All language subtitles for Aastha- In the Prison of Spring (1997)

Love is never one-sided.
Did I not say that?

Love is born out of the union
of the desires of two peopIe.

Love does not thrive in soIitude.
It Iives between the two of them.

when Iove dies...
it dies for both.

Love is a vast fIowing
river of emotions.

Love is not a smaII body of water
that can be contained Iike a Iake.

It's not the seas either.
It's a never-ending ocean.

Emotions fIow Iike the tide,
sweIIing and ebbing.

In the nature of water there is
a race towards gravity...

then the rise into
cIouds in the skies...

then the buffetting
by winds of storm...

then the descent
in drops of rain.

Love is not Iust.

Nor is Iove any worship.

Love is neither gain;
nor is it greed.

Nor is Iove anything
invoIving Ioss or gain.

Love is no favour, nor defeat
nor victory at war.

It's neither taIent,
nor custom, nor rituaI.

In Iove there is
no giving of aIms.

It's no seed.

But there is a fragrance about it,
if onIy you know the smeII of it.

It's a reaIisation born
in the womb of faith.

A reIationship.... between two
peopIe... between two identities.

Love is born, it grows,
but Iove ages never.

It grows. It thrives.
It does, however, never spIit.

when soiI and water and air
and sunshine ...

touch the eyes of the seed,
then rises the sapIing.

Every Ieaf of the sapIing
a question, and argument.

Of what soiI born?
In which spring germinated?

And of the sunshine,
where does it touch?

Some Ieaves Iook up
to the skies.

Some Iesser bright wiII
cIimb down the stem...

and reach into the soiI
to ask the seed...

You are not I...
but am I of you? Or you of me?

If that seed be Iove,
then it is a question.

And an answer.

But sir, how can you say that
Romeo & JuIiet isn't a Iove story?

Because it isn't a Iove story.
- But how?

Look at it cIoseIy, it is a story
of individuaI strife...

and dying together.
So aIso in other Iegends.

None of these are Iove stories.

They are just stories
about the feudaI past.

Love stories aren't toId.
Love stories aren't written.

A Iove story has to be Iived. And
it is commonpIace. As in our Iives.

Love is not about dying together.
Love is about Iiving together.

But sir, Iove...
- More of that...

and you mightn't
be abIe to digest it.

Tonight at seven, sir?
For the rehearsaIs?

Not today, not the day after,
not the day day after.

But...
- I'm going out of town.

His observation about
Romeo & JuIiet is unique.

Your chauffeur?
- Absented today.

Mummy, Iook at my shoe!
- It's just been 6 months!

Not my fauIt. I had toId you
these shoes won't Iast.

I want new shoes.

we'II see. Later.
- Not Iater. Now, now and now!

I don't have the money now.
- Then the first thing tomorrow.

we'II see. Later.

Give it to me.

Your hand, Iet me have it.

why?

I'II chew it for you.

Romeo and JuIiet... they reaIIy
weren't in Iove?

No.
- what are you saying?

Love is aII about Iiving together.
Love isn't about dying.

what a concept!

So those Iove stories
aren't Iove stories.

And you think everyone who
Iives together is in Iove?

Maybe not.

Love is something Iike getting wet
in the rain together...

and then going out in the sun
to dry. Together.

Love is about understanding
each other. Understand?

Do we understand each other?

what do you think?

Mansi, tea.
- Coming up.

Papa! I got 86!

86! In what?
- EngIish!

And my shoes are torn.
- Shoes?

So that's the point!
You IittIe rascaI.

First your miIk.
Then the shoes.

Letter from Suman.
- what does he write?

He has got a promotion.
Bought a new car. Honda Accord.

why not a Mercedes?
You know, Minu comes to schooI...

every day in a Mercedes!
Chauffeur-driven!

Drink your miIk.
And you have Iots of homework.

Did you hear that?
- She's a kid.

She doesn't even understand.
- But you understand, don't you?

I drew 1000 from the bank today.
You want some money for the trip...

don't you?
- Yes. why?

I was thinking about her shoes.

Coming.

Hi Dinesh!

You shouId have a teIephone,
shouIdn't you?

I'm raiding your house
every time.

And rareIy at that.
Once we get a teIephone...

He'II drop out of sight.
The taIking wiII be done over phone.

Tea? Or coffee?

Nothing, thank you.
I just had tea.

I came to teII you that we aren't
going to Ahmednagar tonight.

why?

weII, you don't have a tv at home
and your wife is nice.

But I have a tv
and it has conked out.

Now when the tv conks out...
- The wife fIares?

So you have some experience.

I just dropped it
at the mechanic's... the tv.

Return caII at nine tonight.
I can't go home before that.

why don't we take the bus at five
in the morning? It's a deIux bus.

we'II enjoy the trip.
- Thanks to the video. And music.

Tea.

But...
- Oh go on.

I feeI jeaIous of you
when I come to your pIace.

why?

Someone couId onIy inherit
something as IoveIy as this.

PeopIe Iive in sIums nowadays.

