Posted:
INSA scene 1
Indu's room
Grabbing the paper from her, he glances at it and then stares back at her with an irate frown 'What? Am I your husband or a tenant?'
'This is your entire family's expenses...' Sanchi flashes him a sarcastic smile 'Have you forgotten what the judge said..'
'I will not pay you ANYTHING... I'm a guest here and guests don't pay rent...' saying so, he thumps the paper back into her hand
'Guests stay back for 1-2 days Indu Singh ji...not 6 months...besides, you all are uninvited guests here ...' she pauses 'This house is not mine, its my father's and he has every right to charge you rent...'
She forcefully grabs his palm and returns the paper to him 'Don't forget what the judge ordered...all expenses should be divided between both families...'
'Do you know what 1 pai is...' he springs her a wry question 'I wouldn't even give you THAT...if you think resorting to such threats will make me cough up the amount, try all you want to...but you will never get anything from me'
'I know how to get my money from you' saying so, the miffed girl storms out of the room
'What a lady, my wife is!' the startled Indu comments, watching her leave in a huff 'Demanding rent from her own husband...to top it all, she's even included the most minute of expenses in this'
Reaching her room, Sanchi fumes to herself 'Shameless brute! I'll teach him a lesson, he'll never forget'
Flustered by the latest developments, Indu paces in his room 'Wonder what came over that old judge...she thought Sanchi and I were made for each other' he pauses 'Forget about whole life... I can't spend even a moment with her'
'Wonder what impressed the judge about this man that she's forced me to live with him...' Sanchi fidgets in her bedroom unhappily 'Forget about living with him as a partner for life...I can't even stay with him for four seconds...I'll die rather than spending my life with him...'
INSA scene 2
Mathur's kitchen
Sanchi is helping her mother in the kitchen - simultaneously assuring her that she would NOT do anything her heart did not approve of - aka staying with Indu Singh in his room.
Indu is standing outside the kitchen overhearing this conversation. He seems like a man on a mission as he harbours on his shrewd plan to conquer Sanchi's stubbornness!
Later in the night; as Sanchi is walking towards the staircase to return to her room upstairs, she spots Indu seated at the bottom step. Deciding not to pay the trouble-maker any attention, she is about to cross him when he winces aloud in pain. Intrigued, she asks him what the matter is.
Clenching his stomach, he replies in agony 'I don't know... my stomach is aching... I feel like as thought my end is near...'
Genuinely concerned, Sanchi proposes to summon his uncle and aunt, but Indu stops her from doing so as they'd be needlessly disturbed.
Sanchi is in a dilemma. Watching her vacillating stance, Indu decides to step up his act and utters a few louder howls. Her attention back on him, she decides to help him herself. Wrapping her hands around his arms and shoulders, she aids him to get on his feet 'I'll take you to your room and get you some medicine too...come'
Unable to resist; Indu blurts out a few insinuating remarks while still putting on his act of agony 'Did you mix something in the food? Probably something to get back at me...'
'Shut up now...we're not like you...' she retorts angrily.
He once again dwells on the fact that his food could have been poisoned by the Mathur's to avenge the troubles he'd caused them so far.
At this point, Sanchi gets thoroughly irked. She decides to leave the man to his own fate and starts climbing the steps herself. Just then, Indu intensifies his drama by acting like he was unable to even ascend a step or two. Compelled to submit to her conscience, Sanchi returns to him. Grasping his arms the ruffled girl places them around her shoulder to support him and assists him in climbing the stairs.
Indu's room
By the time they'd reached his room; a rather petite Sanchi was nearly buried within the firm clasp of Indu. She couldn't wait to get him off her back. Literally! Nevertheless, Indu was thoroughly enjoying AND taking advantage of the situation while still keeping up his mock-pained expressions.
Once Sanchi ensured he was on his bed, she is about to leave when Indu calls out to her
'Please help me put my feet on the bed' The unwilling Sanchi obliges, unfortunately having to remove his sandals at first
She is about to leave when he requests her once again 'Please cover me with a blanket'
She grits her teeth and follows accordingly
He then requests her to clean the room suggesting that a clean environment would do him good. She was definitely NOT buying into that excuse. Noting her expressions, he then moves on to plead for a glass of water. Watching her hesitation, he again utters a bout of howls and winces.
The trick works - a fretful Sanchi rushes out to get him some water. Watching the part-worried part-frustrated expressions of his wife, Indu is pleased! Stretching out his arms, Indu stylishly reposes on a cushion and waits for her arrival.
On returning to him, she observes him and requires less than a second to fathom that he'd taken her for a ride.
Indu stares at her, raising his eyebrows playfully 'One thing dharampatniji...you follow the duties of a wife very charmingly...' he indicates to both of them as a couple 'I guess we make a good pair, after all!'
