Photograph (2019) Movie Script
1
Years from now,
when you look at this photo,
you'll feel the sun
on your face...
...this wind in your hair
and hear
all these voices again.
Or it'll all be gone.
Gone forever.
Taking pictures?
That is one of mine up there.
What do you mean?
Your son must be a genius!
Not my son.
I have two daughters.
There, in the middle.
That's my younger one, Miloni.
Really?
The one with the crown?
Correct.
She finished first
in the CA Foundation exam.
Now she's preparing
for the CA Inter.
My son tried for CA as well.
But now he's going to America
to do his MBA.
Hmm.
No, not this.
Something doesn't look right.
A moment.
Try pink.
Look, Miloni!
This looks so good on you.
Ah.
Mum's taste is the best!
That's why I always shop
with her!
Go with pink, I'm telling you.
Hmm?
So... is pink final?
Yes.
Okay.
Let's go, Fazlu bhai.
Pink is final.
Now give us a good price.
No advance payment.
Payment only upon delivery.
We're not stupid.
Hey. Excuse me.
Photograph, madam?
With the Gateway or the Taj,
madam.
Instant.
Years from now,
when you look at this photo,
you'll feel the sun
on your face,
this wind in your hair
and hear
all these voices again.
Or it'll all be gone.
Gone forever.
50 rupees.
For you, 30.
Okay.
A bit to the right.
A bit more.
Madam, one paisa of a smile,
please.
Just a paisa.
Here, this day in a photograph.
Let me put today
in an envelope for you.
Miloni!
Hey, Miloni!
Miloni!
Rafi!
Rafi!
How's business?
This girl,
she had me take a photo.
I was looking for the envelope
and she ran off.
- Ran off?
- Ran off.
She pulled the wool
over your eyes.
She'll be in Dadar by now.
Rafi bhai,
I called the village yesterday.
Your grandmother was in
our village asking about girls.
My aunt has four.
Your aunt with the mustache?
Yes, but the girls
don't have mustaches.
- You marry them, then.
- No, not me!
Your body has amassed
all this anger.
Your grandmother
is right to worry.
She said she'd pay a dowry
for you if she had the money.
What do you say?
What should I say?
If you get married,
at least you'll have
a warm body next to you
at night.
You can go to the zoo
with the kids,
an evening out with the wife...
Yeah, right.
The wife and kids will be
in the village
while I'll be stuck here
pining for them.
- You don't do it, either.
- Why not?
You'd become a softie,
like Zakir bhai.
Softie?
- What's a softie?
- Never eaten a softie?
A softie is like ice cream.
Like kulfi, but not as hard.
It's so soft,
it melts in your mouth.
Softie.
It melts in your mouth?
So what use is it, madam?
That's what I'm saying!
How much do you need to send
home this month, Rafi bhai?
All of it, madam.
Here. This, too.
Keep something for yourself,
too, Rafi miyan.
Want a kulfi?
Why do you always eat kulfi
only at the end of the month?
- My father, when he was alive...
- Hey, Rafi miyan!
What's this I hear?
Your grandmother stopped taking
her medicine?
Because you won't select
a bride?
Where did you hear that, uncle?
His grandmother was asking
around my wife's village.
What kind of girl do you want?
You've never told me.
Well, you should've told me!
Look at that.
No one appreciates help
these days...
Two kulfis.
Rafi miyan, has Grandma really
stopped taking her medicine?
It's high time you got married.
Rafi miyan?
Is it true what I heard
about your grandma?
And then Rafi throws the kulfi
right in his face.
Then he says,
"I heard you like sweets,
son of a bitch!"
Rafi bhai,
if a boat isn't anchored
at the right time,
it can sink.
Absolutely, Rafi.
100%, you'll sink!
- He wants you to drown!
- Let me tell you something.
Remember what I told you
about Tiwari?
Zakir bhai,
not that story again.
Let me tell it one more time.
Don't play
that old record again.
You get too emotional.
Go on.
So this is what happened,
Rafi miyan:
I woke up one morning
and really had to pee,
but it was really hot.
So I'm thinking,
"Why is it so bloody hot?"
And I look up
and see that the fan
has stopped,
but Tiwari is swinging.
He had hanged himself.
So Zakir peed right then
and there.
Rafi miyan, think about it:
that man left without a word.
He didn't even leave a note.
Not even a note.
Who would he write it to,
anyway?
To this day,
to this day,
I can hear that man swinging...
from this fan. Even now.
I swear in God's name he still
paces around this room at night!
Enough Zakir bhai,
you're ruining the party.
Rafi miyan, you should stop
sulking like this.
Stop worrying
about your grandma.
My mother,
she used to call
and bug me all the time.
It got so bad, I could barely
drive my rickshaw anymore.
The food is delicious,
Rampyaari.
Thank you, didi.
Son? Eat properly.
You have to finish it all.
He doesn't eat well, Saloni.
It's not just the food, Papa.
It's the same with his studies.
If you don't study, what
will you be when you grow up?
An actor!
You know, Miloni wanted to be an
actress when she was in school.
Really?
The teachers in school, my God!
They gave her trophy
after trophy for drama.
You won trophies?
Finally I had to go and tell
them, stop giving her prizes!
If she does drama all the time,
when will she have time
for her academics?
- Rampyaari?
- Yes, madam?
- Bring out the dessert!
- Okay, madam.
Tiwari's ghost,
you don't scare me.
Dear Dadi, assalamu alaikum.
I heard you've stopped taking
your medicine.
Let me get straight
to the point.
The thing is, Dadi,
I've met a girl here.
When I met her,
I felt you had picked her out
for me.
Her eyes are full of questions
but also full of answers.
Her smile... takes away
all the troubles.
And her laugh... Remember
the first rains on our farm?
Her name is beautiful, too.
Oh, Noorie, Noorie...
Her name is...
Noorie.
I'm sending you her photograph.
I hope you'll approve.
Your obedient child, Rafiullah.
Anything else, didi?
- Good night, didi.
- Good night.
A person shall be eligible
for appointment
as an auditor of a company
only if he is
a chartered accountant.
Two: where a firm,
including a limited
liability partnership,
is appointed as an auditor
of a company,
only the partners
who are chartered accountants
shall be authorized
to act and sign
on behalf of the firm.
Three:
under subsection three...
What's the matter, Rafi miyan?
You're drinking
like a fish today.
His grandmother
is taking her medicine again.
- Really?
- Wow!
Did you agree to the marriage?
No way.
I told my grandma,
"Listen up, Dadi!"
"Listen up, Dadi."
"Listen up, Dadi"?
I mean,
"Please understand, Dadi."
I told her, directly.
- What did you tell her?
- What did you tell her?
That's the most important thing.
I said...
"Rafiullah is the name
of the bird
that doesn't come in the hand."
"Doesn't come in the hand"?
Correct.
Well said!
Rafi miyan, don't lie to us.
What did you really tell her?
Well?
Zakir bhai...
I told her, directly...
"Until I've paid
every cent of our debt..."
"...and we have our family house
back, I won't get married."
I told her directly.
Well said, Rafi, well said!
Rafi miyan, understand this:
even a racehorse
gets old one day
and then he can't run anymore.
Settle down.
Get married.
Well said!
Get married.
What do you say?
Zakir bhai,
I'm not a softie like you.
I'm tough like...
...a kulfi. A kulfi!
Well said!
What's a softie?
This is Noorie?
- Huh?
- Haan.
You couldn't choose
a less pretty girl?
Your face is black
like doomsday.
And look at her!
If I were Dadi,
I'd come to see her directly.
When is Dadi arriving?
She's taking
the Firozpur Janta Express.
It can take two days, or three.
Just tell Dadi the truth.
What?
You don't know Dadi,
she'll chew my head off.
So tell her Noorie had
to leave town for work.
She'll be back in a month.
She'll meet you next time.
Until then,
long live the Republic!
When we were children,
the headmaster threw me
and my sisters out of school.
We couldn't pay the fees.
Dadi...
stood outside the school
for three days.
Until they took us back.
- So?
- So?
She didn't sit, she stood.
For three whole days.
So what are you going to do?
- Yes?
- No.
No? Sure?
- Why?
- Is that you?
Because he has the shares
in the company
- that he is auditing,
- So pretty.
and that is
a conflict of interest.
Right. Everyone understand?
- Yes, sir.
- What is it?
Conflict of interest.
- Give it to Sneha.
- Conflict of interest.
Uh, example two.
We have Mr. P.
Now, Mr. P is a practicing
chartered accountant.
He has a cousin, Mr. Q.
Mr. Q holds interests
in a company, ABC Limited,
of 90,000 rupees.
Hmm? 90,000 rupees, huh?
Now, is Mr. P,
the practicing
chartered accountant,
eligible to audit company,
ABC Limited?
So... What is this?
- Sir, nothing.
- What are you doing?
- S-Sorry, sir.
- Please give it to me.
Whose is this?
Where was I?
- Mr. P.
- Mr. P.
90,000 rupees, uh, investment.
Is he allowed to be the auditor?
No. Why no?
Sir, can I have
my photograph back?
You're a topper, right?
Yes, sir.
How are the classes going?
Good.
There's no problem then?
No.
Good.
Thank you, madam.
Rafi miyan, when does
your grandmother arrive?
In two days.
Don't forget to bring her over
to visit us.
We want to pay our respects!
When does Dadi arrive?
- Rafi miyan!
- Rafi miyan!
Manish Nagar.
Manish Nagar.
Chalo. Manish Nagar.
Here, madam.
Thank you.
Wait!
Why did you give me the photo?
Madam, you asked for it, so...
No. Why did you give it to me
in advance?
You could've given it to me
once I'd met your grandmother.
Why did you give it in advance?
Do you want it back?
No, madam, you keep it.
If you could meet her
just once...
But it's no problem.
Dadi. Dadi.
Where were you?
I'm on time.
Your train arrived early.
How was the journey?
A pregnant woman
was in my compartment.
And she gave birth
to a daughter.
Know what she named her?
- What?
- Train Flower!
Can you believe it?
I stayed up all night
to throw a coin
into the Gomti River,
and someone else got
the grandchild!
Noorie didn't come?
She had urgent work.
What's more important than me?
One second, Dadi...
Hello?
Haan.
Thank you.
Noorie says hello.
Let it be.
"Hello-pello" nonsense.
Let's go.
Madam?
Dadi thinks your name is Noorie.
The night I wrote the letter,
a song was playing nearby.
The song from that movie,
"Noorie."
So I wrote
that your name is Noorie.
I couldn't think
of anything else, so...
And how did we meet?
The same, at the Gateway.
Is there anything else?
I should know things.
I have two elder sisters.
And when we were kids,
our parents, they...
I have an older sister, too.
Sahib,
are you and madam actors?
From a drama company?
Now it makes sense:
a girl like her... with you.
Give me back my change.
- Here.
- No, thanks.
Have some.
No, thanks, I'm full.
You're full?
Rafi says you're a student?
I'm studying for my CA Inter
to be a...
chartered accountant.
If my Rafi had continued
his studies,
he would've become a compounder
for sure.
His uncle was a very well-known
compounder in Kanpur.
Big-time doctors
would never make a move
without his advice!
Dadi, let it go.
Why should I let it go?
I have a mother's heart.
Soon, she'll be
a chartered boat,
while you, as usual, will be
paddling with your anchor down.
Look.
See what he's done to himself,
working in the hot sun?
He's become a black raisin.
His skin used to be golden,
just like wheat.
Now look at him!
Not what he used to be.
Tell me,
how are your parents?
You didn't tell her?
They're gone.
Where?
A wall in our mosque collapsed.
And many people were crushed.
My father tried
to save as many as he could
before the other wall
fell on him.
My mother was crushed to death,
too.
And my older sister.
So you're all alone
in this world?
- Who do you live with?
- At the women's hostel.
Is this something
to hide from me?
I had meant to give you this
in a few days...
...when we knew each other
better.
But life is so unpredictable,
my child.
I got this for you.
They're very old.
They don't make them
like these anymore.
Here you go.
I couldn't possibly.
- What?
- They're yours.
Now they're yours, I said.
What are you looking at him for?
- Keep them.
- Dadi.
I need to go pee.
Go.
They're beautiful.
What will you tell her?
I'll handle it.
She wants to buy
a shalwar kameez tomorrow.
She wants me to come along.
Thanks for meeting Dadi, madam.
Can you take more photos of me?
Of course.
Should we meet
at the same time tomorrow?
Thank you, madam.
I didn't think
she was nice at first:
"I won't eat this,
I won't eat that..."
I mean, she was behaving...
like a fairy princess.
But then I thought,
"Maybe she can give me some
beautiful great-grandchildren
that I can show off
in the village."
Not that my Rafi
isn't a catch...
He does have his grandfather's
crooked smile.
Show them the smile. Show it!
Smile for us, Rafi bhai.
Smile.
Give us a smile, please!
Anything else, didi?
Rampyaari.
Yes, didi?
Where did you get the anklets?
These?
From my village.
Used to be my mother's.
They're very old.
They're nice.
Thank you, didi.
Listen.
Sit, please.
- Do you need something?
- No.
How are things in the village?
Good, didi.
I mean...
...what do people do at home?
It's just farmland, didi.
They all farm.
And?
They...
do housework.
Graze cattle...
And in the evening?
They come back from the fields.
The power goes off at night.
No lights.
There's a lot of peace there,
didi.
I'll visit someday.
The village?
What would you do there?
Just look and see.
Stay with us.
I'll arrange everything for you.
It would be an honor for me.
Anything else, didi?
- No.
- Biscuit?
No.
Rafi bhai!
Rafi bhai.
Rafi bhai.
Did they actually meet
or did you drug your grandma?
Rafi bhai!
Rafi bhai.
Rafi got both his sisters
married off.
Single-handedly!
And he said to me,
"Dadi!
"Don't worry about a thing!
God willing,
everything will be okay."
Forget about it, Dadi,
it's old news.
"Old news," he says.
Maybe it's old news to you!
I'll say what I want.
Rafi paid for banquets
for both of his sisters.
The samosas were so good.
People were eating them
and stuffing their pockets
with them to take them home!
When he saw them doing it,
he turned to me and said,
"Dadi!
Don't stop anyone today!"
Tell me,
what color do you like best?
Well?
- I don't know.
- You don't know?
Why not?
How's that possible?!
Listen, Rafi.
Give me that one.
The orange one.
Look at this color.
It'll look so nice on you.
What do you say?
Let's put it on you.
There you go.
Look how it brightens you up!
Here's Miloni!
India's number one herself!
Join us, please.
Please sit.
How are you, child?
I am Hasmukh, your father's
business associate.
Not "business associate."
You're like family!
- Cola, didi?
- Nahin.
Thank you.
His son is going to the USA
to do his MBA!
Here.
This is his photo, Chintan.
Mm. Handsome.