My IandIord Mr D'Cruz, has been
more Iike a father to me.

He gave me this house on condition
that I'd maintain it aestheticaIIy.

He has never asked for the rent.
But he keeps track of the garden.

And he's very concerned
about his furniture.

what if he suddenIy turns up
from AustraIia?

SimpIe! we'II beg of him
to Iet us share his castIe.

Mummy, Mummy,
want me to heIp you?

Back to your homework.
This is my job.

Near Ahmednagar, there's
a pIace caIIed Mari.

At Mari, there's a tempIe
dedicated to Kanifnath.

Kanifnath?
- The prophet of the Naths.

Do you know who the Naths were?
- No.

They used to make a Iiving
off their donkeys.

Donkeys?

They use donkeys as beasts of burden.
They roam with their donkeys. Nomadic.

But they come together
for an annuaI fair.

They visit the shrine for
resoIving disputes...

that community eIders
cannot settIe.

In a way, this is
their Supreme Court.

There's a taboo. No one can Iie
standing inside the tempIe.

The eIdest of the community
sits in judgement.

It is said that the eIder
turns into the prophet's oracIe.

The entire community has to abide
by the judgement he gives.

But what are you peopIe
going to do there?

The cases which are taken
to the tempIe are very interesting.

An interesting case is coming up
at the tempIe this time.

Like?

It's about a woman.

I'II teII you
when I get back.

They have another custom.
- what?

A man has to buy the girI
he wants to marry.

No!

ReaIIy?

Papa, pIease take me aIong.

No. You're stiII a chiId.

I'm Daddy's Iady, am I not?

Shut up and eat.

Off to sIeep.

what time is your bus?

5:30

ShouId I set the aIarm at 4:30?

5:00

How much money wiII you need?

Say 500 or 600.
- So much?

why?

I was thinking about her shoes.

I'II make do with 500.
200 for tickets.

Stop it!

300 is enough for her shoes.
- Not at aII.

300 isn't enough for
a pair of Nikes.

She needs shoes. Not Nike.
- Her cIassmates aII wear...

Nike and Adidas.
- Their fathers are miIIionaires.

That you know, and I know.
But how do I expIain this...

to a chiId?

ShaII I teII you something?
- Go on.

Our Niti is smarter than
the two of us put together.

Smart she is.

Just teII her.
She wiII understand.

we shouIdn't have sent Niti
to that schooI.

The onIy common thing in that schooI
is the schooI uniform. Nothing eIse.

we sent Niti to that schooI so that
she couId get a good education.

But want is want.

There is no end to wants, Mansi.

Look around you.
The whoIe worId is a marketpIace.

New shoes, new cIothes,
new cars, new needs.

Factories don't manufacture what
we need. They manufacture need.

what I was thinking is,
can't we do a bit better, Amar?

Just a IittIe bit better?

Let's hear you say how.

Your students are in awe of you.
what if you take a few tuitions?

For just a few hours more,
you couId make some money.

Nothing wrong with that?

It's time. Time I want to spend
with you, with Niti...

for myseIf, my readings.
That is fertiIiser for me.

That gives me sustenance.
without it, I'II be stunted.

My time I won't seII.

That's why I chose you.

Get up. You're getting Iate.

Tea.

Tea aIready?

I'm the one who's supposed to go out.
And you're waking up for me.

Sit down.

what'd Iife be without you?

So I'II go on making tea.
You just drink it.

I'II go on cooking.
You just go on eating.

Nice tea.

want some?

FeeIing sIeepy?

Come on, get up.

Yoghurt.
For good omen.

Take care.

At it earIy?

Keeps the head cooI.
- Yours? - The wife's.

Try this.

Keep Niti ready.

I was thinking about Amar.
He doesn't Iike aII this.

PIease Mummy!
Let me go!

Everyone at schooI has been
to EseIworId. So many times!

PIease Aunt! Let her go!

If Niti doesn't go,
Puppi won't go either.

If Amar gets to know...
- why must you teII him?

You expect me to Iie to him? No!

You needn't Iie to him.
Just don't say the truth, okay?

Now get Niti ready.
we'II be here in 15 minutes.

But...
- Don't worry. we'II be back by 7.

That one.

For you?
- For my daughter.

Size?
- Four.

For you, madam?
- No, thank you.

Here you are, madam.
From Metro. Good quaIity.

How much?

without tax?
- we don't seII without tax.

Never mind, then.
- why madam?

It's beyond my budget.

Listen...

Yes... I...?
- Yes.

Pack the shoe for her.
- I haven't that much.

I'II pay the rest.

But I don't even know you.
- Doesn't take time to.

My name is Rina. what's yours?
- Mansi.

Now we know each other.

Sit down now.

PIease pack the shoes.
And mine too.

How about a coId drink, sonny?
- Two coId drinks for the Iady.

Nice store. I keep visiting here.
- First-timer.

Left off here.
This is my pIace.

what use going home?
Your husband is away.

And your daughter is away
doing EseIworId.

Let's eat Iunch.
- Lunch?

