Screenplay - First 10 pages

Over Titles:
ANIMATION:
A blue heart forms on a white screen and beats

MALE VOICE

I have heard that Love is beautiful

A pink heart forms on the screen and starts beating next to the blue heart
                                                                   
                                                                   MALE VOICE

That Love is the best feeling ever

The hearts form into full human figures with a setting of their respective houses around them.

MALE VOICE (CONT’D)

But I have never known it

They are both staring out of their balconies into the sky.Two stars blink and HE sees a beautiful hair blowing in the wind, with her face unclear.

MALE VOICE (CONT’D)

Does an unknown voice call you from

the stars?

The other blinking star has a male hand covered in suit, opening his palm to hand her ‘the moon’. SHE smiles.

MALE VOICE (CONT’D)

I don’t understand

They turn away from their respective windows and smile imagining their dreams.

MALE VOICE (CONT’D)

What is love, really?

A bus stop forms and SHE walks towards it, while he is already standing, with two-three people around. A sudden shower hits and drenches her, she quickly takes refuge in the bus stop and tries drying her dupatta. He is dumbstruck at that action. He looks at the water trickling down her lips. A

bus suddenly screeches to a halt and the few people around rush into it. She is pushed aside by them and is about tofall when he holds her. She suddenly looks up at him, starry-eyed. Their eyes lock.

MALE VOICE (CONT’D)

Ahh! So this is love. Rain makes

love happen.

Titles end.

EXT. POOL SIDE RESTAURANT - EVENING
There seems to be an air of urgency in the pool-side restaurant of a plush hotel, located in the outskirts of the city. Gadgets, not usually belonging to this location are being fixed at a certain height from the ground. What the gadgets are is unclear, except that they have small wires jutting out of them, but are not visible to the human eye, unless one focuses closely on it. The camera widens to reveal the pool-side restaurant with a single table and two chairs adorned to perfection like one
witnesses in romantic novels; creepers with flowers, a semblance of breeze, masking the modern construction of the pool-side. KISHORE, 26 walks in adjusting a ear-piece and checks everything. He sees a young boy walking out from amongst the creepers.

VOICE

Did you get the rain machine?

A young worker around 19, looks at Kishore and shakes his head.

BOY

(confidently)

It’s off for a shoot

KISHORE

How can you do that? We pay you

double for getting that!

BOY

But it’s Shahrukh’s film

Kishore looks at him flabberghasted

KISHORE

(sarcastic)

Of course, your machine is the only

thing that makes the shoot happen!

BOY

Don’t worry, I have a storm fan.

The setting will be good.

Before any response can be heard, the boy walks out.

Kishore’s ear piece starts catching signals,

FEMALE VOICE 1

Clear set.

2.
Kishore, hurries “Everybody, field clear! Field clear!” A couple of men scurry out and Kishore goes and sits near a machine with ear-piece all adjusted. There is a small monitor in front of him. A young couple, NEETI SHAH, 25 and RAKSHIT SHETH, 27, take their seats in the chairs beautifully arranged as two waiters pull the chairs out for both of them. Neeti is dressed in a flowing orange gown and Rakshit in a formal attire with a blazer and no tie.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - EVENING
Camera pulls out into a CONTROL ROOM, revealing the same people in a two shot on a monitor.

NANDINI, 28

Picture perfect!

POOJA, 22, the intern scuttles around the ‘switching’ board. Neeti and Rakhsit look at each other, a little nervous, Rakshit more than Neeti and he turns his face.

NANDINI

Sound?

POOJA

That’s what I am trying to fix

Light footsteps are heard.

NANDINI

Make it quick, RAJAT is coming!

Pooja looks at her helplessly. Nandini panics as the footsteps head closer and goes under the table, a chord is hanging out.

POOJA

Sorry!

Nandini fixes it

NANDINI

How many times..

The door opens letting in a bit of light in the dark control room. Two legs in beige cotton pants and dark brown shoes walk in towards the monitors.

3.

RAJAT

Haven’t I told you to not

disconnect the audio cable from the

mains?

