FINAL DRAFT 7th Sept 2016
Written by
Apurva M Asrani
1301. Shishira, Off New link Rd, Andheri W, Mumbai 400053. [email protected]
towards the platform. Hearing an announcement she takes off her shoes, holds them in her hand, and bolts towards a train.
INT. TRAIN STATION. ATLANTA. DAY
TITLES BEGIN. The train doors are closing. Praful runs, sticks her foot in the closing door & enters by the skin of her teeth.
INT. TRAIN. ATLANTA. DAY
A relieved Praful puts on her shoes. An elderly woman gives her a weird look. Praful sees ads of luxury living inside.
EXT. BUS STOP. ATLANTA SUBURB. DAY
Praful sprints towards a hotel- The Courtyard Marriot. She is juggling a bag, her sandwich and her wallet, all in her hand.
INT. COURTYARD MARRIOT. ATLANTA SUBURB. DAY
Praful enters from the staff entrance, an African-American woman gives her a bored look.
STAFFER 1
You’re seven minutes late.. PRAFUL
(smiles)
I’ll make sure I work seven minutes extra.
Praful drops her wallet while trying to sign. She picks it up and punches in her attendance.
INT. STAFF ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY
Praful opens her locker and takes out her cleaning uniform. She starts to change. We see two other women also changing.
INT. GUEST ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY
Praful in her work uniform, is vacuum cleaning a room. CUT TO:
She puts all the toiletries, towels in their place.
CUT TO: Praful cleans the toilet bowl meticulously.
CUT TO: Praful makes the bed to perfection and puts up a ‘made’ sign on it. TITLES END.
INT. STAFF ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY
Praful sits with her colleagues Salma and Noella and they eat packed lunches. Praful takes out some thepla’s. The women take it happily and eat.
SALMA
Flat ka mortgage mil gaya? PRAFUL
Pre-approval ho gaya. Infact aaj Maa ko dikha rahi hu.
NOELLA Really? Where?
PRAFUL
Uptown Atlanta. Near that Italian joint, Frederico’s. NOELLA Whoa! Posh! SALMA Mehnga hoga? PRAFUL
Market cost $700,000 hain...but mujhe $400,000 mein padega.
SALMA Kaise?
PRAFUL
Minority Housing zindabad! SALMA
Kaha se aaye itne paise? PRAFUL
Jamma kiya hain maine. I worked 7 years for it!
NOELLA
No wonder you never came to any parties with me, you sly fox!
PRAFUL
Let me buy the flat Noella, phir party hee party!
A short, impeccably dressed man with big attitude enters the staff room. He is MIKE MEHNDI, 45, the Housekeeping manager. There is uncomfortable energy between him and Praful.
MIKE
Why isn’t 503 cleaned??? PRAFUL
Door pe ‘Do Not Disturb’ ka sign tha.
MIKE
Wahi se aa raha hu. Koi sign nahi dikha!
He looks at Noella and smiles, she blushes and touches her pendent. Praful notices .
PRAFUL
Shayad guest ne nikal diya hoga. Hum log lunch kar rahe the..
MIKE
Tumhara break dus minute pehle khatam ho gaya. Praful, yeh
housekeeping hain, koi kitty party club nahin.
The women start packing their lunch. Praful continues to eat the sandwich.
MIKE (CONT’D)
Noella, come to the linen room in 5. I need to take stock of the towels. Praful, I want 503 cleaned now. He walks away. PRAFUL Ok Milkhaji. SALMA (laughs) Milkha kyon?
PRAFUL
Har kaam jaldi mein karta hain. Haina Noella?
Noella ignores.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Sexy pendent Noella.
NOELLA Thanks.
SALMA (winks)
Guess kisne gift kiya?
Praful makes a mocking face, as Noella blushes. NOELLA
Jealous?
PRAFUL (laughs)
Relieved. Milkha zabardasti ek gift thama deta hain, aur baar baar
return gift maangta hain. Salma laughs
NOELLA
This time its serious. SALMA
(chuckles)
Isko bola ki yeh pendent uski Maa ki aakhri nishani hain!
PRAFUL (laughs)
Dekh le, har floor pe kisi ladki ke galle mein uski maa ki aakhri
nishani hogi!
They both laugh. Noella isn’t amused.
INT. EMPTY APARTMENT BUILDING. UPTOWN ATLANTA. DAY
A bright, empty apartment. The door opens and a male agent-STEVEN, 38, enters. He is followed by Praful and her mother KUMUD, 53.
STEVEN
Lots of sunlight! There’s a park upfront, so no chance of a building coming up.
Kumud looks in awe, Praful beams. PRAFUL
‘Be’ bedroom chhe maa. Dono mein attached bathroom. Yeh wala aapke liye, jab aap rehne aaogi.
Praful shows Kumud the quieter of the two rooms. Kumud nods proudly to Steven. KUMUD Big ‘hole’. STEVEN (concerned) Hole?
Praful points to the living area. STEVEN (CONT’D) Yeah. The living area is big!
PRAFUL
Maa, aa jo, yaha pooja room banega. KUMUD
(inspects)
Bhattji ko bulake vaastu dekhna padega.
Steven wonders what they are talking about. PRAFUL
(points) Prayer room.
STEVEN
She’s religious? There’s an Indian temple round the block.
PRAFUL
Thats a Gurudwara--for Sikh’s. We are Hindu’s.
STEVEN
Oh, there’s an Indian kebab joint two blocks away. Best lamb kebabs in Atlanta.
PRAFUL Vegetarian.
Beat
STEVEN I’ll wait outside.
Steven exits the room. Kumud stands at the window and a tear streams down her face.
PRAFUL Maa? Aa shu? Aansu??
Kumud laughs at Praful’s joke. She blesses her. KUMUD
Pehli baar khushi ke hain. Rone de na.
PRAFUL
Toh teri taraf se haan hain? KUMUD
Mere haan se kya hota hain? Tujhe rehna hain yaha!
PRAFUL
Tu nahi rahegi mere saath? KUMUD
Main kab tak rahungi? Shaadi karke pati ke saath rehle...
PRAFUL (irritated) Maa!
KUMUD
Zindagi bhar akeli rahegi? PRAFUL
Maine kab kaha akeli rahungi? Beat.
KUMUD
Jaise bhi kar. Koi dhoondh le Praful.
KUMUD (CONT’D)
Pata hain Praful, mein Ahemdabad mein sapna dekhti thi...ki ek din hum teeno saath rahenge, khush. Lekin yaha aakar...
Kumud begins to cry. Praful controls her emotions. PRAFUL
Maa, Purani baaten chhod na. Yeh bata rasoi kaise banayegi. I’m thinking of a 4 burner stove..
KUMUD
Jaise bhi bana. No Non-Veg! PRAFUL
Haan, haan, ghar mein no non-veg!
EXT. UPTOWN ATLANTA STREET. DAY
Praful, Kumud and Steven walk to Praful’s car. Kumud watches the upmarket locality in awe.
STEVEN
This apartment is a steal! Just yesterday we sold a place for $800,000!
PRAFUL
I know. I think my mortgage should come through soon.
STEVEN
I’ll draw up the paperwork. How about we meet Monday in my office?
PRAFUL (smiles)
I’ll be there. Thank you Steven!
The women walk towards a Green Nissan and get in.
INT. CAR. ATLANTA ROADS. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful drives slowly. She is not a very good driver. KUMUD
PRAFUL
Kuch jamma kiye hain, baaki personal loan ke liye apply kar rahi hu.
KUMUD
Tch. Kitna bola tha tujhe, jama kar paise..
A car honks at Praful, she is in the wrong lane. She swerves off.
PRAFUL
Mamma, lecture mat de. Ho jayega... KUMUD
Apne Pappa se baat kar. PRAFUL
Hazaar baatein sunayenge. Bank bhi itne sawaal nahi puchte.
KUMUD Red light hain. Praful continues to drive
KUMUD (CONT’D) (shouts)
Red light hain, Praful ruk!
Praful suddenly stops, ahead of the light. She reverses over the zebra crossing. Irritated walkers give her a dirty look.
INT. ATLANTA BANK. DAY
Kumud sits in the waiting area of a busy bank.
Praful is by the water cooler. She looks around at the various transactions taking place. The bank has an air of importance and the employees all seem pre-occupied.
Praful fills water in the plastic cup and drinks peculiarly without touching her lips.
CYNTHIA Ms Patel!
Praful is started by the sound and spills some water. She turns to see Cynthia.
CYNTHIA (CONT’D) The cups are sterilized.
PRAFUL (sheepish) Old habit.
INT. BANK. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful sits with Cynthia, who with an air of self-importance, goes through some papers.
PRAFUL
Actually, I was hoping you could process the loan quickly, I have two weeks to..
Cynthia reads some papers. CYNTHIA
Its good to know that you got a pre-approval on the mortgage...
