Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Film Synopsis - A Thought to Chew Over
Synopsis #15
Title: A Thought to Chew Over
Idea: Threat Cover
Plot: Kabir
befriends a Rodent and they become ‘wire and cable’ czars attracting their
share of enemies who need to be countered with superior fire-power
Genre: Animation
Script Regn No (SWA): 43911
Membership
No: 49484
Seg 1
Kabir had an anxious ride on an outstation
trip. It was early morning. He had not noticed until he had done few odd kms
that the engine icon on the dashboard was glowing. Instinctively, he tapped on
the dashboard glass hoping that the glow will cease with the tap. Nothing of
the sort happened. He knew something was wrong. The pickup too was stalling. It
was short outstation trip of 3 hours one way for a business purpose. He managed
to complete the trip and took it to the service station.
Seg 2
The technician opened the Toyota Innova hood.
He noted the wires were chewed and had come unhinged from the plug-like device
that powered the engine. He corrected it and wrapped the wires with insulation
tape. The car ran fine. But that was not the point. The risk of the situation
repeating was Kabir’s concern.
Seg 3
Every morning thereafter Kabir opened the hood
of his Toyota Innova – an MUV – to check the state of the vehicle. He found rat
turd on the flat surfaces on each side and some under the car. The rat had made
his base under the car hood.
Seg 4
The morning routine continued until one day sitting
bang and centre on top of the engine was Mr Rod. Momentarily frozen. Surprised
that somebody had the key to his house.
Seg 5
Kabir looked at Mr Rod – the Rodent – and Mr
Rod looked at Kabir. After a bit Mr Rod looked away. He appeared sedated. Woken
up from a deep sleep.
Seg 6
Mr Rod looked well-fed. His long tail lay
motionless. Neither of them knew what to do. Kabir was holding up the hood. He
had no time to hook it to the stand. At that moment it was not clear who was
surrendering to whom. Neither was it clear who was the intruder. Kabir or Mr
Rod.
Seg 7
Mr Rod survival instincts kicked in. In a flash he was gone. But something happened at that moment. They had connected. Kabir and Mr Rod.
Seg 8
Since the anxious moments of the outstation
trip, Kabir’s mind was busy devising plans of laying traps to put a swift end
to the rodent nuisance. It was not in consideration anymore.
Seg 9
Instead he was thinking how he can persuade Mr
Rod that he is free to make his home under his Innova hood but he cannot chew
the wires and he cannot litter. Also, better sanitary habits were expected of
him. Kabir impressed on Mr Rod the 1 BHK does not come with an attached
bathroom. For that he needs to step out somewhere bushy.
Seg 10
It became a routine with Kabir and with Mr Rod.
Kabir would open the hood. He would greet Mr Rod. Kabir would ask him if he
enjoyed the cheese block he had left for him on the flat recess under the hood.
Mr Rod would nod his head. Kabir would check the wires to see that all was
ship-shape. He checked for droppings. There was none.
Seg 11
When Kabir wanted to drive the car he would
open the hood and tell Mr Rod that he has to excuse him. He needs the car. Rod
needs to find someplace else for his siesta. It did cross Kabir’s mind to
invite Rod into the cabin. He dropped the idea immediately. It wasn’t that they
were back-slapping friends or anything close, yet.
Seg 12
Kabir figured for the hospitality he was
offering Mr Rod, he might as well ask him for his help to get rid of the mice
in his basement and in the kitchen. Rod readily obliged. He had a word with the
mice. Next time he sees them around the area he would make a meal of them.
Seg 13
Kabir who was a network engineer discovered
that his monitor in his office and that of his colleagues in his cubicle were
acting funny. He sensed that he had a rat problem in the server room. There was
a short power breakdown the previous night including that of the power back-up.
The server room was so stifling without air-conditioning that one of his staff
had opened the window to get some fresh air in but forgot to latch it when the
power was restored. That was enough for an opportunistic rodent to find his way
to the room gifted as they are with sharp sense of smell.
Seg 14
Kabir had a word with Rod. He asked him what is
it with their tribe and wires. Rod countered. What is it with man and toothbrush?
Kabir clarified. You mean wires and its sheeting is the toothpaste and brush
for rats for cleaning their teeth by chewing on them? Rod said, yes, like in
the villages, the folks use the branch or stalk of a plant to brush their
teeth.
Seg 15
Kabir probed further. He asked Rod if he was
averse to any taste or smell. Rod said they cannot handle spice and hate the
smell of jasmine. Kabir further queried. What if Kabir did not want Rod living under
the hood of the car, did all that Kabir had to do was spray some chili powder
and jasmine under the hood?
Seg 16
Rod looked hurt and devastated. He had just
evicted himself out of his house with the inadvertent disclosure. He felt
betrayed. He pleaded with Kabir that they had a deal. That Rod gets to stay
under the hood and the mice stay out of Kabir’s kitchen.
Seg 17
Kabir said, “Chill”. Rod said that’s another
thing they hate. That’s why they like staying in the warmth of the car hood. Kabir
told Rod to relax. He was not about to pepper him.
Seg 18
Kabir always wanted to get into business. He
patented the special chemical coating that can be applied to wire and cable
with a hint of spice and smell of jasmine. He contracted with a wire
manufacturer to make wire and cables out of his patented chemical mix.
Seg 19
He provided free ‘spiced up and jasmined’ wire
and cable installations at companies which had a rat problem including car
companies as proof of concept with the assurance that if it worked for them the
next order for wires and cables will be placed with him.
Seg 20
Kabir became rich and prosperous with his
business taking off like a rocket. He became the wire and cable czar. He bought
other vehicles as his wealth grew. However, the Toyota Innova he retained. It
was Rod’s house. His success was as much Rod’s success who had shared the most
intimate of rat secrets with him. The secret of their dental hygiene. Kabir
ensured that Rod could have as much of the older version of wires – as nobody
wanted them anymore.
Seg 21
Rod began trading in these old wires. He set up
a distribution chain. He became a wire and cable czar in his own right in his
rodent community.
Seg 22
Vowel the Owl watched with interest Rod’s
growing empire. On many an occasion, Rod was only inches from his grasp. With
prosperity Rod became stodgy too. He was not his alert self, nor was he swift
on his feet.
Seg 23
One evening when Rod was on a leisurely stroll, Vowel the Owl got hold of him. Normally, Vowel would have crushed his head with his talon. But this time he just picked him and took him to a safe place.
Seg 24
It had been a while since Rod suffered a
fright. He was shaken, stirred and stunted with Vowel looming over him. When he
recovered and sensed that Vowel did not mean him harm, he composed himself. He looked
up at what Vowel was pointing to. It was Shock the Hawk. He almost had him. But
Vowel swiftly moved in and scooped up Rod. Finally, Vowel the Owl got one over
Shock the Hawk.
