Gandhi Page #65

COURTYARD - POLICE STATION - EXTERIOR - NIGHT

The senior riot squad officer and the sergeant stand in the

doorway as the engines die. The men relax... the silence

returns. A dog barks distantly, disturbed by the noise... A

bird caws once or twice.

SERGEANT:

I wouldn't have believed it, Mr.

Gupta.

SENIOR OFFICER:

Sergeant, it's a bloody miracle...

HIGH SHOT - CALCUTTA - EXTERIOR - NIGHT

It lies in silence.

TAHIB'S ROOF - EXTERIOR - DAY

Mirabehn is bent over Gandhi. He is curled almost in the

fetal position, his face looking wan and sunken. For the

first time there is silence, no explosions, no distant shouts,

no gunfire.

MIRABEHN:

Bapu, there's been no fighting --

anywhere. It has stopped -- the

madness has stopped.

We see the police commissioner, Suhrawardy, two doctors,

Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and some others. Nearer Gandhi, behind

Mirabehn, are Nehru, Patel, Azad and Pyarelal.

Gandhi turns to Mirabehn, his face shaking, peering into her

eyes.

GANDHI:

It is foolish if it is just to save

the life of an old man.

MIRABEHN:

No... no. In every temple and mosque

they have pledged to die before they

lift a hand against each other.

His weary eyes look at her; he looks up slowly to Azad. Azad

nods "It's true." Then Patel

PATEL:

Everywhere.

Gandhi looks at Nehru. Nehru just nods tautly. Gandhi looks

down, then lifts his head to Azad.

GANDHI:

Maulana, my friend, could I have

some orange juice... Then you and I

will take a piece of bread together...

The relief brings water to their eyes and grins to their

faces. Nehru bends to Gandhi. Gandhi holds his hand out to

him, and Nehru clutches it. Then

NEHRU:

You see, Bapu, it is not difficult.

I have fasted only a few hours and I

accomplished what you could not do

in as many days.

It is a joke in their way with each other and Gandhi's eyes

light, his smile comes. But it is tired. He puts his other

hand over Nehru's and Nehru lowers his head to it, crying

silently.

BIRLA HOUSE - EXTERIOR - DAY

As in the opening sequence -- but a few minutes earlier. The

crowd is beginning to gather for the evening prayers. We see

a tonga or two, a gardener opening the gate to the garden,

three policemen standing, talking idly among themselves.

BIRLA HOUSE - INTERIOR - DAY

Laughter. Gandhi is eating muli; he holds his head back to

capture the lemon juice. We hear the click of a camera

GANDHI:

That is how you eat muli.

Manu hands him a cloth and he wipes his hands. Another click

of a camera. He is not fully recovered, but well on the way.

GANDHI:

(to the photographer)

I'm not sure I want to be remembered

that way.

It is all light and for fun. We get a wide-angle shot now

and see that Bourke-White is shooting one of her favorite

subjects again. She is enjoying the banter, as is Mirabehn,

who is spinning quietly to one side of the room, and Patel,

who sits cross-legged like Gandhi on the floor. Pyarelal is

working on papers with him but grins at this.

BOURKE-WHITE

Don't worry, with luck you may not

be.

And she shoots him again, as he hands the cloth back to Manu.

Abha is sitting next to Manu, looking at a collection of

pictures of Gandhi, obviously Bourke-White's.

PATEL:

No, he'll be remembered for tempting

fate.

It is wry, but waspishly chiding. Abha suddenly holds a

picture up for Gandhi to see. It's one of him, ears wide,

eyes round.

ABHA:

Mickey Mouse.

Gandhi taps her on the head with his finger as she smiles.

But Bourke-White has looked from Patel to Gandhi, clearly

shaken by the implication in Patel's words.

BOURKE-WHITE

You really are going to Pakistan,

then?

(Gandhi shrugs, and

she chides too)

You are a stubborn man.

GANDHI:

(a grin, in the mood

of their "flirtation")

I'm simply going to prove to Muslims

there, and Hindus here, that the

only devils in the world are those

running around in our own hearts --

and that's where all our battles

ought to be fought.

Abha has signaled to the cheap watch dangling from his dhoti.

He glances at it, and holds his arms out. The two girls help

him.

BOURKE-WHITE

And what kind of a warrior have you

been in that warfare?

She is photographing his getting-up and leaning on the two

girls.

GANDHI:

Not a very good one. That's why I

have so much tolerance for the other

scoundrels of the world.

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