PRAFUL
Yes. That makes things easy? CYNTHIA
Shouldn’t be a problem. I just need to check your credit scores and we should be good! Please sign this. Cynthia pushes a paper to Praful.
CYNTHIA (CONT’D) And this, and this..
Praful begins signing the papers. CYNTHIA (CONT’D) I’ll call you on Monday.
PRAFUL
Ok. If you can call me any earlier, I’ll be grateful
Cynthia smiles.
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Praful drives with Kumud into a quiet driveway of her house. She tries to park the car in the spot, but swerves towards the garden.
KUMUD
It is too late. Praful drives on the garden patch, crushing some shrubs.
The door opens and a tall Gujarati man, Mohan, 62, walks out. MOHAN
Praful, mere chrysanthemums! PRAFUL
Sorry Pappa. Drive-way miss ho gayi.
MOHAN
Phir se driving school kyon nahin jaati?? Kam se kam parking toh seekh le.
PRAFUL
I’m getting better, dad. Pichle hafte gaadi mailbox pe chadha dee thee!
Mohan removes the dead flowers. MOHAN
Itna late kaha se aa rahi hain? KUMUD
Bank se. Mohan is uncomfortable.
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Mohan and Praful sit at the dining table. Kumud stands and serves. Praful watches her mother fuss over her father.
MOHAN
Rotli naram thayi gayi! KUMUD
Aadhe ghante se bula rahi hu. Tum TV se uth-te nahi! La garam karke laati hu.
MOHAN (makes a face)
Sab naram naram kyon khilati hain. Kuch crispy nahi hain kya?
KUMUD Farsan lau?
MOHAN
Kumud, joh bechte hain, usse khaate nahi! Aur kuch idea nahi soojta tujhe?
KUMUD
Nahi. Anpad aurat hu, ideas nahi aate. Papad lekar aati hu.
PRAFUL
Tu baith Maa. Main karti hu. KUMUD
Tu kaam se thaki hogi, kha le
pehle. Hum log toh ghar mein baithe rehte hain...
MOHAN
Main ghar mein baitha rehta hu? Tees saal se tum dono ko khila raha hu, aur aaj beti kama rahi hain, toh meri aukad nahi? Aye Praful, teri kamai ka khata hu kya??
Kumud ignores him and goes to the kitchen. Praful eats. MOHAN (CONT’D)
6 mahine se mera business down hain. Tere kamayi ke paise mere paas aate hain kya?
PRAFUL
Pehle toh deti thi na? Ab makaan ke liye jama kar rahi hu.
MOHAN
Achanak flat ki kya zarurat pad gayi? Yeh tera ghar nahi hain kya?
PRAFUL
Yeh aapka ghar hain Pappa. Main apna space chahti hu.
MOHAN
Toh shaadi kyon nahin kar leti? PRAFUL
Ek baar kar chuki hu. MOHAN
(bitingly)
PRAFUL Galti meri nahin thi.
MOHAN
Waise kab hoti hain teri galti? Kumud enters and sees the tension.
KUMUD Pankha chalu karu? Beat.
PRAFUL
Pappa please, lecture mat dijiye. Kar lungi main.
MOHAN
Property khareedna koi mazaak nahin hain Praful. Kam se kam mujhse sala-mashwara kar leti?
PRAFUL
Pappa, aapke help ke bina mujhe mortgage par pre-approval mil gaya na?
Mohan makes a face.
KUMUD
Kyon rok rahe ho isko? Investment karna chahti hain. Meri tarah kamzor rehne se accha hain!
MOHAN (shouts)
Tu iska dimaag kharaab mat kar! Paise hain iske paas toh mere business mein invest kar leti. Property ke bare mein kya jaanti hain yeh?
PRAFUL
Koi investment-vinvestment nahin karna chahti hu. Bas independent rehna chahti hu..
MOHAN
Kyon? Taaki ghar boyfriends laa sako??
PRAFUL Sure. Why not?
Mohan throws his plate and it crashes violently on the floor. The women are shaken.
KUMUD Mohan!
Praful gets up from the table. MOHAN (angry) Baith jao! Praful stares in anger.
KUMUD
Praful. Baith ja. Khana khatam kar. Praful doesn’t sit.
MOHAN
Kumud ek baar ladki haath se gayi na, toh wapas nahi aane waali.
PRAFUL
Excuse me, main ladki hu, koi ghodi ya bakri nahi!
KUMUD
Aap kyon iske plan mein rokk laga rahe hain. Khareedne do isse flat!
MOHAN
Kumud, ghalat salah mat de, warna tu hee pachtayegi.
KUMUD
Jaise kam pachta rahi hu ab. Ahemdabad mein hee khush the hum dono. Dhoke se bula-liya...
MOHAN
Praful, is aurat ne tere dimaag mein zehar bhar diya hain. Main tere bhalayi ke liye keh raha hu! Baith jaa.
Praful doesn’t move. Kumud looks at her and nods. Praful reluctantly sits.
MOHAN (CONT’D)
Ek baap ki pareshani ko samajh Praful. Divorcee ki shaadi karana kitna mushkil hain jaanti hain?
Agar kisi ladke ke chakkar mein pad gayi toh..?
PRAFUL
Yeh kya divorcee, divorcee laga rakha hain tumlogo ne? Meri aur koi pehchaan nahin hain kya?? Aur main dobara shaadi nahin karne wali. Yeh baat aap samajh jaiye.
Beat.
MOHAN
Then you will have to get out of my house!
PRAFUL
Why do you think ki main yeh flat khareed rahi hu?
Mohan glares at her, the gets up and walks out of the back-door, slamming it behind him. Praful makes a face.
PRAFUL (CONT’D)
Wow! Mujhe table chhodna allowed nahin hain, magar yeh toh ghar se hee chale gaye.
KUMUD Kha le.
Praful continues eating.
KUMUD (CONT’D) Aur lau?
Praful nods to say no. She suddenly remembers. PRAFUL
Maa, sun. Weekend ko mein Vegas jaa rahi hu, yaad hain na?
KUMUD
Par tujhe toh down payment karna hain?
PRAFUL
I have to go Mamma. Amber ka bachelorette hain.
KUMUD
Praful, tere paas joh $30,000 jama hain, usse choona mat!
PRAFUL
Naresh uncle saara kharcha utha rahe hain.
Kumud nods. Praful finishes eating. KUMUD
Saaru hattu? PRAFUL Tip-top!
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Mohan is smoking a cigarette and looking at the street. Praful comes out.
PRAFUL
Pappa, aake khaana kha lijiye!
Mohan gives her a sad look. Praful makes a face, pulls the cigarette from his hand and stubs it.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Kitni gandi smell aati hain.
MOHAN
Tu mujhe trust kyon nahi karti? Dushman hu tera?
PRAFUL
Of course not. Ab aa jao andar. Maa bhi nahi khaa rahi.
MOHAN
Is ghar mein kaunsi problem hain tujhe Praful? San accha chal raha tha. Jabse tune tankwha dena band kiya hain, saara pressure mujhi par hain.
PRAFUL
Pappa, saari zindagi aise nahi reh sakti main. Ek baar flat le lu, main phir se conribute karne lagungi.
MOHAN (smirks)
Ek baar ghar se gayi, toh gayi. PRAFUL
Beat.
MOHAN
Theek hain. Agar yaha nahi rehna chahti, to kam se kam ladka dekh le apne liye.
Beat.
PRAFUL
Sochungi. Ab khana kha lo, please.
Praful and Mohan enter the house. They shut the door.
INT. AIRPORT. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful, Amber, 25 and Vandana, 27 exit into Las Vegas
airport. Praful is wide-eyed when she sees the slot machines.
INT. SLOT AREA. VEGAS AIRPORT. DAY
Praful puts in a dollar and presses the button. She loses. She puts another dollar. She loses.
Amber brings her bags. Praful decides to play one last round. She gets a line of 3 & wins double. She smiles. Music starts.
EXT. AIRPORT. LAS VEGAS. DAY
The girls squeal as they see a hired Limo waiting for them.
INT. LIMO. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Champagne in the limo. They watch in awe at the glimmering Vegas strip with fancy stores, bars and good-looking people. A TV screen inside the limo plays ads for the best casinos.
EXT. CAESARS PALACE HOTEL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
The limo stops outside the imposing Caesars Palace hotel. The girls get out.
INT. SUITE. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. DAY
Their room has two Jacuzzi’s and a great view. More champagne awaits them on ice. They click glasses overlooking the Vegas skyline.
INT. SHOPPING MALL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
The girls go shopping. Amber shops up a storm.
Praful tries a gorgeous dress that she likes on Amber’s insistence, but cant afford the $1200 price tag.
Praful buys a belt instead, and puts it on her credit card. The card is declined. The cashier makes a face. Praful gives another card and waits anxiously. It goes through.
INT. SUITE. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. NIGHT
The girls are getting dressed in the room. Vandana does Amber’s hair in rollers, while Amber painstakingly puts on eye-shadow.