Seg 25
Rod thanked Vowel for saving his life. He asked
Vowel to what does he owe such merciful generosity on Vowel’s part. Vowel said
that he had been tracking Rod for a long time. Shock the Hawk had beaten him to
every prey they had hunted. Each time Vowel had to go to bed hungry. It felt
good this one time to get one over Shock the Hawk.
Seg 26
Rod said it gladdened him to have been source
of joy and achievement to Vowel. He asked Vowel if he could be excused and be on
his way. Vowel said not, just, yet. He could get hungry any moment. He was not
in a mood to hunt anymore this evening.
Seg 27
Rod said that Vowel need not worry about being
hungry anymore. He could have the choicest of dishes at any of his chain of
restaurants. Vowel enquired to what does he owe such a generous offer from Rod.
Rod said that his prosperity had also brought him enemies in spades. The local
gang of fat cats were a constant threat. He had to keep paying them protection
money. Rod said he would like Vowel to be his eyes, ears, brain, and to
occasionally put his talons to good use too. In return he can dine for free
whenever he wants and whatever he wants.
Seg 28
Vowel in his wisdom thought it was a win-win
idea. Vowel also liked to dress and live well and asked for clothes, accommodation
and few other comforts. Rod agreed to all of Vowel’s demands. It was not that
he had much of a heft at that moment for hard negotiations. There is only one
thing Rod did not want to be. Vowel’s next meal.
Seg 29
Kabir had similar issues. The wire and cable
lobby were not too pleased with Kabir’s domination of the industry. For
generations they had held an iron-like grip on the industry. So tight was their
control that it was very difficult for anyone from outside their community to
get a break into this industry.
Seg 30
Kabir’s entry was tentative and inconsequential until of course it took off like a bat out of hell. At first, the lobby argued that it was good for their industry because of the need it served with the innovation of protecting the wires and cables from rat raids.
Seg 31
Kabir owned the patent. When the demand
accelerated there was very little that they could do to stop it. The larger
share of the profits was going to Kabir because spiced and jasmine minted wire
and cable had become the standard. It was an absurdity too. The lobby of
manufacturers was putting in the hard work and capital and taking all the risks.
Kabir was reaping the profits with no risks whatsoever. They felt some risk needed
to be created for Kabir.
Seg 32
While Rod had to contend with fat cats, Kabir
had to contend with goons who were harassing his girlfriend and her family who
owned large tracts of land in the suburbs of the city with veiled and not yet
open threats.
Seg 33
Kabir would often dine with Rod in his
restaurant. Lately Vowel also joined in. Kabir shared his issue with the goons
with Rod and Vowel.
Seg 34
Just then the fat cats entered the restaurant
and so did the goons. It seemed like they had arrived at a pact. Both were in
the business of extortion. The restaurant door flew open again. Shock the Hawk
walked in and slid into a sofa in the corner of the room from where he could
have a wide-angle view of the whole restaurant.
Seg 35
The fat cats ordered a fish meal with salmon,
shrimps, prawns and many side dishes and drinks. They finished the meal and asked
for the check. When the bill was brought, they told the waiter to hand it over
to Rod. On it was written that a ten percent hike on their protection money is
due. For this month the hearty meal took care of it.
Seg 36
The thugs too had a grand meal. When they are
served the bill they said the food was horrid. They will not pay a penny for
it. They look around to see if anybody had an issue with that. None did. They
get up and leave giving Kabir a hard look.
Seg 37
Shock the Hawk finishes his meal of rare steak. He saunters across to Vowel the Owl and says the bill is on Vowel for depriving him of his meal some days back. Shock the Hawk casts a hard look at Rod. He leaves with an unlit cigar in his mouth. The die for battle is cast.
---INTERMISSION---
Seg 38
Kabir, Rod the Rodent and Vowel the Owl agree that
they need to combat the threat posed by the fat cats, the thugs of wire and
cable lobby, and from Shock the Hawk.
Seg 39
Vowel the Owl, as part of the trio’s agreement,
is mandated to keep a watch on the thugs. It works for him as their activity
and his active hours are the same. In the thick of the night.
Seg 40
Not too long into his watch, Vowel the Owl
finds the thugs at the house of a prominent jeweler who keeps his most precious
jewelry at home. The fat cats are with the thugs (so they have a pact). The
thugs’ local area ‘watch’ informed them that the residents were out on a
holiday. He had seen them leave with luggage earlier in the day.
Seg 41
The modus operandi: the fat cats distract the
two ferocious Rottweilers by teasing them from the walls. The guard is hit with
a coconut (seemingly fallen from the tree above). The thugs pole vault into the
house compound and on to the balcony of the house.
Seg 42
The thugs swiftly dismantle the balcony door
into the house – both wooden and metal – with sophisticated bolt turning
equipment. The local area ‘watch’ in
collusion with the electricity sub-station organizes a power shutdown. The
surveillance of the house including the house’s plan stolen from the
architect’s office provided the thugs with the lay of the house including where
the power backup and CCTV were installed. The safe is built into the wall.
Seg 43
The same power shut down operation occurs at
the local police station. Their system shuts down. There is a complete blackout
of the robbery.
Seg 39
The Vowel the Owl informs Rod the Rodent about
the ongoing operation. Rod the Rodent gets to the house in quick time and
steals into the house with the masked thugs. The thugs swiftly have the safe
open. They take only the most expensive and small-sized diamond jewelry. Easy
to carry in their bag pack. Not too heavy as they need to pole vault the way
from the balcony to the grounds and then over the walls.
Seg 40
When the safe breaker finishes his work, he removes the gloves he is wearing and the cloth that he used to wipe out any other marks from the operation and leaves it on the bench in order to visit the bathroom.
Seg 41
Rod the Rodent, who till then did not why he
was there, seizes the moment and squirrels away the gloves and the cloth and
makes his exit from the slightly ajar balcony door. He hands it over to Vowel
the Owl who asks him what is he supposed to do with the items. Rod says he does
not know. At the spur of that moment, Rod said he felt that he should take
something away from the visit to the house. The gloves and the cloth were
handed to him on a platter in a manner of speaking. It was some kind of proof
that he was there. Vowel takes the glove and the cloth home and packs it for
safety in a zip lock plastic bag.
Seg 42
The safebreaker back from his bathroom looks
for the gloves and cloth. He assumes his fellow thugs would have taken it when
they cleaned out the place and headed to the exit to repair the door and pole
vault their way out.
Seg 43
A van comes by and the thugs are whisked away.
The power is restored. The cats with a last growl at the rottweilers also head
home. The guard recovers and sees the coconut lying nearby. He is disoriented
and embarrassed.
