Gandhi Page #41

For a second, utter silence.

And then the police begin to back away from their victims.

The marchers start to move forward. The police draw their

guns, and the marchers suddenly run at them, a guttural roar,

as though they were one single wild beast.

Featuring the police. They start to run, some turning to

fire at the pursuing crowd, then running on.

THE POLICE STATION - EXTERIOR - NIGHT

A small building for this small town. A policeman on duty

holds the door and the fleeing police, first one, then two

more, then the last three, run into the building.

The crowd surges around it, smashing windows, hurling stones.

Close shot. English cloth shirts pushed together and ignited.

Second close shot. Trousers, already aflame, being hurled

through a broken window. All around, the noise of the angry,

surging crowd, stones raining on the building. Shouts: "Out --

Out!"

Later. A corner of the building engulfed in flames. The camera

pulls back and we see the whole building swept with fire.

The heat of it keeps the crowd back but they are still

shouting "Out -- Out! -- Out" -- and a sudden cheer.

At the door of the flaming building. One policeman appears,

his face blackened with soot, his hands up over his head.

Another appears in the smoke behind him, and they start to

come out -- not only the original six but the five or six

others who were in the building -- rushing suddenly from the

heat of the fire.

Close shot -- the crowd. We are close on the body of the

first policeman as he runs into the crowd and on the instant

we see a sword slash at his arm.

Another angle. The crowd massed around the fallen figure, a

flash of the sword going up over the heads -- a breathless

pause -- and it comes down again... savagely.

Later. The flames of the crumbled building. The crowd has

gone and we only hear the roar of the flames. The camera

pans across the flames, and we see a skull, charred flesh

still clinging to it, the eyes black holes, the teeth bare

as it burns in the fire.

JINNAH'S DRAWING ROOM - INTERIOR - DAY

Close shot -- Gandhi. His face drawn, stunned, as he stares

emptily at the floor. He is sitting on the carpet in the

center of the room. A moment of silence and then we begin to

hear the tick of a clock, the sounds of others moving in the

room, and finally

PATEL'S VOICE

That's one bit of news they haven't

censored.

Another angle. Patel leans with one arm on a table, his mood

as devastated as Gandhi's; he is looking at an Indian paper

on the table by his hand. A moment then

JINNAH'S VOICE

Oh, it's all over the world...

(ironically)

India's "non-violence."

He has been standing, looking out of a window. He turns, and

tosses a newspaper on a desk. It is a New York Times and we

just glimpse the picture of the severed head lying in the

smoldering ashes.

And now we see Nehru and Azad in the background too. And

Desai. Jinnah as usual in a finely cut European suit, the

others are dressed in tunics of homespun as they will be to

the end.

NEHRU:

(bleakly)

What can we do?

GANDHI:

(sepulchrally)

We must end the campaign.

They turn to him -- a sense of surprise, but they don't really

believe he means the statement.

JINNAH:

After what they did at the massacre --

it's only an eye for an eye.

GANDHI:

(he hasn't moved; the

same tone)

An eye for an eye only ends up making

the whole world blind.

(Now he looks up at

them.)

We must stop.

PATEL:

(a baffled smile)

Gandhiji -- do you know the sacrifices

people have made?

He looks at him. Gandhi doesn't move. Patel looks up

hopelessly at Jinnah. Azad keeps his eyes fixed on Gandhi,

sensing, fearing what is going to happen.

JINNAH:

We would never get the same commitment

again -- ever.

He looks at Gandhi with a mounting sense of annoyance.

Gandhi is listening, but still withdrawn into himself.

GANDHI:

If we obtain our freedom by murder

and bloodshed I want no part of it.

NEHRU:

(pleading)

It was one incident.

GANDHI:

(quietly)

Tell that to the families of the

policemen who died.

Jinnah turns away in anger. Patel sighs. Nehru feels helpless

but he continues to try.

NEHRU:

Bapu -- the whole nation is marching.

They wouldn't stop, even if we asked

them to.

Gandhi stares into nothing -- mulling that. Finally

GANDHI:

I will ask. And I will fast as penance

for my part in arousing such emotions --

and I will not stop until they stop.

Nehru stares at him -- surprised. Azad is not.

JINNAH:

(disgustedly)

God! You can be sure the British

won't censor that! They'll put it on

every street corner.

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