Praful steps out of the bathroom. She is wearing a long skirt with big boots and a mismatched top. She puts on the new belt and poses awkwardly in front of the mirror.
AMBER
Sweetie, yeh kya hain? PRAFUL
Accha hain na? VANDANA
Haan. Unees-sau nabbe ke hooker ke liye.
Praful looks at Vandana in horror. PRAFUL
Boots kuch zyada ho gaye? AMBER
Baby, sabkuch zyada ho gaya. Aur kya layi hain tu?
Praful opens her bag and takes out denims and corduroys. The women make faces.
AMBER (CONT’D) Praf, sweetie, in denims aur
corduroys ko na, tu jala de. Kyonki charity mein bhi koi nahi lene
wala.
Amber goes to her cupboard and scans through dresses. She finds a short off shoulder dress and holds it on Praful.
PRAFUL
Bahut tight lag raha hain. AMBER
Tu na, saas rok-ke aur arse tok se chal, sab theek hojayega.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. NIGHT
Praful exits the elevator in her tight dress, hair tied up. She wobbles uncomfortably in stilettos, holding the wall for support. She sees the casino and wanders inside.
INT. CASINO. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. NIGHT
Praful sees the slot machines. She sits down to play. She wins a small amount! She looks towards two old ladies playing next to her. The women smile. She plays again. She wins.
A waitress approaches her. WAITRESS Wine?
PRAFUL Can I have a beer?
She hand her a beer. Praful hits the button. She wins again. WAITRESS
You should cash in on your luck! PRAFUL
Meaning?
WAITRESS
To make real money, you should play Baccarat.
PRAFUL Baccarat?
WAITRESS
It’s the game James Bond plays! Very simple and quick returns. Its over there...
INT. CASINO. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. NIGHT
Praful walks to am empty Baccarat table. The dealer on the table is a South Indian guy-MURTHY.
PRAFUL Kaise khelte hain?
MURTHY Baithon.
Praful sits.
MURTHY (CONT’D)
Main do haath baatunga. Ek PLAYER ko, ek BANKER ko. Tumhe dono mein se ek pe bet lagana hain. Jis haath ka total ‘9’ ke sabse kareeb hoga, wahi jeetega. Baccarat is all about the number ‘9’.
Just then an old man sits on the vacant chair next to her. He takes out his chips to play.
MURTHY (CONT’D) (to Praful)
Want to play?
Praful nods. She takes out the ticket she won at the slots and hands it to the dealer. Murthy gives her $300 worth of chips in exchange.
MURTHY (CONT’D) (Nods at her)
Place your bets!! Praful places $50 on PLAYER.
Murthy deals two hands. They look at it. MURTHY (CONT’D) PLAYER total 7. BANK total 5. PLAYER wins.
Murthy moves the chips towards Praful. She has won $100. She smiles wide.
An older woman comes and sits on the table. Praful notices her gorgeous dress.
MURTHY (CONT’D) Place your bets!
The cards are dealt.
MURTHY (CONT’D)
BANK’s total is 7. PLAYER gets two Kings. Making the total 0.
Murthy deals a third card to PLAYER, it is a 9. DEALER
Number 9. PLAYER beats BANK.
Praful loses her bet. Her chips are taken away. The lady wins, the old man loses.
MURTHY
Place your bets please.
Praful takes out more counters and bets $100 on BANK. The cards open.
MURTHY (CONT’D)
PLAYER has a total of 7, BANK gets an 8.
Praful wins $200!!
Praful’s heart starts beating faster and the surrounding sounds tune out. She is feeling a rush of adrenaline.
A series of jump-cuts. Praful wins several more times. She is getting more confident.
Praful puts all her counters on PLAYER. The cards are dealt, Praful’s phone rings. She jumps a little with the sudden interruption. She answers.
PRAFUL
Haan Vandana? Kaha ho tumlog?
She looks at the PLAYERS cards. A natural nine. She squeals in excitement.
VANDANA
Meet us in the Lobby in ten
minutes. Limo wait kar raha hain! PRAFUL
Main aayi.
Murthy pushes her winning counters towards her. Praful counts and is elated. She looks at the older woman.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) $2000! I just won $2000!!
The older woman shows no excitement. Murthy smiles.
INT. SHOPPING MALL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful rushes the same shop where Amber had shopped earlier. She buys the dress with the $1200 price tag and wears it.
INT. NIGHTCLUB. LAS VEGAS. NIGHT
The girls at the bar at a heaving party. Praful is looking hot.
AMBER
I told you yeh dress tujhe suit karega.
VANDANA
Praf, sexy! But yeh shoes??
We see the Praful is wearing mismatched shoes. PRAFUL
Sab kuch perfect nahin hona chahiye. Its boring!
The girls giggle. The cute bartender approaches them. BARTENDER
What will you pretty ladies have? AMBER
We’ll have you! The girls laugh.
BARTENDER Any drinks on the side?
AMBER
Jagermeister shots please! BARTENDER
You got it!
He serves them the shots. The girls down it. Amber goes to pay. Praful stops her and puts some fresh notes out to the bartender.
PRAFUL Drinks on me!
AMBER Are you sure baby?
The bartender returns with the change. PRAFUL
Keep the change. The bartender winks at her.
CUT TO: The girls dance. A group of boys hits on the girls. Amber is charmed by a handsome white boy. Vandana is close dancing with a Black girl.
A stocky boy tries close dancing with Praful. Praful cant match steps, she starts doing her own strange moves. He tries to hit on her, but her mind is elsewhere.
Praful tries to get Amber’s attention, but she is too busy kissing the white boy..
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Amber, I’m bored!
AMBER (pulls away)
Kya main bored lag rahi hu?? PRAFUL
Main Hotel jaau? AMBER
Shayad mein isko bhi saath le-aungi. Room andar se lock mat karna.
PRAFUL Oh god!
The White boy pulls Amber away. Praful exits.
INT. CASINO. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. DAY
Praful walks into the hotel and heads straight for the Casino. Her face begins to light up again. She sees the Baccarat table and takes out her CREDIT CARD to buy some chips.
Praful sits. An older Pakistani man, playing at the table, smiles at her.
DEALER
Place your bets please.
She places $50 on BANK. The dealer deals. Praful looks at her cards.
DEALER (CONT’D)
PLAYER gets a natural 9. BANK gets a 7. PLAYER wins.
Praful loses the bet. The Pakistani Man wins.
She bets $50 on PLAYER. The dealer deals and Praful looks at her cards.
DEALER (CONT’D)
The BANK gets a total of 8, PLAYER gets a 7. Bank wins.
Praful loses again. The Pakistani man wins. He watches as Praful shakes her head and gets up to get a drink.
CUT TO: Praful is at the bar drinking a beer. The Pakistani man approaches the bartender.
KHAN
I’ll have a whisky soda. He sits next to Praful and smiles.
KHAN (CONT’D) Hi, I’m Khan. Lahore se.
PRAFUL
I’m Praful, from Atlanta. KHAN
American? Tumhara accent toh Indian hain...
PRAFUL
India mein badi hui. 17 saal ki thi jaba yaha aayi.
KHAN
Hmmm. Uss umr mein mushkil raha hoga, adjust karna?
PRAFUL
Thoda sa. Phir samajhne lagi ki yaha American koi nahi. Har koi baahar se aaya hain...
Khan smiles. He seems to like Praful. PRAFUL (CONT’D)
Kaafi jeet rahe the aap. Mere liye koi tip?
KHAN (laughs)
Tip? Baccarat mein jeetna mushkil nahi.
PRAFUL (makes a face)
Main toh haar ke uthi hu. KHAN
Do round haar ke agar uth gayi, toh iss game ko samjhi nahi tum.
Praful doesn’t understand.
KHAN (CONT’D)
Baccarat is a very fast game. Minto mein aadmi malamal ho sakta hain. Magar sabr zaruri hain...
Praful pays attention.
KHAN (CONT’D)
...yaani accha bankroll hona zaruri hain. Agar tumhare paas itne paise ho ke 5-6 bets haar sako, toh uske baad jeetna almost guaranteed hain. Trick is to stay in the game. Bas!
PRAFUL 5-6 round kyon?
KHAN
Law of averages. Research batati hain ke 5-6 round mein ek baar jeetna almost sure hain.
PRAFUL (excited) Really?
Khan nods. The bartender hands him a bill.. PRAFUL (CONT’D (CONT’D) Let me get this.
KHAN No please.
Praful grabs the bill. PRAFUL
Main aapka tip free mein nahin le sakti.
Khan laughs. Praful takes out her wallet. Chooses which card to put. They click glasses.
CUT TO: Praful walks to an ATM. She looks at her balance of $32,000. She punches in $1000. She then changes her mind and makes it $2000. She takes the money.
CUT TO: Back at the Baccarat table, Praful sits and checks her money. An elegant lady is already playing.
Praful bets $50 on PLAYER. DEALER
PLAYER gets a total of 6, BANK gets an 8. Bank wins.
Praful loses. The elegant lady wins. Praful counts ‘one’. Praful bets $100 on BANK.
DEALER (CONT’D)
PLAYER gets a total of 8, BANK has a total of 7. PLAYER wins.
Praful loses the bet again. Praful counts ‘two’. Praful bets $200 on PLAYER. Dealer deals.
DEALER (CONT’D) Bank wins.
Praful loses her bet. She counts ‘three’.
Praful nervously bets 400$ on BANK. Dealer deals. DEALER (CONT’D)
The BANK’s 8 beats the PLAYER’s 6.
Praful finally wins. $800. She smiles as she counts ‘four’ on her fingers.
Praful goes to bet the entire $1600 on PLAYER. Her phone rings.
PRAFUL Haan Vandana.
VANDANA
Amber ne kuch zyada pee li.. DEALER
PLAYER gets a 9, which beats the BANK’s 8.
Praful wins $3200. She screams with joy! VANDANA
Praful??
PRAFUL
Sorry. Kaha ho tumlog. VANDANA Kamre mein..
PRAFUL Ok. Main aayi.
INT. CAESARS PALACE HOTEL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful is at the cashier, haphazardly holding all her chips in her hand. She even drops a few, but smiles sweetly. The cashier counts some money.
CASHIER (smiles)
That’s $3200. Praful whistles.
INT. CAESARS PALACE HOTEL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful enters the room to see Amber throwing up in the toilet. Vandana is helping her.
PRAFUL Kya hua?
VANDANA
17 shots pee gayi. Jab gore ne kiss karne ki koshish ki toh...
Vandana giggles. Praful makes a face and gestures to Vandana that she’ll take over.
PRAFUL Tu theek hain Amber?
AMBER
Praf. Sab khatam hone wala hain yaar.
PRAFUL
Nonsense. Tu kitni excited hain shaadi ko leke.
AMBER
Sab dikhawa hain. Actually I’m really scared.
PRAFUL
Phir kyon kar rahi hain? AMBER
Main teri tarah independent nahin hu yaar. Mere paas koi ‘plan B’ nahin hain.
PRAFUL
Itni senti mat ho Amber. AMBER
I envy you Praf. Tu wahi karti hain joh tu chahti hain, kaash main... Amber throws up again. Praful rubs her back.
PRAFUL Its ok...its ok...
AMBER (recovers)
Praf, pata hain, jab tu nayi nayi aayi thi US, toh sab tere accent ka, tere kapdon ka, mazaak udaate the...
PRAFUL Pata hain.
AMBER
Main bhi thoda embarrassed thi. Praful nods.
AMBER (CONT’D)
Lekin Maa ne mujhe force kiya, ki tera khayal rakhu.
PRAFUL
Aur rakha bhi Ammu. You are my best friend.
Praful starts helping Amber up. AMBER
I love you Praf. I’m sorry, tujhe samajhne mein time lag gaya.
Praful tucks her in bed. PRAFUL
Mujhe kabhi bura nahi laga.
CUT TO: Amber snores. We see Praful wide awake in bed.
She looks out of the window where she sees the world finest casino’s lit up for a nights play. Praful’s eyes glisten.
EXT. CAESARS PALACE HOTEL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
The girls wheel their bags out towards a waiting cab. We see that Amber and Vandana are going, not Praful
AMBER
You sure tu nahi aana chahti? PRAFUL
Kamra ek aur din ke liye book hain. Kal aa jaungi.
AMBER
Sorry babe, maine ek raat mein poore trip ki pee lee. Ab party nahin hota mujhse.
PRAFUL
Toh mere saath casino mein chal. You know how much I made yesterday?
AMBER
Beginners luck tha Praf. Tu is gambling-wambling ke chakkar mein matt pad!
PRAFUL
Amber gives Praful a kiss and they leave in the cab. Praful walks inside and caresses the money she won last night.
CUT TO: Praful walks to an ATM and checks her balance. It is $30,000. She punches in $5000.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) (to herself)
Jeeti toh, flat ka saara down payment haath mein aajayega. Uske liye kam-se-kam chhe round ka bankroll chahiye...
Praful changes the amount to $15000. She withdraws the money and walks to the tale.
CUT TO: Back at the Baccarat table, Praful sits and checks her money. She seems to have a decent bankroll.
DEALER
This is a minimum $500 table.
Praful is about to get up when she sees an Arab man smirk at her.
She sits back down and bets $500 on BANK. DEALER (CONT’D)
PLAYER gets a total of 6, BANK gets an 8. Bank wins.
Praful wins. The Arab man loses. Praful gives him a dirty look.
DEALER (CONT’D) Place your bets!
The Arab man bets $2000 on Player. Praful bets $1000 on BANK. DEALER (CONT’D)
PLAYER gets a total of 8, BANK has a total of 7. PLAYER wins.
Praful loses the bet again. The Arab man wins and gives
Praful a dirty look. He bets $2000 on BANK. Praful bets $2000 on PLAYER. Dealer deals. Praful taps her foot nervously.
DEALER (CONT’D) Bank wins.
Praful loses the bet. The Arab man wins.
Montage shots of Praful losing. Her face starts to look tired as her chips deplete.
Praful nervously bets her last $8000 on BANK. Dealer deals. Praful bites her lip.
DEALER (CONT’D)
PLAYER gets a 9, which beats the BANK’s 8.
Praful loses. The Arab wins.
Praful has lost half her savings. As she gets up, she sees the Arab smirk
ARAB PLAYER Try the $50 table.
Praful glares at him and walks off angrily.
INT. TAXI. VEGAS AIRPORT. NIGHT
Praful sleeps in the back of a cab, and the Vegas lights pass her by. The taxi stops at the airport and she awakens.
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful steps out of a cab and rings the doorbell of her house. No one answers. She rings again. Again no answer. Praful dials her mother.
PRAFUL Maa? Darwaza khol ne?
KUMUD VO
Praful, mujhe kholne nahi de rahe hain..
Praful hears her parents fight. The line gets cut. PRAFUL
Maa?
The fighting reaches the door. MOHAN VO
Kal raat kaha thi? Aa Patel motel chhe kya??
PRAFUL Flight miss ho gaya..
MOHAN VO
Toh Amber kaise aa gayi time pe?? PRAFUL
I dont know. Security jaldi clear kar gayi..uske hand luggage mein shampoo nahi tha..
KUMUD VO
Ae Mohan, jo bolna hain na, andar bol. Beech raat ko, jawan ladki ghar ke baahar khadi hain!
PRAFUL
Pappa, darwaza kholo please.
A livid Mohan opens the door and Praful enters. MOHAN
Itni badi ho gayi hain ke ek phone nahi kar sakti? Mere kitne calls kaate hain tune?
PRAFUL (shouts back)
You cant treat me like this dad? Kya main bacchi hu??
Kumud shuts the door, hoping the neighbors wont hear. MOHAN
Agar iss ghar mein rehna hain, toh you have to follow my rules...
Praful is about to say something. Kumud holds her back. KUMUD
Behas se kuch haasil nahi hone wala. Tu so ja. Kal subah kaam pe jaana hain na.
MOHAN
Kyon beech mein taang adati ho? Main apne beti se khud baat nahi kar sakta??
KUMUD
Tum baat nahin karte, sirf chillate ho. Kal subah, thande dimaag se baat karlo. Jaa Praful.
Praful begins walking up the stairs. MOHAN
(to Praful)
Light ka bill tere table pe rakha hain. Bhar de.
PRAFUL
Lekin, mere paas paise nahi.. MOHAN
Vegas jaa sakti hain, magar ghar mein haath nahi bata sakti??
KUMUD
Bhar degi. Aap chinta mat karo.
Praful goes up the stairs and shuts the door. Kumud enters. She takes out some money.
KUMUD (CONT’D) Yeh le. Bhar le bill.
PRAFUL Magar Maa.
KUMUD
Kuch hee din ki baat hain. Main nahin chahti tere flat mein koi rukawat hon.
Praful nods.
KUMUD (CONT’D)
Down payment ke paise ko chuaa toh nahi?
Praful nods to say no. She is feeling guilty.
INT. GUEST ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY Monotonous shots.
Praful vacuums the floor.
Praful cleans the toilet bowl.
Praful arranges the shampoos. She gets a phone call. PRAFUL
STEVEN
We were supposed to meet today for the paperwork. I have another bid on the house.
PRAFUL
No No. Hold that place Steve. I’m just waiting for my bank to approve the personal loan.
INT. BANK. ATLANTA. DAY
We see the hustle bustle of a busy bank. At the watercooler, Praful drinks water from the cup, without touching her lips. Cynthia approaches.
CYNTHIA Follow me Ms Patel. Praful drops the water.
CUT TO: Cynthia arranges all Praful’s paperwork and takes her time. Praful waits nervously.
