SCRIPT

Tara Ka Tara Time Machine

Tara Ka Tara time machine

Second draft of script - screenplay

Completed on 30th August, 2012

Characters:

Babu, seven year old boy

Sneha, Babu's sister, slightly older than Babu

Family members: Ma, Papa and Dadi; Babu's Mother, Father and Grandmother

1

1.1

Ext. Day. Roads

A railway crossing opens and traffic from both sides rush into a jam. Roads full of traffic and crowd. Frames from shots freeze. All the noise also freezes to a beep which slowly goes to silent.

Narration with freeze frames:

Ankhein deewaron par ruk jati hain

mann ke khayal unhi deewaron me band

Bhavna bekarar rehti

Aur insaan barkarar

Brahmand sunya hai

Aur insaan saat arab

time machine ke bare me koi nahi jaanta

1.2

Ext. Day.

Peeking rays of sun diffract through leaves to blink with rainbow colors.

A deserted place. A rusted car's wheel curve and the wheel is missing. Old peeling walls. Vines crawling up. A row of doors on both sides. Locked doors.

Narration:

maine time machine banaya hai … Magar main bhi nahi jaanta

… ki time machine ko main chala raha hoon ya time machine mujhko

One door has handcuffs on its ledge.

Narration (from behind the door) :

Main…

kahan hoon ?

A man facing away is sitting in a corner of a room with gray plaster walls. Relaxed, comfortable.

Man

Pehle duniya se, phir khud se,

Shareer se, aatma se, brahmand se

roshni ki raftaar se joojhkar

Main …

kahan hoon ?

Main …

Kahan hoon ?

From back, close shot of him.

Main …

Kahan hoon ?

1.3

Black screen.

Sound of Om appears with a white dot on the black screen. Sound builds up but the dot remains the same.

Black dots appear on white screen and move in chaotic Brownian movement. Sound of kids making phonetic sounds. Some abstract lines lead to a abstract figures. Title appears.

2

2.1

Int. day. house.

A corner of a bed. Ma's hands are raised and Papa has a hand fan held other way round in his hand, both towards the corner. Dadi is sadly sitting and Sneha is looking away sitting very close to Dadi.

A pan that goes through empty spaces between these figure to the door and then back to Dadi. Sneha slowly turns towards everyone. Dadi gets up to leave. Camera pans and Ma cracks her knuckles softly and leaves. Papa turns the fan to sway it, but realizes soon that the electricity is still there.  Camera comes and stops at the same corner.

2.2

Ext. Day. Riverbank.

Babu standing half dipped in the river.

Babu has a emptied photo frame. he lets the frame drop from his hand. The camera frame is left out of focus.

Narrator's voice

yeh sab kya hai

Babu 

Bhoot

Water is filled in the muddy footmark of Babu touching the river. Two footmarks in opposite directions, slightly smudged.

The waves of the river present a eternal pattern.

3

3.1

Int. house. Morning.

The city is build of houses with naked bricks. City noise is heard. 

A wall has a brick hole through which Babu peaks.

Empty stairs. They lead to more stairs, up and down. School shoes, detergent bottles, broken toys etc kept on sides.

Whispering prayers sounds, inaudible sounds lead to few audible words.

A kalash pours water on a potted plant in which two old diyas are kept. The base of the plant is broken. Water is collected around the base which is getting muddy, reaching Dadi ma's feet as she is pouring the water.

(Babu) A pencil comes and stops upon a notebook, makes a insignificant dot. Pencil drops from his hand.

Whispering prayers sounds, inaudible sounds lead to few audible words.

In Dadi ma's Voice

Kaya ke sukh da bhagwaan

Moh maya ke sukh da…

(Aggarbatti) Smoke rises in front of out of focus framed images. Smoke rises in front of out of focus walls. Dadi ma's prayer seems more deep in her voice.

Atmospheric noise is chaotic with sound of television/radio, vessels, people sounds. Babu opens a window. Dadi ma comes with agarbbati in hand. She looks at Babu through window bars while moving the aggarbatti, murmuring her prayer. Babu looks at Dadi ma through window bars.

Congested room space. Ma opens a trunk and is searching something. Meanwhile Dadi enters the room to show around the agarbatti. Ma Leaves leaving the trunk open. Dadi ma leaves.

Papa is reading newspaper. A T.V. is showing some news. He alternates between T.V. and newspaper.

Ma looks at Dadi ma putting eye-drop. Goes close to her to see.

Ma

kuch asar to nahi ho raha hai

Ma Goes away.

Dadi

Kya asar hoga bahu … leni ka deni hai

 koi bhoot pichaas aya tha raat ko … jab hum is ghar me naye-naye aye thein …

uska chehra to nahi dekhein,

bhayank hoga itna jaante hain…aakar humko ek jhapppad mara (she enacts jhapad with her hand), bus tub se mera tabiyat kharab hona shuru ho gaya hai. (She shakes her head) mmcccchh … leni ka deni hai …

Lekin ab nahi ata hai … samjhi …

Aalsi ho gaya hai

Na barah baje raat ko tahalne nikalta hai

Na palang ka lakdi khuredta hai

Na bartan phekta hai

Na neend se jagane wala bura spana dikhata hai …

Ekdum chup chap isi palang ke neeche rehta hai

Eye-drops are falling off Dadi ma's closed eyes which she wipes.

Babu is sitting on a bed, with a notebook open, pencil in his hand. He is looking down on his notebook. He turns a opens a book and his lips move but no words are heard. He closes the book.

A open door looks onto corridor. Sneha looks into the room, comes forward, stopping at the door, then leaning on the bed rail. Her eyes are curious.

Babu

Ameer … gareeb …

Achcha … bura …

Aadmi … aurat …

Sur … asur …

Pehelwaan … kamjor

Sneha

Babu … padhai kar rahe ho … (Babu looks up but in another direction) … Barish hota hai to Bandar bhig nahi jata hoga ?

Babu

uska dimaag nahi hai kya ? Doctor dada ka chat par teen hai na uske neeche chip jata hoga(he looks at Sneha)

Sneha thinks something for a while.

Sneha amazed

Hmmm … waah Babu … tum to bilkul bandar ki tarah sochte ho …

Babu is looking up with a brief smile, clouds roar, he goes back to his notebook.

Stairs are wet. Dry floor has a wet foot prints, half clear and half in puddle of water. Sneha looks at dirty vessels on which rain is pouring. She goes to Dadi ma.

Dadi

baarish hone laga na … dekhna bartan majne waali nahi aayegi …

Sneha

 baarish me bartan apne aap dhul jayega …

Dadi looks away. Sneha giggles.

Rain sound. Ma is in Babu's room. Few clothes are hung in the room. Ma wipes her head and goes on the bed to hang more clothes. She sieves them before hanging. Babu is looking at the clothes.

A drop of water falls on the dot in Babu's notebook.

3.2

Ext. Late Evening. Terrace.

(Among the city house clusters) Sneha and Babu on terrace. Religious stuff is heard from loudspeaker from far. Feels noisy. Babu and Sneha is looking towards the city.

Sneha

Yeh jo itna sara ghar hai uske baad pata hai kya hai …

(pause)

Babu

Nahi

Sneha

Himalay parbat hai … Mount Everest …

Babu

Uske baad ?

Sneha

Nahi pata

Babu

(pause)

China hai …

Sneha

Kaise pata ?

Babu

Hum pichle janam me waheen paida hue thein …

Sneha looks seriously at Babu. Babu turns away from the city. After a while …

Babu

… agar ek tara ko raat bhar dekhne se pata hai kya hoga ?

What will happen if you spend the whole night watching one star

Sneha looks up. Tries to think. Walks around a bit looking up.

Sneha

Raat bhar?

Whole night?

Babu turns to look at her. Sneha turns and starts looking at the city.

Sneha

Aisa nahi ho sakta. Admi sut jayega

Impossible…you will fall asleep

Babu starts looking up hazily.

Sneha

Aur phir sapna dikhega

Then you can only watch your dreams

Both begin to laugh. Babu is looking away and Sneha is looking up.

Loudspeaker noises suddenly seize.

Sneha

Light chala gaya

3.3

Int. evening/night. House.

A seeming 360 pan in darkness-light

A silent T.V. set on which a dhibri is lit kept next to some god stuff. Dadi ma is sitting adjacent to T.V. turning her head in a right angle towards it. After a while she turns her head straight.

Dadi cursing 

Dhut-teri…isi samay bijli jata hai…admi kya koi serial dekhega…dono bachcha kahan hai kahan hai?

How will one watch any serial…electricity goes on the same time everyday

The dhibri starts moving but is not shown. Black screen and images dissolve into each other. Dadi ma's shadows move on a wall. An empty corner and wall of the house. Shadows of kids, hands, window rails, back of a door. Sound of kids jumping from stairs, giggle, a vessel falls. Sound of door creaking, window shutting, water dropping.

