(theme music)
(Soman) "Proprietor." Look. This one twice.
That's how you write it.
"Proprietor Paulose."
Will this fit in this line?
Yes, of course.
There's some space on that side.
-You should write "Paulose" in full. -Okay.
-(smacks) -Ouch!
What is it, man? Stop beating me and tell me what the matter is.
-You're hurting me. -Don't you know what it is?
How will I know without you telling me?
You come here. Here. Come.
-Sit. Sit there. -Let me go.
Hey! Come here!
Here! Go have tea.
-You, too. -Come.
(footsteps fading)
Tell me now.
I married her because you promised to handle everything, right?
And now there's no money, no nothing!
Now they want me to take care of her!
Your mother had assured me that everything was arranged.
-Then what happened now? -Shut up!
You dragged me into this chaos when I was living a peaceful life.
Calm down, man. Let's find a way out.
What way out?
Let's go to the toddy shop.
We will discuss this while sitting there.
I'm not coming.
Let's talk about this while having appam and beef curry.
Come.
Aren't you coming?
Eh?
Stop drinking tea and come to work!
Always goofing off and sipping tea.
(Jaanaki) So, Auntie, didn't you tell all this to him beforehand?
(Naniyamma) I just wanted you to come here, dear.
I agreed to this knowing that
my brother had no money or gold to offer.
No amount of money or gold
could ever be more valuable than you. (laughs)
Let's see if having a woman in his life
can make him a better person.
But for that, you shouldn't be so faint-hearted, dear.
You should ask him to go to work and take care of you.
Keep nagging until he agrees.
Also, without much delay,
you should have a kid.
Then, gradually,
you should tighten
your hold over him.
What will I do, Auntie?
We have to go somewhere the day after tomorrow.
(suspenseful music)
We will see him,
do a veneration,
and get a sacred thread for him.
Be calm, my girl.
If that doesn't work,
there are other ways as well.
We can't let him off so easily.
(melancholic music)
(crickets chirping)
(sips)
As my wife was nearing her due date,
I took my entire commission in advance.
Now, I'm in no position to return it.
If the wedding doesn't happen in ten days,
that girl's brother, a policeman,
will put me behind bars.
Then I will never be able to get out.
That's for sure.
If you come and ask for something like this out of the blue,
do you think guys are queued up around me?
Won't you have someone in your custody?
There are no demands.
The guy should be Christian.
That's it!
You leave now.
I will come to Kollam if I find something.
-Won't you be home? -Yes.
(sips)
Okay, then.
(humming)
Mohanan, 24 years...
Suresh...
Hey, Soman!
So the betrayal came from your own home.
Didn't it, Nagappan?
If this is the situation, how can you sleep peacefully on that veranda?
Nagendran,
what if they make you drink some black magic potion?
Similar things have happened.
Thekkel Sudhan...
was given some powder
mixed in his milk
to make him a good man...
by his wife.
He lost his mind that day.
In the end, his body was found floating in the temple pond.
I'm not going back home.
I'm leaving this town and going somewhere else.
(alcohol sloshing)
Drink this.
Drink it, man!
(gulping)
You will go...
to Persia.
It will happen.
You should betray the people
who betrayed you.
What do you mean?
Be ready.
Tomorrow night,
we are leaving this village.
Where?
Leave that to me.
In just three months,
you will cross the sea.
You will go abroad.
You will go to Persia.
I will take care of that.
(Soman chuckles)
(closes door)
-(tiptoes) -(tense music)
(melancholic interlude)
Come, man.
-Soman... -What? Shush!
Stop talking. Come.
(tense music resumes)
Hop on.
Let's go.
(sombre music)
You gave my darling daughter all these hopes
and deceived her again, you scoundrel!
(tsks)
(Avarachan) This is the sixteenth time my daughter has dressed up
before those scoundrels in the name of meeting potential grooms.
Still,
you couldn't bring one of them before the altar, scoundrel!
-That kid grew up without a mom. -Jesus.
Even my daughter-in-law
shows no responsibility towards her!
She is 38 years old now.
Oh, God! Such a pity that her fate
is to end up like this.
My dear Dad...
What are you even saying?
Is it because I am not trying?
Don't you know of Lillikutty's limitations?
(coughs)
I was so sure this time.
I sent wedding cards to everyone.
Booked the church hall.
They took down the marquee from our yard the day before yesterday.
(coughs)
Now, about the groom's family
learning about her sickness--
Do you think it was me who told them?
Even after that, I went and begged them.
