"Your tea." "Ramu..." "Wake up." "Here you are." "You get four dollars, if you win." "You get 2 dollars, if you lose." "Okay?" "Can you now tell us which of us is Vishwanath and who is Ram Mohan?" "Of course... that is Vishu!" "You lose again." "I'm Vishu." "And that is Ram Mohan." "Why not?" "!" "Damn it!" "Despite all my general knowledge why can't I tell the difference between Ramu and Vishu?" "!" "You need brains to tell the difference." "You've got hay in your head!" "But how do you tell, sir?" "I'm their father!" "All right." "You know it but I should also be able to tell!" "You must at least make them dress differently." "They won't dress differently." "That'll cause differences, too leading to separation." "And I don't want my sons to separate, for as long as they live." "Which is why I've brought them up without any differences." "Really?" "When did you move to America?" "I was employed here as a cook, when my sons were still kids." "With God's grace, I came to own this restaurant and settled down here." "Are they your sons?" "Smart twins." "They study medicine by day and help me out after college." "My American friend, Michael Solomon has loved your Indian cuisine." "He's hosting a little party at his bungalow." "Will it be possible for you to cater to a party of 20?" "Sorry." "It's the week-end tomorrow." "The restaurant is closed." "My sons and I slog 15 hours a day for five days a week." "We don't even find time for each other." "So we take off on Saturdays without telling anyone where we're going." "I'll go and deliver these food-packets to the staff, Ramu." "You go and deliver the stuff at the in-flight?" "Service." "Look again!" "My God..." "Where have you kept it?" "It was here in my pocket!" "I wonder how it's missing!" "Madhu!" "Is he going to send us back to India?" "Tell him Shibu's name!" "Relax, grandma..." "I'll tell him." "Listen, mister..." "But we have lost it!" "excuse me... my name is Vishwanath." "You've come at the right time, son!" "You must help your countrymen!" "Granny!" "Will you keep quiet?" "He spoke our language!" "My name is Madhumita." "This is my brother, Madesh." "And this is my grandmother, Dhanwanti." "We've got to have her operated in a hospital here." "We've come all the way from Madras." "My brother has lost the address of my uncle who lives here." "This immigration official is not letting us through." "Don't worry." "I'll talk to him." "That's radish-pickle." "That's goose-berry..." "and this is the peanut-sweet." "That's tamarind-paste and that's sour mango-pickle." "My God!" "He's dumped it all in the garbage can!" "What's happening?" "I'm glad you've come!" "I brought those pickles for myself!" "Ask them not to throw it away!" "But, granny... pickles are forbidden because they carry germs." "I'd die without the pickles, son!" "I will give you any quantity of any pickle you want to eat." "Get rid of them, son, and get us out of here." "May God bless you!" "Hurry up!" "What are you watching?" "Who?" "Me?" "Gawd!" "My feet are slipping here!" "Watch out, grandma." "What have we got ourselves into?" "Hurry up!" "Have you never seen an airport before?" "Hey!" "That boy is running away!" "My feet... they're aching!" "I think the boy has flown!" "Walk slowly, grandma." "There's Vishu!" "He's going down there!" "Don't be crass!" "Just shut up, if you can't speak English!" "...after him!" "Grandma... hold it!" "That's the gents' toilet!" "No wonder he was running inside!" "Go in and catch him!" "Or he'll run away someplace else!" "Go and grab him." "You were in a hurry, weren't you?" "So you speak Hindi!" "I wasn't speaking in Chinese, was I?" "What is your name?" "Have you already forgotten?" "Grab him..." "Let's go!" "Go on, son." "We're following you." "Slow down, son!" "Just a little bit." "Why is he running away?" "He has disappeared again!" "He's gone." "Where were you folks?" "I looked all over." "Wonderful!" "You disappeared yourself!" "Did you get through to Madras?" "No." "Try it yourself." "I'll go in there for a moment." "Where to?" "In there." "In there?" "Yes, of course." "We won't let him disappear again." "Ramu?" "Where are you?" "There's an Indian family here which was held up in the immigration." "A girl, her brother and her grandmother." "I've helped them out." "Find out if there is someone called Shivbhushan out there." "Yes." "He's an Indian too." "If he doesn't turn up, let's get his address and send these folks over to his place in a taxi." "They're still in the lounge." "Come over quickly." "Madesh!" "It's pretty simple!" "Can't you pronounce my name properly even once?" "Don't you make me lose my temper!" "You're confused, right?" "We're twins." "I'm Vishwanath and he's Ramu." "You look alike!" "No wonder they took their turns in the loo!" "You're right." "A lot of people are fooled." "Did you find Mr Shivbhushan, Ramu?" "Looks like he hasn't turned up." "So I've hailed a cab." "A cab?" "But where will we go?" "It's the