Seg 44
Jeweler gets back home after three days. He
discovers the break-in. He is a close relative of the Home Minister of the
state. All hell breaks loose at police headquarters. The top cops are alerted
of the break-in by the home minister.
Seg 45
The sleuths arrive at the home with the police
dog, Tunga, the Doberman Pinscher, who has a reputation for tracking down
criminals if provided with any object used by the culprits. Also capable of
running 12 kms at a trot when most Doberman can run about 5-6 kms only. He has
a handler who is a constable just as fit to run miles to track down a criminal
by the smell of the object that they have left behind. An Assistant Police
Commissioner (ACP) Mr Pandey is assigned to the case.
Seg 46
The break-in was a masterclass in executing
robbery. The police could not detect any clue to pursue. ACP Pandey comes under
tremendous pressure from his boss and the higher ups who call him directly to
crack the case and crack it fast. The case also becomes political with the Home
Minister’s connection with the jeweler who does not have a great reputation. He
has been implicated in gold smuggling case earlier though not convicted.
Seg 47
Kabir and Pandey are good friends. They had
been in college together. They are having a drink in Rod the Rodent’s
restaurant and bar. ACP Pandey shares the pressure that he is under to crack
the case. Rod overhears the conversation. He calls Kabir aside and tells him
that Vowel and Owl and he were at the crime site. Vowel the Owl was keeping an
eye on the thugs based on what they agreed at their ‘counter attack strategy’
meeting. They have the glove and the cloth used by the safebreaker which
intuitively Rod felt would be useful in the future. Not the whole truth but
close. Rod gives the glove and the cloth secured in a plastic bag to Kabir. Kabir
introduces Rod the Rodent and Vowel the Owl to ACP Pandey.
Seg 48
ACP Pandey calls his team and the handler of
the police dog Tunga, the Doberman Pinscher. They arrive and there is a general
round of introduction. Rod the Rodent in particular is glad to make the
acquaintance of Tunga the Doberman. Rod extends an invitation to Tunga to come over
whenever he is free for a meal at his restaurant. Rod imagines himself dining
with Tunga and the impression it will create on the fat cats when they come to
collect their protection money.
Seg 49
ACP Pandey with help of Tunga tracks down the
thugs. They are rounded up and questioned. They tell ACP Pandey that the
jewelry was sold to the president of the wire and cables lobby. The person who
had sent the thugs to threaten Kabir’s girlfriend and her family who owned
large tracts of land in the suburbs of the city. The president is picked up for
questioning. ACP Pandey says he will book the president under less draconian
laws provided he gets off Kabir’s case, now and forever and make sure his
friends in the lobby also get the message.
Seg 50
The lobby does even better. Kabir gets the
franchise from the lobby to expands his business to the middle east. He makes
friends with a sheik in the UAE who becomes the distributor for Kabir’s ‘spiced
and jasmine scented’ wire and cable products for all of UAE.
Seg 51
As a show of affection, the sheik gifts Kabir a
falcon. Kabir gets a demonstration of the falcon’s swifter maneuvers in flight.
The jury is out, in a pitched battle with a hawk, who will come up tops. A hawk
kills with his talons. A falcon grabs with his talons but kills it’s prey with
its beak. Kabir calls the falcon Beko for its intimidating beak. He finds the
gift timely.
Seg 52
ACP Pandey and his boss want to felicitate Rod
the Rodent and Vowel the Owl for helping them crack the case. The surprise
felicitation is to be at Rod the Rodent’s restaurant. Tunga, the Doberman
Pinscher is also invited by the ACP for the felicitation.
Seg 53
ACP Pandey through Kabir asks that Rod the
Rodent, and Vowel the Owl to be present in the restaurant.
Seg 54
The fat cats choose just that day to make their second month 10% hike collection. They take their seats in the favorite corner and place the usual order and drinks for a sumptuous meal. The usual bonhomie that comes from ‘treat this place like home’ is pervading their order and laughter.
Seg 55
Shock the Hawk, with his usual swagger of a
gunslinger, also decides to make his entry that day just to remind Vowel the
Owl and Rod the Rodent that he is still around. He takes his place at his
favorite corner of the restaurant from where he can watch everyone. He orders
his steak. A double steak. He had a long flight. Also, he had no intention to
pay.
Seg 56
Kabir, his constant companion now, Beko the
Falcon, Rod the Rodent, and Vowel the Owl are at the table. The door opens. The
Commissioner of Police and ACP Pandey along with Tunga the Doberman enter the
restaurant and join Kabir and rest at the table.
Seg 57
The places around the table are set in such a
way that Tunga faces the fat cats, Beko the Falcon faces the Shock the Hawk.
The Commissioner of Police gives a short speech and puts medals around Rod the
Rodent, Vowel the Owl and Tunga the Doberman.
Seg 58
A sudden silence falls around the restaurant.
All eyes are on the ceremony. The fat cats and Shock the Hawk hurry through
their meal. The waiter serves them their respective bills. Without hesitation
they pay up the bill and head to the door of the restaurant their eyes focused
on the exit.
Seg 59
There is clinking of glass at the celebratory
table.
Curtains.
Film Synopsis - Big Brother
Synopsis #14
Title: Big Brother
Idea: Guardian Angel
Plot: From childhood the younger brother counts on his elder brother to be there for him when the younger is powerless to act
Genre: Slice of life
Script Regn No (SWA): 42166
Membership
No: 49484
Seg 1
Ajni Railway Station is 3.2 kms from Nagpur Railway Station.
St Francis De Sales (SFS) High School (1870) is 1.6 kms from Nagpur Station.
Seg 2
Ajni – a tiny town - hosts a railway repair workshop
and a yard for trains to be readied for their return journey. Around the
station are quarters for railway staff working at the workshop and for train
drivers.
Seg 3
Unmistakable were the voices of train drivers. In the
60s they were driving steam engines. To talk to a co-driver 5 feet away in the
engine cabin they had to shout over the noise of the coal furnace. When they
spoke in the quiet of the house the neighborhood was not spared any of their
family secrets.
Seg 4
Ramu (Ramanathan) and Janu (Janardhan) were two sons
of the foreman of the workshop. They studied in SFS HS in Nagpur. Ramu was in 7th
std (~12 years old) and Janu in 5th (~10 years old).
Seg 5
The school routine involved catching the 8 am local
train between Ajni and Nagpur station that explicitly served the student
community of the railway colony at Ajni. It was a slow train and it took a
leisurely 40 minutes to cover a distance of 3.6 kms between Ajni and Nagpur
station.
Seg 6
From Nagpur station, up a steep slope to the
pedestrian bridge, and then to the main station and exit toward school. It took
close to 5 minutes. From the exit with heavy school bags, the slow run took 20
minutes to cover 1.6 kms. It was a daily race to make it to school by 9 am or
be punished by standing outside class. This meant alighting from the train
before it had stopped, to be first on the slope to the bridge and down the
other without being blocked by other passengers.
Seg 7
The return from school to catch the 4 pm local train
from Nagpur Station to Ajni Station was the same. It was a race. As with
alighting from the train in the morning, the catching of the train in the
evening was often executed on to a moving train.
Seg 8
On one occasion, Janu the younger, just fell short of
getting on to the train, while Ramu was already on board. Janu kept trying to
get hold of the train handle bar while managing the heavy bag but the train
only speeded up.
Seg 9
At one point, Janu was telling Ramu to get down and
Ramu was telling Janu to get on. This was all happening in 30 seconds but it
seemed like many minutes and hours.
Seg 10
Just before the train could leave the platform Ramu
jumps off. There is a ‘come on you could have done it’ expression on Ramu’s
face and relief and joy on Janu’s face. Janu stops crying.
Seg 11
They walk 3.6 kms home on the train tracks. There is
no other train home for the next hour. And, they have no money for a tonga or
rickshaw.
Seg 12
Ramu had a deep sense of justice. He felt ‘haves’ were
getting rich at the expense of the ‘have-nots’. Ramu becomes a student union
leader in college taking on the management of the college and is branded a
firebrand.
Seg 13
He finishes his studies and joins a trade union
movement and fights for the rights of the workers. He also lives among the
workers even though he had done his LLM. He has cases filed against him by the
management and police which does not allow him to practice law in the courts.
Seg 14
Janu is quieter, avoids all forms of confrontation,
and focuses wholly and completely on his studies. He is a topper in his degree
and professional exams. Janu is set for high offices in the finance industry
including stints with banks and payment companies. Which eventually leads to
work overseas. Janu is financially well settled.
Seg 15
Ramu’s wife is part of the trade union movement more
from the academic and journalistic side writing about worker issues in
publications with clear leftist leanings. The articles are thoroughly
researched with the intent to influence policymakers to design programmes for
those who were getting left out of the mainstream: better remuneration, easier
credit to keep them from the clutches of money lenders especially when crops
fail on their low land holding; benefits that would enable them to educate
their children instead of forcing them into child labour; provision of clean
water and proper sanitation facilities; work opportunities closer home,
retirement and medical benefits, and most crucially land reforms.
Seg 16
Janu had the view that banking should be broad-based.
It must cater to the needs of society across all strata.
Seg 17
He takes a sabbatical from his work to pursue a PhD in
microfinance back home in India. To Janu financial inclusion is a key part of
his doctoral thesis. He wants to study its effectiveness in creating
self-employment in the area of origin negating the need to move from village to
town and city in search of employment to make a living.
Seg 18
Janu moves to a village and sets up base there to do
his research. He ties up with colleagues in the financial industry and other
industries to create channels of employment, funding the projects, getting
products to the market, improving the information flow to get a fair price for
the producers.
Seg 19
Key part of the study is the small borrowers’ capacity
and integrity to pay back loans and to use the credit efficiently and smartly
to turn it around many times to improve profitability of their business.
Seg 20
The two-year long experiments across the seasonal
harvests was working well.
Seg 21
However, the middlemen, money lenders, and the local
landlords found they were losing their hold over their lower classes.
Seg 22
The self-employed producing goods were not selling through
the middlemen but directly to the channel that Janu had help set up. The money
lenders where losing out on their high margins and opportunity to seize the
borrower’s property when payment schedules were not observed. The landlords
were not finding workers for sowing and harvesting. It was not a situation they
wished to encourage.
Seg 23
Ramu meanwhile was involved with unionizing the workers in the sugarcane / sugar factories which were largely owned by politicians. He had his usual run in and time in the lock up until bailed out by his wife and some political pressure from the left. The workers in the factory – both men and women – were from nearby villages where Janu was running his experiment along with a fellow PhD aspirant.
Seg 24
The middlemen, money lenders and landlords conspired
to disrupt the microfinance system. Their lobby was led by a community leader
with a ‘history sheeter’ past. The leader was one of the leading industrialists
and politician in the sugar heartland.
Seg 25
The lobby worked at hitting at the heart of the
villagers funding. They waylaid those who were distributing cash to the
villagers and collecting dues. Janu addressed it by direct transfer to the bank
account of the microfinance subscriber.
Seg 26
When funding disruption did not work, they began
disrupting the supply chain by threatening the transporters of goods. Janu
petitioned the local police stations and higher up in the hierarchy up to
district level to provide protection for the transporters and deal stiffly with
those who were resorting to threat and violence. Every effort of the disrupters
was dealt with a legal and system-based counter.
Seg 27
The local sub-inspector began hinting to Janu that he
and his woman companion were not safe and should prepare to leave the village
for he cannot guarantee their protection. The work that Janu had done had badly
affected the upper caste and moneyed community.
Seg 28
Janu faced with a ‘train’ moment turned to Ramu for
help. Ramu said he could initiate a strike at the
history-sheeter-industrialist-politicians factory but that will only affect the
workers adversely during the harvesting season.
Seg 29
Ramu suggested to Janu that he get his financial
community to study the industrialist bank accounts and tax declaration and make
a case for Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate pressure to be brought on
him. A few in the government economic wing were Janu’s classmates during his
degree and professional degree journey. The investigation is initiated and the
industrialist begins to feel the heat.
Seg 30
Some research on Janu’s background reveals to the
industrialist and his lobby that Janu was behind it all. They set up a
situation for Janu to be accused of rape by the help working in his home. The
SI registers a FIR and Janu was taken into custody.
Seg 31
Ramu tells his trade union colleagues who are from the
village to put a watch on the woman and her husband.
Seg 32
They notice the SI paying off the woman’s husband. The
husband comes home having had quite a few and beats up the woman. It is evident
that the husband and the SI are behind setting up the rape charge on Janu.
Seg 33
Next day at the factory, Ramu’s gang of union members,
corner the husband and with a bit of rough play extract a confession from him
on tape. They threaten him that his crop will be raided by rodents if he were
to squeal to the SI about their little tete-a-tete.
Seg 34
They keep a tab on the SI. They find him asking for
sexual favors of the woman who framed Janu. They alert the village people who
arrive en mass. They foil the SI’s rape attempt on the woman. The SI is caught,
publicly beaten, and taken before a magistrate for his arraignment.
Seg 35
Before the magistrate the woman makes a statement that
she falsely accused Janu under pressure and beating from her husband and
threats from the SI. The union members present documentary evidence of SI
paying off the husband. The SI is dismissed from service and arrested for rape
attempt.