Want to see?
Do you have a photo of Miloni?
A recent photo?
There should be one somewhere.
Can we send it to you?
Who needs a photo when
you've seen her face-to-face?
You're right.
Personal touch is always better.
Right.
I have a photo.
What photo?
I had it taken at the Gateway
of India the other day.
Would you like it?
It's a nice photo.
One moment.
Rafi?
I was thinking
you should start a business.
Your work isn't steady.
It doesn't make you
enough money,
all this running around
for a few rupees.
Don't worry, I'll do it.
Start a small factory.
You need a proper business.
Okay, Dadi.
I will.
If the girl makes more money
than you,
who will you show your face
to then?
And what will your kids say?
Ever consider that?
Dad eats what Mom earns?
Son, I even worry
about your kids.
Stop it, Dadi.
God is watching over everyone.
You've finally found a girl,
and if you don't make
more money,
you'll lose her.
Don't worry,
I'll start a factory. Okay?
I've seen the world.
A mother's heart can only weep.
Should I place a stone over it?
Don't.
Don't place a stone over it.
Why would I place a stone
over it?
That's what I'm saying:
don't do it.
It's obvious...
Why would I place a stone
over it?
You remember what happened
with Kunjiben, right?
Once she qualifies,
she'll find a good job
and a good husband as well.
Don't be so naive.
A good match
doesn't come by every day.
His son is going to the USA.
And maybe Miloni
could also study there.
We can't send her there
ourselves, can we?
Look, look.
It's a miracle of God.
My Rafi has the same crooked
smile as his grandfather.
How did you meet
Rafi's grandfather?
Oh, forget it.
That's ancient history.
How did you two meet?
We met at the Gateway of India.
I told you, remember?
And then?
Then...
I went for a stroll.
And...
I heard this voice calling me
from behind.
I turned around and there he was
with that crooked smile.
Then he took my photograph
and wouldn't accept any money
from me.
Wouldn't accept any money?
I mean...
What do you mean?
Tell me more.
When I saw the photograph...
I didn't see myself.
Why not?
I saw someone else.
She was happier than me.
Mm.
And prettier than me.
And then we started meeting
every day.
Now, listen to my story.
In the old days,
you had to get married when
your parents said so, but...
Is there a place for chai?
I know a place nearby.
Let's go have chai.
Chai is good.
Very good.
I've noticed,
you don't drink cola.
You always refuse cola.
You don't like it?
Remember Campa Cola?
Haan.
When I was a child,
my grandfather used to buy me
Campa Cola every day.
Then he died and they stopped
making Campa Cola.
Mm.
I don't feel like drinking
any other cola.
I understand.
Nothing wrong with that!
My father used to take us for
kulfi at the end of each month.
Now if I ever eat kulfi,
it has to be on the last day
of the month.
Otherwise, I don't.
- Let me get it.
- No, no.
You can get it tomorrow.
Tomorrow...
Dadi is going to Nalasopara.
My cousin Zohra lives there.
So, tomorrow...
we won't be able to meet.
Haan.
But if you happen to have time,
we could go to a movie tomorrow.
Where do you go for movies?
I mean, in what movie theater?
Usually, I don't have the time.
The problem is that
there's no time these days.
It feels like everyone's always
running, running, running,
these days.
Sir, can you turn the volume up,
please?
Just a rat scuttling
over your feet.
It's gone now.
Don't worry.
Anything else, didi?
No.
Biscuit?
Dadi was right.
She looks nice
in the photograph
but just so-so in real life.
Shut up.
Why are you angry?
Who's angry?
30 rupees, 30 rupees.
Sir, 30 rupees.
Sir, sir.
What are they doing?
Looks like they're buying
ice candy.
It's been years
since I've had one of these.
You have one, too.
- You shouldn't have it.
- Why not?
It's exam time.
You'll fall sick.
Why would she get sick?
Trying to save money
all the time!
Be quiet and buy us both
one ice candy each!
Rafi bhai?
Buy an ice candy for me, too.
Give me one!
Mmm...
Dadi forced you
to eat ice candy.
No problem.
She's always been like that.
She's very nice.
When we were little,
at dinnertime,
Dadi would make us laugh
so hard.
We would forget we hadn't eaten.
We forgot that we were hungry.
And that there was no food
at home.
There's something...
purple on your lips.
Here.
A bit higher.
So, young lady,
when did this problem begin?
- Last night.
- Last night?
She had ice candy
from the street, Doctor.
Most adventurous young lady!
I remember your grandfather.
He used to bring you in
when you were this little.
You used to love that cola.
Which one was it?
- Campa Cola.
- Campa Cola, that's it!
Don't worry at all. It's
a very simple case of gastro.
Doctor.
She should know better than
eating things on the street.
The longer I live,
the more pain I have.
But the longer I live,
the pain hurts less.
If your daughter eats
street food every day,
she'll become immune to it.
She has her CA Inter exams
coming up.
CA Inter exam?
Young lady?
No street food it is!
Mr. Shah?
Here's the prescription.
You can pick it up outside...
Rafi?
- Hey, Rafi!
- Hmm?
Wake up! Stop this hmmm, hmmm!
I don't understand.
Why didn't she come today?
I hope she's okay.
I told you not
to make her eat ice candy.
She must've fallen ill
because of you. What else?
How could she fall ill?
I mean,
we all ate the same thing.
Go to sleep, Dadi.
How can I sleep, son?
Where did you find such
a delicate girl
who eats just one ice candy
and falls sick?
Don't worry, Dadi jaan.
My Ruksana
was also very delicate.
Her family pampered her a lot.
After we got married, she
adjusted to our circumstances.
Her parents must've given her
a comfortable life.
Rafi's love will help her
digest ice candy someday.
Don't worry. Go to sleep.
Sleep now.
What's that sound?
Tiwari has just joined us.
Who's Tiwari?
Tiwari is our resident ghost.
We've all heard his steps, Dadi.
No one gets peace in Mumbai,
not even in death.
Easy, easy. Careful.
Good-bye, friends.
Parting is hard.
I'll miss you a lot.
Don't trouble yourself, Dadi.
It's no trouble at all,
my child.
I told him
to bring Noorie along,
but she's studying
for her exams.
Poor girl.
She's all alone in the hostel.
Had she come,
she would've loved your biryani.
It's very good.
Very tasty, really.
Evening outing, sir?
Very good.
Are you from up north, sir?
- Haan.
- Ah.
I knew it the moment you spoke!
I'm from Gonda, and you?
Balia.
Balia!
What are the odds?
Your home is only 40 kilometers
from mine!
I can leave my house at dawn and
be at your house by breakfast!
Have you been to his village,
madam?
No?! You should definitely go.
You'll love it.
You know, madam?
A friend of mine, my roommate,
his wife was also from Mumbai...
Brother,
please focus on your driving.
This is my daily work.
This is what I do every day:
talk and drive.
One eye on the road, always.
So where were we, madam?
Getting back to my friend
and his wife...
Why should we care
about your friend?
Be quiet and focus on driving,
please.
You know what?
This is too much!
One moment, I'm your brother
from the village.
The next, I'm a stranger.
You told me to shut my mouth!
I didn't tell you
to shut your mouth.
I just told you to...
drive safely.
That's all I said.
Sir, I'm an educated man.
When did I say you weren't?
I have an M.A.
from Banaras Hindu University
in English Literature.
It's all God's will.
Some of us have
to drive a taxi
While others get to paint
the town red.
Keep it moving!
Get a bit closer.
And now:
put your arm around her.