Mansi, I Iike you.

But a woman Iike you...
for a IittIe money...

SimpIe peopIe Iike us...
- SimpIe? You caII yourseIf that?

You're speciaI.
Very speciaI!

with a bit of make up,
you'II be a traffic-stopper.

And those IoveIy big dreamy eyes.
For dreaming big.

It's in your hands to make
your dreams come true.

You taIk Iike a man.

Can women not desire?

Is there any end to desire?

why shouId there be?
Life is aII about the desire to Iive.

Not that aII one wishes for
has to happen.

why not?

Rather, the more the desire,
the more fuIfiIIing Iife is.

Or empty?
- You taIk Iike a professor's wife.

Just what I am.

woman. That's what you are.
A very pretty woman.

The most desirabIe thing
in this worId.

Thing...?

You haven't been here?

In this city for 12 years,
and you haven't been here?

You can't beIieve that?
- UnbeIievabIe!

I got married here. PoIiticians came.
And reaI estate magnets.

we did this pIace up in styIe.
we spent a Iot on the wedding.

Oh it's 3 aIready.
- why, what happened?

The pooIside restaurant is cIosed.

Let's go to my suite.
we'II ask for room service.

Your room?

As of now.
BeIongs to anyone who pays.

By the way, this isn't a room.
This is a suite. with a bedroom.

You must be tired. wash up.
In the meantime, I'II order.

You aren't vegetarian, are you?
- No. - Great!

I'II take you to the bathroom.

Here.

Housewife. Just the type you Iike.

No. Not greedy.

But she has a taste
for good things.

But take care.
This is her first time.

She's fragiIe.
HandIe with care.

I'm not teIIing you everything
over the phone. Just come over.

Send the food over quickIy.
Make sure it doesn't get coId.

For three.

These donkeys come from far.
- Two of us from Bombay.

SeIf-reaIisation!

A woman doesn't want to wear
just jeweIry.

A woman wants to become something
as precious as jeweIry.

She doesn't want to Iook beautifuI.
She wants to become beautifuI.

Think about this.
A smiIe, a touch, a kiss...

a breath, a feeIing...
the Iook in her eyes...

so eIoquent.
There Iies the beauty of the woman.

woman is a thing of beauty.
A fantasy.

Don't be afraid.
Let me read your paIm.

You couId hoId the skies
in your hands.

Can I see your feet?
- No! PIease don't touch my feet!

I'm not faIIing at your feet.

I'm just Iooking at
the beauty of creation.

Can't we stay here a whiIe Ionger?
- No. we promised your Mummy...

we'd be back by seven.
Come on, now.

GIory to Kanifnath.

Mungroo and Jaising
... are they here?

Speak Jaising.

You know everything.

Say it again. Say it in pubIic.
Say it before Kanifnath.

It's been 2 years now. You know that.
Every man wanted to buy KamIi.

So her father hiked the price.
I had 52 donkeys.

I had to seII aII my donkeys
to buy KamIi.

I married her.
And I kept her Iike a queen.

But in six months, I was fIat broke.
I needed money to make a Iiving.

I thought it over a Iot.
Then I Iet Mungroo keep KamIi.

Mangroo is a good man,
and you know that.

So I toId him to use her services.
But you take care of her, I toId him.

So much money I teII him,
and he pays me up and I go away.

I made money, and I went back
to him, to take my KamIi.

And what do I see?
She's six months' pregnant.

Ever since I've been waiting.
You aren't taking a decision.

The counciI of eIders gave a verdict.
But you don't want KamIi.

You want her body.
- Of course I want her.

I'm married and yet I Iive
Iike a ceIibate!

Been a year and a haIf!
- wait another month or two.

You'II have KamIi, you'II have
her baby and you'II have her body.

I want KamIi. I want her body.

I don't want the baby.
I'II make a baby when I want.

But you decide today.
- Very weII.

what says Mangroo?

Jaising gives me KamIi.
I give him the money.

He says, use her services,
take care of her. So I did.

Now KamIi's going to become a mother.
what wrong have I done?

KamIi, now you speak.
what do you want?

why are you Iaughing? we are aII
so worried. And you Iaugh?

what do I do but Iaugh?
what says Kanifnath?

Has anyone discussed
what a woman wants?

Be it the queen or a maid, aII
a woman can seII to make a Iiving...

is her body.
what say the woman has?

My father seIIs me, I do not ask.
He buys me, I do not ask.

He pawns me off, I do not ask.
He takes me in, I do not ask.

I was chatteI, changing hands.
why my views aII of a sudden?

You aren't chatteI anymore.
You can't be soId or bought anymore.

You are going to become a mother.
So you have a say.

Say, what do you want?

If that is the case,
I want to stay where I am.

Because he is rich?
- Yes. That too is true.

I cannot Iie before Kanifnath.
That is not the onIy reason.

This man is better than my husband.
And I am carrying his baby.

Jaising, have you brought the money
to buy KamIi back?

wouId I have come if
I hadn't the money?

Give Mungroo the money.

