[Song playing on radio]
Aman.
Will you please bring some ice?
There is no ice.
Why?
There was no power supply for two hours.
Where is the light coming from?
It's emergency light.
Is that so?
During emergency there used to be darkness. Nowadays there is light.
-Papa. -Yes.
You are high.
High on life, son.
You are sloshed.
So I take it off.
Who is banging the radio?
Somebody is banging on the door. Go and open it.
Oh man!
And move the spectacle that you have created here, Mr. Mishra.
Go away.
Why don't you understand.
A man starts considering his house as a bar.
What are you doing?
Saving you from disgrace.
Oh man!
Hey!
It costs Rs.750.
What do I do of this, mummy?
Hide it here.
Go and open the door.
Who is it?
You came all of a sudden, Ram Shiromani.
I called you so many times.
It doesn't connect or nobody answers the phone.
What could I do? My responsibility pulled me here.
What responsibility?
Don't evade your responsibility, Santosh. Yes.
Mama, he is calling him Santosh. It means, he is an acquaintance.
Uncle, shall I make a 30 ml?
Shall I make tea, brother?
Who drinks tea so late at night, sister-in-law?
-Yes. -I have acidity problem.
You have to give her away as a bride, Santosh.
She is your daughter.
Do you remember?
In our village during wedding season
you would conduct 10-12 girls' marriage instantly.
Okay. It's that.
You had your own clout in the village.
Sister-in-law, nobody could dare to refuse Santosh Mishra.
Is that so?
At that time your name wasn't Santosh Mishra.
What was it?
-Leader Santosh Mishra. -Leader?
Yes.
Your father was the best leader of his times.
He never told me, brother.
Not everybody is aware of a man's style and reign, sister-in-law.
Right.
She is not everybody.
She is our mother, who is his wife, should have known.
Uncle, I think you are mistaken.
My father was very happy in his own marriage.
-How will he conduct anybody else's marriage? -Aman. Keep quiet.
You are a kid.
Look. Look carefully.
He is smiling at the mention of the word 'Leader'.
Leader Santosh was a unique man of his times.
That time was different.
When I used to walk, a throng used to follow me.
Throng?
Moron. A throng used to follow me.
Where is the glass?
I used to walk ahead. And a crowd used to follow me.
Now I...
My name is Phurtili.
And I am Leader Santosh.
'Leader is a beautiful word.'
'This incident could be one of its examples.'
'A girl's father told the leader, to get his daughter married.'
'The leader told him, don't worry.'
'Your daughter is my daughter.'
'In fact, she is my daughter.'
'Since that day, since that moment'
'the leader kept an eye on all bachelor boys.'
'He asked a young bus conductor about his family background.'
'He found out the horoscope of a young BSF soldier'
'before he could even enter Civil area.'
'He tapped all youths who had applied for jobs'
'and who solved their lives by understanding'
'all reasoning questions asked in bank PO exams.'
'A leader finds out all these things in the blink of an eye.'
'A leader has knowledge of finance, astrology, future, everything.'
'A leader is a superior man.'
'He is not a middle-man.'
'As per Oxford dictionary, the one who is foremost in doing any work'
'is called a leader.'
'Leader Santosh.'
"At times plays. At times mischief."
"Be it crooked or simple."
"A little rigid. A little entangled."
"But we grabbed it all the same."
"A little moist. A little dry."
"At times happy. At times sad."
"It dissolves like cardamom."
"It strikes the cord of the heart."
"Life was a piggy bank of memories."
"Life was a piggy bank."
-It died? -I am supposed to squat flies too.
They are sleeping peacefully. Who are they?
-They are distant relatives. -How distant?
-They said 125 kilometers. -Why have they come?
To find a groom for his daughter.
Talk softly.
If your papa hears, he will feel bad.
I am listening.
It's just for a few days. We will adjust.
I won't sleep on the roof.
I earn Rs.17000 salary, mummy.
You take money from me for milk and grocery.
If I don't get AC, I will book a hotel room. But I won't sleep on the roof.
For how long will sister Pathrili stay here, papa?
Phurtili.
They have come to see a prospective groom.
They will leave once the alliance is fixed.
-What if they don't leave? -Talk softly.
He is a light sleeper.
You never told me about him.
Is that so? As if you tell me about your friends.
Papa, you didn't tell us about the leader incident.
Son, there are so many things that you people don't know about me.
You should respect me.
Didn't you see? Ram Shiromani was praising me a lot.