She's not a live wire!
Now look at each other.
Smile, please!
- Show me.
- One second, Dadi.
Show me!
Just a second!
Mm, mm.
Look, what a nice photo!
Yes, it's a very nice photo!
Oh, wow, wow...
Look, they look so nice
together.
Looks like a rasgulla and a
gulab jamun on the same plate!
Miloni?
Do you remember Hasmukh bhai
from the other day?
His son Chintan is leaving soon
for the USA.
We were thinking,
why don't you both...
meet each other?
Just as friends.
Okay.
Good.
Anything else?
Need anything, didi?
He's not my boyfriend.
You're smart and educated, didi.
I am a nobody.
Don't worry.
I won't tell madam or sir
a thing.
Thank you.
Didi?
What about...
the boy they're having you meet?
Sir and madam were saying...
What were they saying?
This boy they want you
to meet...
He used to be fat.
Now he's thin.
Meet him and see.
What if he gets fat again?
Think about it.
Good night, didi.
Good night.
That photograph
that you had sent...
you look very nice in it.
You look very nice.
Thank you.
So, you like it here?
In Mumbai?
Yeah.
I miss it, too, sometimes.
But...
I feel like, uh... I feel
like I could live anywhere.
I-I could be happy anywhere.
But to be honest, uh,
I'd like to live away
from my parents.
My dad told me you finished
first in the CA Foundation exam.
- Mm.
- Wow.
Oh, please, have it.
I'm watching my weight, so...
Where would you like to live?
You know, here or...
In a village.
In a village?
What would you do in a village?
I'd farm in the morning
and nap in the afternoon
under a tree.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear...
- I have to go.
- Hmm?
I have a class.
Oh, uh, already?
Let me drop you?
Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
- How was the birthday party?
- Good.
How could she reject him
after meeting just once?
She's right.
It's a tendency.
What if he puts on
all the weight again?
You seem very happy about it.
Who's happy?
Rafi miyan,
I've been considering shutting
down this kulfi business.
And getting a softie machine
instead.
You know what a softie is?
It's made with a machine.
So soft, it melts in your mouth.
Hello, uncle!
- Rafi miyan!
- Can I have a razor blade?
Is that all?
And soap.
And a comb, too.
Razor, soap, comb.
How much?
We'll settle up later.
Don't worry.
Uncle?
Do you remember Campa Cola?
Huh?
Campa? Why?
They must still sell it
somewhere?
They stopped making Campa
when my beard was still black.
A friend of mine wants some.
He can pay a good price.
Not too much.
You won't find it anywhere.
Can we ask someone?
What's that fragrance?
It's the magic
of Rafi's new cream!
Instant fairness in two weeks.
This is all Dadi's doing.
What do you say, Dadi?
Who listens to me anymore?
Dadi, I think
the new cream is working.
Rafi is glowing in the dark
like a firefly.
Should I bring Noorie
to the Gateway this evening?
Why should I be a bone
in your kebab?
Who said
you're a bone in my kebab?
I'm going to Nalasopara
to see Zohra again.
Understood?
Is everything all right?
Everything's fine, son.
What could be wrong?
I'm going.
Go, go.
I'm going.
Go.
Go.
- Should I go?
- Just go!
I'm going.
Those were the days.
Campa flew off the shelves.
Now it's gone forever.
Gafoor bhai told me
you'd know where I can find it.
It's been years since anyone
came looking for Campa Cola.
You're the first.
There must be a Campa factory
somewhere.
It's a big country.
Correct.
The country is big.
But the country's memory
is very small.
Many years ago, a man came here,
just like you,
a Parsi gentleman.
His wife loved Campa Cola.
When the factories
started closing down,
he bought the Campa Cola formula
and set up a factory
in his house
so his wife
could keep having Campa.
He must still make it, right?
I don't know.
I don't know
if he's dead or still alive.
Do you know his name?
Soda Bottle...
- Mr. Sodabottlewallah.
- Mr. Sodabottlewallah?
Do you have an address?
Your friend must like
Campa Cola a lot...
Is it a special friend?
Miloni. Miloni.
- Everything okay?
- Yes, sir.
Yeah?
Can I drop you somewhere?
- No, thank you, sir.
- I can drop you, no problem.
- No, it's okay, sir. I'm fine.
- Wait one second.
One second.
Shall we go for coffee?
Or one tea?
Sir, I'm getting late.
I still have that photo
you gave me.
Come.
One quick coffee.
Come now.
I know a place just here.
Around the way.
It'll take five minutes.
Sir, I have to go home.
I'm getting late.
Everyone has five minutes.
Come. Yes.
Madam?
Everything okay?
Yes, man, of course it's okay.
This is my student.
I'm a teacher.
Off you go!
Go now!
Miloni. Miloni.
- One second, one second.
- Sorry, sir. I have to go.
- You okay?
- Yes.
I'm okay, too.
That guy's your teacher?
How can he...?
He shouldn't have grabbed
your hand like that.
When I got out,
I felt like doing something,
but I couldn't.
Where to, sir?
Sir, where to?
Oh, Noorie
Noorie
They're hot and fresh!
Anything else, didi?
Good night, didi.
Good night.
She hasn't slept a wink either.
Tiwari?
Are you Tiwari?
Do you smoke bidi?
Can I have one?
Do you miss it?
Smoking bidi?
No.
I don't miss bidi.
Why did you kill yourself?
I woke up to pee one night,
thought about hanging myself,
and so I did.
Why?
There was someone...
Who?
A girl.
What was your trade
when you were alive?
I was a farmer back
in the village,
and here I did anything
I could find.
I'm a photographer.
At the Gateway.
Do you get by?
Yeah, sort of.
It's okay.
But I won't do it for long now.
I'm thinking
of starting my own business.
You know Campa Cola?
Mm.
I'm thinking of starting
a Campa Cola factory.
Should I?
Why not?
I've fixed up all
of your shirts.
Don't you have
to go meet Zohra again?
No.
Listen,
I want to talk to you
about something important.
Sit down.
Right here.
Hmm...
I'm your grandmother.
Not a child.
Nothing gets past me.
That girl,
she's not from our religion.
And her name isn't Noorie,
but something else...
The other day,
I saw her on a big poster.
Have you seen it?
I was very angry that day.
I felt very bad.
But I went back again
the next day.
They'd changed the billboard.
And you know
what they'd put up instead?
It was an ad
for Home Loans instead.
With a mother, father,
and two children.
Hmm?
For years now,
I've watched you toil
and try to pay back
your father's debts.
For what are you struggling,
day and night?
Dadi, I'll repay the debt
and get our house back for you.
Stop this nonsense!
I remember the hard times too,
son.
I raised all of you by myself.
All three of you.
Did you just cry
all the time then?
Did we never laugh?
Then stop wearing those years
like a medal!
Forget about it, son.
Forget those days.
Forget that house.
Forget all those people.
Forever.
Hmm?
Understood.
What do you understand?
I said I understand!
Don't you shout!
I have a mother's heart, son.
For your special friend.
Serve chilled.
Thank you, sir.
Excuse me.
Is that you up on the billboard?
No.
Just a rat scuttling
over your feet.
It's gone now.
Don't worry.
Are you all right?
I'm all right here.
They have good samosas here.
You're missing your movie.
I know the rest of the story.
You've seen it before?
No.
After this song,
the boy and girl fall in love.
And then the girl's parents
will object.
The boy's a...
He's an ordinary motor mechanic,
so...
The stories are all the same
in movies these days.
The same.
Shall we go?