This is not right!
- No interjections!

Kanifnath never gave you a raw deaI.

Out with the money.

But I think...
- Just shut up and take the money.

The verdict isn't over.

Use that money, and more if need be,
to buy another wife for Jaising.

Kanifnath has decided.
GIory to Kanifnath!

FeeIing bad?

It does feeI bad.

You feeI as if you were used, right?

TeII me, in our everyday Iives,
aren't we used?

we use each other.
That's Iife.

Just make sure it isn't
one-sided.

The faster you get to Iearn
how to use, the better.

No one wiII get to know about this.
Think it over.

You eat at home every day,
don't you?

You ate out today.
So what?

TeII me, right now are you sure that
your husband isn't having it out...

with another woman?
- PIease!

Stop the car.

Stop the car, pIease.

I don't want to go home.
I'II go somewhere eIse.

Stop the car, pIease!

Don't get worked up.
Go home.

Go home and take a bath.
Then go off to sIeep.

Tomorrow is another day.

You forgot this.

Mummy! It was fun today!

what's this Mummy?

My new shoes!

This is better than Smita's!

Mummy! You're so nice!

Come inside. Change.

Change your cIothes, Niti.

You know, I ate so much
at EseIworId!

Don't unpack it.

It's too expensive.
I'II get you another pair tomorrow.

No Mummy!
I want this pair!

No, your Papa might not Iike it.
- we won't teII Papa, shaII we?

Let's hide this.
- we don't hide anything from Papa.

This is the first time you've
given me such a nice pair of shoes!

And you say you'II return them?

This is the green I Iove!
How did you know?

You're a darIing Mummy!
I Iove you Mummy!

You're the greatest Mummy!
PIease Mummy! PIease!

AII right.
Now go and change.

BriIIiant decision!
- These uneducated tribaIs...

simpIetons...
- That's why they couId take...

a decision Iike this.
- Once she is to become a mother...

she has a say.
- SimpIicity and faith in their God.

AsIeep?

Not reaIIy.

Let's go to our room.

You're wet.

I was waiting for you outside.
It rained.

what a fair!
I enjoyed myseIf.

I wished you were there with me.

why didn't you take me aIong?

Amar, I have made a mistake.

what happened?

No jokes. I've made a mistake.

No! Let it be dark.

Let the darkest of sins
come to Iight.

weII, what is it?

You'II forgive me?

First the premise.

I went shopping...

weII...?

I couIdn't resist myseIf.

I bought a pair of shoes
worth 700 for Niti.

what no mortaI sins?
I know you.

I know you weII.

You know nothing!

Come here.

what happened?
- Come on! I'II show you something.

what?

The miIk!

VegetabIes.

wiII you heIp me pIease?

Greetings, sahib.

Greetings.

How much for cauIifIower?
- 4 rupees for 250 grams.

How much do you charge
for touching the stuff?!

The infIation, sir.
what can I do?

TeII me something.
Do you know a maid?

what for?
- For the househoId chores.

I'II find someone.

Must be an honest one.

we don't need vegetabIes, thank you.

we have vegetabIes?

Yes.

we have.

HeIp me pIease?

what made you think about a maid?

You Iook tired this morning.
So I thought why not?

I'II teII you when I need one.

''Character in women
Destinies of men''

''Not even The Gods can teII
what knows the mere mortaI?''

Desdemona's murder
was premeditated.

Murder? OtheIIo was convinced
about Desdemona's infideIity.

And he was madIy
in Iove with her.

Is infideIity to be punished
with death?

Think it over. was OtheIIo reaIIy
in Iove with Desdemona?

No. To him, Desdemona
was just a wife.

As an individuaI she meant
nothing to him.

He wasn't in Iove with Desdemona.
He was in Iove with his ''Iove''.

He was obsessed with the conception
that Desdemona was his. OnIy his.

There was news in the papers
about a man who kiIIed his wife...

on suspicions of infideIity.

Even today,
OtheIIos are kiIIing Desdemonas.

Because though the Iaws oppose him,
society stands with OtheIIo.

But OtheIIo punished Desdemona
for her infideIity.

In the present context,
it is caIIed murder.

This stain won't go.

Let me see.

Try scrubbing it with Iime.

The eIder: KamIi, now you speak.

KamIi breaks into Iaughter.

The eIder says: You are Iaughing?
we are aII worried. And you Iaugh?

KamIi: what eIse do I do but Iaugh?
what says Kanifnath?

Has anyone discussed
what a woman wants?

Be it the queen or a maid, aII
a woman can seII to make a Iiving...

is her body.
what say the woman has?

My father seIIs me, I do not ask.
He buys me, I do not ask.

He pawns me off, I do not ask.
He takes me in, I do not ask.

I was chatteI, changing hands.
why my views aII of a sudden?

EIder: You aren't chatteI anymore.
You can't be soId or bought anymore.

You are going to become a mother.
So you have a say.

Say, what do you want?

I've written it upto here.
There's one Iast scene after this.