Narration

Main kehta hoon

Bas kehta hoon

Ma screams

Babu … chup chap baitho

Babu

hooo

Sneha

mar denge aaeein

Babu

chappal do

Narration

Kisi athah khale andhere me

Pathar si sthir ek roshni

Roshni jo kapti nahi mujhe dekhkar

Main zaroor kapta hoon

Babu

almari me hai … 

Sneha

chuha ?

Babu and Sneha giggle.

Narration

Awaazein, band do ankhon ke paar se

Ve mere andar jeevet hain

Aur Unki saanse bechain

Pan has come to dhibri which is in ma's hands. A wind hisses. Ma covers dhibri, slightly scared looks to one side.

Ma mumbling to herself

Bijli ka koi thikana nahi hai … kya aadmi yahaan koi kaam karega …

She turns to find Babu behind her. She is scared by surprise and in a reflex of hand movement with a little hiss of the wind dhibri goes off. Black screen. Sounds of Ma and Babu.

Ma screaming, scolds

dhut teri ka … yahaan kya kar raha hai … jao jakar basta sariya ke so jao …

Babu

kisse baat kar rahi thi …

(pause)

Ma

kali ma se …

Babu

Kali ma kuch boli ?

Pause. Vessel sounds.

Babu

kaise bolengi … jeebh to hamesha nikla rehta hai unka

Ma screams

sone jayega ki nahi … hey bhagwaan … pagala ke rakh diya hai … gaya ki (nahi)

Electricity comes back, with lots of mechanical noise. Babu has already left. Ma is holding a bowl in her hand about to throw. She puts it on the fridge top and holds her head. 

Dadi screams

Bahu jaldi aao … serial abhi chal raha hai

Ma

aa rahe hain

She goes away hastily. She switches off light and closes the door as she exits.

Narration

main kehta hoon … bas kehta hoon

3.4

Int. Night. House

Babu gets up suddenly from bed. He looks amazed. White light falling on his face. A open door looks to a corridor with flicker-ish white light through which Babu goes.

Babu enters the kitchen and starts filling water in a small glass kept next to water filter. Similar light. As he is drinking the water his gaze turns to one side. A man with his face covered with a white cloth is sitting next to a L.P.G. cylinder.

Babu goes and stands next to him.

  

Babu looks suspiciously at him. He takes the white cloth off ghost's face and cracks to a whispery giggle. He is trying to control his laughter.

Babu

Tumhara mundi kahan hai?

Where is your head?

(In the same shot/ Man is not shown without cloth on his head) - Man takes back his white cloth from Babu. (<cut> C.S. of Man)

<Cut> L.S. of Babu and Man. The man is little restless, his hands move time to time supporting his squatting body gesture. Babu settles down. He is looking very curiously at the man.

Babu

tum time machine ke bare me jante ho ?

do you know about time machine ?

Man

Sab kuch

Everything

Both stare at each other for sometime.

Babu

To tumhara mundi kahan hai

Where is your head

Man raising his one finger in air

Brahmand ke ek samay me …

ek atma ki do abhivyakti nahi ho sakti

At a point of time in this universe, there can not be two manifestations of one soul

Babu looks at the finger, then back at the man.

Babu

Dadi ma ko time machine ke bare me kya pata hai

What does Dadi know about the time machine

Both turn their heads to one side with surprise.

Dadi ma is sleeping with her hand over her forehead. Babu and the man come from either side. Few creaks of the bed are heard as Dadi keeps moving little bit while sleeping. Continuous monotone of a fan is heatd. Dadi ma takes her hand off her forehead. The man puts the cloth on her face. After few very subtle head movements of Dadi who is little restless in her sleep.

Man trying to imitate Dadi's voice

Time machine ka koi malik tha jisse poori duniya darti thi…

wo ek kamre me akela rehta hai abhi bhi…Police ne uske darwaze par ek hatkadi laga di hai…

phir bhi kuch log mante hai wo zinda hai…logo ne use ganga ke beech raet ka teela par dekha hai…log kehte hain wo wahan atma-hatya karne gaya tha…barish hogi aur teela ganga me doob jayega to wo kahan jayega…

(long pause)

… kuch log kehte hain wo zinda hai … time machine banane wale ko kaun maar sakta hai …

There was someone who found the time machine…whole world is scared of him…he lives alone in a room which has been locked by handcuffs…some say he is still alive inside that room…some people say he escaped to a sand island in between the river…some people say he went there to commit suicide…what will happen when it rains and the island goes inside the river (long pause) … some people say he cannot be killed for he has found the time machine … 

Babu is a little angry with the ghost.