Didn't I even tell them that we would give them more dowry?
-Now, what more can I do-- -(shouts, curses) What illness?
-Leprosy? -No, lunacy!
It's difficult to marry her off while hiding it!
Of course! It'll be difficult.
I can read your thoughts.
You want all my hard-earned assets just for yourself, right?
But remember one thing.
If Lillikutty isn't married off nicely,
no partition will happen here!
Before I take my last breath,
I'll donate all my assets to the church.
You wait and see.
-Dad, please listen to me-- -Get lost!
Daddy.
Were you and Grandpa fighting today also?
Nah!
Grandpa is not in a good shape.
He keeps blabbering about something or the other.
You carry on, my dear.
Son...
What happened?
She hasn't even opened the door.
Only cusses can be heard.
It's been two days since she locked herself up in her room.
Lilli hasn't eaten a bite since.
(dramatic music)
(knocks) Lilli, dear...
Dear...
Listen to me. Eat something, dear.
I don't want it.
I will starve to death!
Dear,
look, our father is asking about you.
(clangs)
(knocking)
Dear, please listen to what I have to say.
Matchmaker Chandi is bringing another potential groom tomorrow.
If you like the guy,
I'll arrange the wedding for next week.
(chews loudly)
(anklets chime)
Dear.
You're tricking me.
No, dear.
I won't open the door.
I swear on our mother.
Open the door.
Chandi said he's an excellent guy.
Then, tell me...
what's the guy's name?
Name...
Joseph.
Joseph... Lilli Joseph.
Will it really happen?
I will make it happen, dear.
Open the door, dear.
Dear...
Here, eat this.
Then take a shower and freshen up.
If the wedding doesn't happen this time also,
I will burn this house down.
Fine.
(plate shatters)
Tell that wretched old bat, Katreena,
to serve me bread and jam!
If not,
I will throw that hag into the well like the last time!
(slams door)
(slow orchestral music)
(engine rumbles)
-(Chandi) Hey! -(Soman) Oh, Chandi!
-Did you not get the 8.30 jeep? -No, we didn't.
And we ended up waiting for so long.
(birds chirping)
From here on,
the land belongs to Avarachan, the girl's father.
-How much would that be? -10-18 acres, approximately.
Joseph...
Joseph!
Come.
Since he works at a timber mill,
he stops and gazes at trees when he sees one.
(both laugh)
Come, Joseph.
Have you come to this area before, Joseph?
No, I have hardly gone beyond Kanchiyar.
You don't have any relatives around there now, right?
Didn't Chandi tell you?
Joseph's parents died
in the floods of 1953.
Then
he grew up with the help from the church.
Yeah. Chandi did mention.
He has studied until class 6.
Now he is doing accounts at a timber mill there.
Oh, so he knows accounts?
(Soman) Isn't everything about accounts and numbers?
(crunches)
(laughs)
-Jaimol... -Yeah?
Take Joseph and show him Lillikutty.
What is it?
What happened?
This is Joseph's first time.
So he feels slightly awkward.
-That happens. -Go meet her and come.
Come on, Chandi, eat.
(chews)
(horse neighs)
Do you like me, Joseph?
Tell me!
Yes.
Oh, no!
Will you marry me?
-Tell me! -Yes.
You should take me to the movies in Kottayam.
You should buy me a white sari with yellow flowers.
I want to take a photograph before the Taj Mahal.
You should sing to me the songs from the songbook.
-Then... -I will.
Eh?
We should have plenty of kids, okay?
Like the nutmegs that fall from the tree when we shake it,
all around us, everywhere.
Agreed?
Yes.
-Eh? -Yes.
(tense music)
If you go back on your word...
(gulps)
I'll pick you up like a rat
and throw you into the well.
(bites loudly)
Here!
Eat it!
(bites)
(Chandi) It's good that he doesn't have any relatives to look out for him.
(Varkey) Of course.
That woman is totally crazy.
Do we need this, man?
Who isn't a little crazy?
Don't mind it.
How can you say that?
Because
he has promised an amount to compensate for that as well.
Shucks!
It's better to conduct the wedding fast.
Don't think of inviting too many people.
There will be someone or the other to ruin it.
I have to talk to the parish priest.
We can bribe him if needed.
It looks like Lillikutty liked the guy.
Even our father is pleased.
Anyway, we can fix the wedding for the coming Friday.
-Okay, sir. -Okay.