Yes.
-You used to conduct girls' marriage. -Yes. Of course.
But papa, how did you do that without knowing that person?
What do you mean by without knowing? He is my childhood friend.
I know him much before I knew you.
-Is that so? -Yes.
It means, he is more special than us.
I mean,
just imagine, Shanti. If I get Phurtili married,
I will receive a lot of blessings.
It's a noble deed.
It's important to earn merits, papa.
You are right, son.
-Thank you. -Welcome, papa.
Son, whatever I am today,
it's because of my friends and because of people's blessing.
What are you?
Look. Don't irritate me. Got that?
My friend has come from the village.
I will have to help him. That's it.
How come, papa?
Doesn't your friend Lucky help you?
-He is always there. -Yes.
Even yesterday he was standing at the crossroad.
You support Lucky and Lucky supports you.
Similarly, I will also help Ram Shiromani.
He is my friend.
Once what happened is that Ram Shiromani
and I were returning from college.
We had an enemy named Monu.
Both of us pushed him and he fell down with a thud.
And then what happened is that...
Nobody listens to my story.
Shall I help you, aunty?
No. I will do it.
If your papa likes anything special, then let me know.
Papa eats everything.
He observes fast on Tuesday.
He eats only dinner on Thursdays.
And on Saturdays he doesn't drink water the whole day.
In the evening he eats flatbread with milk.
Otherwise he eats everything.
Good. You know everything about your papa.
Yes, aunty. I do everything. So I will know.
Come, Ram Shiromani.
Tea is getting cold.
That's it. That's it.
-Drink it. -Here, papa.
-Is it nice? -It's ginger tea.
Yes.
Where does the boy live?
Nearby. The boy's family lives in Kutubpur.
-Kutubpur? -Yes.
Annu. Come here.
Doesn't Lucky live in Kutubpur?
Yes. Why?
I will tell you.
What does the boy do?
He is O level triple plus diploma holder.
What is this? Aman will know.
Aman!
Mummy, go and see.
I am calling you. Come here.
Oh man!
Hey!
Sorry.
Uncle.
The boy is O level triple plus diploma holder.
O level and triple plus are two different courses.
You mean, they are two separate courses.
Yes. Both are different.
A person can do two different computer courses, can't he?
Did you check everything, Ram Shiromani?
Absolutely, Santosh.
They have a house in the middle of town.
1200 square feet.
They have two Jersey cows. And one Murrah buffalo.
They give a lot of milk. Amounting to 25 liters
And his family is do rich breakfast every morning.
What does the boy's father do?
He is an English professor in municipality inter college.
All dogs and cats in his vicinity talk in English.
-What are you saying? -Oh yes!
Moreover, he has taught plants and trees to talk in English.
Every morning he looks at the flower and says. "Good morning."
It's good.
I just hope they like Phurtili.
A burden will be lifted from my heart.
They will like her. You eat your breakfast.
Come.
-Will you eat, son? -No. You eat.
I didn't see my mother, aunty.
When I gained maturity, she was dead.
I understood everything on my own.
I fell down. I fought.
I cried and laughed. And I grew up.
But I didn't give papa any chance to complain.
I had to do everything alone.
Her education and her medication.
Her clothing.
It was very difficult.
But I endured it somehow.
I never gave papa any trouble.
If I ever troubled him, he never told me.
As such, I also don't have any complaints from papa.
Aunty, I consider myself as his son.
If I have my way, I will stay with him after my marriage.
You talk so sensibly.
What's your age?
She was born at 8:17 in the morning.
So she is 20 years, 4 months and 28 days old.
Uncle, tell me.
Why is sister Phurtili a burden on your heart?
Son, only the father of a daughter can understand this 'Upma' (analogy).
'Upma' is a food dish. What is there to understand?
Hey!
Your daughter is a burden on your heart.
And my sons are my kidney stones.
Neither sons nor daughters can give any joy to an unhappy man.
So be happy.
No, Santosh. I was saying it just like that.
You are talking as if Phurtili was born not from her mother's womb
but by ripping the ground apart in an earthquake.
No. I am afraid the boy's family might refuse.
Do they have any reason to refuse?
Right, Annu?
Do they have any reason to refuse?
Yes, uncle. Do they have any reason to refuse?
Lucky's granny has a house in Kutubpur.
If there is any problem, we will kidnap the boy. Isn't it, papa?
What do you do, son?
He is a MR. He got the job recently.