Seg 36
The new SI essentially closes the case against Janu and
opens the case against the lobby based on the SI’s confession. Media gets
selective release of the content of the dossier of financial engineering. The
dossier put together on the industrialist / politician’s financial records are
also pressed into action making a forceful case leading to the whole bunch of
the lobby facing jail term.
Seg 37
Janu is at the door of the train taking him back to
the city with his PhD aspirant friend. Ramu is there with his wife. The train
starts and Ramu for a bit runs along with the train. Janu says come on board
part serious and part in jest. The train crosses the edge of the platform and
Janu makes gesture of getting down. Ramu laughs.
Curtains
Film Synopsis - The Foursome's Fulsome Life
Synopsis #13
Title: Foursome’s Fulsome Life
Idea: One door must close for another to open
Plot: The best thing to happen to four ‘thick-as-thieves’ friends was losing their jobs in a pandemic that shut down the economy but gave them a whole new life unimaginable
Genre: Slice of life
Script Regn No (SWA): 41443
Membership
No: 49484
Seg 1
Four school
friends from a small town in Kerala who grew up together get dispersed when
they join college and from there on to different parts of the country on work.
Due to the pandemic caused by a highly contagious virus all of them get
retrenched from their jobs.
Seg 2
Saju after
finishing his hospitality course joined a reputed hotel as a chef. Raju was a
technician with a car dealership which saw a huge drop in cars coming in for
service. Miju was a personal trainer at a high-end gym and had rippling biceps
to show for it. Gyms had to close down. Sijo worked in sales and marketing with
an export firm.
Seg 3
They returned
home around the same time and got quarantined for 14 days at one location and a
house which accommodated just four. They were happy to be together. They were
also apprehensive of the future. They had some savings and their retrenchment
allowances.
Seg 4
They wondered
what the future held for them. The money they had was not going to last them
too long especially as they had to send money home too.
Seg 5
Saju: “As soon
as the quarantine period is over why don’t we set up a kitchen and supply food
to homes. It is a high margin cash business. Mijo you can work out some health
food recipes which can become our specialty. Raju can get hold of a used van to
deliver the food packages and whatever is balance we can set up a take-away stall
to liquidate the day’s inventory to avoid wastage. Sijo you can get us listed
on the food delivery app and manage the promotion, sales, marketing and
collection.”
Seg 6
The business
took off like a rocket. From a home-kitchen they had to move to a larger place
to cater to the demand. Soon people started visiting the kitchen which soon
expanded to a ‘restaurant’ maintaining distance between tables and only known
people at a table at any time.
Seg 7
After expenses and 30% kept toward investment and exigencies including paying off EMI on the van, the rest was shared equally between all four of them who also helped in the kitchen, purchase of grocery, some bit of cooking, serving and delivery.
Seg 8
As the pandemic
infections flattened off and began reducing, the restaurant business began
expanding. The four friends had no idea of time. Their day began early to pick
up the freshest produce to serving the last customer late at night.
Seg 9
They also
realized that while they enjoyed the idea of running such a prosperous business
and making more money than they did in their individual previous jobs, it was
exhausting because they were working 7 days a week with a short break in the
afternoon to catch on lost sleep or on administrative and personal chores.
Seg 10
Each felt that
they need to take a break. They longed for a foreign holiday. And they wanted
to celebrate the holiday together. Saju once again had an idea. To sell the
business, share the proceeds equally, enjoy the holiday without a care in the
world, and come back and start something new.
Seg 11
They all thought
it was a brilliant idea. With one addendum. Mijo felt he was missing the gym
and would like to set up one himself. Raju wanted to open his own garage to do
up cars and get into used car sales. Saju felt he would like to continue with
the restaurant. Sijo wanted to get into exports of fisheries and spices from
Kerala.
Seg 12
Since Saju
wanted to stay in the restaurant business he invited a Private Equity (PE)
partner to value their business and buyout the shares of the other three so
that they can exit from the business with some minor shareholding still in the
busines.
Seg 13
However, the
four wanted to have control over the business they built so they diluted only
40% to the PE. Saju retained 21% and diluted 4% of his share. The other three
diluted up to 36% i.e. 12% from their 25% share each. This arrangement provided
all of them money for their holiday and to make initial payments for to set up
their respective business.
Seg 14
After completing
the transaction, Saju entrusted the business to his head cook and his staff to
run the business till he his back. The four partners went off for a rollicking
holiday of three weeks covering many European countries.
Seg 15
They headed for
Western Europe – Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and
Portugal driving through all the countries. Saju stole the menus everywhere they
dined, Mijo visited the health centres, Raju visited all the car showrooms and
Sijo looked for business partners for his proposed export business.
Seg 16
The PE partner
wanted Saju to grow the franchise to 51 restaurant all across the south in 7
years’ time after which they would look for an exit. The cost toward the
expansion will be funded by the PE and commensurately the four partners will
have to dilute their share so that the PE will have 80% and the four partners
in the current proportion will have the balance 20% with Saju owning 10% and
other three partners roughly 3.33% but all of them gaining from the enhanced
valuation of 51 restaurant instead of just the original one.
Seg 17
Having got to
know Mijo and his ambition for setting up a gym – they suggested he set up a
chain and they will fund him. And, same with Raju. They encouraged him to set
up a chain of used car sales and service outlets. And, with Sijo they invested
in his export business.
Seg 18
With the
investment the PE firm invested in a building in a high traffic area which had
the restaurant on the ground floor, the gym on the first floor, co-working
space on the third and fourth floor where Sijo set up his office and the
adjoining plot was bought by the PE for Raju’s Used Car Sales and Service
outlet. This worked well for all four partners as their clientele were the
same. And, they could still lunch and dinner together.
Seg 19
Their clientele
gym’d and then came down for nutritious (high priced) juices and then wandered
around to the used car park to see if they can switch their cars for a barely used
latest car model. Sijo offered his export-import customers the facilities of
his friends for dining, to gym, and hiring car from Sijo for outstation drives
whenever they came to Kerala to meet with Sijo for some major export order.
Seg 20
Each of the
friends prospered beyond their imagination. More than anything else they
relished their friendship and time together.
Seg 21
The PE began
putting pressure on each of the friends to expand. This meant not only
traveling to see new sites for their business. Sijo operated from the original
‘mother’ office but his work involved frequent visits abroad to push his export
business.
Seg 22
Over time each got
married and had one or two children. But the pressure of relentless expansion
was getting to them. It was back to the point when their restaurant was doing
so well but they had no time for themselves leading to the sale to the PE –
just for a holiday – and to build separate businesses.
Seg 23
Once seen as an
angel, now every call from the PE was like a grill stake in their sides. This
pressure was showing up in their family life with outbursts over very small
things. The friends realized like Siamese twins joined at birth with two heads
but one thought that the PE was killing them.