4

4.1

Ext. Evening. Sand Island.

Small feet of Babu coming out of water are drying in the sand. As the footprints proceed water has dried and prints are marked in bare sand. Babu is walking on the Sand against an evening horizon.

He turns back to find the ghost standing looking down. The ghost comes on his knees to ruffle his hands around his footprints, almost dissolving it back to sand.

Babu sleeps on the sand.

Ext. Morning. Sand Island

Babu's family is on a boat. The sun is rising at the horizon. Papa is taking pictures around. They come on sand Island.

Babu has woken up their sounds. He looks at them for a while. He gets up and goes to join them. He walks across Papa, Sneha and Dadi. Ma catches Babu.

Ma brushing off sand from Babu's face and hair

Kya badmaasi karte rehto ho … admi ki tarah nahi reh sakte … dekho to

Babu

Kyun aen hai yahaan

Ma

Picnic manane … aur kisliye

Ma cuddles Babu's cheeks as she says this. Babu walks away. Looks around, then down.

4.2

Int. Day. House.

Through corridor, an empty room. City noise is heard.

A corner of the house. City noise seizes. Narration begins / ghost says a poem. At the point where two walls and the floor meet a kid has drawn spiral is drawn with a blue chalk. Dadi ma's room is empty. On a shelf made in the wall a small mirror is hung and is shining with light. At an instance with a sound of window closing, the light disappears. Above the shelf, the ghost is sitting. Cuts closer to him. Tears have left a wet spot on his cloth that he keeps on his head. He shifts the spot to the back of his head.

Poem / narration

Anginat sambhavnao,

Ke samne,

Main.

Kya soch sakta tha ?

Magar main manushya hoon

Shareer garbh se janma tha

Aur mann ?

Mann to shayad hota hi nahi.

Ankhein kis chitiz par ruk jati hain,

Kin chehron par?

Kano me kaun sa shor hai?

Aur mann …

mera mann …

Jab shareer, mastisk ki smritiyan, drisyon aur awazon ko chor

Kahin jata hai,

Kho jata hai …

Unhi anginat sambhavnao me …

Aur main,

yahaan

Apne shareer me

Kya soch sakta hoon ?

4.3

Int. Day. House

Sneha has a plastic ball in her hand. She murmurs a prayer and throws the ball. Papa hits the ball with a plastic bat. The ball goes all goes the house, through rooms, corridor and finally under a bed. Sneha bends to see under the bed.

Sneha

Babu !

Dadi's hands are collecting yesterdays flower from the marble shelf of pooja room. She goes from one photo frame of god to another. She suddenly stops at an empty space. A photo frame is missing.

Dadi goes closer to look at the empty space. The wall is covered with such photo frames.

4.4

Ext. Day. Riverbank

Ghost is facing a horizon dipped inside the river.

Narrator's voice

yeh sab kya hai

Babu 

Bhoot

He comes out of the river. People stare at him as he walks away. His footprints are left in the mud.

4.5

Int. Day. House

Ghost enters kitchen. Ma almost freezes seeing this. The pan on the stove is overflowing. As he walks forward Papa panics and jumps up from his chair onto a table. Dadi Ma is sitting comfortably with her eyes closed and head tilted up (eye drop). Ma throws vessels on the ghost. Papa takes out a hand fan to hit him. Ghost escapes under the bed.

Dadi

Kya pheka pheki kar rahe ho tum log

4.6

Ext. evening.terrace

The man is on the terrace looking towards the city. Sneha comes slowly towards him. She is very alert.

Sneha

Babu kahan hai

The man turns slowly towards her. Sneha runs away. He turns back to look at the city. His white cloth is very dirty by now.

Ghost

Maine khud ko is maya se mukt kiya hai
Time machine banane ke liye
Aur main banaya bhi hai

Magar dekho mujhko
Main isi maya ek paribhasha bhar ban ke reh gaya hoon

Jaante ho kyun?

Babu's voice

Kyun ?

Ghost

Tumhare karan

4.6

Int. day. Under construction houses

Interiors of under constructed houses. Naked bricks which bear names. Some are names of gods and some are just random names.

In a corner, Babu is sitting, very still

Babu

To time machine sach me hai

Ghost

Sach me … time macihne nahi hai

Sach me to yeh duniya hai

Sach me …

Tum ho

Aur Sach me,

Main…

Babu

Nahi hoon

Cuts to back. End.