He had tried for gas agency license. But he failed badly.
Hey! Talk less.
Both of them are sleeping.
Phurtili is watching TV. And brother must be sleeping.
Okay. The boy's family is going to come to see the girl.
Clean the house.
Phurtili is quite young.
Girls get married at this age.
At what age did you get married?
Will you handle it?
I have done this many times.
You just get Phurtili ready nicely.
I will take her to the market today. -Yes.
I will also go to the boy's house once.
Who will do cleaning work?
Both of them are there to do that.
Hey!
Both of you clean the house.
-Did you understand? -Who is that?
Come.
Yes, ma'am. What do you want to do? Tell me.
Her eyebrows.
Do facial too. There is an offer going on.
-Yes. Fine. Do it. -Annu's mother.
Okay.
Bittu's mother, you?
She is my neighbor.
It's bitter.
Facial is not enough, Annu's mother.
You will have to do bleach.
You have got dark circles and blackheads too.
Sister, fetch my bag. I have a machine to measure brows.
-Yes. But Bittu's mother... -Annu's mother, it's nothing.
Only to measure your eyebrows.
Yes. Give me.
Look.
How can we do it with this?
-This is a machine to measure brows. -Brows?
Eyebrows.
Nowadays Hindi schools also have English names.
Tell me. Do you want Deepika Padukone eyebrows? Or Asha Parekh eyebrows?
Bittu's mother, I have not come for myself.
-I have brought Phurtili. -Who is she?
-She is my relative. -Okay.
A prospective boy's family is coming to see her in the evening.
-I see. -Hello.
Bless you, dear. Bless you.
She is so pretty.
Sister, it's her marriage.
If you do it properly, you will benefit.
Annu's mother, pedicure, manicure, anicure. Get everything done.
I don't have so much of budget, Bittu's mother.
Who is asking you to pay?
What do you mean?
I do it on credit here.
Hold on.
-The speaker has got damaged. -Yes.
Yes. Tell me, Bittu.
Mother I am unable to find my protector.
Did you take it to the beauty parlor again?
Shut up. You lose your protector again and again.
I have got it thrice in past three months.
I will leave.
-Give me the bag. -Yes.
-Okay. -Remove it before you go.
I have to keep it for 30 minutes, Annu's mother.
-Okay. -You are too much.
You do everything for her.
I am coming. Bittu, I am coming.
I am coming soon.
She doesn't have any credit system here.
Yes. That's fine.
You do everything. I will pay money.
Fine.
What's the cost of pomegranate?
Rs.150 kilo.
-Is it good? -Dark clouds have gathered.
It seems it's going to rain.
Let's leave quickly.
Look. Check.
-We have bought clothes, sweetmeats. -Yes.
-Fruits. -Yes.
Are we forgetting anything?
Are we forgetting envelopes in which we have to give cash?
How will we forget envelopes?
I had purchased it long back by paying cash.
Hey! Look at this.
You are fulfilling the responsibility better than me.
It's the matter of a girl. We cannot take any risk.
Look. It's raining.
Oh man!
Hold this. How much?
Rs 540.
Does beauty parlor make you beautiful, aunty?
How can the beauty parlor make you beautiful?
You are already beautiful.
Nobody ever said that to me before.
Now everybody will say it.
Take this.
You take it.
I won't even touch it.
It's getting drenched. Move it quickly.
Let it get drenched.
I won't touch it.
-Why? -I am a minor.
I am not an adult.
How much more do you want to be an adult?
Shall I show you my Aadhar Card?
I have been told not to touch this cloth.
-Who told you? -People.
Who are those people?
Four people.
Who are those four people?
The same four people who forbid you from doing anything.
-Look. Monkey. -Where?
-Brother Annu. -Bring it quickly.
Don't let it get drenched.
-Mother won't spare you otherwise. -Oh man!
Here. Quickly.
Aunty, I hope we won't be late.
Do you like popsicle?
A lot.
What else do you like, aunty?
He has put a lot of sherbet.
Why do you want to know?
For the same reason why you want to know about me.
There was a boy in my school.
I used to like him.
He used to say that when he will grow up he will become a policeman
and he will marry me.
Then?
What else?
What happened then?
Nothing.
Did he become a policeman?
No.
What did he become?
A pigeon.
"Why does it seem familiar?"
"Both had weaved that dream."
"It's coming true now."
'The ghost of old joy never dies.'
'And it doesn't kill you too.'
'It's the guest appearance of life.'