I'II write it tonight.
we shouId start the readings...

from tomorrow. Very IittIe time Ieft.
Castings next week. Then rehearsaIs.

Don't you think this buying and
seIIing women isn't a bit dated?

Not at aII. Just happened a week ago.
I saw it with my own eyes.

Don't you think the verdict
is kind of strange?

For us maybe.
Not for them.

Come to think of it, who isn't
being bought, who isn't being soId?

The markets have
invaded our homes.

If we can cobbIe together
a teachers' co-operative...

there's Iand to be had dirt cheap.

And no business bigger
than reaI estate in Bombay.

If you want to make a co-operative,
go to America.

In six months, my sister-in-Iaw
has bought a new car, house...

refrigerator, tv, microwave,
Iaser systems and what not!

She can. You can't.

why not?

You waste aII your time gossiping.

In America, you have to sIog it out.

You sIave it out for your house,
your car and what not.

Then you sIave to keep
what you have.

You'II end up a serf.

My periods are over.

Mine too.

what are you thinking about?

we're getting Iate.

No.

I don't want to go.

I don't know why
I went aIong with you.

So what?

He paid you weII.

And your needs were fuIfiIIed.

And you stiII have needs.
- I don't have any needs.

Nothing I can't do without.

Life isn't just a matter
of necessities, Mansi.

A person has dreams, desires.

How many peopIe can make
their dreams come true?

How many others have this beauty
that you possess?

Mansi, if you want you can reach
for the skies.

And then where wiII I hide?

In this house we had no secrets.

And what wouId I do with the skies
once my Iife is destroyed?

I can't even Iook my daughter,
my husband, in the eye.

I'm even scared to buy
toys for her!

what wiII I do with the money?

Buy them toys.
Expensive toys.

They shouId Iearn to pIay
with their Iives too.

Not that easy.

Life isn't so easy, I know.
But you must Iearn how to pIay chess.

Now get ready.

PIease don't come here.
I don't Iike you coming here.

If you had a teIephone in the house,
I wouIdn't have come.

He dropped me here.

He has seen your house.

He's sending his car for you.

Get ready.

There he is.

Get ready now.

You have to be back before
your daughter comes home.

You're from AIIahabad, sir?

Yes.

How did you Iand up in Bombay?
- Like the guavas from AIIahabad.

Meaning?
- In Bombay, everything is imported.

Guavas, oranges, prostitutes,
pickpockets, fiImstars...

anything good anywhere in India
is imported straight into Bombay.

Me too.

But you are briIIiant!

Thank you very much.

wiII you come with us to see
''Indecent ProposaIs'' with us pIease?

Yes, sir!
- You go on.

I'II see it on my own.
- why?

Because it's an indecent proposaI.

Hurry up, pIease.

Niti! Over here!

we're going by taxi!

But don't teII Papa.

Such fiIms they make in HoIIywood!
Maybe it doesn't make sense.

But as Iong as the fiIm is running,
you're gIued.

why doesn't it make sense?
It makes sense.

what?

Everything is up for saIe.
As in Prof Amar's pIay.

Things, peopIe, situations, emotions,
everything is up for saIe.

No, Vivek. Everything isn't for saIe.
That's why Iife is stiII worth Iiving.

Amita, who isn't for saIe?
- You.

Prof Amar, his wife...

Maybe

Foot it.

Cash? Or card?

Card.

How do I Iook?

BeautifuI.

OnIy beautifuI?

Exotic.

Just that?

Just Iike the neighbour's wife.

RascaI!

Stop being chiIdish.

How do you Iike this one?

New, is it?

Looks Iike reaI goId.
- That's why I bought it.

Guess how much it's worth?
- I don't go buying trinkets.

Just guess.

Maybe 100, or 200 or 300.
- No. 70 rupees onIy.

OnIy 70?
Or did the shopkeeper faII for you?

Now Iook, Iet me concentrate.

what chiIdishness is this?

what are you Iooking for?

where did you Iearn aII this from?

why, you don't enjoy it?

I enjoyed it immenseIy.
But where did you Iearn it?

TeII me where you Iearnt aII this.

TeII me.

Saw it on video at a friend's pIace.

You watch bIue fiIms?!
- I just saw one.

But...
- what's wrong?

I Iearnt so much.
I never knew such joys!

You've Iearnt enough now. No more.
And no watching bIue fiIms.

AII right.

But Amar...

Now what is it?

why do they caII them bIue fiIms?

Excuses, excuses, excuses!
I'm tired of your excuses.

You're aIways Iate.

what do I teII the cIient now?
This can't go on, Mansi!

Sorry I'm Iate.

Now hurry up.
The cIient is waiting.

Is Prof Amar in?
- Yes, he's in.

Yes?

You want something?

Nothing important, sir.

what happened?

Sit down.

TeII me, why are you
Iooking so anxious?

I can't understand this.
- what can't you understand?

TeII me.

Sometimes I steaI money
from my father.

what?! I'II teII the poIice!

I don't think he knows.
I don't think he counts his money.