Rajat Doshi, 29 takes his seat at the centre, and moves himself towards the control board. Pooja looks down sheepishly. Rajat smiles at Nandini and then raises his eyebrows at Pooja. He immediately focuses on the monitor. Beat. Rajat has a contented look on his face and he very casually switches the images on the monitor to a CU of Neeti, then to Rakshit and a two-shot. He puts on his ear-phones,
turns on the ‘mic’ button. Nandini and Pooja too put on their ear-phones.

RAJAT (CONT’D)

All set?

KISHORE (O.S.)

Yes

RAJAT

Great! Let’s go!

EXT. RESTAURANT - EVENING
Meanwhile, the waiter serves them a mango drink. Neeti, sort of moves back and forth in her chair, restless. Rakshit, drinks water and smiles a little as he puts the glass down. Neeti turns away for a second twitching her fingers as if preparing to ask something and as she turns, Rakshit gulps
down the glass of water, nervous. He sighs in relief as Neeti turns towards him only after he puts the glass down.

NEETI

(catching the sigh)

What happened?

RAKSHIT

(shaking his head)

Nothing

NEETI

Oh, I thought...(pauses) Is this

your first time?

RAKSHIT

Yes, first time with a girl

Neeti looks a little surprised.

4.

NEETI

Oh, (shocked) I meant... if this is

your first matrimonial meeting.

Rakshit, a little embarrassed

RAKSHIT

Oh...

He looks at the mango juice on the table and leans towards it.

NEETI

So you are into some speech

technology something?

Rakshit nods.

NEETI (CONT’D)

(a little restless)

Is that why you don’t speak much?

INT. CONTROL ROOM - EVENING
Nandini looks at Rajat tense. Rajat still is calm. On the monitor, Rakshit just smiles, unable to respond. Neeti looks at him and looks beyond him.

RAJAT

Now!

INTERCUT

EXT. SIDE HIDDEN FROM THE POOL -EVENING
Kishore moves a button

EXT. POOL SIDE RESTAURANT - EVENING
Red rose petals suddenly shower on the couple. Neeti looks up and smiles. Rakshit too looks up and eases a bit. At the same time a fan starts from behind the bushes, Neeti’s hair blows towards her right side.

RAJAT (V.O.)

Decrease...

Suddenly the blow of the fan is softer and Neeti looks beautiful with the sun about to set. Rakshit looks at her with a slight smile on his face. Her stole flies away and Rakshit catches it in time to give it to her.

5.
As she takes it, their fingers touch. She looks a little shy when he looks at her absorbed, as he sits down.

NEETI

(her tone softer)

It looks like you don’t speak much

RAKSHIT

(smiles, softer, looks at

her hair)

Yeah, I haven’t really spoken to

girls.

They both smile at each other and lean closer, take their juices and look at each other. Red hearts fly from between them.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - EVENING
On Screen: They are both drinking from the same glass! Rajat looks at Nandini and winks victoriously. Nandini gesticulates, “As always!” Rajat’s phone rings and he walks out into the PORCH.

EXT. PORCH - EVENING
An air of confidence on his face suggests that he has been doing this job successfully for a while. As if a habit, he lights a cigarette with a Zippo and talks at regular intervals.

MR. SHAH (V.O.)

Thank you, Rajat, Thank you! You

did the impossible! My daughter

likes Rakshit!

RAJAT

Ah, that’s alright, I just did my

job.

MR. SHAH

I shall send you the invitation

card soon.

RAJAT

Thank you. Shall look forward to

it.

Rajat hangs up the phone, victoriously. He flicks out the end of the butt and squishes it under his foot and walks in. He places each step surely and soundly. The spark in his eyes reveal that he is about to get everything in this world.

INT. HEAVENLY MATRIMONY OFFICE - SAME DAY
As he walks in, the office, now bright with his smile, reveals a series of photographs of couples in their respective marriage attires with the watermark of “Heavenly Matrimony.com” clearly etched on it.

POOJA

(excitedly)

Did they agree?

Rajat nods, smiling.

RAJAT

Let’s look at the next set.

Kishore walks in right then and smiles at Rajat. The lights suddenly dim and Nandini pulls up a couple of ‘heavy’ men and women on the screen.

NANDINI

Smitha nair and Akshat Patel - they

have to be marriage ready.