Seg 24
They had to get
out this relationship without losing out on what they have built – the original
business and the expansion they had undertaken which was only 35% done but more
the 70% of the time given of 7 years was over.
Seg 25
It would not get
easier only more difficult to get good sites, as many customers, with higher
rates with each expansion to make needed profits to enhance the valuation
before exit for the PE.
Seg 26
Instead of
setting up the business from ground-up they began buying businesses and
rebranding them but could not ensure the quality as the staff whether in the
restaurant business or the gym business was the same.
Seg 27
The head office
had grown manifold operating as a corporate staffed with professionals with
degrees that the original partners could not make head-or-tail of. Most of the
staff reported to managers that the PE had appointed.
Seg 28
The partners
knew their business in-and-out but it often meant dealing with people who felt that
they were bosses in their own right. There was steep a learning curve for the
original partners. But increasingly they were beginning to wonder what they
have got themselves into.
Seg 29
They began to
become more and more nostalgic about what brought them together in the first
place. They all hated studies. Saju loved good food. Raju loved cars. Mijo
loved hanging from any bar and lifting anything that could not be lifted. And,
Sijo was always scouting for something that he could buy cheap and sell with a
good margin.
Seg 30
Sijo’s income
often helped them enjoy good food and go for all sports competitions. They were
the back benchers in class and none were darling of any of the teachers. They
did group studies. That is one person studied one subject as best as he could
and taught the others. They just about managed to pass. They got into college
for their extracurricular activities and for their basic smarts.
Seg 31
At one such
nostalgic chat, Saju raised the issue of what they were doing to their life,
with this mad expansion demand of the PE which was giving them no time with the
family and vice versa.
Seg 32
They decided to
sell their stake to the PE at the existing valuation (which was the PE’s
intention). The professionals were running the different companies in any case.
Only Sijo continued to run his own business as the PE investment in his company
was limited. He did not need PE appointed managers to run his business. The
three partners were happy with what they got. They also choose to retain 1% of
their shareholding in the company to benefit from the IPO whenever it happens.
Seg 33
When the stake
sale happened, like they had done with their very first PE deal, they decided
to celebrate with their family with an overseas holiday. Sijo also planned his
overseas work visit in such a way that he and his family could also join the
three partners and their families.
Seg 34
They had a
wonderful time visiting Central Europe – Poland, Czech Republic, Austria,
Hungary, Bosnia and Croatia which was a road trip by a luxury bus from Warsaw,
Poland to Zagreb, Croatia and back to India.
Seg 35
The three
friends meet when Sijo was away on his business trip when they are all abroad
and asked the question what next. We have made enough money to take care of
ourselves and the next and next generation.
Seg 36
They decide to
create a trust to fund philanthropic works. They start with their own school.
They fund setting up a sports department within the school with facilities that
is the best in the country with the children having the opportunity to train
and compete with the best.
Seg 37
The turn their
attention to upgrading teacher skills to make them more digitally savvy and
improve the quality of content, math and science subjects but also liberal arts
and commerce.
Seg 38
They make sure
they are spending more time at home with their families and spending time in
community activities.
Seg 39
They travel with
Sijo when he is attending a trade exhibition and helping him to set up and man
the stall and meet with important customers. They use the time to explore the
city. They are now completely focused on doing things which brings them peace
and happiness with no outside pressure to get thing done.
Romans
8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Curtains.
Film Synopsis - Kane and Abel
Synopsis #12
Title: Kane and Abel
Idea: The Bait
Plot: Elder brother puts himself in harms’ way to protect his younger brother fallen foul of an underworld don betting on cricket matches
Genre: Crime
Script Regn No (SWA): 40394
Membership
No: 49484
Seg 1
Parents have their favorites. Usually it is the mother who sets up the contest with her choice being the younger one. Traditionally, aging parents stay with the youngest child. For that reason, when a will is made the parents’ house is usually given to the youngest. The leftovers or surplus to the rest.
Seg 2
The mother’s role in this division of Father’s blessing and property between the children – usually two, has historical precedents going back to 4000+ years - Esau and Jacob – being prime example. Abraham’s son Israel’s wife Rebekah manipulates the situation and steals the father’s blessing for the eldest child Esau and has it conferred on Jacob (“the liar” biblically translated).
Seg 3
The prodigal son being one of Jesus’ most notable and quoted parable. In the parable the youngest asks for his share of the father’s property and wastes it on indulgent living, regressing to the point, when all is spent, to live with the pigs and not even getting to eat what the pigs eat.
Seg 4
The prodigal son returns to his father. The Father slaughters the fatted calf to celebrate the son’s return. The elder son returning from the fields after a hard day’s work learns of the celebration and the reasons for it. He is justifiably aggrieved.
Seg 5
The younger son who is meant to live with his parents returns home. Biblically, it represents the love of God the Father ever ready to forgive when the sinner repents of his ways and wants to be forgiven. When seen from human eyes - the elder one gets the shaft while the younger one despite everything he has done gets the booty.
Seg 6
Nothing has changed much over thousands of years when it comes to adoring mother and younger son ruling the roost despite every unconscionable action committed by him.
Seg 7
Vijay and Sonjay are elder and younger sons of an industrialist father. Vijay is hardworking and pushed to the limits by his hard-nosed father who does not know the word – defeat. Once he has set his mind on an acquisition or project – only the end matters; the means must bend to his will – toward that pursuit.
Seg 8
Sonjay finds satisfaction in coming to his plush office, signing off on cheques, which require two signatures – either that of the father and one more of either of the sons – or the two sons’ signatures. It is the father’s way of keeping control and for operational reasons, when he may not be available to sign the cheques.
Seg 9
Sonjay finds joy in socializing with the celebrity-set including actors and sports personalities. He is the brand ambassador for the company sporting the company brand on his T-shirt when being photographed with the celebrities at high profile sports and media events. His mother too takes joys in living out this celebrity life vicariously.
Seg 10
Vijay stays studiously away from the limelight. Burning the proverbial midnight oil. Making sure the factories are running at full utilization, the supply-chain is well-oiled with no hiccups, the distributors and retailers are happy and pushing the products aggressively.
Seg 11
He focuses on multimillion-dollar acquisitions to grow the company’s business in core and adjacent areas. He also keeps abreast of technology trends to ensure the business is using the best to drive productivity. He ensures that debt is being raised at the lowest cost and cash flow is good to cover the interest and the principal.
Seg 12
He is the face for the investors in the company. Ensuring they are getting good returns on their investments. Only networking Vijay ever does is with people who will partner him in taking the business forward.
Seg 13
When not at work or traveling, Vijay is at home with his wife and two young children either watching a movie to take his mind off work or chatting with his wife and kids on how was their day, helping the kids with homework especially with math or discussing how the book that his wife is writing is progressing giving her useful feedback.