Yes, let's.
Years from now,
when you look at this photo,
you'll feel the sun
on your face...
...this wind in your hair
and hear
all these voices again.
Or it'll all be gone.
Gone forever.
Taking pictures?
That is one of mine up there.
What do you mean?
Your son must be a genius!
Not my son.
I have two daughters.
There, in the middle.
That's my younger one, Miloni.
Really?
The one with the crown?
Correct.
She finished first
in the CA Foundation exam.
Now she's preparing
for the CA Inter.
My son tried for CA as well.
But now he's going to America
to do his MBA.
Hmm.
No, not this.
Something doesn't look right.
A moment.
Try pink.
Look, Miloni!
This looks so good on you.
Ah.
Mum's taste is the best!
That's why I always shop
with her!
Go with pink, I'm telling you.
Hmm?
So... is pink final?
Yes.
Okay.
Let's go, Fazlu bhai.
Pink is final.
Now give us a good price.
No advance payment.
Payment only upon delivery.
We're not stupid.
Hey. Excuse me.
Photograph, madam?
With the Gateway or the Taj,
madam.
Instant.
Years from now,
when you look at this photo,
you'll feel the sun
on your face,
this wind in your hair
and hear
all these voices again.
Or it'll all be gone.
Gone forever.
50 rupees.
For you, 30.
Okay.
A bit to the right.
A bit more.
Madam, one paisa of a smile,
please.
Just a paisa.
Here, this day in a photograph.
Let me put today
in an envelope for you.
Miloni!
Hey, Miloni!
Miloni!
Rafi!
Rafi!
How's business?
This girl,
she had me take a photo.
I was looking for the envelope
and she ran off.
- Ran off?
- Ran off.
She pulled the wool
over your eyes.
She'll be in Dadar by now.
Rafi bhai,
I called the village yesterday.
Your grandmother was in
our village asking about girls.
My aunt has four.
Your aunt with the mustache?
Yes, but the girls
don't have mustaches.
- You marry them, then.
- No, not me!
Your body has amassed
all this anger.
Your grandmother
is right to worry.
She said she'd pay a dowry
for you if she had the money.
What do you say?
What should I say?
If you get married,
at least you'll have
a warm body next to you
at night.
You can go to the zoo
with the kids,
an evening out with the wife...
Yeah, right.
The wife and kids will be
in the village
while I'll be stuck here
pining for them.
- You don't do it, either.
- Why not?
You'd become a softie,
like Zakir bhai.
Softie?
- What's a softie?
- Never eaten a softie?
A softie is like ice cream.
Like kulfi, but not as hard.
It's so soft,
it melts in your mouth.
Softie.
It melts in your mouth?
So what use is it, madam?
That's what I'm saying!
How much do you need to send
home this month, Rafi bhai?
All of it, madam.
Here. This, too.
Keep something for yourself,
too, Rafi miyan.
Want a kulfi?
Why do you always eat kulfi
only at the end of the month?
- My father, when he was alive...
- Hey, Rafi miyan!
What's this I hear?
Your grandmother stopped taking
her medicine?
Because you won't select
a bride?
Where did you hear that, uncle?
His grandmother was asking
around my wife's village.
What kind of girl do you want?
You've never told me.
Well, you should've told me!
Look at that.
No one appreciates help
these days...
Two kulfis.
Rafi miyan, has Grandma really
stopped taking her medicine?
It's high time you got married.
Rafi miyan?
Is it true what I heard
about your grandma?
And then Rafi throws the kulfi
right in his face.
Then he says,
"I heard you like sweets,
son of a bitch!"
Rafi bhai,
if a boat isn't anchored
at the right time,
it can sink.
Absolutely, Rafi.
100%, you'll sink!
- He wants you to drown!
- Let me tell you something.
Remember what I told you
about Tiwari?
Zakir bhai,
not that story again.
Let me tell it one more time.
Don't play
that old record again.
You get too emotional.
Go on.
So this is what happened,
Rafi miyan:
I woke up one morning
and really had to pee,
but it was really hot.
So I'm thinking,
"Why is it so bloody hot?"
And I look up
and see that the fan
has stopped,
but Tiwari is swinging.
He had hanged himself.
So Zakir peed right then
and there.
Rafi miyan, think about it:
that man left without a word.
He didn't even leave a note.
Not even a note.
Who would he write it to,
anyway?
To this day,
to this day,
I can hear that man swinging...
from this fan. Even now.
I swear in God's name he still
paces around this room at night!
Enough Zakir bhai,
you're ruining the party.
Rafi miyan, you should stop
sulking like this.
Stop worrying
about your grandma.
My mother,
she used to call
and bug me all the time.
It got so bad, I could barely
drive my rickshaw anymore.
The food is delicious,
Rampyaari.
Thank you, didi.
Son? Eat properly.
You have to finish it all.
He doesn't eat well, Saloni.
It's not just the food, Papa.
It's the same with his studies.
If you don't study, what
will you be when you grow up?
An actor!
You know, Miloni wanted to be an
actress when she was in school.
Really?
The teachers in school, my God!
They gave her trophy
after trophy for drama.
You won trophies?
Finally I had to go and tell
them, stop giving her prizes!
If she does drama all the time,
when will she have time
for her academics?
- Rampyaari?
- Yes, madam?
- Bring out the dessert!
- Okay, madam.
Tiwari's ghost,
you don't scare me.
Dear Dadi, assalamu alaikum.
I heard you've stopped taking
your medicine.
Let me get straight
to the point.
The thing is, Dadi,
I've met a girl here.
When I met her,
I felt you had picked her out
for me.
Her eyes are full of questions
but also full of answers.
Her smile... takes away
all the troubles.
And her laugh... Remember
the first rains on our farm?
Her name is beautiful, too.
Oh, Noorie, Noorie...
Her name is...
Noorie.
I'm sending you her photograph.
I hope you'll approve.
Your obedient child, Rafiullah.
Anything else, didi?
- Good night, didi.
- Good night.
A person shall be eligible
for appointment
as an auditor of a company
only if he is
a chartered accountant.
Two: where a firm,
including a limited
liability partnership,
is appointed as an auditor
of a company,
only the partners
who are chartered accountants
shall be authorized
to act and sign
on behalf of the firm.
Three:
under subsection three...
What's the matter, Rafi miyan?
You're drinking
like a fish today.
His grandmother
is taking her medicine again.
- Really?
- Wow!
Did you agree to the marriage?
No way.
I told my grandma,
"Listen up, Dadi!"
"Listen up, Dadi."
"Listen up, Dadi"?
I mean,
"Please understand, Dadi."
I told her, directly.
- What did you tell her?
- What did you tell her?
That's the most important thing.
I said...
"Rafiullah is the name
of the bird
that doesn't come in the hand."
"Doesn't come in the hand"?
Correct.
Well said!
Rafi miyan, don't lie to us.
What did you really tell her?
Well?
Zakir bhai...
I told her, directly...
"Until I've paid
every cent of our debt..."
"...and we have our family house
back, I won't get married."
I told her directly.
Well said, Rafi, well said!
Rafi miyan, understand this:
even a racehorse
gets old one day
and then he can't run anymore.
Settle down.
Get married.
Well said!
Get married.
What do you say?
Zakir bhai,
I'm not a softie like you.
I'm tough like...
...a kulfi. A kulfi!
Well said!
What's a softie?
This is Noorie?
- Huh?
- Haan.
You couldn't choose
a less pretty girl?
Your face is black
like doomsday.
And look at her!