Pooja jots down on her note pad.

KISHORE

(peeps in, whispers)

Category is weight loss.

RAJAT

(looks at Kishore)

They are?

KISHORE

Gold

(to pooja)

So only 10 kgs

KALYAN BANERJEE, 33, walks in a kurta and jeans and quickly joins them. Nandini draws up more pictures of fair and dark boys and girls on screen

KISHORE (CONT’D)

(to Pooja)

Whitening and Tanning, Platinum

Pooja jots down. The screen keeps switching pictures and we pull out to hear.

RAJAT

So we have 4 sets ready to meet.

Kalyan, only 1 Bronze here.

Kalyan nods and we move away from their discussion.

INT. KANGNA’S ROOM - NIGHT
The door opens softly to reveal a brightly-lit, messy room covered by papers with designs of wheels and car doors. SUDHA, 55, Kangna’s mother tip toes into the room, in her night gown, looking for Kangna. KANGNA, 30, lies on the floor with a pencil in her hand, as if she fell asleep while
sketching. The sketch of the car door lying under her extended hand looks half complete. The room is replete with toy cars and models of cars. Her diploma in design is framed and hung on the wall.
Sudha wakes her daughter up.

SUDHA

Kutty, K.. (loudly) Kangna!

Kangna wakes up with a start and sits up in her pajamas and tshirt and stares at her mother as if she has never seen her before.

SUDHA (CONT’D)

Can you sleep on the bed and not

make me do this everyday?

She starts picking up Kangna’s designs on the floor.

KANGNA

(sounding sleepy)

Tch! I was thinking of a design..

And it was right there, at the tip

and you woke me up!

SUDHA

(giving her a hand to get

up)

Yeah that’s what you say everyday!

KANGNA

But that’s the truth!

And she lies on her bed. Sudha collects all her sketches and puts them on her study table in the room and turns off the lights.

KANGNA (CONT’D)

Thanks ma! (mutters Kangna)

Hearing that, Sudha smiles and fondly shakes her head, walking out of the room, and comes right back in.

SUDHA

Tomorrow we are going to the

matrimony office at 9

And walks out again. Kangna pulls her blanket on her as if to avoid every word.

INT. RAJAT’S CABIN - DAY
Kangna, very disinterestedly sits, next to her father, shaking her legs vigorously. She looks around for some magazines, but none her kind. She then adjusts her long curls and pins it up into a half-pony. Her yellow cotton shirt reveals her almost pristine neck with a thin gold chain around it. Her father and mother peer into photo albums while the chair in front stays empty. She gets up and walks around
to check the room, its furniture and so on. The shelf particularly looks interesting to her, the way it is carved, almost like the seat of a car.

NARAYAN, 58, tries hard to see the photos through his glasses. Sudha, his wife, shot-lists photos by writing down the numbers next to them.

NARAYAN

They all look fine to me.

Sudha nods.

SUDHA

Kangna, come here and see these!

Kangna looks at her reluctantly and walks towards her. Narayan places the photos in front of her. They swirl around her head like a cinematograph, confusing her. And she plonks on the sofa next to them.

NARAYAN

This one is not like the last two

agencies. I have heard good reviews

about it. They don’t have a single

failure, all their clients are

married.

SUDHA

You have to get married!

KANGNA

(a little exasperated, but

tries to be calm)

I never said I won’t, but you don’t

get it when I say I won’t find

anyone in such places.

SUDHA

(cutting her off)

We saw the two you chose, didn’t

we?

KANGNA

Ma, please that was almost

She stops mid-sentence when Rajat opens the door and stares at her on the couch in her blue jeans and yellow shirt, hair carelessly bound in a half-pony, a longish, chubby face with her lips parted. He immediately comes back to his senses and shakes hands with Narayan.

RAJAT

Hello Mr. Narayan. (Shakes hands).

That...must be your daughter?

NARAYAN

Yes, yes..

Before he can finish, Kangna gets up to shake hands with him.

KANGNA

Hi, I am Kangna.

Rajat, a little surprised, responds with a hand shake. He moves over to take his seat. She sits down on a chair opposite him, next to her parents, almost as if studying him.