Seg 14
Sonjay progressively gets sucked into the film world and betting on sports events – initially for fun – to test out his instincts and his understanding of the components that lead to victory. He is also gifted with a good math brain and an analytical mind.
Seg 15
After a while the lure of money in the betting business which makes him huge bucks that funds his lifestyle – moves from the legitimate exercise of brain power – predictive analytics of past game data to bet on the winner – to the illegitimate dalliances when some of the bets go wrong. When the past is no more a good predictor of the future. Data and player skills and experience has nothing to do with outcome. What matters is the money riding on the game.
Seg 16
The descent from legal and above-board to illegal and underworld is imperceptible to Sonjay himself and to his family. It is so seamless that no one event appears to have triggered the descent into a world where everyone is always looking over the shoulder.
Seg 17
From legit and corporate do’s with film personalities and sports stars he is seen partying with savvy and sophisticated, but underneath it all unsavory characters who make a living on illegal betting, laying ‘honey-traps’, blackmail, extortion and even kidnapping.
Seg 18
Sonjay is asleep most of the day and at all-night binges, drugs, women till dawn. The transition from respectable responsibility of managing the company’s image and keeping the brand in the spotlight with sports and celebrity sponsorships to skipping office, being incoherent in meetings, impulsive decisions, expired contracts leading to legal entangles … come to Vijay’s attention.
Seg 19
Vijay soon begins to get involved in brand-related discussions, advertising campaigns and contracts, supplier payments and finds that the whole system is in a mess. He is never able to meet Sonjay since he is rarely in the office and at night he is out.
Seg 20
Vijay meets with his mother and asks how often she meets with Sonjay. Sonjay lives with his parents. Vijay lives independently but not too far from the family mansion. His mother says rarely. He is asleep all through the day – most days – and then he leaves the house without informing her. She asks Vijay if something amiss. Vijay tells her that all is fine. He does not want to involve his mother and father in the mess that Sonjay has created.
Seg 21
One day while Vijay is conducting a meeting with the advertising agency, Sonjay walks in. He asks the head of the advertising agency what is happening here. The agency head says that they are presenting the annual plans for the brand. Sonjay says to whom are they presenting without him knowing about it. Vijay, who Sonjay does not notice, in the throng of people in the conference room, speaks up that they are presenting to him. Vijay asks Sonjay to join the meeting.
Seg 22
Sonjay tells the agency head and his team members to leave. Vijay wants to avoid a public confrontation. He does not want to give grist to the rumor mill that all is not right in the family. He nods to the agency head and they begin to pack up. Vijay says tells them to leave everything as is wait in the adjoining conference room.
Seg 23
Sonjay demands to know from Vijay why he was not informed about the meeting. Vijay tells him to check his mail and his mobile he will see notifications about the meeting. Vijay asks isn’t that the reason Sonjay has come to the conference room?
Seg 24
Sonjay accuses Vijay of slowly getting into his functional responsibilities to finally take over the company. He tells Vijay that he has no business dealing with the advertising agency. That is his business. That he is attempting to sideline him from their father’s business. The rant continues. Vijay lets Sonjay vent his feelings without saying a word in between.
Seg 25
The father hears the commotion in the office. So do the advertising folks in the adjoining conference room. The agency head tells his team that they should head back to office. He swears them to client confidentiality with no reference ever to be made of the day’s events. They nod their heads in agreement and leave the room and the building. The agency head confers with Vijay’s secretary and leaves too.
Seg 26
Father enters the conference room. Sonjay says he wants a share of the property. Just like that out of the blue. The father controls his mercurial temper that Vijay has often been exposed to when things go wrong. Father looks at Vijay. Vijay nods his head side-to-side imperceptibly signaling his father that this was not the time.
Seg 27
Sonjay starts his rant again. How Vijay has made him a eunuch in the company. Impotent without any responsibility. Slowing assuming all responsibilities. Even the marketing responsibility that he has been handling so ably till now. Sonjay repeats his request that he wants share of the property. He wants to run his own ‘show’ and be his own ‘man’. Not be insulted before vendors like the advertising agency.
Seg 28
Father at home with his wife. He shares what happened at the office. Wife says Sonjay is right. Nothing grows under the shadow of a banyan tree. The look on the husband’s face suggests that he is unclear which banyan tree his wife was referring to – himself or Vijay – who by now was practically running the company. The nature of the expansions the company was making was driven by hi-tech which was beyond the ‘old man’s’ understanding. Of course, he understood money well and still had a say on investments made.
Seg 29
Sonjay meanwhile had notched up a huge debt with the betting mafia. They were after him to make good. Vijay had no issues with Sonjay’s lifestyle. It was part of the work he did unlike Vijay who was either in overall at the factory or in suit with banks and other lenders.
Seg 30
For a while though he had begun to sense that something was wrong, but he simply could not put his hand and mind on it. Also, he started taking on Sonjay’s responsibilities at office because Sonjay was not in office – nor was he available to consult – as he was asleep. The taking over of the responsibilities was so gradual that Vijay at one point was handling all Sonjay’s responsibilities since he had mastered it. Sonjay was not missed until the storming of the conference room the day before.
Seg 31
Vijay without informing his parents decides to engage a detective agency to report of Sonjay’s movement and activities.
Seg 32
It is during one such recce event when Sonjay gets
badly roughed up outside a bar by some thugs. He is left bleeding on the road. One
set of detectives – former IB and CBI officers – pick up Sonjay and bundle him
into his car after retrieving the keys from his pant pocket before the crowd
can react. Another set follow the thugs.
Seg 33
The IB officers contact their colleagues active in service to put a tap on the calls from their area (done illegally, of course) to track the caller and receiver numbers. The thugs stop outside a huge mansion with several security guards at the entrance – some with guns. The IB officers know the house and the man. Badshah was an underworld don who became respectable by fighting elections and was the local MLA.
Seg 34
One of the sleuths, Brig Ribeiro, retired from the military police takes Sonjay to his home. He lives with his daughter Genevieve who is newly minted doctor. He asks her if she can tidy up this chap - clean up and dress Sonjay’s wounds and put him to bed. She makes some comment about ‘onward salvation army’ to which Brig gives her ‘please’ look.
Seg 35
Brig gets on the phone and reports to Vijay all that has happened. He tells him that Badshah the betting czar’s men had messed up Sonjay who is being treated at his home by his doctor daughter. Brig asks what is to be done with Sanjoy. Vijay says he will come to pick Sanjoy right away.
Seg 36
Vijay lands up at Brig’s place. One person follows him. A hefty fellow, in one swing, he lifts Sonjay on to his shoulder and takes him to the van which has a stretcher and belt to hold people down.