PRAFUL
Cynthia, Is the loan approved? CYNTHIA
Give me a moment please. Praful looks around the bank.
CYNTHIA (CONT’D)
Ms Patel, I’ve gone through your account, and as much as I’d like to help...you're not eligible for a loan!
PRAFUL But why?
CYNTHIA
Your credit rating is really low. You are spending more than you are putting back. You often use your entire credit limit, and off late, you seem to have half emptied your account...in one day!
PRAFUL
That’s because I’m flat broke! That’s why I need the money!
CYNTHIA
If you really want the loan, I suggest you work to improve your funds over the next few months..
PRAFUL
This is crazy. If I have good enough funds why would I need a loan?
CYNTHIA
I’m sorry that’s how banks work Ms Patel.
PRAFUL
Actually, they don’t work, lady. Thanks for your time.
Cynthia nods condescendingly. Praful exits the bank.
INT. CAR. ATLANTA ROADS. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful drives slowly thinking of what to do.
EXT. LAKE. ATLANTA. DAY
We see Praful’s parked car. She is sitting by a serene lake looking at the calm water. She seems disturbed but the
environment gives her clarity. She thinks.
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Praful parks badly, half on the sidewalk. Mohan opens the door and heaves a sigh of relief.
MOHAN
Chalo, kam se kam mera garden to bach gaya.
Praful hugs her dad.
PRAFUL Hi dad!
MOHAN
Arre wah! Aaj Pappa pe bada pyaar aa raha hain.
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Kumud serves dinner. Mohan eats quietly. Praful wants to say something, but cant find the guts.
PRAFUL (to kumud)
Maa, naye flat mein na open kitchen rakhenge. Taaki burner se garam khana pass ho sake.
KUMUD (looks at Mohan) Hmmmm.
Mohan ignores the comment. Beat.
PRAFUL
Pappa, main chahti hu aap bhi flat dekh lo..
MOHAN Achanak kya hua?
PRAFUL
As an investment for you. Area bahut hee appreciate hone wala hain.
MOHAN
Meri kya zarurat hain? Paise toh toone arrange kiye hue hain na?
PRAFUL
Mostly arranged hain. Par thoda shortfall hain.
MOHAN Kitne ka?
PRAFUL
Yahi kuch 30-40,000 ka. MOHAN
(laughs) Thoda shortfall?
KUMUD
Personal loan ke liye apply kiya tha na? Kya hua?
MOHAN (smirks) Nahi mila?
PRAFUL
Nahi. But Hotel se agar undertaking letter mil jaye, toh ho jana
chahiye..
MOHAN (sarcastic)
Really? Toh koshish zarur karna. Praful stares at him.
PRAFUL
Toh aap invest nahin karna chahte? MOHAN
Invest? Mujhe nahin lagta ki tumhe investment ke baare mein malum hain.
KUMUD
Praful, kuch problem ho gayi kya? MOHAN
Agar madat chahti ho, toh saaf saaf kyon nahin puchti?
PRAFUL
Madat? Chalo, aap jaise chaho dekh lo.
MOHAN
Hmmm. Kar sakta hu help. But ek shart hain..
PRAFUL
Ofcourse, woh pyar hee kya jisme sharte na ho. Boliye Pappa.
MOHAN
Main chahta hu ki tum ladke dekhna shuru kar do...
Praful chews her food slowly. PRAFUL
Aapko shaadi ki siwa aur koi topic sujta nahin hain kya?
KUMUD
Praful, milne mein koi harj nahin beta...
PRAFUL
Aapke sharton ke bina manage kar lungi! Goodnight!
Praful walks up the stairs. Mohan gives Kumud a ‘I told you so’ look.
INT. PRAFULS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. NIGHT
Praful sits at her desk. She nervously chews her fingernails. She suddenly opens her laptop and begins searching for
flights. To Vegas!
INT. VEGAS AIRPORT. DAY
Praful walks in the airport lobby purposefully. She seems to be better dressed and determined.
INT. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL CASINO. DAY
Praful enters the casino with people in expensive suits and diamonds.
She walks to the ATM and checks her balance. She has $15,000 left in her account.
Praful thinks for a moment and then quickly withdraws it all. PRAFUL
(to herself)
Zero ho gaye to kya hua Praful, kal subah kam se kam $70,000 honge!
Praful walks excitedly towards the Baccarat section. She sees three tables; minimum bet $500, minimum bet $1000 and minimum bet $5000. She stops at the $500 Baccarat table. The croupier Murthy recognizes her.
MURTHY Nice to see you back.
Praful waves sweetly. A waitress smiles and approaches Praful.
WAITRESS What can I get you?
PRAFUL I’ll have a beer...
WAITRESS (makes a face)
Beer? We have some great champagne. PRAFUL
Ok then!
Praful takes the champagne. Murthy winks at her. She is excited to be treated with recognition & sits like a queen.
MURTHY
(slides his hand across the felt)
Place your bets! PRAFUL $500, on Player.
Praful bets $500 on PLAYER. Murthy deals. MURTHY
PLAYER gets a natural 9. Bank gets a 4. Player wins.
Praful wins the hand. Her nervousness subsides a bit and she places another bet.
PRAFUL $1000 on player! Murthy deals.
MURTHY Bank wins.
Praful loses the bet. She counts her chips and bets. PRAFUL
$2000 on Bank Murthy deals.
MURTHY Bank wins!
Praful smiles & bets on BANK. PRAFUL $4000 on Bank. Cards are dealt.
MURTHY
BANK loses to PLAYER.
Praful loses the bet. She counts 8k in chips.
Murthy is paying off bets. Praful signals for a drink, the waitress hands her Champagne. She downs it in one go.
MURTHY (CONT’D) Place your bets!
PRAFUL $8000 on Player.
Cards are dealt. Praful takes a large gulp of the Champagne. MURTHY
TIE!
PRAFUL Shit!
Praful loses $8,000. She nervously starts shaking her leg. She counts her chips.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) (to herself)
Sirf $4000 hain.
Praful grabs another Champagne and places a bet. A tall older black man watches Praful.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) $4000 on Player.
Murthy deals. They see the cards. MURTHY
(looks sadly at Praful) Bank wins.
Praful gets up angry. She is a little drunk and almost falls over. She walks to the bar.
PRAFUL
One beer, actually, give me Champagne.
The bartender pours her a drink and gives her a bill. Praful gives her credit card. The older black man, JEREMIAH 58, and a Hispanic smaller guy, BUGS, 36, approach her.
JEREMIAH Hey. Tough luck.
Praful nods and sips her champagne. JEREMIAH (CONT’D) (to bartender)
Gin. On Ice.
JEREMIAH (CONT’D)
We were watching you play. You have a great game.
PRAFUL I do?
JEREMIAH
Yeah. I saw you double your bets after every loss. Smart.
PRAFUL But I didn’t win.
BUGS
If you had played on longer... PRAFUL
I’m cleaned out. JEREMIAH
Do you want to win it back? BUGS
You know you can. PRAFUL How?
JEREMIAH
We can lend you the money. That’s what we do.
BUGS
You play, you win, you pay back. Praful is unsure.
JEREMIAH
Hey, think about it. We wouldn’t have approached you if we didn’t think you could win.
Jeremiah finishes his drink and gets up to go. PRAFUL
INT. CAR PARK. CAESERS PALACE. DAY
Praful walks with Jeremiah and bugs to a parked car with a big guy sitting inside. They all sit inside. Bugs begins counting money.
JEREMIAH
Are you sure 32k is enough? We can give you more?
PRAFUL
No, that should cover me 5-6 rounds.
BUGS
I told you boss, she’s got a great strategy.
Bugs hands her the money in a packet. JEREMIAH
Count it.
Praful counts a few and then stops. PRAFUL
I’m sure its fine. JEREMIAH We charge 15% interest.
PRAFUL Ok.
JEREMIAH
Bugs will hang around, till you win. Just give him the cash with the interest, and we’re square. Praful nods.
JEREMIAH (CONT’D) Dont look so worried. Go make a million.
Praful smiles. Bugs exits with her.
INT. CAESARS PALACE CASINO. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful walks nervously to a Baccarat table with a small paper bag in her hand. Bugs sits at the nearby bar.
DEALER Minimum bets $500. Praful buys chips worth .
DEALER (CONT’D) Place your bets!
Praful bets $500 on PLAYER.
PLAYER gets a 4. The BANK gets an 8. DEALER (CONT’D) Bank wins.
Praful loses.
She thinks for a moment and then bets $1,000 on PLAYER. PRAFUL
$1,000
PLAYER gets a 7. The BANK has an 8. DEALER
BANK beats PLAYER. Praful loses $1,000.
DEALER (CONT’D) Place your bets!
Praful plays $2,000 on PLAYER.
The dealer deals. Praful’s takes a Champagne from a waitress. DEALER (CONT’D)
Player gets 6. Bank gets an 8. Player is dealt a card.
Praful watches as the card is opened. It is a 1. DEALER (CONT’D)
Bank wins!
Praful stares at the cards in anger. Everything moves in a drunken haze now. Cards dissolving into each other. Croupiers voice distorting, laughing patrons, diamonds...
Praful bets $4000 on Bank. Player wins. She loses.
Praful bets $8,000 on Player. Bank Wins. She loses.
DISSOLVE TO: Praful tries to focus on her remaining chips. She only has enough for 1 bet of 16k left.
DEALER (CONT’D) Place your bets.
Praful tentatively moves $16,000 towards PLAYER. She then changes her mind and moves her chips to BANK.
DEALER (CONT’D) No more...
In the nick of time, Praful pulls away her chips and sits out.
DEALER (CONT’D) No more bets please!
The cards are dealt. Praful takes support of the table and gets up to leave. She turns around curiously to see who won...
DEALER (CONT’D) Bank wins.
Praful realizes she would have won. PRAFUL
Shit!
The dealer clears the table. A young couple squeal with joy as they win big.
DEALER
Place your bets please.
Praful cant decide whether to play or to leave.
A guy at the table takes out his cigarettes to smoke. Praful looks at the packet. The brand is called ‘PLAY’. The letters starts to dance around the pack.
Praful reads it and suddenly decides to sit down. In her stupor, she takes out ALL her chips and thinks where to bet.
PRAFUL (to herself)
Pichle do round BANK ne jeete hain. (MORE)
Teesri baar jeetne ki kya chances hain?
Praful bets her remaining $16,000 on PLAYER.
The cards are dealt. Praful closes her eyes and prays. She opens her eyes and sees the cards.
DEALER
PLAYER has a 5 The BANK has a 4.
Praful is getting excited. PLAYER is dealt a card it is a 3. DEALER (CONT’D)
Player gets a 3 making the total 8. Praful takes a deep breath and relaxes.
The dealer opens a card for BANK. He puts it down on the table. It is a 5.
DEALER (CONT’D) Bank wins. Again.
Praful watches in horror as her last chips go to the dealer, She looks into the paper bag, it is empty. She now owes
Jeremiah $32,000 that she doesn’t have. Her head spins!
INT. CASINO. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. DAY
Praful sneaks out of the room, avoiding Bugs at the bar. She enters the janitor room and steals a housekeeping uniform.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY. CAESERS PALACE HOTEL. DAY
She then slips out of the Casino, doing what she does best – cleaning the floors! Jeremiah’s men walk past her but don’t notice.
EXT. CAESARS PALACE HOTEL. LAS VEGAS. DAY
Praful hails a cab and gets in. Bugs comes out looking for her, but she ducks in the cab and it speeds away...
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
The house is filled with several ‘mithai’ boxes, piled up in the hallway. Kumud is counting, while Mohan is checking boxes in a form. Praful enters and nervously looks at her father.
KUMUD
Praful, yeh koi time hain aane ka? PRAFUL
Maine bola tha, Vandana ke yaha reh gayi thi.
Mohan ignores Praful. He is engrossed in his boxes. MOHAN
Kitne hain? KUMUD 15 hain.
Mohan makes note of it. PRAFUL Aa su chhe?
KUMUD
Mohan ka nayya import. Rajkot se farsan order kiya hain. Aa taste kar.
She opens a box and gives Praful some ghaatia-sev. Praful eats it.
KUMUD (CONT’D) Kaisa laga ghaatia?
PRAFUL (mutters) Ghatiya! KUMUD Kya? PRAFUL Tip-Top!
She begins walking up the stairs. Mohan looks at her for the first time.
MOHAN
Praful, ek rishta aaya hain, Rajkot se..
Praful ignores.
KUMUD
Acche log hain. Milne mein koi harj nahin.
Praful goes up and shuts her door.
INT. PRAFULS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. DAY
Praful lies down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
FADE OUT.
INT. ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY
Praful in her work routine. She is cleaning the bathtub. She cleans the toilet bowl.
She vacuums the room. Mike enters and points to a spot she needs to redo. Mike leaves. Praful makes a face.
She makes the bed and puts a made-up sign.
INT. TRAIN. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful stands on the train. An elegant woman walks in wearing a rich dress. Praful stares at her. Life is back to normal.
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful sits all made up like a perfect Indian bahu. She and her parents are having tea with the Parekh’s, an older
Gujarati couple. Their nephew Sameer, 32, is here to see Praful.
MOHAN
Beta, aa chhe Parekh uncle ane
aunty. Tujhe kausal bhai yaad hain? Jinka Rajkot mein hosiery ki dukaan hain? Yeh unke chachere bhai, aur yeh Sameer, Kausal ka bada ladka.
PRAFUL Pranaam uncle aunty.
MR & MRS PAREKH Pranaam beta.
SAMEER (to Praful)
Aapko Pinky aur Suyash ke shaadi mein dekha tha, Ahemdabad mein...
PRAFUL
Mujhe yaad nahin. Usko 15 saal ho gaye.
MRS PAREKH Hotel mein kaam karti ho?
PRAFUL
Haan. Housekeeping mein. MRS PAREKH
Bau fine. House will be neat and tidy. Housewife is aakhir
housekeeper only! Praful widens eyes in disbelief.
SAMEER
Mohanbhai bata rahe the ki tum is Hotel mein 7 saal se kaam kar rahi ho...
MRS PAREKH
Direct divorce ke baad ne?
Sameer gives his aunt a dirty look, she shuts up. SAMEER
I mean, 7 saal ek hee company ko kaun samarpit karta hain aaj? Zarur team acchi hogi.
PRAFUL
Not really. But its a job. Aap kya karte ho?
MRS PAREKH
Sameer yaha MBA karna chahta hain, uska ek start up ka plan hain. He want to be the self-made man, haina Sameer?
MOHAN
Acha? Kaun sa start up? SAMEER
Ek APP banane ki yojna hain uncle. KUMUD
Arre wah, aajkal sablog apps use kar rahe hain. Meri friend Roshni, ghar se nikalti hee nahin. Grocery, housepainting, gardening, sab ke liye APP hain...
MOHAN
Abhi toh Puja-paath ke liye bhi APP hain. Puja going on in Brooklyn but pujari sitting in Banares.
Mr Parekh laughs.
SAMEER
Mera APP bhi sanskriti se
sambandhit hain. Us-se aap Bharat ke saare dharmik sthalon ka seedha prasaran dekh sakte hain, darshan kar sakte hain.
MOHAN
Su vaat chhe? Dharmik chokra madi gayo Parekh bhai.
MR PAREKH
Arre dharm to ekach chhe Mohanbhai, Business no dharm.
PRAFUL
Log in sthalon mein chaadar, bhog vagaira chadhane jaate hain. Sirf live darshan se kya hoga?
SAMEER
Iske baare mein bhi socha hua hain. Hum mandiron aur sansthaon ke
sahyog se donations aur chadhave ke options, APP pe uplabdh karenge. Yaani ke ek button se chaadar
chadhao, ek button se 21 gareebo ko khaana khilao.
MOHAN Instant Karma! Wah!! They all laugh.
MOHAN (CONT’D)
Kabhi sapne bhi nahi socha tha ke Praful ke liye Sameer jaisa rishta ayega. Beta, tujhe pata hain,
Sameer is not divorcee.
Praful glares at her father. Kumud holds her hand. KUMUD
I think bacchon ko ek-do baar akele mein bhi milna chahiye. Kyon Nita ben?
MRS PAREKH Haan, haan, kyon nahin. Mohan nods.
MR PAREKH
Yeh accha ho gaya ke Kausal ka export licence tumhare farsan business mein kaam aa gaya. Praful is surprised to hear this.
MRS PAREKH
Haan, rishta aready ho gaya samjho. MOHAN
Haan, ab bacche ek doosre ko pasand kare toh sky is the limit I tell you. Kausal aur main saath mein Atlanta ka number one farsan karobar banayenge. Kyon Sameer?
Sameer tries to make eye-contact with Praful, but she looks away.
INT. PRAFULS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. NIGHT Praful is undressing. Kumud enters.
KUMUD
Mujhe accha laga Ladka. PRAFUL
Phir tu hee kar le shaadi. KUMUD
(laughs)
Kar leti. Agar itni boodhi nahi hoti.
PRAFUL
Boodhi kaha hain tu? Salman Khan se sirf 2 saal badi hain!
KUMUD (laughs)
Akele mil-le Sameer se, tujhe bhi pasand ayega.
PRAFUL
Hmmm. Ek Hindi dictionary lekar jaungi..
KUMUD (smiles)
Lagta hain desh ki mitti se judda hain woh.
PRAFUL
Phir America ke sapne kyon dekh raha hain?
KUMUD
To kya hua? Videsh to Swami
Vivekanand aur Gandhiji bhi gaye the.
PRAFUL
Hmmm. Kapde bhi ussi zamane ke
pehne hue hain. Koi pant itna uncha pehnta hain kya?
KUMUD
Shaadi ke baad tu le ja usse shopping.
PRAFUL
Shaadi toh Pappa ko karni hain uske daddy se. Farsan ka swarna milan!
KUMUD (laughs)
Tereko usse kya? Ladka pasand ho, toh hee haan karna. Ok?
PRAFUL Goodnight ma! Kumud leaves.
INT. BANQUET HALL. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Amber’s wedding. A grand banquet hall, well decorated, with many chatty guests in attendance. We see Prafuls parents bond with Ambers parents Naresh & Pushpa.
NARESH
Where is your drink Mohanbhai?? MOHAN
Kuch der baad Nareshbhai. Abhi to raat jawan hain.
NARESH
Nonsense. Kumud behn aap inko tension mat do please. Bacchi ki shaadi hain.
KUMUD
Main kahan tension deti hu. Tension to baad mein hoga, jab yeh nashe mein gaadi chalayenge.
NARESH
Toh Praful kis liye hain. Woh chalayegi na gaadi.
MOHAN
Wahi to tension hain Nareshbhai! NARESH
Waiter!
A waiter comes with a tray.
NARESH (CONT’D)
One whisky please. On the rocks. Mohan takes the glass. Kumud makes a face.
KUMUD
Main zara Pushpa se milkar aati hu. She leaves.
NARESH
Pata nahi aurat aur whisky ki kya dushmani hain? Bottle kholu toh dono auratein sar pe chaddh jati hain...
MOHAN (laughs)
Chalo ek ko toh bida kar rahe hain. NARESH
Haan. Lekin Praful ko kab bida karoge Mohan? She’s over 30!
MOHAN
Ladka dekha hain. Woh Parekh hosiery ka beta.
NARESH Divorcee hain?
MOHAN Nahin.
NARESH Phir kaise maan liya?
MOHAN Ladka accha hain. Naresh nods.
INT. GREEN ROOM. BANQUET HALL. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Vandana and Ambers other friends are rehearsing a dance. Praful is trying to catch the moves. Amber is upset.
AMBER
Not done Praf! Main ek mahine se tujhe rehearsals pe bula rahi hu, aur tu ek baar bhi nahi aayi.
PRAFUL
Arre tension kyon leti hain Amber? Ho jayega. Yeh gaana toh main acchi tarah se jaanti hu. Vandana, bas woh ghoomne wala step dikhana.
VANDANA Dhyan se dekh.
Vandana does a spiral turn. 5 other girls follow her. Praful tries, but cant spin 360 degrees.
VANDANA (CONT’D) Yeh kya kamar se turn kar rahi hain. From your heel babes.
Praful attempts it again. Vandana gets frustrated. AMBER
She’s going to ruin it. Vandy iska step change kar.
VANDANA
Kya?? Not fair. Phir in dono ka step bhi change karna hoga...
AMBER Kar de!
Vandana shows Praful a half-turn move. Praful watches intently.
INT. BANQUET HALL. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Sameer enters the marriage hall. He is wearing an ill-fitting jacket and a pair of jeans pulled way above his waists. He looks for Mohan and finds him by the bar.
SAMEER Pranaam uncle.
MOHAN
Haan Sameer. Drink loge? SAMEER
Main sharaab nahin peeta. Beat
MOHAN
Naturally. Shaadi kaha hui tumhaari?
Sameer laughs.
SAMEER
Aunty aur Praful kaha hain? MOHAN
Aunty log waha kone mein ghusar-pusar kar rahe hain. Praful ladkion ke saath dance rehearsal kar rahi hain..
SAMEER
Accha? Woh dance bhi karti hain?
We hear music start. Mohan points towards the stage. MOHAN
Khud hee decide kar lo.
On stage, Praful and the girls dance. It starts off nicely, but soon Praful can’t match their moves. She struggles for a bit, and then begins doing her own thing.
Praful gets lost in her own cool moves. She is the centre of attention. People enjoy it, but a couple of the girls are pissed off.
Vandana pulls Sameer and a couple of other guys to dance. Sameer has two left feet and dances badly. He looks towards Praful for help.
Praful shows him a move. Amber looks at Sameer’s dressing style and gives Praful a disapproving look.
A young boy runs up to Praful and whispers in her ear. The boy leads her out of the hall. Sameer watches her go.
EXT. BANQUET HALL. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Praful goes outside the hall and is shocked at what she sees. Jeremiah and his men are standing outside. Praful doesn’t know whether to run or hide.
JEREMIAH
Ms Patel. We’ve been looking for you.
PRAFUL
I..was going to call you. JEREMIAH
Well, you should have. We tried your number, seems you changed it. Took us a while to find your house, but you weren’t there. You’ve made us run around quite a bit...
Sameer comes out looking for Praful. He sees her standing with strangers.
SAMEER Yeh kaun hain?
PRAFUL
Housekeeping manager hain. Kuch zaruri kaam hain.
SAMEER Ok.
PRAFUL
Jaiye na. Main aati hu. Sameer goes inside.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Can we talk outside? Please?
JEREMIAH Get in the car.
Jeremiah holds Praful by her arm and pushes her inside a car. The car drives off.
INT. JEREMIAH’S CAR. SAN JOSE. NIGHT
The car drives out of the venue and parks outside. Praful sits silently. Jeremiah stares at her, but she doesn’t make eye-contact.
JEREMIAH
You ran off with my 32k, bitch. Its been 30 days..
PRAFUL
I’m sorry, I lost it at the casino, I..
Jeremiah slaps her hard. Praful is shocked. JEREMIAH
With interest, you owe me $44k. For the month it took us to find you, I’ll put costs at $5k. Why don’t we round it up to $50k? I want that money now!
PRAFUL (horrified)
I really don’t have it. I lost it all..
JEREMIAH
Lets go in and have this conversation shall we? Beat.
PRAFUL
Look, I’ll find the money Jeremiah, but give me sometime..
Beat
JEREMIAH I’ll give you one week.
PRAFUL
I...I dont have...Its not enough time..
Jeremiah slaps her again. Praful falls between the seats of the SUV. Jeremiah pulls her by her hair. She is bleeding from the mouth.
JEREMIAH
You think you could pay me back next week Ms Patel?
Praful is sobbing.
PRAFUL I..I will..I need..
JEREMIAH
You think I should talk to Mohan Patel?
Praful looks at him in shock.
JEREMIAH (CONT’D)
Or Naresh Patel? If he’s not too busy with his daughters wedding?
PRAFUL
Please don’t, I’ll get the money. JEREMIAH
You do make a pretty sight Ms Patel. Lets show you off to your family.
PRAFUL
No. I promise to find the money. But one week is too less...
Jeremiah goes to slap her again. Praful backs off and covers her face. Jeremiah pulls her hands off and sees the blood smeared over her face.
He then takes out his handkerchief and begins wiping the blood off Praful’s mouth.
JEREMIAH (gently)
Rob a house, rob a bank. I don’t care how you do it. You have one week.
Praful nods.
JEREMIAH (CONT’D) Now get out.
Praful recovers from the shock. PRAFUL
Just one minute please.
Praful looks in the mirror and wipes her face clean. She adjusts her hair to cover a bruise. She makes a pretty face and exits.
Jeremiah shakes his head in disbelief as he sees Praful walk to the hall as if nothing happened.
INT. BANQUET HALL. SAN JOSE. NIGHT
Praful stands with her parents as Amber and her fiance get married. Praful watches the garlands being exchanged, but her mind is somewhere else. Sameer notices her.
SAMEER
Aap dono ek doosre ke kareeb ho? PRAFUL
Haan. Beat
SAMEER
Aap Bhaavuk type ki nahi lagti? PRAFUL
Bhaavuk?
SAMEER Emotional.
PRAFUL
Sab kuch dikhana zaruri hain? Sameer laughs. Amber gets married.
INT. PRAFULS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. NIGHT
Praful can’t sleep at night. She hears a car in the street and goes to the window to check. There is no one. She makes a call.
PRAFUL Amber?
AMBER
Ek baje hain Praful! Kya hua? PRAFUL
Kuch paison ki zarurat pad gayi yaar.
Praful hears a man make some noise next to Amber. AMBER
PRAFUL
Sorry Amber, I just...mujhe kuch paise chahiye.
AMBER Kyon?
PRAFUL
Amber, bata, hain ki nahin? Amber is distracted.
MAN VO
Amber, kis se baat kar rahi ho? AMBER
(to guy)
Mere boyfriend se. You have a problem?
PRAFUL Amber?
AMBER
Praful, Iske liye Home Theatre khareed rahi hu. Is mahine mushkil hain...
Praful hears the man moan, Amber giggles. AMBER (CONT’D)
Stop it you!
Praful, can I go please? Hero nahin to hartal pe chala jayega.
PRAFUL (laughs) Go!
AMBER Goodnight.
Praful disconnects the phone and sits alone, thinking.
INT. STAFF ROOM. COURTYARD MARRIOT. DAY
Praful at work. Salma and her are cleaning a room. SALMA
PRAFUL Sorry, miss ho gaya.
SALMA Soyi nahi kya?
Prafuls phone rings. Praful takes the call and walks into the bathroom.
PRAFUL
Hey Kiran, thanks for calling back. Beat
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Jitna bhi ho sake...10k? Beat
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Kam paise bhi chalenge.. Beat
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Of course I understand. Yeah,
schooling itna mehnga ho gaya hain, haan, hmmm, accha sun, I’ll call you back..
Praful disconnects, takes a deep breath and calls another number.
PRAFUL (CONT’D)
Vandana, yaar, I need a favor..ek loan mil sakta hain.
Beat
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Yahi kuch 10-15 hazaar... Beat
PRAFUL (CONT’D) (disappointed)
Oh, accha. Congrats, kaunsi gaadi lee hain?
The bathroom door opens and Mr MIKE stands there looking at her on the phone.
PRAFUL (CONT’D)
Vandy, main baad mein call karti hu..
She cuts the call.
MIKE
What the hell is this Praful? Bahar tumhare colleagues kaam kar rahe hain aur tum yaha phone pe chat kar rahi ho??
PRAFUL
Sorry MIKE, kuch problem ho gaya tha.
MIKE
Apne problems apne ghar pe rakho please. Yaha tumhara sabse bada problem hona chahiye ki Salma tumhare hisse ke bedsheets kyon change rahi hain?
PRAFUL
Main abhi kar deti hu. MIKE
Ho gaya already. In fact, maine Salma ko tumhare doosre kamre bhi de diye. Mujhe lagta hain tumhe aaj chutti le leni chahiye.
PRAFUL
I said I’m sorry Mr MIKE, ek genuine problem thi...
MIKE
Toh apne time pe apne probem ka solution dhundo. Tumhe absent mark kiya jayega. Without pay.
Praful is shocked.
PRAFUL
Mike! This is not fair. Tum kisi personal issue ki wajah se mujhe aise treat kar rahe ho...
MIKE
Personal? Are you accusing me of being unprofessional? Aur apne aap ko itna importance mat do Praful, tumhare jaise bahut aaye hain. Understand?
MIKE storms off. Praful kicks the cleaning bucket.
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
Mohan has loaded his car with boxes of farsan. Kumud comes with the last few.
MOHAN
Arre? Tumne toh kaha saare boxes rakh diye?
KUMUD
‘Rape’ karne mein time lag gaya! MOHAN
Kya?
KUMUD
Aap bahut fast ‘rape’ kartne hain. Mujhe ‘raping’ mein time lag jaata hain!
MOHAN
Kumud, tumhara dimaag chalta nahin subah mein. Woh sleeping pills lena band karo.
KUMUD
Ahemdabad mein kaha thee goli ki aadat. Takiye pe sar rakhte hee...
MOHAN
Tum aur tumhare Ahemdabad ke kisse. Mere paas time nahi hain.
Mohan is about to drive when Praful walks into the house. MOHAN (CONT’D)
Aaj itni jaldi? PRAFUL
Tabiyat theek nahin hain.
Mohan starts the car and suddenly remembers. MOHAN
Kumud, mere almari ki chaabi nahi mil rahi. Saaf karte samay mil jaaye toh sambhal ke rakhna. Mohan drives off.
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY Kumud serves Praful.
KUMUD
Kyon itni dukhi hain? Praful eats.
PRAFUL
Chaubees ghante agar koi hasta dikhe, to usko paagal kehte hain.
KUMUD
Flat ke wajah se bura lag raha hain?
PRAFUL
Maa, please. Emotional mat ho jao yaar!
Kumud suddenly sees something. KUMUD
Aah! Yaha bhool gaye chaabi ‘raping’ karte samay Chhut gaye honge. Aur mujhe kehta hain sleeping pills mat lo!
Kumud picks up Mohans keys and keeps it on the TV. She puts on her shoes and carries a bag.
KUMUD (CONT’D)
Main supermarket jaa rahi hu. Tu paracetamol leke so ja.
Kumud exits the house. Praful eats and suddenly has a thought. She looks at Mohan’s keys.
INT. MOHANS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful opens Mohan’s cupboard and starts rummaging through his things. She finds the safe and then tries to find the right keys to open it. She struggles. The keys fall. She manages to find the right key and opens the safe.
Praful puts her hands in. She cannot find any money. In frustration she bangs the safe shut and locks it with the key.
EXT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful gets into her car and backs out of the house, going over Mohan’s garden. She crushes his flowers and speeds off.
INT. PRAFULS CAR. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful drives her car on the highway. She blasts the music to and speeds as fast as she can. She notices that she is
running out of gas.
EXT. GAS STATION. ATLANTA. DAY
She fills gas at the petrol station and pays with her credit card. The attendant makes a face.
ATTENDANT Declined?
PRAFUL What?? Try it again!
The attendant makes a face and tries again. ATTENDANT
Declined again!
Praful desperately rummages her purse and gives him another card. He tries it.
ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
Declined! Look lady, I don’t have time for this. Just pay cash.
Praful looks through her bag and finds some notes and coins. She gives it all to him. He looks at her disdainfully.
ATTENDANT (CONT’D) Its $10 short!
PRAFUL (loses it)
Well I don’t have anymore money. Cant you see?
ATTENDANT Lady, I sold you gas...
PRAFUL] (snaps)
I know you sold me gas, but I’m broke!
The fucking banks wont help me, my friends wont help me and my boss is an arsehole! What do you want me to do? Sell my car for $10?
The attendant backs off.
ATTENDANT
Hey its only $10. Its cool. Just leave!
Praful glares at him before getting into her car and slamming the door. She starts her car. It wont start. Praful kicks the pedals and screams loudly, tears streaming down her eyes. The attendant scampers off.
PRAFUL (to herself)
Mamma, main kya karu!!
INT. CAR. ATLANTA. NIGHT
The car finally starts. Praful drives off, red in the face and breathing heavily.
Praful drives for a bit and suddenly sees something. She slows down and stops near a bank. We see the facade of HILLBROOK BANK. She stares at it and thinks.
She suddenly takes out a piece of paper, tries to find a pen, but cant find one. Breathing heavily, she takes out a
lipstick from her back and starts writing something.
INT. HILLBROOK BANK. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful enters BANK 1 wearing her hoodie. She walks to the cashier hiding her face from the cameras with a water bottle and bag.
CASHIER
Good afternoon, how can I help you?
The cashier can’t see her face clearly. Praful hands him a note.
The man reads it and then begins trembling. It says ‘I am strapped to a bomb, give me $50,000. tick tock.’
The cashier is too afraid to look up. CASHIER (CONT’D) Any preference of bills?
Praful nods to say no. The cashier begins filling the bag.
EXT. HILLBROOK BANK. ATLANTA. DAY
Praful stumbles out of the bank, just as the cashier presses the alarm. She runs to her car.
Praful enters the car and tries to start it. It doesn’t
start. She tries again. It starts. She speeds off, and drives over the curb for a bit, then gets on the road.
(I N T E R V A L)
INT. PRAFULS CAR. HIGHWAY. DAY
Praful sits by the desolate highway in her car. She is counting the money.
PRAFUL
$8,700, $8,800, $8,900, $9,000..
Praful puts the money back in her bag and sits back and
breathes. She hears a car and looks around to see a car drive past. She smiles to herself, relieved. She picks up her phone and dials a number.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Mr Jeremiah?
JEREMIAH You have the money?
PRAFUL I have about $10k.
JEREMIAH $50k, not a dime less. Beat.
PRAFUL
Can I pay in five easy installments?
Beat.
PRAFUL (CONT’D) Mr Jeremiah?
JEREMIAH
Who the fuck do you think I am? A washing machine salesman?? No EMI’s bitch, I want the whole $50k.
PRAFUL
I need another two weeks, please. Beat.
JEREMIAH
10 days. Or we take it from you father.
The line goes dead. Praful stares at the phone in fear. A loud honk is heard. Praful jumps. Its a truck behind her. The trucker shouts.
TRUCKER
That’s my parking bay lady!
Praful starts her car and reverses to get out, almost hitting the truck. He honks loudly, Praful drives off.
INT. MOHANS HOUSE. ATLANTA. NIGHT
Praful enters the house. Kumud is watching TV. Praful begins walking up the stairs.
KUMUD Khana parosu?
PRAFUL Kha chuki hu.
KUMUD Baith na?
PRAFUL
Thak gayi hu. Jaldi so jaungi maa. Praful goes up the stairs.
INT. PRAFULS ROOM. MOHANS HOUSE. NIGHT
Praful is looking for a safe spot to hide the money in her cupboard. She finds a long coat and starts stuffing the notes inside its pockets.
CUT TO: Praful is in bed, about to sleep, when her mother walks in.