If I were Dadi,
I'd come to see her directly.
When is Dadi arriving?
She's taking
the Firozpur Janta Express.
It can take two days, or three.
Just tell Dadi the truth.
What?
You don't know Dadi,
she'll chew my head off.
So tell her Noorie had
to leave town for work.
She'll be back in a month.
She'll meet you next time.
Until then,
long live the Republic!
When we were children,
the headmaster threw me
and my sisters out of school.
We couldn't pay the fees.
Dadi...
stood outside the school
for three days.
Until they took us back.
- So?
- So?
She didn't sit, she stood.
For three whole days.
So what are you going to do?
- Yes?
- No.
No? Sure?
- Why?
- Is that you?
Because he has the shares
in the company
- that he is auditing,
- So pretty.
and that is
a conflict of interest.
Right. Everyone understand?
- Yes, sir.
- What is it?
Conflict of interest.
- Give it to Sneha.
- Conflict of interest.
Uh, example two.
We have Mr. P.
Now, Mr. P is a practicing
chartered accountant.
He has a cousin, Mr. Q.
Mr. Q holds interests
in a company, ABC Limited,
of 90,000 rupees.
Hmm? 90,000 rupees, huh?
Now, is Mr. P,
the practicing
chartered accountant,
eligible to audit company,
ABC Limited?
So... What is this?
- Sir, nothing.
- What are you doing?
- S-Sorry, sir.
- Please give it to me.
Whose is this?
Where was I?
- Mr. P.
- Mr. P.
90,000 rupees, uh, investment.
Is he allowed to be the auditor?
No. Why no?
Sir, can I have
my photograph back?
You're a topper, right?
Yes, sir.
How are the classes going?
Good.
There's no problem then?
No.
Good.
Thank you, madam.
Rafi miyan, when does
your grandmother arrive?
In two days.
Don't forget to bring her over
to visit us.
We want to pay our respects!
When does Dadi arrive?
- Rafi miyan!
- Rafi miyan!
Manish Nagar.
Manish Nagar.
Chalo. Manish Nagar.
Here, madam.
Thank you.
Wait!
Why did you give me the photo?
Madam, you asked for it, so...
No. Why did you give it to me
in advance?
You could've given it to me
once I'd met your grandmother.
Why did you give it in advance?
Do you want it back?
No, madam, you keep it.
If you could meet her
just once...
But it's no problem.
Dadi. Dadi.
Where were you?
I'm on time.
Your train arrived early.
How was the journey?
A pregnant woman
was in my compartment.
And she gave birth
to a daughter.
Know what she named her?
- What?
- Train Flower!
Can you believe it?
I stayed up all night
to throw a coin
into the Gomti River,
and someone else got
the grandchild!
Noorie didn't come?
She had urgent work.
What's more important than me?
One second, Dadi...
Hello?
Haan.
Thank you.
Noorie says hello.
Let it be.
"Hello-pello" nonsense.
Let's go.
Madam?
Dadi thinks your name is Noorie.
The night I wrote the letter,
a song was playing nearby.
The song from that movie,
"Noorie."
So I wrote
that your name is Noorie.
I couldn't think
of anything else, so...
And how did we meet?
The same, at the Gateway.
Is there anything else?
I should know things.
I have two elder sisters.
And when we were kids,
our parents, they...
I have an older sister, too.
Sahib,
are you and madam actors?
From a drama company?
Now it makes sense:
a girl like her... with you.
Give me back my change.
- Here.
- No, thanks.
Have some.
No, thanks, I'm full.
You're full?
Rafi says you're a student?
I'm studying for my CA Inter
to be a...
chartered accountant.
If my Rafi had continued
his studies,
he would've become a compounder
for sure.
His uncle was a very well-known
compounder in Kanpur.
Big-time doctors
would never make a move
without his advice!
Dadi, let it go.
Why should I let it go?
I have a mother's heart.
Soon, she'll be
a chartered boat,
while you, as usual, will be
paddling with your anchor down.
Look.
See what he's done to himself,
working in the hot sun?
He's become a black raisin.
His skin used to be golden,
just like wheat.
Now look at him!
Not what he used to be.
Tell me,
how are your parents?
You didn't tell her?
They're gone.
Where?
A wall in our mosque collapsed.
And many people were crushed.
My father tried
to save as many as he could
before the other wall
fell on him.
My mother was crushed to death,
too.
And my older sister.
So you're all alone
in this world?
- Who do you live with?
- At the women's hostel.
Is this something
to hide from me?
I had meant to give you this
in a few days...
...when we knew each other
better.
But life is so unpredictable,
my child.
I got this for you.
They're very old.
They don't make them
like these anymore.
Here you go.
I couldn't possibly.
- What?
- They're yours.
Now they're yours, I said.
What are you looking at him for?
- Keep them.
- Dadi.
I need to go pee.
Go.
They're beautiful.
What will you tell her?
I'll handle it.
She wants to buy
a shalwar kameez tomorrow.
She wants me to come along.
Thanks for meeting Dadi, madam.
Can you take more photos of me?
Of course.
Should we meet
at the same time tomorrow?
Thank you, madam.
I didn't think
she was nice at first:
"I won't eat this,
I won't eat that..."
I mean, she was behaving...
like a fairy princess.
But then I thought,
"Maybe she can give me some
beautiful great-grandchildren
that I can show off
in the village."
Not that my Rafi
isn't a catch...
He does have his grandfather's
crooked smile.
Show them the smile. Show it!
Smile for us, Rafi bhai.
Smile.
Give us a smile, please!
Anything else, didi?
Rampyaari.
Yes, didi?
Where did you get the anklets?
These?
From my village.
Used to be my mother's.
They're very old.
They're nice.
Thank you, didi.
Listen.
Sit, please.
- Do you need something?
- No.
How are things in the village?
Good, didi.
I mean...
...what do people do at home?
It's just farmland, didi.
They all farm.
And?
They...
do housework.
Graze cattle...
And in the evening?
They come back from the fields.
The power goes off at night.
No lights.
There's a lot of peace there,
didi.
I'll visit someday.
The village?
What would you do there?
Just look and see.
Stay with us.
I'll arrange everything for you.
It would be an honor for me.
Anything else, didi?
- No.
- Biscuit?
No.
Rafi bhai!
Rafi bhai.
Rafi bhai.
Did they actually meet
or did you drug your grandma?
Rafi bhai!
Rafi bhai.
Rafi got both his sisters
married off.
Single-handedly!
And he said to me,
"Dadi!
"Don't worry about a thing!
God willing,
everything will be okay."
Forget about it, Dadi,
it's old news.
"Old news," he says.
Maybe it's old news to you!
I'll say what I want.
Rafi paid for banquets
for both of his sisters.
The samosas were so good.
People were eating them
and stuffing their pockets
with them to take them home!
When he saw them doing it,
he turned to me and said,
"Dadi!
Don't stop anyone today!"
Tell me,
what color do you like best?
Well?
- I don't know.
- You don't know?
Why not?
How's that possible?!
Listen, Rafi.
Give me that one.
The orange one.
Look at this color.
It'll look so nice on you.
What do you say?
Let's put it on you.
There you go.
Look how it brightens you up!
Here's Miloni!
India's number one herself!
Join us, please.
Please sit.
How are you, child?
I am Hasmukh, your father's
business associate.
Not "business associate."
You're like family!
- Cola, didi?
- Nahin.
Thank you.
His son is going to the USA
to do his MBA!
Here.
This is his photo, Chintan.
Mm. Handsome.
Want to see?
