with food on the stove, suddenly, the window vibrates and a loud thud noise, echoes in the room. The bride is scared. She looks at the distance, towards the border.
YOUNG BRIDE
(with fear)
Arjun?
She breaks down. Just then, the sound of breaking glass interupts her sobs. She looks in that direction. The ball which has broken through the window, rolls and comes to a stop next to her. She looks at it and then at the window, as she continues to sob.
The crack in the window, caused by the ball, now brings light to the poorly lit space. SCENE 5: Day 7 since husband/father left INT.NOON.HOUSE
The young boy approaches a house. He stops to catch his breath and halts in front of the wooden double door. He looks around through wet eyes. While he rubs his eyes with the back of his palms he feebly knocks on the door.
The young bride is sobbing when she hears a knock on the door. She half hopes its her husband and rushes to the door.
She opens the door and tilts her head downwards to find a young boy at the door.
She is disappointed. She wipes her face with her hand, goes to get the ball, and returns with it. She offers the kid the ball.
The woman is stifling her tears, and the boy notices that. She hands over the ball, and he takes the ball as he continues to look at her. His eyes well up looking at her and he hugs her. The woman is taken aback.
Another bomb hits.
The boy cries. The woman returns the hug. The two of them hug each other.
SCENE 6: Day 7 since they left INT.DINING TABLE.LATE NOON
The young bride is placing two plates of hot food on the table, while the young boy is at the window looking towards the bombarding.
Once the young woman sets the two plates of food on the table she joins the young boy.
The two of them are looking out the cracked window, towards the border as the food waits for them.
Sounds of bombarding continue.
Screen grabs from DV produced by SRFTI, Shot by Piyush Pal Singh.
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