City of Joy Page #24

The kids stop, huddle instinctively together in fear.

Our policeman disappears into a doorway as shuttersclose up and down this little street. There are thugsat both ends. No one else is visible on the street.

The two men stare at Hasari a moment, smiling. Then

one gets into the rickshaw, crosses his legs as if hemight want transport. But now he whips out a narrowbladed knife, and still staring at Hasari, begins toslice up the newly covered seats of the rickshaw. Max

looks around, trying to cool things.

MAX:

Hey, come on, don't do this.

VOICE:

Well, what's the problem here?

They turn, Ashoka. Behind him, the Goonda.

ASHOKA:

You've become very brave of late,

haven't you?

MAX:

Don't do this.

ASHOKA:

Oh, I do what I please. You see,

my father's dead, I'm in charge

now. So you will get off mystreets, you will leave mycountry, and that clinic andschool will close.

(CONTINUED)

125.

CONTINUED:

MAX:

Why?

ASHOKA:

My father was weak. He let youand your European friend givethese little people ideas. It's

over.

MAX:

You can't do this!

He takes no more than a step at Ashoka, a hand coming up,

when he's hit hard from behind. Goes to his knees.

MAX:

Jesus Christ.

His hand comes away from the back of his head with blood.

He tries to rise and is hit again.

HASARI:

(to the kids)

Get back! Stay back!

ASHOKA:

No, no, come forward. Come.

Ashoka glides toward the petrified Amrita. The Goonda

remains unmoving, watchful. Ashoka puts out his handwith its rings, and strokes Amrita's cheek.

ASHOKA:

What a little woman already, hey?

HASARI:

Please, don't touch her, Babu.

ASHOKA:

What did you say?

HASARI:

I said, Please, don't touch her.

Hasari glances over his shoulder, his eyes bouncing offthe Goonda's impassive face. Now, the knife comes out of

Ashoka's pocket, snaps open, glints in the light.

ASHOKA:

She's going to give someone a lotof enjoyment. Yes.

(CONTINUED)

126.

CONTINUED:

There's a moment of unbearable tension as everyone, including

the Goonda, realizes this man is out of control.

ASHOKA:

(to the Goonda)

He said 'please' didn't he?

'Please, don't touch her?'

The Goonda stares at Ashoka... And now Ashoka reaches out

and we FOLLOW CLOSE on his hand as it moves ever so

slowly through space to settle on Amrita's breast.

And now Hasari explodes. He hits Ashoka. A hard punchto the chest. Ashoka stumbles and falls to one knee.

The Two Thugs make a move to come to his rescue... but acurious thing stops them: the Goonda's arm, outstretched

across their path, his eyes alerting them not to proceed.

Max lurches to his feet unsteadily.

ASHOKA:

Bhose, help me!

Hasari unloads a punch into Ashoka's face; Ashoka's nosepours blood; he starts to whimper. He clutches Hasari

hard to him. Holds him. Hasari struggles, slams hispalm into Ashoka's chin, sending Ashoka to the ground,

sending the knife skidding across the ground. Hasari

grabs the knife, straddles Ashoka, about to kill. But he

can't do it.

HASARI:

Life is hard enough. No more.

Leave us alone.

Hasari backs off, leans against a wall, stares down atAshoka, his hands in tight against his body.

Manooj and Shambu stare at their father in awe.

Shambu sees something on the ground where the first blowwas delivered to Ashoka's chest. Everyone has movedslightly to one side. He bends and closes his fist

around something.

The Goonda steps between Ashoka and Max and Hasari.

GOONDA:

You won't be bothered again.

A look from the Goonda and the Thugs vanish, leavingAshoka cowering in a doorway on his knees.

(CONTINUED)

127.

CONTINUED:

Shutters start to open, people begin to appear again in

doorways and windows.

Fearing for his life, Ashoka suddenly bolts.

Max is fixed on Hasari. He lets up a scream of exultation,

his hand going out for a "five" from Hasari. The

kids charge toward Hasari.

Then everyone freezes.

Hasari lists to his right side and blood starts to pour

from the knife wound in his abdomen under his pressing

arm.

EXT. MAX'S ROOM - UPSTAIRS BALCONY - NIGHT

From here we can see Hasari on Max's cot under "The Raft

of the Medusa" in the little room overlooking the street.

Out here, the two doctors are alone.

MAX:

Why don't you go on home. I'll

stay with him.

Sunil nods. Max grips Sunil's hand strongly. Sunil goesdown the steps. Max moves to Hasari's bedside. He

watches Hasari breathing. He looks up at "The Raft ofthe Medusa."

INT. MAX'S ROOM - NIGHT (SEVERAL HOURS LATER)

A thin stream of dawn light coming through the half-

closed shutters.

FROM HERE - THE BALCONY

Through the open door, we can just see Joan, prayingquietly. Close around her, Anouar, Meeta, Surya, Margareta,

Poomina...

THE ROOM:

Beneath "The Raft of the Medusa," Hasari Pal speaks tohis family and Max, Aloka sitting close to the bed, theChildren on the bed beside their father, and Max standingclose.

(CONTINUED)

128.

CONTINUED:

HASARI:

A man's journey to the end of hisobligations is a very long road.

And you have to remember that youcan never give up. We pray thatlife will bless us, that we will

be kings, with possessions andmoney that we can rule over allaround us. But it's a mist; the

only thing that makes it possibleto endure life is our love, one

for the other.

A beat, the family and Max tightly bound together. And

now we hear the dim sounds of RICKSHAW BELLS.

HASARI:

I was dreaming the sound ofrickshaw bells, and now I hear

them.

Max opens the windows. Manooj helps his father sit up.

COURTYARD - THEIR POV

Outside, there are rickshaw pullers filling the courtyardand spilling out into the street. When the window opens,

all the Pullers start ringing their bells and the room isfull of their music.

HASARI:

Are they here for me?

Unquestionably, they are.

HASARI:

A city so big. When we arrived,

we didn't have a place to live, afriend.

He smiles.

OUTSIDE:

The many hands with their ringing bells.

CLOSE ON WINDOW:

The tiny figure of Shambu joins Max in the window. Max

bends close.

(CONTINUED)

129.

CONTINUED:

SHAMBU:

(whispering)

Is my father going to die?

Max makes the same sound he made in the ashram at the

beginning of the movie, though this sound of dismissaldifferent.

MAX:

Get serious.

INT. RAM'S HUT - HASARI'S FACE - DAY

Hasari mirrors Max's expression of dismissal!

HASARI:

Get serious! I've agreed to thebicycle, I've agreed to the 1000rupees! I can go no further. I

have nothing more to give!

OUTSIDE THE HUT:

Everyone crowded around the door. From within, we DIMLY

HEAR the negotiations continue. Max approaches from theclinic. Shambu slips down the steps from above as...

MAX:

How's it going?

RAM:

All that stands between them now

is the ounce of gold. Max

Daddah, Joan Di -- is she a goodreader?

MAX:

What do you mean?

RAM:

She read this letter to me.

( he shows Max)

But I think she must have read it

wrong. She said my wife writesthat irrigation has come to ourvillage.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes