I wrote a post last month asking if anyone would be interested in a serial style murder mystery with characters from Bollywood. I got some positive responses so I'm posting the first episode now. It's in a script form so its kinda long. I'm not sure if anyone will have the patience to read it, but I figured that since I took the time to write it, I might as well give it a shot. For those who decide to read it, please give me feedback. In the next few episodes I will add many more characters. Don't worry if I forgot your favorite actor or actress right now because this will be a super-multistarrer....š Thanks in advance for reading!
Characters so far:
Amitabh Bachchan Vikram Oberoi
Rekha Gayatri Oberoi
Juhi Chawla Kiran Mehta
Aamir Khan Kunal Mehta
Abhishek Bachchan Aditya Oberoi
Priyanka Chopra Neha Oberoi
Akshay Kumar Javed Khan
Sushmita Sen Naina Bakshi
Preity Zinta Sonia Anand
Scene 1:
Vikram Oberoi is sitting at his desk in his office, absorbed in thought. His phone rings and he is startled. He picks up the phone.
Vikram Oberoi: Hello, Vikram Oberoi speaking. (pause & smile) Haan Gayatri, bolo.
Gayatri Oberoi is sitting on the living room sofa, talking to her husband on the phone.
Gayatri: Saat bajne waale hain. Aap abhi tak office mein kya kar rahe hain? Main kab se khane pe aap ka intezaar kar rahi hoon.
Vikram: Haan, abhi paanch minute mein nikalta hoon.
Gayatri: Aap kuch thake thake se lag rahe hain. Kya baat hai?
Vikram: Aaj ka din hi aisa tha. Saare din log mere office mein aate jaate rahe hain. Kayi kaam beech mein reh gaye the, to woh abhi khatam kar raha hoon.
Gayatri: Aap dimagh par zyada zor mat daaliye. Jaldi ghar aa jaaiye. Thoda aaraam karenge to sab pareshaaniyaan door ho jaayengi.
Vikram: Haan, bas abhi nikalā¦.
Gayatri hears the door to Vikram's office open.
Vikram: Tum phir se? Ab kya kaam hai?
There is a pause during which Gayatri hears someone walking in and the door to Vikram's office closing.
Vikram: Yeh tum kya-
Gayatri hears Vikram gasp in pain and shock. Before she can react, the line is disconnected.
Gayatri: Vikram! (Gayatri jumps from her seat and looks around but sees no one in sight) Kiran, Adi, Neha, kahaan ho tum sab!
Kiran runs into the room from the kitchen and Aditya rushes down the stairs.
Kiran: Kya hua, maa?
Gayatri: Kiran, tumhaareā¦tumhaare papa koā¦
Aditya: Kya hua papa ko?
Gayatri: Unhen kuch hua hai. Jaldi unke office chalo.
Aditya: Lekin maaā¦
Gayatri: Abhi kuch samjhaane ka waqt nahin hai, Adi. Jaldi chalo. Neha aur Kunal kahaan hain?
Kiran: Kunal to abhi ghar nahin aaye, shayad office mein hi honge. Aur Neha to Aaliya ke saath film dekhne gayi hai.
Gayatri: Theek hai, use chodo. Chalo!
They run out of the house.
Scene 2:
Gayatri, Kiran and Aditya enter a building wih the sign "Gayatri Industries." Several police officers are questioning building staff. One of them recognizes Gayatri and comes to her.
Officer 1: Mrs. Oberoi, aap-
Gayatri: (frantically) Mere pati kahaan hai?
Officer 1: I'm very sorry, Mrs. Oberoi. Aapke pati kaā¦kisi ne khoon kar diya hai.
Gayatri looks in disbelief at the officer, then at her shocked children, and back at the officer.
Gayatri: Nahinā¦.aisa nahin ho sakta. Nahinā¦NAHIN!
Gayatri runs towards Vikram's office. The police officers try to stop her, but she runs inside. Seeing her husband's body on a stretcher, she kneels down next to it and shakes her head in disbelief. Kiren and Aditya enter the room.
Kiran: Papa! (she kneels down too) Maa, yehā¦kya ho gaya.
Kiran hugs her mother and they both cry. Aditya is still shocked.
Aditya: Inspector sahib, yeh sab kaiseā¦
Officer 1: Hum bhi dus minute pehle pahunche hain. Abhi humen bhi kuch nahin pata. I'm very sorry.
Aditya waits for a second, then sits next to his mother and sister and hugs them, fighting back tears.
Scene 3:
Gayatri, Kiran and Aditya are sitting on a bench in the office building. They are no longer crying but their eyes are red. A different police officer walks up to them and they all stand.
Officer 2: I am very sorry for your loss. Main aapko iss waqt takleef nahin dena chahta, lekin aap se kuch savaal poochne zaroori hain
Gayatri nods.
Officer 2: Aapko yeh khabar kaise mili ke Mr. Oberoi ko kuch hua hai?
Gayatri: Main unse phone par baat kar rahi thi. Ek dam se unke office ke darwaze ke khulne ki awaaz aayi, aur koyi andar aaye. Unhone us se kaha-
Aditya's phone rings and he looks to see who is calling.
Aditya: Neha ka phone hai. Main usko sab kuch bata deta hoon.
Aditya leaves the building to talk on the phone.
Officer 2: Aap kya keh rahi theen? Koyi unke office mein aaya. Phir unhone us se kya kaha?
Gayatri: Unhone kaha, "Tum phir se? Ab kya kaam hai?" Bas, aur phir kuch aur awaazen aayin aur us ke baadā¦phone kat gaya.
Gayatri's eyes tear up.
Officer 2: I'm sorry Mrs. Oberoi. Main aaj aap ko aur pareshaan nahin karoonga. Lekin shaayad kal aapko police station aane ki zehmat karni pade. Thank you, Mrs. Oberoi and once again, I'm very sorry.
The officer leaves. Gayatri is overcome by grief.
Kiran: Chaliya maa. Ghar chalte hain.
Kiran puts her arm around her mother's shoulder and they leave the building.
Scene 4
CID Officers Javed Khan and Naina Bakshi are sitting across each other at a table. Javed has a file in front of him.
Javed: Naina, hum teen saalon se saath kaam kar rahe hain aur hamesha apne case solve karne main kamyaab rahe hain. Lekin aaj pehli baar humen woh case mila hai jiska humko intezaar tha. Maine yeh file achchi tarah se padh li hai. Agar hum Vikram Oberoi ke qaatil ko pakadne mein kamyaab ho gaye to humen zaroor Special Bureau mein position mil jaayegi.
Naina: Woh sab to theek hai, Javed. Lekin hum itne bade case mein jald-baazi nahin kar sakte. Humen sabr se aur soch se kaam lena hoga. Jab tak humen poora yaqin na ho...
Javed: Haan haan, madam. Samajh gaya. Ab file dekhni shuru karen?
Naina: Theek hai. Iss Vikram Oberoi ke baare mein bataao. Vaise naam to bahut suna hai. Kaafi ameer aadmi tha, na?
Javed: (looking through the files) Sheher ke sabse bade industrialist mein se ek. Kaafi saari industries ka woh maalik tha, aur sab ke naam apni biwi (holds up Vikram and Gayatri's marriage photo) ke naam par rakhe the ā Gayatri mills, Gayatri textiles, wagairah wagairah. (lays the picture down on the table and continues looking in the files) In donon ke teen bachhe hain. Sabse badi Kiran, Gayatri industries mein advertising manager hai. (takes out a picture of Kiran and her husband and puts it on the table)
Naina: Yeh uske saath mein kaun hai?
Javed: (reading from the files) Yeh uska husband hai, Mr. Kunal Mehta. Char saal pehle inki shaadi hui. Tabse yeh ghar-jamaayi banke rehta hai, aur Gayatri industries mein finance manager ki position bhi mil gayi hai. Aurā¦phir Kiran se chhota ek ladka hai, Aditya, (puts Aditya's picture on the table) jo abhi Delhi University mein MBA kar raha hai. Aur yeh hai sabse chhoti, Neha (puts Neha's picture on the table). Yeh Bhi Delhi University mein hai, Art mein BA kar rahi hai.
Naina: Aur koyi rehta hai in ke saath?
Javed: (looks through papers for a few seconds) Nahin, naukaron ke alaava koyi nahin.
Naina: Chalo, to Mr. Oberoi ki personal life ke baare mein itni jaankaari kaafi hai. Ab yeh batao ke murder kab, kahaan, aur kaise hua, aur police ko khabar kaise mili.
Javed: Kal raat Mr. Oberoi kaafi der tak apne office mein kaam kar rahe the, aur chhe baje tak building ke zyada tar log ghar ja chuke the. Sirf ek aadmi finance department mein kuch kaam khatam kar raha tha, aur kuch aadmi safai ke liye aaye the. Saat bajhke paanch minute par ek aadmi ne safai karne ke liye unka office khola, to dekha ke unko kisi ne goli maar di thi. Usne fauran police ko phone lagaaya aur police qareeb paanch minute mein pahunch gayi. Abhi tak qaatil ki koyi nishaani nahin mili hai. Fingerprinting se bhi kuch zaahir nahin hota, kyoon ke us office mein saare din log aate jaate rahe hain. Post-mortem ki reports humen aaj shaam tak mil jaani chaahiye. Shaayad un se kuch aur information mil jaaye.
Naina: (sighs) Bechaare. Un ke parivaar par na jaane kya beet rahi hogi. (pause) Unko kab bataaya gaya?
Javed: Unko to police se pehle pata chal gaya tha ke kuch hua hai. (Naina is confused) Mrs. Oberoi us waqt Mr. Oberoi se phone par baat kar rahi theen jis waqt qaatil kamre ke andar aaye. Unka kehna hai ke Mr. Oberoi ne qaatil se kaha "Tum phir se? Ab kya kaam hai" aur phir kuch second ke baad phone kat gaya. Woh apne bachchon ke saath bhaagti hui aayeen, lekin kyoon ke unka ghar bees minute ke faasle par tha, police unse pehle pahunch gayi.
Naina: To iss ka matlab hai, jab us aadmi ko Mr. Oberoi ki laash mili hai, yeh qatl us se sirf kuch minute pehle hua tha. (Javed nods) Aur Mrs. Oberoi ke bayaan se to lagta hai ke qaatil kal Mr. Oberoi se ek baar pehle bhi mil chuka tha, toā¦agar hum Mr. Oberoi ki secretary se baat karen, to shayad humen un logon ke naam mil jaayen jo kal unke office mein gaye the.
Javed: Main bhi yehi soch raha tha. Aisa karte hain, abhi lunch khaalen, phir Mr. Oberoi ke office chalte hain. Unki secretary ko bhi wahin bula lenge.
Naina: Theek hai. Chalo.
They leave the room.
Scene 5
Javed and Naina drive up to the Gayatri Industries main office building and get out of their car. Sonia Anand is waiting for them outside the door.
Naina: Aap Mr. Oberoi ki personal secretary, Miss Sonia Anand hain?
Sonia: Ji.
Naina: Main hoon CID Officer Naina Bakshi (shakes hands with Sonia) aur yeh hain mere partner, Officer Javed Khan. (Sonia shakes hands with Javed) Itne short notice par aane ke liye shukriya. Hum aapse kuch savaal poochhna chahte hain. Yeh jaanna chahte hain ke kal Mr. Oberoi ke office mein kaun kaun gaya tha.
Sonia: Aap andar aake baithiye. Main abhi apni schedule book mein dekhke aapko sab bataati hoon.
They follow Sonia inside the empty building and take a seat. She looks at her book for a minute, then looks up again.
Sonia: Kal apne office mein Mr. Oberoi ki chhe logon ke saath meetings theen. Ek to yahin ke employee theā¦aur sab bahar ke the. Is ke alaava, chaar aur log bina appointment ke aaye the, jinke naam aur contact information maine yahaan likh liye hain. Aur jahaan tak mujhe yaad hai, unke teenon bachche bhi kisi na kisi waqt kal aaye the. Shaayad woh bhi office mein gaye honge.
Javed: Aap in sab logon ke naam aur phone number humen de sakti hain? Hum isi se apni tehqiqaat shuru karenge.
Sonia: Ji, abhi deti hoon. (She starts writing them on a separate paper)
Javed: Naina, aisa karte hain, yeh dus log, woh chhe jin ke appointment the, aur woh chaar jo bina appointment ke aaye the, in sab ko kal apne office mein bulaate hain. Lekin ek saath nahin, sab ko alag alag time denge. Aur unse bas yehi poochhenge ke woh Mr. Oberoi se kyoon milne aaye the.
Naina: Lekin, Mrs. Oberoi aur unke bachchon ka bhi to bayaan lena chaahiye.
Javed: Hmmā¦haan, to unko bhi bula lenge.
Naina agrees to this.
Sonia: Yeh lijiye. (gives the paper to Javed) Mujhse aur kuch kaam hai?
Naina: Nahin, abhi to nahin. (Naina and Javed stand) Agar koyi aur kaam hua to hum aapko phone karenge. Thank you for your help, Miss Anand. (Naina and Javed shake hands with Sonia again)
They all leave the building and Sonia goes to the bus stop. Naina and Javed get into the car. As they leave, Naina notices Sonia talking argumentatively with someone on her cell phone.
TO BE CONTINUED...