The Lost Strangers

Scene 1

Characters- Young Lady, a middle-aged woman in a cotton salwar

Ext. Road-Noon

The young lady lost in a new place looking for some help.

Lady: Excuse me! Which bus will take me to Ashok Nagar?
Woman: 5E.
Lady: (in Hindi) Kitne der mein aayega?
Woman: Next stop (Tamil accent)
Lady: Oh! you mean, bus yahan nahin aayega?
Woman: Nods her head to say no.
Lady: Kitna dur hai yahan se woh next stop?
Woman: Little hai. (The lady gives a smile trying to hide her amusement)
Lady: Thank you.

Scene2

Characters- The young lady, an old man (other people pouring in at the bus-stop)

Ext. Road-Noon

Adyar bus-stop down the bridge, quite busy at noon. An old man in white khadi clothes is standing under the sun eagerly waiting for a bus.

Lady: (I guess, this old man could be of some help- should understand some English) Excuse me!
Man : Yes? (In heavy Tamil accent)
Lady: When will the next 5E come?
Man: It left just now.
Lady: Oh, is it? (She damns her bad timing. She already had had a lot since morning) How long will it take to come back?
Man: Not long. You wait.
Lady: Yeah, thank you.

Scene3

Characters- The young Lady, another young lady and a young chap

Int. Bus-Half past noon

The young lady finally gets into 5E after waiting for 20 minutes for it to arrive at the bus-stop. She manages to push herself through the crowd and gets a seat beside a 'typical Tamilian' woman.

Lady: (I hope I find someone who speaks either English or Hindi. This isn't going to take me anywhere)

The woman gets down at the nest next stop and a young working woman occupies her seat.

Lady: (Now confident that the woman next to her would definitely speak English) Excuse me! Could you please inform me when the bus nears Ashok Nagar? Actually, I am new to Chennai and I do not know any place here.
YWoman: Well, I am sorry. I myself don't know much about the places here.
Lady: Oh! At least, will you please tell the woman in the front seat in Tamil to do the favour? I can't speak Tamil.
YWoman: Actually, I too don't know Tamil (She smiles at her)

('Two strangers lost in a similar way sitting beside each other') Both have a hearty laugh.

YWoman: Ok, wait. I will try to help you out of it.

She bends over the front seat and says something to a woman in faltering Tamil. The woman nods her head in confusion.

Lady: (Sees a young chap standing next to their seat) Well, I guess, he should be of some help to us.
YWoman: Who, he? Okay.
Lady: Excuse me, will this bus go to Ashok Nagar?
Chap: Ashok Nagar? I don't know, but it will go to Udayam Theater.
Lady: (More confused and lost now. 'Where's this Udayam Theater? i want to go to Ashok Nagar')

Meanwhile, the woman in the front seat waves her hand to confirm that she would help us

YWoman: Yeah, don't worry. She will help you find the place.
Lady: Hopefully

The young lady spends the rest of the time trying to read the names of the places from the hoardings above shops, unable to trust anyone anymore. After sometime, she finds 'Ashok Nagar' written everywhere at the shops in a particular street and pats herself for having thought of a good idea.

Lady: Listen, I think I need to get down here.
YWoman: Are you sure?
Lady: Yeah. I remember the street there, the place where I have to go.
YWoman: Okay. You sure?
Lady: Yeah. Two hundred percent. Does the bus stop here? Ok, I will ask them to stop.
YWoman: Yeah, do that.

The lady tries to make her way out of the heavy crowd of women trying to grab her seat. She suddenly stops and turns back as if to complete something and smiles at the young stranger who helped her a lot even without doing anything for her.

Lady: Bye!
YWoman: (Smiling) Bye.

The lady gets down as the bus stops at the corner of the street.

(The two strangers get lost again, now far from their unknown friend)

The Lost Strangers' Last Meet.

Ab alvida hi kehna...

We couldn’t have celebrated Independence Day in a worse way. Everything went well until we decided to go out to a movie (It’s just another holiday for most of us :( ). We chose one of the recent releases – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and, for us, it turned out to be an Independence Day lacking freedom. We got stuck in the hall for three and a half hours and the doors were opened only after the end of the show. I never cursed myself so much while watching a film. The question is why one should waste some crores of rupees in making a film like KANK. Moreover, it was a really lengthened movie.

The first thing I expected before the start of the film was the national anthem. Can’t you play it at least once a year? I remember watching a video of our national anthem at one of the theaters in Mumbai last month. It was such a wonderful video –twelve renowned singers of the country together rendering the national anthem. I felt disappointed even before the start of the film. And, the next three and a half hours consumed all my enthusiasm and energy. I always used to be skeptic about Karan Johar type films – utterly sentimental, high drama and no story line. (You may have to carry a few handkerchiefs with you if you are one who gets moved easily).

The music wasn't good either except Mitwa. It was rehashed, particularly one song (I don't remember the lyrics) which sounded exactly like a song from the movie Kyon Ho gaya Naa. No wonder because the music director trio is the same for both the films.

After watching it, I clearly understood the reason behind choosing that title for the film. Karan Johar is trying to tell his audience, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (Please do not stop watching my films after this one). An apt title, I guess! :D I felt Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a lot better than this one (I personally couldn’t appreciate KKHH though). Looks like, he is diluting his films with time. On the whole, a nap at home instead would have been good for me. Alvida.

Long live 'Its' glory

Happy Independence Day to all.

In memory

Today is the 65th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, the revolutionary movement that drew in a great victory for India under the British rule. It all started on the 9th of August in 1942 and went on till the 15th of August, 1947. It is sad that the day is being celebrated as just 'Raksha Bandhan' and not in remembrance of Quit India, the significant crusade that involved every Indian irrespective of caste, creed, religion or region and that which reminds us of the oneness that held the country together 'once upon a time'.

Creative answering

I would have loved to write something like this in the answer paper but fear of a 'Fail' grade had always kept me away from it. :D