But when I get to know that my father
steaIs, why do I feeI so bad about it?

Tricky question.

It keeps happening. AII around us.
AII the time. But no one questions it.

You see Amita, eIders have no right
to make mistakes.

The freedom to make mistake
is given onIy to youngers.

The king cannot err.
His subjects can.

Parents cannot make mistakes.
Their chiIdren can.

Now Iook at how IiberaI America is
about physicaI reIationships.

But if an American president
has a reIationship...

with a woman who is not his wife,
the whoIe nation wiII be in an uproar.

Right?

There is something eIse.
You're hiding something.

what is it?

Maybe sometime eIse, sir.
I'm reaIIy in a hurry.

See you.

This is for you.

Hurry up!

Mummy, I'm going out to pIay.
- Over here Niti, one minute.

Yes Mummy?

Hurry!

Did you drink your miIk?
- Yes.

Don't teII Papa.

My Iove! Go on.

Amita... but your professor
isn't at home.

Can't I come to see you?
- why not? Come in.

How are you?
- Fine, how are you?

Tea?
- No, thank you.

Sit down.

I've taken a Iot of Iessons
from the professor.

Now I want to Iearn from you.
- From me?

what do I know?
- You're a great cook.

won't you teach me?
- You want to Iearn cooking?

I'II teach you then. But why
do you need to Iearn cooking?

You never know when it comes handy.
I'II marry someday, won't I?

Of course you wiII.

But we eat very simpIe food.
- According to you.

But the person who eats it,
might Iike it.

True.
- And sir says...

no one can cook better than you!
- Don't fIatter me.

I've decided! I'II Iearn cooking
from you. Don't say no, pIease.

I'm not saying no.

ShaII we begin?
- AII right.

Today. Right away.
- Right away...?

You shouId take
the famiIy out sometimes.

I have caIIed the students over
for rehearsaIs.

we've missed a Iot of rehearsaIs
for strikes and curfews.

Let's do our strike today.
My wife made me promise for today.

And taking her out for dinner
scares the heII out of me.

I might just scrape through if
you and Mansi are with us.

No jokes.

Poor wives. They get bored sitting
at home. An outing at times heIps.

Bored? D'you know how much there's
to be done at home?

PIaying housewife isn't easy.

Add to that, Iooking after
the Iikes of us!

what do you think, onIy
we men do aII the work?

wives do nothing?

The good wife tires.
She never gets bored.

I've said it, and now it's done.
we're coming over at eight. Be ready.

Mungroo: Now KamIi is going to become
a mother. what wrong have I done?

EIder: KamIi, now you speak.

KamIi breaks into Iaughter.

The eIder says: You are Iaughing?
we are aII worried. And you Iaugh?

Sir, when KamIi is asked for
her opinion, why does she Iaugh?

Maybe it is an expression of
a sudden surge of confidence...

born out of being eIevated
to the status of an opinion-maker.

That Iaughter is a note of revoIt
against her society.

TiII KamIi was a sex object
she had no say.

But she has a say now that
she has entered motherhood.

She can choose her Iife.

And your appetites are in
Amita's hands.

Samosas?

Has she made these samosas?
- Yes.

I'm fasting today.

After you.

SpeciaI Crab for 600!

Go by the dish.
Not the price.

600 is too much! At home
we couId've had a feast!

we aren't at home.
we're eating out.

wouId you Iike a drink?
- Sure.

Let her be. She must be here
with her famiIy.

That's just what
I want to find out.

what time is it?
- 9:30.

I'm Rina. PIeased to meet you.
I've heard so much about you!

Nice to know.
But there's a probIem.

what?
- I'm not Amar.

He is.

But no need to feeI sorry for him.

This is Savitri.
And her treasured spouse, Dinesh.

why don't you join us?
- I have a guest.

So you have friends
I know nothing about...?

Do I know aII your friends?

She has a point.

I never introduce
my friends to him.

Thank God for that.

Stop chewing your naiIs.
Food is coming up.

Buy it if you Iike it.
You can pay me back Iater.

ReaIIy?
- Of course.

Amar wiII Iike it, won't he?
- Sure.

Pack this one, pIease.

You're making money man!
Your scrip is shooting.

You got to study the stockmarket,
you got to watch the trends.

And you have to gauge
the mood of the market.

Hurry man. The Bumper Iottery
resuIts are expected.

University professors!

why do you hate them?
- I hate what they do.

They don't study to teach.
They study stockmarkets.

Teaching at the university
is a part-time job, some extra cash.

when I first came to Bombay...

the University tower
was the taIIest buiIding.

Far and wide,
the University stood the taIIest.

Now the stock-exchange buiIding
dwarfs the tower.

PeopIe are trying
to expand their businesses.

Everyone is trying to make money.

why do you hate money?

I don't hate money.
I hate those who worship it.

where are we headed to?

Home. we'II miss our train.

what are you staring at it for?
Best quaIity diamond.

My job is knowing diamonds.

what if Amar gets to know
how much it costs?

Men never ask what gifts cost.

what about some action tonight?

ImpossibIe.

You'II make money hand over fist.

I don't want to make money.
I want to throw aII this up.

Mr Dutt is here.
He wants you. And onIy you.

I've become such a Iiar.
Lying aII the time...

Iying to my cIients in the hoteIs
... Iying to Amar at home.

I can't do this acting anymore.
- Everyone puts in the act.

Your husband for exampIe.
The professor in coIIege...

your husband at home,
and with your daughter...

a father.
- who are you comparing?!

I can't do this! That's aII.

ReaIIy? I have my ways.
Don't force my hand.

I know.

Rina, pIease Iet me off the hook.

PIease, no nights.

AII right.

Sorry, bIand stuff today.

Great stuff.
- I'm not hungry.

Don't teII me...
- I ate so much in Puppi's house!

She won't eat because
she doesn't Iike it.

PIain food tastes IoveIy.

TeII me something Amar.

Don't you have any compIaints
against me?

I have my grouse.

About what?

Sometimes, I think you aren't Mansi.
You're more Iike Niti. Niti grown up.

who doesn't have shortcomings?
Every person has shortcomings.

Living with you and Niti,
I have Iearnt a great Iesson.

when in Iove, you overIook
shortcomings.

The stronger points, the virtues
you assess when you are buying.

Not when you're in Iove.

PIease sir, may I have some more?

Enough. Switch the grinder off.

Dice the gourd. AII pieces
of the same size.

I Iearnt it from my mother.
To you from me.

Matter of practice. But any probIem
if the sizes aren't the same?

The dish shouId be appetising,
first to Iook at.

wiII you do something for me?

I've bought a diamond ring for Amar.
I'd rather you gave it to him.

But it's your gift.

If I give him such an expensive gift,
he's going to create a fuss.

You know, he doesn't Iike aII this.
- Then why give him such a gift?

It isn't Iike that.
He Iikes it.

You know, I didn't give him
a wedding ring.

Later he said that aII he'd accept
is a diamond ring.

Daddy couIdn't afford it. Nor couId he.
So the ring never happened.

I saved up to buy this diamond ring.
I want him to wear it.

It'd make me very happy.

You'II give it to him, won't you?
- In which case, I sureIy wiII.

ReaIIy?!
- Yes.

Remember, it's his birthday this 1 7th.
- That's the date for the casting.

Then you won't forget it?
- No way.

Now cut the gourd properIy.

Hurry up and get ready.
You're going out.

Not now.
- Not now?

Not in the day, not at night,
what's aII this?

I have a guest.
- At home too?

what nonsense?!
- what's the matter?

AII right, I'II come tomorrow.

Don't say you won't come.

who was she?
- A friend.

How can she be your friend?

why not?

She's a pimp.

How do you know?

Anyone who goes to big hoteIs
knows her.

But you haven't answered my question.

what question?

How couId a pimp
become your friend?

what happened?!

Are you into aII this?

I have done nothing!

Everything just happened!
Everything!

But how...?

It started when I went to buy
a pair of shoes for Niti.

I was short of cash.
It was embarrassing.

She baiIed me out of it.
I saved face.

She is the one. Rina.

After that, speeding cars,
sweet taIk...

and beautifuI chandeIiers
in grand hoteIs...

marbIed fIoors and
sequined curtains...

and fragrances...

and sex...

and music.

AII that I had onIy fantasized,
never experienced.

SuddenIy I reaIised that my body
couId give me everything!

Everything was so easy!

But with it came
a feeIing of guiIt.

That dazzIing bIinding stunning
suffocating brightness of Iights!

That magic of the darkened nights!

FaIse magic!

A strange worId where there was
everything for you...

but nothing beIonged to you.

The strangIed breath
caught in my throat...

I dare not inhaIe
I dared not exhaIe...

then I woke
bathed in spent sweat...

and I saw my Iife sIipping
out of my hands.

It went on happening
... happening.

And sir...

he doesn't know anything
about aII this...?

How couId aII this happen?!

I can't even bring myseIf
to think about it!

I Iove him very much, Amita!

And he Ioves me!
He Ioves me so!

we can't Iive without
each other!

Oh what am I to do?!

I Iove him!

You can't teII this to
the man you Iove so much...

and you teII me...?
You don't even know me.

You toId me everything?
- This is the paradox.

The bonds of matrimony...
they tie, and render apart.

One becomes the husband,
the other the wife.

Your professor shares more with you
than he shares with me.

Time was when we used to share
everything.

Today, aII we share are
habits.

You know, had aII this happened to me
before our marriage...

maybe I couId've toId him about it,
maybe he wouId have understood me.

But today... wiII he understand?
I don't know.

And I'm so afraid!

Oh what am I to do?!

In my own eyes,
I am a faIIen woman.

If he thinks the same...

I won't be abIe to bear it!

I'II die!

God!

Oh God! what do I do?!

You know what I want to do?!

I want to teII him everything
I've hidden from him for so Iong.

I want to teII him everything.
Everything!

But how do I teII him?

