City of Joy Page #17

the spirit of an eagle trapped in

the body of a crow.

HASARI:

I'm touched.

GANGOOLY:

My friend, I am lame and I am poor.

Does that mean that I shouldn't

survive? Huh? When a man is

struggling in a rough sea, he

clutches onto what he can or he

drowns. You don't look so well.

HASARI:

I lost my rickshaw.

Gangooly gives Hasari an appraising look for a moment,

then...

(CONTINUED)

88.

CONTINUED:

GANGOOLY:

Ach! I have an offer. No,

listen! Shiva be my witness, youmust at least think about this.

Please, I can help... Or my nameis not Mr. Gangooly.

HASARI:

Which, fortunately, it is.

EXT. STREET - MOVING SHOT - DAY

Gangooly guiding Hasari onward.

GANGOOLY:

Remove the children from the school

-- no, why? When you, the father,

can make a small sacrifice. Nature

has foreseen your plight. For she

has given you two eyes, yes, andtwo kidneys. But. To live, youhave need of one only. I have a

friend who sold his kidney -- thisone -- and now -- believe me, this

is the truth -- he lives in a brick

home... which he owns.

That smile.

EXT. SKELETON WAREHOUSE (MITRA & CO. EXPORTERS) - JUDASDOOR - DAY

A forbidding face appears at the grill, stares out.

INT. SKELETON WAREHOUSE - DAY

Hasari and Gangooly enter. A repulsive smell almostmakes Hasari gag. Gangooly takes Hasari's arm and steershim through the gloom. Hasari discovers the origin ofthe smell.

A line of skeletons arranged along the walls. Tables

stacked with bones: skulls, spines, rib cages, handsand feet. Each skeleton sports a label with a price in

U.S. dollars.

Crouched among the bones and packing crates are men working.

Some smoke, some have masks over their faces. Theyscrape and clean and decorticate. They skillfullyassemble their grisly creations, emotionless but likeartists.

89.

POV - MANAGER'S OFFICE - DAY

THROUGH a dusty, glass, interior window, we see, almostin mime, the manager examining Hasari.

INT. MANAGER'S OFFICE

With a smile, the manager produces some papers. Hasari

shakes his head, starts for the door. Gangooly stopshim.

GANGOOLY:

Of course, take some time, think

about it. People all over theworld, anxiously waiting, willing

to pay. 15,000 rupees for akidney. 25,000 for an eye.

Gangooly winks, peers at Hasari with a single eye, andsmiles.

INT./EXT. TAXI - ROAD TO AIRPORT - DAY

Heat haze on the road. As we FOCUS, we FIND Max, Joan,

Aloka, also with their thoughts. Joan gazes out thewindow of the taxi. Max looks at the back of Joan's head

a moment, then looks at Aloka, who sits between them.

She deflects his eyes forward.

JOAN:

Hasari has forbid her to have

anything more to do with us. He'd

be very angry if he knew she wasseeing you off.

Max looks at Joan. Looks out the window.

INT. AIRPORT - DEPARTURE AREA - WIDE SHOT - DAY

First we see joyous people greeting arriving passengers;

parents greet a young man returning from college abroad.

The way clears and we CLOSE IN ON Max, Joan, and Aloka, atiny island in this sea of people at the moment of theirparting. Max empties all the money out of his pockets.

MAX:

This is for Poomina. When I gethome...

He thrusts the money on Joan and Max offers his hand;

she goes through the hand to embrace Max. Then Max and

Aloka look at each other.

(CONTINUED)

90.

CONTINUED:

ALOKA:

You did good things.

(chokes up, but

manages)

Thank you for coming to our

country.

And now Max heads out the door.

INT. CAFETERIA - ALOKA AND JOAN - DAY

Sparsely populated. They sit in isolation at a tableover a cup of tea.

JOAN:

It's not like he's royalty oranything, so I'm not persuaded wehave to wait for the plane toactually take off.

ALOKA:

No. We should go.

Yet, they remain another moment... then get up. Joan

puts her arm around Aloka and they turn to go. The looks

on their faces suggest they've come face to face withsomething startling.

ANGLE ON DOOR:

Max. Standing inside the departure doorway.

MAX:

What were those three choices

again?

Their faces. And his with just a wistful version of hisold grin... and we -

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

EXT. COMPOUND - DAY

Hasari returns. Goes into Ram's hut.

INT. RAM'S HUT - DAY

He finds his family... and Max. The two men stare at

each other.

(CONTINUED)

91.

CONTINUED:

MAX:

I need Aloka at the clinic.

(as Hasari stares)

All right, they, the patients,

need her. She's a good nurse.

(as Hasari stares)

Come on, man, this is between youand me. Why take the kids out ofschool, why punish your wife?

Hasari holds his anger in; he moves to a mat and liesdown, his back to Max. But Max doesn't go.

MAX:

I have a little money, I can getit from the States...

HASARI:

It's not a question of money.

We'll survive on our own.

That's it. Hasari lies with his back to Max. After some

moments of silence, Aloka indicates Max should go. And

he does. After another moment...

ALOKA:

Maybe he's right. The clinic is

for everyone and if I am needed --

Hasari bolts up, a look of anger on his face we've never

seen.

HASARI:

No! I'm your husband and you'lldo as I say! Unless, of course,

you've become an American wife andthen you'll do as you please!

HASARI:

Stay away from them. They are notpart of us. They will only be goodto you as long as you please them.

The children, Aloka are frozen, she very close to tears.

Hasari lies back down, again turns his back on them.

EXT. LEPER COLONY (DAWN) - DAY

The small colony alive; a line of patients outside a door.

92.

INT. ROOM - DAY

Max unwraps a bandage from a leper's partial limb. Looks

around for Aloka. She's not there. Said is acting ashis nurse. Points at his instruments.

MAX:

Hand me the scissors, please.

Helpfully Said hands him the tweezers.

MAX:

Scissors, scissors.

He demonstrates. Said fumbles through the instruments,

picking up the scissors by the ends.

MAX:

Not that end -- No, that's fine,

thanks, I've got it.

EXT. LEPER COLONY - DAY

Max comes out with his last patient. Anouar waits.

ANOUAR:

Max Daddah, you are finished?

(Max nods)

Follow me.

Anouar takes off down the lane and disappears quicklyinto a little building, Max following.

INT. TANNERY - DAY

Max follows Anouar past bubbling cauldrons and heaps ofanimal skins. The place stinks fiercely. Anouar and

Max exit into...

A SMALL YARD:

Two young men (the two pullers Chomotkar and Ramatullah)

... and something covered with a tarp.

MAX:

You didn't steal this.

RAMATULLAH:

The police, Sahib, they stole it.

We stole it from them.

(CONTINUED)

93.

CONTINUED:

The pullers whip the tarp off. A battered rickshaw, the

springs poking out of the seat, the broken wheels lyingin the body, the finish scarred and gouged, one shaftbroken.

MAX:

How much?

EXT. SQUARE - DAY

Max comes into the square. Aloka and Selima are preparing

meals. Manooj, Shambu, and three other boysplaying. Ram is trying to jolly Hasari, who's deep inhis own reverie. Max stands in front of Hasari.

MAX:

I'd like to show you something.

Just take a minute.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes