Midnight's Children Page #5

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...we're not getting hitched.

The world is not ideas rich kid.

The world is things.

If you have things,

you have time to dream.

Hm? If you don't...

...you fight.

No, Shiva. No, no fighting.

Look, people aren't things, man.

People need each other.

And it's not about flying,

or blinding, or gold... or magic!

And our powers aren't for fighting.

It's this.

I'll beat the hell out of you.

Shiva, stop!

You don't understand.

They don't care about us!

No fighting, guys! Please.

I think Saleem's right!

We should start a coup!

No! Enough! No coup!

Shut up.

Hey, rich kid!

Agh!

SHIVA.

Shiva, don't do this. Stop!

Try to understand, Shiva!

Don't do this!

Shut up.

Shh. Shut up!

How about I finish this right now!

More?

No!

The Midnight's children

conference is hereby dissolved!

Its constitution is abrogated!

Its Assemblies are suspended!

I abolish it!

Good morning, General Zulfikar.

You wanted me, Emerald aunty?

How long has it been now, Saleem?

Quite a long time, you'll agree?

Yes.

Such a helpful boy. Love you.

I told your ma,

she must have you back.

To be fair,

she's been on your side all along.

Your pater wants to make

a fresh start here in Pakistan.

So you'll be joining them...

...at Alia's place, in Karachi.

Oh!

Oh, sorry!

What are you doing?!

Out! Idiot, out of my sight!

Yes, Emerald aunty.

cheerio, Uncle Zulfi!

Did your aunty feed you properly?

Her food is horrible.

I missed your cooking so much.

Green chutney.

Baba...

She didn't come, Mary?

She's waiting at home. Let's go.

Give it to me.

My child.

Ammi.

Terrible things happen

in life and we don't know how.

Forgive me.

Be kind to your abba.

He's not been very happy these days.

Hello, Abba.

Abba. Hi.

Hi, Saleem.

Hi.

Welcome back.

Thank you.

come.

What happened to me, Mary?

How can my blood be wrong?

Nothing wrong with your blood.

It's my mother's fault.

Don't say that.

She was with other men.

Shut up, baba!

I saw it Mary. I saw it all.

Please, Joe. Help me.

Ah, Jamila the singing

star has arrived.

She sings very well.

Thank you, abba.

You're welcome, darling.

Five-letter word for "singer"...

Mary. A little more toast, please.

- Ah, "tenor".

Sir. Madam.

Madam, please.

What's wrong, Mary?

What happened?

Baba is not your son.

He's Winkie and Vanita's son.

No, he is not.

Vanita's child's father is not Winkie.

It's that... that Englishman...

- Methwold.

- Methwold.

He's gone back to England

and poor Vanita, she's dead now.

She died at midnight.

I was there, Madam.

I gave your child to her...

...and hers to you.

Sorry, Madam.

Your son is Shiva.

Not a nice boy at all.

I'm sorry, Madam.

Let the rich be poor... Poor, rich.

Mary.

Please, just... leave now.

Baba.

I love you, baba. Like my own son.

No! No!

Stop it, abba!

Let him go!

Stop it, abba!

Bastard.

Get him out of my

sight before I kill him.

No.

What did you say?

He will not go.

No!

Once before you sent him

away and I didn't want him to go.

Love is not just born, it's made.

He is my child!

If he goes, I'll go.

Despite the revelation

of the midnight swap...

...never once did I have any desire

to search for the Englishman, Methwold

And never once, to my knowledge...

...did Ammi and Abba set out to

look for the true son of their blood.

I like to think,

that in spite of all the heartache...

...my parents loved me.

Parvati?

Saleem?

Where were you? - I know who I am now.

I'm not my ammi's son.

What do you mean?

Then her child is...

Saleem, he'll kill you.

You stole his life.

It's not your fault.

- He must never know.

Excuse me.

Abba...

...what are we doing here?

Abba, why have you brought me here?

come with me, Saleem.

No, I'm not coming.

- Saleem...

- I'm not coming.

No! Why am I here?

Look, can't we just talk

about this like grown-ups?

They mustn't touch my nose, okay.

Do you understand?

- Sit down!

- No, no, no.

Take him away.

You understand,

Abba, they mustn't touch my...

You hear that? You are not to touch my

nose!

Abba! Abba!

Listen to me. Don't.

You don't know what you are doing.

You can't!

Look, look, you cannot touch my nose.

- It's okay.

- Please, don't! You don't know!

Just be a good fellow

and count to ten.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six...

Five. Four. Three. Two.

One. That's it.

Saleem?

Are you there?

All of you?

Parvati?

Parvati? Where are you?

It's me.

They've all gone.

I can't call them anymore.

Who's gone? Who's Parvati?

Everybody.

Saleem. Just relax.

Jamila?

- Hey, put that back!

- No, no, Jamila.

I can smell.

Through that, you can smell?

Yes, I can smell everything.

What can you smell?

I can smell yourjasmine.

I can smell traffic on the street.

I can smell medicine.

I can smell other things, like...

...Love.

Jamila...

I can smell love.

Saleem...

There's going to be a big war,

you know.

Yeah? So?

Yeah so!

So which side are we on?

I know which side I'm on.

You're the one who's confused

- with your Bombay this, Bombay that.

- I'm not confused.

- Aren't you?

Maybe.

War draws closer every minute.

The Indian enemy rises in strength.

But we too are strong...

...and beti,

your voice will make us stronger.

It will inspire our

soldiers to victory!

crazed by the war fought by both the

countries to which I had belonged...

...I rode the night

streets of Karachi...

Stop!

Final warning!

...looking for death.

What are you doing!

Bring him! Bring him! Bring him!

Because of me you see!

Because of my crime.

What crime?

It's nothing, yaar.

The poor man is cracked.

The bombs are looking for me..

- Take it easy, okay.

And don't ride that thing anymore.

Everything is tickety-boo.

Most of my family died in that war.

I, orphaned, survived.

For six years, I slept,

brained by a silver spittoon.

Wiped clean, remembering nothing.

After six years, I awoke,

and was shipped off to another war.

Torch, please.

This time, a civil war.

Awake, are we?

Right on time to get

shipped off to East Pakistan.

Pakistan's East Wing fighting for

its independence against the West.

Shahid.

Shahid.

No memory

Refuses to talk.

All he's good for is sniffing, yaar.

- He gives me the creeps, yaar.

- creeps?

Hear that? Empty.

Nobody's home.

A**hole.

In three short weeks,

Pakistan had lost half its navy

a third of its army, and a

quarter of its air force.

By the time I tumbled into the war,

it was all over.

EAST PAKISTAN 1971

General.

Good. That's that.

I'm sorry for your

loss in the battle, Zulfi.

Thank you, sir.

Shiva.

Our most decorated officer.

He fought quite a battle

Good show, major.

Zulfi.

When General Zulfikar

surrendered to his old friend,

General Aurora of India...

...Pakistan also lost more

than half its population...

...who became citizens

of Bangladesh.

In those days, all our

wars were fights between friends.

Magicians had been brought from

India to entertain the crowds...

...and that day,

everyone believed in magic.

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