Sanchi is enraged. Needless to say, she gives him a piece of her mind and barges out of the room. The frisky Indu immediately stands up and grabs her by her hand 'Where do you think you're going Sanchi ji? Have you forgotten the judge has ordered us to stay in one room' he pauses to lower his tone 'Do I need to remind you or do you remember all of it?'
'Never' she retaliates 'I'll never stay with you in this room'
She tries freeing herself from his clasp, but is unable to do so. He continues on a light hearted note 'This is wrong...cheating Sanchi ji... either follow both orders or none at all...when you want to follow one order, why not the other...you handed us the accounts...' he turns a shade pinker 'But now you don't want to stay here?'
She cautions him once again that she would NOT stay with him at any cost and then hastens off to her room indignantly.
Sanchi's room
Once in her room, she fumes in anger at Indu's audacity. However, her thoughts are soon interrupted when she realizes that Indu was standing right behind her.
'Did you think you could just walk off from me and that I'd accept...remember that you've challenged Indu Singh' he reminds her 'So, will you agree to what I have to say... or shall I inform the judge about everything...it'll take me all of two minutes to do so...'
Sanchi is unnerved by her predicament. Watching her silenced state, Indu relishes having the upper hand. He decides to take further advantage of it 'Think about it Sanch ji...do you want to follow both orders...or neither of them...its your decision'
He waits for a moment more, studying her confounded expressions. Feeling victorious, he toys with a few more intimidations 'What did she say.. oh yes, if one of us didn't follow the order, the court was take us to task for it...severely...'
When she doesn't respond, he acts like he was going to exit the room to act on his threats.
'Wait!' she suddenly calls him from behind
Indu finds himself unable to resist celebrating his success - he laughs to himself happily. Quickly regrouping himself, he then turns around to face her with a stern expression.
'You want to stay in this room with me, right?'
He nods his head gladly. She concedes, her irritation more than apparent 'Fine...I agree to your terms and conditions'
For a brief second, he succumbs to the adorable nature of the moment. He gazes at her - somewhat elated, somehow amorous. Returning his gazes with wrathful glares, Sanchi proceeds to her end of the bed. She switches off the lights and then shuts her eyes tightly.
Having closed the bedroom door, Indu locks it and draws the curtains. He returns to the bed and watches his supposedly-asleep wife for a few seconds - his eyes reflecting the mischief and romance running amok in his mind. Strolling to his end of the bed, he hops on top of it and stretches himself.
Alarmed by his actions, Sanchi sits up and switches on the light.
Not surprising, what follows is a heated argument of who'd sleep where -
Sanchi disputing that the room was hers, the bed hers and that Indu could sleep some place else - be it the couch, the floor or anywhere else, BUT the bed!
Indu fights back saying that since HE was the husband, he had all rights to sleep on the bed too. She could sleep elsewhere if she felt uncomfortable about it. He even challenges her to talk to the judge about it, if she had a problem. Wonder how the lady'd react if she learnt that Sanchi was not allowing her own husband to share the bed with her.
Somehow the repeated mention of the term 'Judge Sahiba' seemed to have an instananeous subduing effect on Sanchi's flaming temper!
Peeved by how she'd been enslaved by her own sorry circumstances, Sanchi decides to build a barricade between the two of them. Plucking cushions from all sides of the bed - even one from under Indu, she builds a makeshift barrier between them.
'What are you doing?' the riled Indu questions her, sitting up
'Dividing our spaces' she replies 'If you have to sleep here, I have no other go'
'Did something happen to you when you were younger?' Indu enquires sarcastically 'Are you mad...I don't want to even touch you like this' he indicates by stretching his hand to nudge her arm, but she twists away. He continues crossly 'I mean...I don't want to even look at you...why, are you so proud of your beauty...well...it doesn't make an iota of difference to me'
'You're mad' feeling insulted, she retorts
'You're mad' he fights back
The 'you're mad-you're mad' continues for the next two minutes or so
Eventually, the exhausted couple lie down on their respective places.
Tired of her arguments, Indu then orders her to switch off the light.
She refuses to do so. They again bicker about it for another minute or so and then give up.
Once lying down, Sanchi quietly opens the drawer of her side board, picks out a spray cannister and slips it under her pillow. She now had a weapon to safeguard her interests, lest Indu tried something immoral during the night.
A short while later Indu opens his eyes and darts around. He sits up, turns to face Sanchi and then leans on the pillows in between them. He studies his wife for a few moments, admiring her sleeping form.
Sanchi is alerted - her hands firmly around the cannnister - ready to retaliate if and when Indu made a pass at her.
comment:
p_commentcount