'It appears sometimes from behind, sometimes from front.'
'And many times through the strand of memories.'
'Now look at this.'
'The girl and Mishra family are unfamiliar.'
'But the nostalgia of extended family is being served on the plate of time.'
'Yes. The witticism of extended family is new in the 21st century.'
'But middle-class has been following this custom since British times.'
'The only difference is that for you it's a new name of relations.'
'But for them it's a full-fledged work.'
'Look. All of them are dissolving in Phurtili's life so quickly.'
'The way Eno packet dissolves in 200 gm water.'
Don't be scared. If they ask you anything, tell them frankly.
Okay.
Papa has said not to talk too much.
Is it your marriage or your papa's marriage?
Aunty, what if I want to ask something?
Ask immediately. Don't think.
You are looking really beautiful.
-Do you remember our times? -Yes.
Our school teachers used to hit us with stick and reform us.
They used to beat us badly.
-Now there are no trees to make sticks. -Yes.
-There are no trees left. -All trees have been chopped.
-Yes. It's true. -Absolutely true.
-Tea. -Have tea.
Tea, sir.
-Thank you. -Tea.
-Take tea. -Tea.
Is it without sugar, young man?
No. There is sugar.
I avoid consuming sugar.
It's okay. We will get sugarless tea for you.
-Okay. -Son, tell Annu to make sugarless tea.
Yes.
Sister-in-law, eat this. It's really nice.
Okay. Give me.
Brother, I don't like the boy.
-Why? -I feel I have seen him somewhere.
You don't like him because you have seen him?
His face is not likeable.
It's very ordinary.
It feels like he is the bus conductor.
He sells tobacco at Gaughat.
He coats glass powder on kite string at Mumtaz Bhai's shop.
At the bus depot he shouts, "Rs.10 for Lalbagh."
He looks like a common fellow.
-What do you mean? -Boy-next-door.
Which class are you studying in?
1st year graduation.
Subjects?
Home science.
Pedagogy.
Medieval history.
Very good. Very good.
Do you want to ask her anything, Rajesh?
Ask her.
I wanted to ask her.
If they want to talk in privacy, they can do that.
Yes. Yes. Absolutely.
If they want to talk, what problem can we have?
Sugar free tea.
Give me, son. Give me.
-Here. -Thank you. Thank you.
Aman, take them to the terrace.
Yes. Come.
Our terrace is not beautiful, but it's really nice. Come.
Uncle, eat 'Samosa'.
-Wow! Wow! Wow! -Yes. 'Samosa'.
-Here. -Eat nice and hot 'Samosa'.
-Thank you. Thank you. -You can eat 'Kachori'.
I told you that our terrace is really nice.
Isn't it?
Both of you are not talking.
You are standing quietly.
Bittu.
Where did you go?
Hello.
Who else is there in your family besides your father and you?
It's just the two of us.
I see.
It must have been hard.
No.
It must have been difficult.
Yes. In the beginning.
Then it became normal.
I also grew up the way other children grow up.
I see.
What are you planning to do after graduation?
I haven't decided anything.
Okay.
Decide about it.
There is time.
Yes. I will think.
Okay. I wanted to ask you something.
Is your family name Phurtili?
Yes.
It's a strange name.
I mean...
Okay.
What else do you like?
I like cooking.
Okay.
It's good.
Yes.
And...
What do you do, young man?
Uncle, I am a MR.
-It's a private job. -Yes, uncle.
-It's a little tough. -Yes. Yes.
But he is very hard-working.
-Yes. -Good.
Very good.
Look. The kids have come. Come, dear.
Come, Rajesh. Come.
Eat hot 'Samosa'.
How was the terrace, son?
They seem happy.
They seem very happy.
Is everything fixed then?
Great!
-Am I right? -Yes. I also liked everything, sister-in-law.
Yes.
-It's just that... -Brother, it's a trivial matter.
It's not a big deal.
We will handle everything.
Leave it to us.
-Yes. Eat 'Samosa'. -Will you eat something?
Dear you take it.
Finish it. You're not eating anything.
-You also take it. -Take sweet.
"Our nights and our talks."
"Were like fireflies."
"The closed fist..."
Did you say something?
Yes.
Then?
What else?
He said we will see after the marriage what to do about my name.
Okay. What else did both of you talk about?
We spoke about general things.
He didn't tell me much about himself.
He just kept asking me question.
What?
I have a doubt, aunty.