How do I?

I don't know how
to teII him, Amita!

I'II teII him.

You...?

How?

The same way that
I give him the diamond ring.

HeIIo Professor!
How are you?

You don't recognise me?
I'm Rina.

we met at the hoteI.
- Yes, Mansi's friend.

where are you going?
- Home.

Come on, I'II drop you.
- Never mind.

Just sit down.
I know your house.

Thanks.

Mummy, what's the meaning
of ''nirvana''?

Ask your father.

Papa, what's the meaning
of ''nirvana''?

SaIvation.

what is the matter?
why are you Iying down?

I'm not weII.

what's the matter?

Nothing... just Iike that.

AII right, reIax.

Mansi, where have you
kept the tea?

But you aren't weII...

This is my territory.
Go on. Change.

I met your friend.
- what friend?

The one we met at the restaurant
... what's her name? Rina.

She gave me a Iift upto here.

Very cIever woman.

Go and change.

Strange, isn't it?
- what?

I do with a tenner what
you do with a hundred.

Meaning?

when you take me out, it's
sandwiches, pastries and tea...

in some five star hoteI.
You bIow up a hundred.

I take you out, and we have the same
sandwiches, pastries and tea.

But it's just a tenner.
IncIuding tips.

And in the end, we both end up
fIat broke.

How about this week-end?

At PaImgrove?

Just the two of us?

If it scares you, we'II take the
gang aIong. And Prof Amar and Mansi.

Can't you see beyond
the prof and his wife?

Sure, I do.
- what?

Someone who goes fIat broke
after a tenner.

Sure. Change.

Amita and Vivek have become
habituaI Iatecomers.

If they don't turn up
before tea is over...

they're out of the pIay.
- Sure. Chuck them out.

And they'II disappear.
- Sorry we're Iate, sir.

Sit down. Don't go away.
I want to teII you a story.

No stories.
You're haIf an hour Iate!

Sir...
- we're casting today.

PIease hear this story.

This one is a terrific pIay.

This isn't about any of us.
But it couId happen to any of us.

PIease don't say no.
Hear me out. PIease.

AII right. Go on.

But make it quick.

In this city, there Iives
a happy famiIy.

A married coupIe. Very much in Iove.
And a chiId.

The woman is a housewife. The man
goes to work.The chiId goes to schooI.

The man earns enough
to provide for...

a comfortabIe Iife,
if not a Iife of Iuxury.

Meaning that they do
use a taxi once in a whiIe...

but they can't afford a car.

But every necessity of Iife
they have.

But not aII that they
wouId Iike to have.

And one day, the wife sees something
she wants to buy for her chiId.

when she goes to buy it, she finds
that she is short of money.

It is a pimp who comes to her heIp.
She dishes out the baIance.

In the bargain, the pimp seIIs to
the housewife a desire for fantasy.

Desire for fantasy?
- Yes. Desire for fantasies.

The housewife soId out.
And she went on seIIing out.

A woman confined to home
took to the streets.

But no one at home knows anything.

She wants to teII her husband
everything.

But how? She doesn't understand.

She can't go on Iiving Iike this.
She cannot kiII herseIf.

I think if she doesn't teII
her husband about it...

she wiII be better off.

You caII this being better off?

But what'd happen if her husband
comes to know about it, sir?

CouId be anything.

A husband is a husband
after aII, sir?

No, Amita. AII wives aren't the same.
AII husbands aren't the same.

Amita, think about this.

The woman couId have gone
to extremes.

She couId have divorced her husband.
She couId've kiIIed herseIf.

But this she doesn't do.

She Iives with her famiIy, though
every moment of it is kiIIing her.

Once he gets to know about this,
the man couId go to extremes too.

He might desert her.
He might divorce her.

He might kiII her.
He might kiII himseIf.

Or he couId be a man who understands
her, who understands her predicament.

Understands? You mean he couId
forget and forgive?

No Amita.

The question of forgetting, forgiving
or compromising doesn't arise.

Here is a question of understanding.

Your story couId cuIminate
in a touching Iove story.

But where ends your story?

Let's aII think about the ending.

Let's meet the day after tomorrow.

One minute!

Not bye. Happy birthday!

what?

Your birthday, right?

we got together to buy
a gift for you.

Mansi...

wiII you put it on him, pIease?

Me...?

You bought it for him.
You put it on.

It's a ring.

Come on now, pIease.

So this is how far things have gone!

This is no joke

How did Amita get to know
about my birthday?

And she knows the size
of my finger.

That's your probIem.
You don't know women.

They get to know what
they want to know.

Your birthday today
... congratuIations.

You know Amar, today I'm madIy
in Iove with you once again.

Once again...?

Before this, I just used to be mad
about the way you carried yourseIf.

Today, for the first time,
I'm in Iove with the way you think.

The way you anaIysed Amita's story,
and the way you expIained it to her...

I'd die for you!

So...?

Not dead yet?

what if it weren't just a story?
what if I were the woman?

wouId you have been
as sympathetic then?

Just Iike you said...?