Do you have a photo of Miloni?
A recent photo?
There should be one somewhere.
Can we send it to you?
Who needs a photo when
you've seen her face-to-face?
You're right.
Personal touch is always better.
Right.
I have a photo.
What photo?
I had it taken at the Gateway
of India the other day.
Would you like it?
It's a nice photo.
One moment.
Rafi?
I was thinking
you should start a business.
Your work isn't steady.
It doesn't make you
enough money,
all this running around
for a few rupees.
Don't worry, I'll do it.
Start a small factory.
You need a proper business.
Okay, Dadi.
I will.
If the girl makes more money
than you,
who will you show your face
to then?
And what will your kids say?
Ever consider that?
Dad eats what Mom earns?
Son, I even worry
about your kids.
Stop it, Dadi.
God is watching over everyone.
You've finally found a girl,
and if you don't make
more money,
you'll lose her.
Don't worry,
I'll start a factory. Okay?
I've seen the world.
A mother's heart can only weep.
Should I place a stone over it?
Don't.
Don't place a stone over it.
Why would I place a stone
over it?
That's what I'm saying:
don't do it.
It's obvious...
Why would I place a stone
over it?
You remember what happened
with Kunjiben, right?
Once she qualifies,
she'll find a good job
and a good husband as well.
Don't be so naive.
A good match
doesn't come by every day.
His son is going to the USA.
And maybe Miloni
could also study there.
We can't send her there
ourselves, can we?
Look, look.
It's a miracle of God.
My Rafi has the same crooked
smile as his grandfather.
How did you meet
Rafi's grandfather?
Oh, forget it.
That's ancient history.
How did you two meet?
We met at the Gateway of India.
I told you, remember?
And then?
Then...
I went for a stroll.
And...
I heard this voice calling me
from behind.
I turned around and there he was
with that crooked smile.
Then he took my photograph
and wouldn't accept any money
from me.
Wouldn't accept any money?
I mean...
What do you mean?
Tell me more.
When I saw the photograph...
I didn't see myself.
Why not?
I saw someone else.
She was happier than me.
Mm.
And prettier than me.
And then we started meeting
every day.
Now, listen to my story.
In the old days,
you had to get married when
your parents said so, but...
Is there a place for chai?
I know a place nearby.
Let's go have chai.
Chai is good.
Very good.
I've noticed,
you don't drink cola.
You always refuse cola.
You don't like it?
Remember Campa Cola?
Haan.
When I was a child,
my grandfather used to buy me
Campa Cola every day.
Then he died and they stopped
making Campa Cola.
Mm.
I don't feel like drinking
any other cola.
I understand.
Nothing wrong with that!
My father used to take us for
kulfi at the end of each month.
Now if I ever eat kulfi,
it has to be on the last day
of the month.
Otherwise, I don't.
- Let me get it.
- No, no.
You can get it tomorrow.
Tomorrow...
Dadi is going to Nalasopara.
My cousin Zohra lives there.
So, tomorrow...
we won't be able to meet.
Haan.
But if you happen to have time,
we could go to a movie tomorrow.
Where do you go for movies?
I mean, in what movie theater?
Usually, I don't have the time.
The problem is that
there's no time these days.
It feels like everyone's always
running, running, running,
these days.
Sir, can you turn the volume up,
please?
Just a rat scuttling
over your feet.
It's gone now.
Don't worry.
Anything else, didi?
No.
Biscuit?
Dadi was right.
She looks nice
in the photograph
but just so-so in real life.
Shut up.
Why are you angry?
Who's angry?
30 rupees, 30 rupees.
Sir, 30 rupees.
Sir, sir.
What are they doing?
Looks like they're buying
ice candy.
It's been years
since I've had one of these.
You have one, too.
- You shouldn't have it.
- Why not?
It's exam time.
You'll fall sick.
Why would she get sick?
Trying to save money
all the time!
Be quiet and buy us both
one ice candy each!
Rafi bhai?
Buy an ice candy for me, too.
Give me one!
Mmm...
Dadi forced you
to eat ice candy.
No problem.
She's always been like that.
She's very nice.
When we were little,
at dinnertime,
Dadi would make us laugh
so hard.
We would forget we hadn't eaten.
We forgot that we were hungry.
And that there was no food
at home.
There's something...
purple on your lips.
Here.
A bit higher.
So, young lady,
when did this problem begin?
- Last night.
- Last night?
She had ice candy
from the street, Doctor.
Most adventurous young lady!
I remember your grandfather.
He used to bring you in
when you were this little.
You used to love that cola.
Which one was it?
- Campa Cola.
- Campa Cola, that's it!
Don't worry at all. It's
a very simple case of gastro.
Doctor.
She should know better than
eating things on the street.
The longer I live,
the more pain I have.
But the longer I live,
the pain hurts less.
If your daughter eats
street food every day,
she'll become immune to it.
She has her CA Inter exams
coming up.
CA Inter exam?
Young lady?
No street food it is!
Mr. Shah?
Here's the prescription.
You can pick it up outside...
Rafi?
- Hey, Rafi!
- Hmm?
Wake up! Stop this hmmm, hmmm!
I don't understand.
Why didn't she come today?
I hope she's okay.
I told you not
to make her eat ice candy.
She must've fallen ill
because of you. What else?
How could she fall ill?
I mean,
we all ate the same thing.
Go to sleep, Dadi.
How can I sleep, son?
Where did you find such
a delicate girl
who eats just one ice candy
and falls sick?
Don't worry, Dadi jaan.
My Ruksana
was also very delicate.
Her family pampered her a lot.
After we got married, she
adjusted to our circumstances.
Her parents must've given her
a comfortable life.
Rafi's love will help her
digest ice candy someday.
Don't worry. Go to sleep.
Sleep now.
What's that sound?
Tiwari has just joined us.
Who's Tiwari?
Tiwari is our resident ghost.
We've all heard his steps, Dadi.
No one gets peace in Mumbai,
not even in death.
Easy, easy. Careful.
Good-bye, friends.
Parting is hard.
I'll miss you a lot.
Don't trouble yourself, Dadi.
It's no trouble at all,
my child.
I told him
to bring Noorie along,
but she's studying
for her exams.
Poor girl.
She's all alone in the hostel.
Had she come,
she would've loved your biryani.
It's very good.
Very tasty, really.
Evening outing, sir?
Very good.
Are you from up north, sir?
- Haan.
- Ah.
I knew it the moment you spoke!
I'm from Gonda, and you?
Balia.
Balia!
What are the odds?
Your home is only 40 kilometers
from mine!
I can leave my house at dawn and
be at your house by breakfast!
Have you been to his village,
madam?
No?! You should definitely go.
You'll love it.
You know, madam?
A friend of mine, my roommate,
his wife was also from Mumbai...
Brother,
please focus on your driving.
This is my daily work.
This is what I do every day:
talk and drive.
One eye on the road, always.
So where were we, madam?
Getting back to my friend
and his wife...
Why should we care
about your friend?
Be quiet and focus on driving,
please.
You know what?
This is too much!
One moment, I'm your brother
from the village.
The next, I'm a stranger.
You told me to shut my mouth!
I didn't tell you
to shut your mouth.
I just told you to...
drive safely.
That's all I said.
Sir, I'm an educated man.
When did I say you weren't?
I have an M.A.
from Banaras Hindu University
in English Literature.
It's all God's will.
Some of us have
to drive a taxi
While others get to paint
the town red.
Keep it moving!
Get a bit closer.
And now:
put your arm around her.
She's not a live wire!