Seg 37
Vijay takes Sonjay to a hospital-cum-de-addiction centre run by a friend of his. He briefs his friend that some criminal elements are after Sonjay. He thought the centre was a good place to hide him for a bit and get him off alcohol and drugs as well.
Seg 38
He asks his friend to mask Sanjoy’s identity in the centre register and go easy on removing the bandage from his face so that he stays unrecognized. It so happens that Genevieve is interning at the de-addiction centre as her specialization is related to addictions of all sorts.
Seg 39
Vijay calls up the DCP – Dy Commissioner of Police – a batchmate and family friend – and tells him about the situation that Sonjay has got himself into. The DCP tells Vijay that Sonjay has made a bad choice – a feared hoodlum and a politician with a vote bank.
Seg 40
Vijay asks the DCP if he should lodge a complaint with the police station. The DCP advices against it. No witness will come forward to dispose. Furthermore, you will bring attention on yourself. In any case, when they find out that Sonjay has gone missing, the DCP tells Vijay to expect a call from Badshah. DCP asks Vijay if he is willing to be the bait to snag this ‘respectable’ don.
Seg 41
Vijay thinks of his peaceful existence with a sound business and a loving family with two small kids. He thinks of his younger brother. He is aware of the consequences of what the DCP is suggesting. He says, yes. He will be the bait to get his brother out of this mess.
Seg 42
The DCP’s team in mufti as telephone linesmen secure both the homes with CCTV around the house, the streets leading up to it and Vijay’s office. A inner jacket is designed for Vijay which is both bullet proof and conceals a recording machine that gets operated when the zip is played around with – down fully or down and up – just in case the jacket has to be removed.
Seg 43
Two weeks into Sonjay’s disappearance a stir breaks out at Vijay’s factory. His transportation / logistics workers demand a pay hike. Soon a scuffle breaks out between the troublemakers and the loyal workers of the company.
Seg 44
Badshah the MLA turns up at the spot to survey the situation. He is accompanied by the local SI. The SI and the cops get hold of the loyal workers and put them in the lockup. Vijay learns of this and knows that the problems have begun.
Seg 45
The logistics strike starts upsetting his deliveries and shortages show up at the retail end. Consumers start switching to the alternatives available. For the first time the company in all its existence must report quarterly losses.
Seg 46
Vijay gets a call on his mobile. They say they know at any point in time where his parents, wife and children are. They are not interested in him or his family. They want to get hold of Sonjay. Alternatively, Vijay can pay off Sonjay’s debts of Rs 50 crore. The man says in their business it is 5% interest per day. In a few days it can become Rs 100 crore.
Seg 47
Back at the centre Sonjay is able to kick his addictions under the tender care of Genevieve. He still keeps a face plaster on except at night when he is going to sleep or when completely alone. The reach of the don is far and wide.
Seg 48
Sonjay discloses to GV how from predictive analytics by which he could predict a winner and bet accordingly, how the game started getting fixed and he just slid on to the other side racking up a huge debt to the underworld. To pay off the debt he has been borrowing heavily from his celebrity friends. Soon he found that he was seeing less and less of them and more and more of a different lot of people. He thought he could pay them all by getting his share of his father’s property and business.
Seg 49
Vijay’s secretary informs him that he has a visitor. It is MLA Badshah. Vijay asks him to be shown in. Vijay adjusts his zip on his inner jacket. Badshah comes to the point without much off a hello. He says you have lost over Rs 500 crore in the last quarter due to the disruption of your supply chain. He said he can solve the problem. Cost: Rs 100 crore.
Seg 50
Vijay asks Badshah what surety he can give. Badshah says his word is the law. Vijay asks him what assurance he can give that it will not happen again. Badshah asks Vijay whether the company pays taxes to the government. Vijay confirms they do. Badshah says that is all there is to it. Some quarterly tax must be paid to him. And life will go on peacefully.
Seg 51
Badshah without bothering to conclude the discussion asks about Sonjay. That he has not been seeing him around at the bar and restaurant. Vijay asks him which bar and restaurant. He says casually the biggest and best in town around the corner. Vijay says he is not the drinking type, so he does not know the B&R Badshah is referring to, but glad to know that it belongs to Badshah.
Seg 52
Badshah gets up to take leave. He says we will meet tomorrow at the cricket stadium. Let us have a drink at his special member box and watch the match. And yes, please bring the money in your car and leave the key behind. We offer valet service here.
Seg 53
Vijay says you own the cricket stadium too. Badshah says silly man. You must get out sometime and have a life instead spending all the time sitting behind the desk. You do not have to own the cricket stadium. Only the committee that runs it. See you tomorrow. I will not visit again. If you do not show up the strike will continue. We will also help you find Sonjay. Badshah says he understands that Sonjay was last seen outside his restaurant. We are looking for the people who took him away.
Seg 54
Vijay drives in at the appointed time. A valet takes his key and drives the car out. Vijay meets with Badshah in the member box. Badshah tells Vijay that Sonjay was exceptionally good in predicting the matches with his special analytics skill. He was so good that he made our life easy. I also learnt to predict what will happen during the match. Watch in the third ball of the over the batsmen will knick the ball straight into the hands of third slip.
Seg 55
Badshah exults when it happens exactly how he predicted it. We owe Sonjay a lot. He owes us a lot too. Sonjay using his analytic skills told us which player is vulnerable. He told us which player must be told what to do so that people watching never suspect that anything is wrong with the way the match or the player played the shot. We do not need people wiping ball with a handkerchief and all that nonsense. We have a whole lot of players from Ranji Trophy onwards on whom we have a full dossier to fix matches for the next whole year. We need Sonjay for the next world cup. That is a Rs 50,000 crore betting haul.
Seg 56
Badshah phone rings. He says he has got to go. Enjoy the match and the food. The key is with the concierge. Just tell your car number and they will bring the car to you.
Seg 57
Badshah reaches his restaurant and heads towards his office. His men are there. He opens the bag to check the money. The men look funny. He says what is the matter with you. Brig Ribeiro emerges from behind a secret door. He asks Badshah if he was looking for him. The DCP walks in with a police posse. He tells his officer to check the marked notes. Officer confirms. Get the tape from the CCTV. Round him up and take him away from the backdoor.
Seg 58
Media screams of the arrest; the tape of the money being seized is played again and again; the cricket fixing commentary is unleashed. The don’s business of Bar & Restaurant, malls and multiplexes and are listed out. Cricket stadium committee members and players are seen rounded up for investigation across the country.
Seg 59
Sonjay comes home with GV and Brig Ribeiro. He is
joined by Vijay and family. Vijay walks to hug Sonjay. Sonjay bends down and
touches Vijay’s feet.
Curtains.