I don't know about what.
Perhaps I will be unhappy over there.
Don't think so much.
I had come with high hopes.
But you have exceeded my expectations.
Hey!
Sister-in-law loved her like her own daughter.
You go and make arrangement for the marriage.
We will handle everything here.
All these are your things.
Take care.
Let's go. We are getting late.
-Yes. -Let's go. Let's go.
-Oh my! -Yes. Call us once your reach home.
-Sure. -Let's go.
Aman, have you brought a good one?
I saw, papa.
You do black magic on people.
Of course.
This is the 15th marriage that I am conducting. Is it some kind of a joke?
Shanti.
What happened to her?
Ever since sister Phurtili has left mother has become sad.
Why?
Phurtili was also sad when she left from here.
She seemed happy when she left from here.
She might be looking like that. But she wasn't happy.
Why? What happened?
Rajesh didn't like her name.
See his own name. Rajesh.
As if it's not a man's name. But the name of a shop.
He wants to change her name.
-What new name will he keep? -He said he will think and tell her.
Had he thought, he wouldn't have said all that.
What about her name on mark sheet and certificate?
He said they will get it changed.
It's a trivial matter.
He thought Phurtili is a lazy name.
She washes spoons and plates so quickly.
How can he call her lazy?
All that is fine. What's there in a name?
Name can be anything.
Yes. So shall we change your name from Santosh Mishra...
Why are you feeling so bad?
How did his father say that private job is tough?
He took it personally.
Did he say anything about me too?
-He didn't even notice you. -Hey man!
-Make the call. -To whom?
To the boy's family and refuse them.
We gave our consent just now.
How can we refuse them?
I will tell them. Aman, give me my phone.
Mother, there is no balance in your phone. Tell brother Annu.
But Ram Shiromani is happy with the alliance.
He is bound to be happy.
A burden is going to be lifted from his heart.
Not heart. From his mind.
It's the question of the girl's life.
Don't take such a big risk in your desire to earn merits.
I am a leader.
As a leader think about the girl's happiness
instead of thinking about her papa.
Annu, you told Lucky to find out about the boy.
Tell your mother what he said.
Lucky said that whatever they have said about the boy is true.
-The boy is zero level. -O level triple plus.
-Did you see? -If Lucky likes her, he can marry her.
Phurtili doesn't like the alliance.
The long and the short of the matter is...
You don't have a strong reason to refuse.
I have a reason.
She is a girl. She is not a scooter that you get in dowry.
You don't like the color. So you repaint it.
You don't like the engine. So you change it.
When you had selected me
you had selected me with my strengths and weaknesses.
Before marrying you I knew that you consume tobacco.
I had found out about your penchant for chicken and liquor.
But I never doubted you.
That's why we are going to complete 25 years of marriage.
But this is about the boy and the girl.
What can we do in this?
If a leader can fix a marriage, then he can break it too.
What do we do? Shall we say that she won't change her name?
No.
Say that our girl has a doubt.
Doubt about what?
If the boy has a doubt, do we ask him?
Just say, not sure. Nowadays it's in trend.
What do you mean?
It means, Phurtili is doubtful about the marriage.
She is not sure.
But we will have to first inform Ram Shiromani.
You are a leader.
You can do anything.
Hello, Mr. Mukesh.
Yes. Yes.
You see
our girl is not sure.
We will let you know.
Okay.
What?
'Sending off the bride.'
'This is the perfect way to do that.'
'All the girls in India who choose arranged marriage'
'in the name of parents, society and customs'
'deserve this kind of perfect send-off.'
'A send-off that is respectful.'
'A send-off that gives you your own identity.'
'A send-off that doesn't adhere to the custom of'
'joining your name with another name.'
'A send-off that doesn't overshadow your personality.'
'A send-off where the girl doesn't have to answer all questions.'
'A send-off where after every answer'
'more questions are not raised in front of the girl.'
"Your taunts and my excuses were incomplete."
"They were raw promises of true desires."
"From guesstimates."
"From books."
"From meaningless answers."
"A whiff of new dreams."
"Why does it seem familiar?"
"A corner of new memories."
"Why does it seem familiar?"
"Our nights."
"Our words."
"Our nights and our words were like fireflies."
"The closed fist couldn't read an open letter."
"A little to the right and a little to the left."
"It travelled on irrelevant paths."
"A whiff of new dreams."
"Why does it seem familiar?"
"A corner of new memories."
"Why does it seem familiar?"