Now look at each other.
Smile, please!
- Show me.
- One second, Dadi.
Show me!
Just a second!
Mm, mm.
Look, what a nice photo!
Yes, it's a very nice photo!
Oh, wow, wow...
Look, they look so nice
together.
Looks like a rasgulla and a
gulab jamun on the same plate!
Miloni?
Do you remember Hasmukh bhai
from the other day?
His son Chintan is leaving soon
for the USA.
We were thinking,
why don't you both...
meet each other?
Just as friends.
Okay.
Good.
Anything else?
Need anything, didi?
He's not my boyfriend.
You're smart and educated, didi.
I am a nobody.
Don't worry.
I won't tell madam or sir
a thing.
Thank you.
Didi?
What about...
the boy they're having you meet?
Sir and madam were saying...
What were they saying?
This boy they want you
to meet...
He used to be fat.
Now he's thin.
Meet him and see.
What if he gets fat again?
Think about it.
Good night, didi.
Good night.
That photograph
that you had sent...
you look very nice in it.
You look very nice.
Thank you.
So, you like it here?
In Mumbai?
Yeah.
I miss it, too, sometimes.
But...
I feel like, uh... I feel
like I could live anywhere.
I-I could be happy anywhere.
But to be honest, uh,
I'd like to live away
from my parents.
My dad told me you finished
first in the CA Foundation exam.
- Mm.
- Wow.
Oh, please, have it.
I'm watching my weight, so...
Where would you like to live?
You know, here or...
In a village.
In a village?
What would you do in a village?
I'd farm in the morning
and nap in the afternoon
under a tree.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear...
- I have to go.
- Hmm?
I have a class.
Oh, uh, already?
Let me drop you?
Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
- How was the birthday party?
- Good.
How could she reject him
after meeting just once?
She's right.
It's a tendency.
What if he puts on
all the weight again?
You seem very happy about it.
Who's happy?
Rafi miyan,
I've been considering shutting
down this kulfi business.
And getting a softie machine
instead.
You know what a softie is?
It's made with a machine.
So soft, it melts in your mouth.
Hello, uncle!
- Rafi miyan!
- Can I have a razor blade?
Is that all?
And soap.
And a comb, too.
Razor, soap, comb.
How much?
We'll settle up later.
Don't worry.
Uncle?
Do you remember Campa Cola?
Huh?
Campa? Why?
They must still sell it
somewhere?
They stopped making Campa
when my beard was still black.
A friend of mine wants some.
He can pay a good price.
Not too much.
You won't find it anywhere.
Can we ask someone?
What's that fragrance?
It's the magic
of Rafi's new cream!
Instant fairness in two weeks.
This is all Dadi's doing.
What do you say, Dadi?
Who listens to me anymore?
Dadi, I think
the new cream is working.
Rafi is glowing in the dark
like a firefly.
Should I bring Noorie
to the Gateway this evening?
Why should I be a bone
in your kebab?
Who said
you're a bone in my kebab?
I'm going to Nalasopara
to see Zohra again.
Understood?
Is everything all right?
Everything's fine, son.
What could be wrong?
I'm going.
Go, go.
I'm going.
Go.
Go.
- Should I go?
- Just go!
I'm going.
Those were the days.
Campa flew off the shelves.
Now it's gone forever.
Gafoor bhai told me
you'd know where I can find it.
It's been years since anyone
came looking for Campa Cola.
You're the first.
There must be a Campa factory
somewhere.
It's a big country.
Correct.
The country is big.
But the country's memory
is very small.
Many years ago, a man came here,
just like you,
a Parsi gentleman.
His wife loved Campa Cola.
When the factories
started closing down,
he bought the Campa Cola formula
and set up a factory
in his house
so his wife
could keep having Campa.
He must still make it, right?
I don't know.
I don't know
if he's dead or still alive.
Do you know his name?
Soda Bottle...
- Mr. Sodabottlewallah.
- Mr. Sodabottlewallah?
Do you have an address?
Your friend must like
Campa Cola a lot...
Is it a special friend?
Miloni. Miloni.
- Everything okay?
- Yes, sir.
Yeah?
Can I drop you somewhere?
- No, thank you, sir.
- I can drop you, no problem.
- No, it's okay, sir. I'm fine.
- Wait one second.
One second.
Shall we go for coffee?
Or one tea?
Sir, I'm getting late.
I still have that photo
you gave me.
Come.
One quick coffee.
Come now.
I know a place just here.
Around the way.
It'll take five minutes.
Sir, I have to go home.
I'm getting late.
Everyone has five minutes.
Come. Yes.
Madam?
Everything okay?
Yes, man, of course it's okay.
This is my student.
I'm a teacher.
Off you go!
Go now!
Miloni. Miloni.
- One second, one second.
- Sorry, sir. I have to go.
- You okay?
- Yes.
I'm okay, too.
That guy's your teacher?
How can he...?
He shouldn't have grabbed
your hand like that.
When I got out,
I felt like doing something,
but I couldn't.
Where to, sir?
Sir, where to?
Oh, Noorie
Noorie
They're hot and fresh!
Anything else, didi?
Good night, didi.
Good night.
She hasn't slept a wink either.
Tiwari?
Are you Tiwari?
Do you smoke bidi?
Can I have one?
Do you miss it?
Smoking bidi?
No.
I don't miss bidi.
Why did you kill yourself?
I woke up to pee one night,
thought about hanging myself,
and so I did.
Why?
There was someone...
Who?
A girl.
What was your trade
when you were alive?
I was a farmer back
in the village,
and here I did anything
I could find.
I'm a photographer.
At the Gateway.
Do you get by?
Yeah, sort of.
It's okay.
But I won't do it for long now.
I'm thinking
of starting my own business.
You know Campa Cola?
Mm.
I'm thinking of starting
a Campa Cola factory.
Should I?
Why not?
I've fixed up all
of your shirts.
Don't you have
to go meet Zohra again?
No.
Listen,
I want to talk to you
about something important.
Sit down.
Right here.
Hmm...
I'm your grandmother.
Not a child.
Nothing gets past me.
That girl,
she's not from our religion.
And her name isn't Noorie,
but something else...
The other day,
I saw her on a big poster.
Have you seen it?
I was very angry that day.
I felt very bad.
But I went back again
the next day.
They'd changed the billboard.
And you know
what they'd put up instead?
It was an ad
for Home Loans instead.
With a mother, father,
and two children.
Hmm?
For years now,
I've watched you toil
and try to pay back
your father's debts.
For what are you struggling,
day and night?
Dadi, I'll repay the debt
and get our house back for you.
Stop this nonsense!
I remember the hard times too,
son.
I raised all of you by myself.
All three of you.
Did you just cry
all the time then?
Did we never laugh?
Then stop wearing those years
like a medal!
Forget about it, son.
Forget those days.
Forget that house.
Forget all those people.
Forever.
Hmm?
Understood.
What do you understand?
I said I understand!
Don't you shout!
I have a mother's heart, son.
For your special friend.
Serve chilled.
Thank you, sir.
Excuse me.
Is that you up on the billboard?
No.
Just a rat scuttling
over your feet.
It's gone now.
Don't worry.
Are you all right?
I'm all right here.
They have good samosas here.
You're missing your movie.
I know the rest of the story.
You've seen it before?
No.
After this song,
the boy and girl fall in love.
And then the girl's parents
will object.
The boy's a...
He's an ordinary motor mechanic,
so...
The stories are all the same
in movies these days.
The same.
Shall we go?
Yes, let's.