(mid-tempo orchestral)
(church music plays)
(crickets chirping)
(Avarachan snoring)
(horse neighs)
Hey, brother-in-law. You were sitting here.
Didn't you go upstairs?
My hand got stuck here. He isn't budging.
After a long time,
it's today that Dad is sleeping this peacefully.
Go upstairs, brother-in-law.
We have arranged the room. She will come.
Damn! I've been stuck with him since 6.30 p.m.!
(tense music)
(door opens)
Go in, dear. Come.
(anklets chime)
(Jaimol) You may close the door.
(door shuts)
Oh, Jesus!
(anklets chiming)
Were you waiting for me, Joseph?
Why do you look flustered?
Worried about what is going to happen today?
What in particular is going to happen today?
Isn't today our nuptial night?
(tense comical music)
Your heart is pounding so hard!
(yawns)
Really tired, right?
-Oh? -Yeah.
Let me fix that.
(humming off-key)
We buy this for the horse.
I sneak out a bottle now and then.
Here.
-Take a sip. -I don't drink.
-Drink, dear. -No, thanks.
Please drink.
DRINK!
(sips)
(gags)
(gulping)
Do you know how to ride a horse, Joseph?
I know.
(gasps)
(imitates horse)
(comical music)
-Let me kiss you, Joseph! (kissing) -(grunting) No!
(birds chirping)
No issues last night, right, brother-in-law?
(stutters) No...
-Eh? -No.
Okay, come.
Lillikutty sometimes behaves like a kid.
Don't mind it.
Come, sit. Let's have a chat.
No, thanks.
I took you along to talk and decide some things.
Our dad was a good farmer in his time.
My father made all this.
And these are the only things we have as well.
-Here. -I don't smoke.
I never had an interest in farming, even as a child.
I joined the police force after class 10.
Not so great,
but I receive enough to make my ends meet.
Jaimol's brother is in the States.
Huh?
My wife's brother.
Even she wants to go and settle there with her brother.
He says that we can find a job for me there.
If we leave,
Dad and Lillikutty will be alone.
So, we have been delaying it.
Now, you are here.
So...
-But I-- -Brother-in-law,
you are not an orphan anymore.
You have us.
You have all of this.
But...
-in Kanchiyar, I've got-- -Oh!
Quit that job at the timber mill.
As the wedding is done, the partition will happen soon.
The house and the surrounding property will be given to her.
You may not have any family,
but we should give you something as a dowry, right?
Also,
the small piece of property in town
will be willed to me.
We can only go to the States with the money we get from selling it.
A few people have seen it.
We are bargaining on the price.
And
there's some money in the bank in Lillikutty’s name.
It will come to
around ₹3,000.
I will take it out and give it to you.
If you take care of all this well,
you will get a reasonable income each month.
That is more than enough
for you and Lillikutty.
Along with that,
you should take good care of Dad as well.
-Got me? -Yes.
Brother-in-law?
Come.
(horse neighs)
How much did he say he would give in cash?
₹3,000.
3,000 bucks!
Rascal!
No wonder the girl stayed unmarried for so long!
Looks like it won't even cover
the cost of the coat and pants we arranged for the wedding!
(gasps)
-Eh? -(whispers) Here she comes.
(Soman clears throat)
(chuckles)
All good?
-I will come. -Eh?
I will come.
(giggles)
-Man. -Huh?
How was it?
Shut up, man.
I can't handle her. I will die.
Seriously, man?
Yes, man.
Let's go from here.
It's fine even if it is just ₹3,000.
Find a way to get that from the bank.
You...
And...
shouldn't we arrange the remaining amount?
We have to make a plan for that.
Also,
we cannot just leave.
They should feel that
you will come back.
(cup clanks)
I'll be at Chandi's place.
Try to hang in there for at least two more days.
I will come and get you.
Soman...
Be brave, man.
Please come back in two days.
Or else you will have to collect my dead body.
Do you hear me?
(sad comical music)
(crying)
(crying continues)
Why are you crying, Lillikutty?
Aren't you leaving me just five days after our wedding?
I will be back in two days.
He was the only uncle I had.
Wouldn't it be a sin if I didn't go?
Also, I have to get certain things from the mill.
And sell the cycle I have.
That's all.
Shall I also come?
(chokes)
(coughs)
(stutters) We didn't attend any feasts after our wedding.
So, it won't be right to go to a house where a death occurred?
(sobbing)
Let me leave, then.
Let me leave, then!
I'll come back, I swear on my mother!
I'll come back.
I'll be back.
Let go of me.
(cries)