Madras call, Madhumita." "Ask them for the address." "The double-crosser!" "What's wrong?" "My uncle is not in town." "But he has given my father the address of another apartment." "Here's my business card." "It has the numbers of my residence and the restaurant." "Which hospital are you taking your grandmother to?" "That's where we're studying!" "I'm sure we'll meet again." "We came here depending on the miserable Shibu!" "The skies couldn't have fallen on him!" "The ungrateful rascal!" "Whenever he visited us in Madras, he was always at heel." "I'm his sister... and I'm ill!" "I've travelled 20 thousand miles for the operation!" "But he didn't worry about the problems I'd face!" "The dog!" "The cursed chap didn't even turn up at the airport." "He didn't even put us up at his own bungalow." "The cursed man is having us stay in a rented apartment like strangers!" "Grandma... here's your meal." "What is it?" "...oh no!" "I'm sick of this bland stuff after 24 hours on the flight!" "I wish I could get something spicy to eat." "The customs officials even took away all my pickles." "I don't want this." "America?" "..." "Big deal!" "But it was I who insisted on coming here." "I was better off in India, even if I died." "It hurts!" "Go and pay the fees immediately." "When is the operation?" "The day after tomorrow." "The day after?" "Sign this, grandma." "What for?" "It's a formality." "Sign it." "Go on." "Oh, sure." "Tell me the truth, Madhu." "Why did they get my signature?" "It's a practice in every hospital." "What practice?" "They need to be indemnified in case something goes wrong..." "Could something go wrong then?" "Not at all!" "Am I going to die?" "Oh, come on!" "I know it." "I'm going to die!" "My hour has arrived!" "I'll die, the moment a laser-beam strikes my head!" "Today's the last day of my life!" "I'm going to die today!" "Oh come on, grandma!" "I know!" "Now look at this place." "Doesn't it look like a death-trap?" "The stink of the medicines, the doctors... the deathly silence!" "The bandages and the cotton..." "...I don't want to die here!" "Take me away somewhere... the movies, the beach... anywhere!" "Once I've seen everything to my heart's content I'll shut my eyes and lie back." "I don't care what they do with me after that." "It is not enough for people to live happily, Madhu." "It's important for one to die in peace, too." "I don't like this place!" "Please take me away from here!" "But they're very strict, grandma!" "How will that be possible?" "Do something... anything." "If you refuse, I'm going to die before the operation!" "I'm going to die!" "Stop it, grandma." "Please!" "Let me arrange something." "Sit down." "Yes?" "What brings you here?" "I need your help." "Could you come with me, please?" "The class has begun." "Can I come after it's over?" "I see... will it take a lot of time?" "It appears to be important." "Go with her." "I'll attend class." "We'll discuss this later this evening." "Is it a serious operation?" "Perhaps it is, in India." "In America, it's as easy as spitting out chewing gum." "Simple." "Just don't worry." "It's not I, but my grandmother who's worried sick." "She's getting extremely restless." "She hates the atmosphere in the hospital." "She's asking me to take her out." "They won't let her go out." "They're very strict about it." "But where would we go anyway?" "We don't know the city." "And we don't know anyone here either." "I wondered if you could perhaps help..." "Don't be scared." "Just walk with me." "Here he is..." "What was that?" "Good riddance!" "Let's go!" "Hurry up!" "Get in!" "Let's get out of here!" ""Biryani"...the only dish for granny!" "You promised to take me around America... and what is this?" "You do make tall demands!" "Don't you, grandma?" "This is our restaurant, grandma." "Welcome!" "This is my father." "That's Dhanwanti... this is Madhumita and this is Madhesh." "It's his operation, I see." "No!" "Don't you be rude to your elders!" "It's okay... he must be starved for good food." "Please sit down." "Have a proper Indian meal." "It'll drive away half your disease!" "Ramu... come on." "This food looks very rich, Vishu." "Is it safe enough for grandma?" "She can eat anything..." "don't worry." "They'll conduct the operation only after cleaning out her system." "So don't try to stop her." "Give me more of that." "What a terrific meal." "We'll need to dance to digest it, what say?" "Go ahead... who's stopping you?" "Dance at this age?" "I was only joking." "Typical Indian woman!" "She wants to dance... but won't!" "And the women here... they'd dance without inhibitions even at 60!" "Go ahead and dance." "Yes!" "Please do!" "Do a jig, my old lady..." "Leave me alone!" "No..." "I can't really dance." "All right." "You can sing a song then." "I can't even sing!" "I know how to get her started!" "Come here, all of you!" "Please don't worry." "We will pray for you." "relax... everything will be okay." "The operation will take time." "You don't really have to wait." "You can go to the restaurant." "I'll wait here." "No, dear." "You might need someone around." "I'll leave Vishu behind and send your food with Madesh." "Brain-surgeries are very complicated affairs." "No matter how good a doctor is the patient needs to have the strength to bear the operation." "Your grandmother has just as much strength as a 60-year old would." "Don't worry..." "your grandmother is alive." "But she won't be able to sit up or speak again." "She will live in bed, if she is looked after well." "Grandma..." "Look I'm here, grandma!" "Open your eyes, grandma." "Say something, grandma." "I'm here for you." "Call out to me, grandma!" "You can hear me, can't you?" "I hope you can hear me!" "Grandma!" "Why is she in this state?" "It's a very big hospital, you said!" "And they've made a vegetable out of her!" "We made a mistake by coming to America for the operation!" "We were better off in Madras." "For whatever time she'd live..." "she'd at least have moved around." "Why did this happen, Vishu?" "It was a mistake!" "Coming here was a mistake!" "Grandma..." "Look at me, grandma!" "Look at me... please!" "What's wrong, Vishu?" "The idiots have botched up the operation, Madhu!" "They're a bunch of fools!" "What are you talking about?" "Your grandmother had a tumour on the right side of the brain." "And they've operated the left side of it!" "What nonsense are you talking, Mr Vishwanath?" "!" "You're still a student." "And they are doctors with vast experience." "What mistake have they made that you're losing your temper?" "They had to operate the right side of her brain... not the left!" "That's where you went wrong, Doctor." "Instead of looking at the patient Dhanwanti's case-history you looked up another patient's record and did a wrong operation." "It's foolish to ask the patient her name in the operation theatre!" "She could never understand your American accent!" "Dhanwanti and Damayanti sounded the same to her!" "In a state of fright and shock, that poor woman nodded her head and this doctor went ahead with his operation!" "But how were the patients changed?" "Will an apology help her walk again?" "That won't do!" "For the suffering she has undergone and the trauma Madhumita has been subjected to I will sue the hospital for compensation." "Papa?" "This is Madhu here." "The operation on grandma has been performed." "She's okay now." "She's been talking to us." "She'll be able to walk and move around very soon." "She's very happy, Papa." "...of course!" "But she's terribly shy." "So she has asked them to make a wig of the hair she had." "We're all fine here." "Don't worry about anything." "I'll handle everything, okay?" "And I'll call you again." "I must hang up now." "What is this?" "I don't understand." "It's the compensation." "The hospital authorities want to settle the case with this." "They'd get a lot of bad publicity if we filed a suit." "They're begging for a compromise." "But the fact that you've given grandma a new lease of life is the real joy." "They've arrived, grandma." "Have them seated." "I'll return in a moment." "Wow!" "We could smell the spices from a distance!" "You had to recover a little and start cooking even here!" "Welcome... how are you?" "I'm fine." "Who's Vishu...?" "Me, grandma." "How are you, son?" "And how are you, Ramu?" "How are you, Junu?" "I'm fine, thank you." "Where was the need to do this?" "You've just had an operation and you insisted that we come over for dinner." "This isn't right." "It's okay." "I'm feeling absolutely fine, thanks to you." "I'd have been ground to dust, had it not been for you folks." "Mustn't I thank you for it then?" "We're returning to India tomorrow." "But I'd have been satisfied only if I had personally cooked for you at least once." "Have some more of the "kofta", Vishu." "Is it nice?" "How did you find the food, Ramu?" "I've never eaten better food, grandma." "Well, Mr Rajamani?" "You're fond of Indian film songs, aren't you?" "That's right." "I have a collection of cassettes too." "How about a game of film songs?" "How's that?" "A continuous flow of songs!" "But who sings first?" "I will!" "No religious songs, okay?" "Right ho, sir!" "You've got to begin from the alphabet she has wound off on, Mr Rajamani." "You must begin with the same alphabet!" "Quit talking... it's time for music." "You must now sing a song beginning with "S"." "Really?" "But you guys will be up on your feet, if I sing!" "Let's see about that later." "Go ahead and sing now." "I begin with "S", isn't it?" "That's right." "Now that we're at the airport, I'll say what everyone else says." "Do write to us and telephone us the moment you land in Madras." "I would have been going back in a coffin." "But thanks to your sons, I'm returning hale and hearty." "How can I ever forget this?" "No gifts or dinners can ever convey my gratitude." "Merely thanking you is not enough either." "So I want you all to come down to Madras and spend a couple of months with me." "So I can cook for all of you and look after you." "We'll indeed come, if there is an opportunity." "You must." "You must accompany them, too." "Certainly, madam." "Find a bride for me out there..." "even if she's not very beautiful." "I'd even settle for a plain-jane like Madhu." "Really?" "Did you hear that, Madhu?" "No... what did he say?" "Have you forgotten us already?" "What's happened to you?" "I feel as if I'm being parted from something here, uncle." "Really?" "But I think..." "you have everything in order." "Oh yes... it is." "Go and get the boarding-pass, Madhu." "The counter has opened." "I've got to talk to you." "Yes..." "Go on." "I didn't realise it, in all these days that I spent here with you." "But I must tell you how I feel, now that we're being separated." "You've Vishwanath, I hope?" "No." "I'm Ram Mohan." "What is it?" "Go on." "Nothing..." "I forgot what I had to say." "I'll send Vishu over." "Try and recollect what you had to say." "Madhu wants to talk to you." "Go and meet her." "I'm Vishu." "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" "It's..." "Yes?" "It's..." "Hey!" "Do I look like a villain to you?" "I'm your uncle, Shivbhushan!" "...Shivu-uncle!" "Where's my sister?" "She's over there." "Come, let's go to her." "Sister...!" "You look great!" "Look who's here, sis!" "Your brother Shivu!" "Hey, back off... you swine!" "It's as if you're turning up for my funeral!" "Here to bid me farewell, are you?" "Come on, sis..." "Oh get lost!" "I had to go to Alaska in connection with something important, sis." "What could have been more important for you than my well-being?" "I had got this appointment a year in advance." "Had I backed out, they would have misunderstood me." "Really?" "Is it okay to forget your gratitude and break promises then?" "It's thanks to Mr Rajamani's family that we were saved." "They were a great help." "Could we all have a photograph together?" "Will you take a picture, please?" "Come closer, Ramu." "It's the other way around." "You still have the security-check left." "Let's go." "Hurry up... it's time already." "Why are you in a hurry?" "Are you expecting someone else?" "No." "Then go in." "excuse me..." "Madhu!" "Come on!" "Vishu!" "Here you are!" "Where were you?" "They're were all looking out for you back there." "What's that!" "How do I explain?" "I didn't realise it, in all these days that I spent with her." "But now that she's going away, it is breaking my heart." "Are you in love with her?" "You're a nut!" "You've wasted all morning and you now see the flowers and cry!" "You'd make a great couple." "Don't worry." "We'll find her before the flight takes off!" "Well, boys!" "Aren't you happy to see grandma back home?" "But what happened?" "It's I who had problems." "I returned at the same speed that I went there." "Grandma!" "What's wrong?" "!" "I suddenly have this splitting head-ache!" "My head is coming apart!" "God Almighty..." "I can't take this anymore..." "this is terrible." "The doctor asked me to rest for some days and called off the trip." "And Madhu immediately called Mr Rajamani from the airport." "And I asked them to take a cab, if they wished to stay with us." "You had passed out at the airport, hadn't you?" "But how is it that you narrate everything that happened?" "It was the joy of seeing the boys that made me do it." "But now that you've reminded me..." "I have this headache again!" "Take your grandma to bed, Madhu." "We can talk tomorrow." "It wasn't to watch you play with your fingers that I passed out!" "Grandma?" "I fainted, when my head went into a swim." "I'm so happy that Madhu has returned!" "Sure you are." "But go and tell Madhu that you love her." "At this hour of the night?" "Of course." "She has grandma with her!" "How can I do that?" "I'll handle that problem, okay?" "Go on now." "I can only faint at this age." "I wouldn't be able to say "I love you", would I?" "Grandma?" "!" "Hold on..." "I'm Ram Mohan!" "Vishu wants to say something to you." "Will you come to the swimming-pool, please?" "I..." "I..." "I understand." "So do I..." " 4 dollars if you win;" "you lose 2 dollars otherwise." "Atleast tell us today which of us is Vishwanath and Ramu." "Just a minute." "The crow, the cat, the animals..." "you must be Vishu!" "I'm Ramu and this is Vishu." "Why wasn't I able to tell?" "!" "Not in this birth, never." "You're going to lose all your money to us in 2 dollars every day." "Slip me the dough, Ramu." "What for?" "To kiss the money good-bye." "Here you are." "Hey, wait..." "I felt like talking to you early this morning." "I found both of you deep asleep in your room." "I wanted to awaken you." "But I couldn't tell which was Vishu and which of you was Ramu." "I was afraid, I'd awaken Ramu by mistake." "So I went back to bed." "Do you know whom you have been talking to right now?" "Of course!" "You're Vishu, aren't you?" "No." "I'm Ramu." "You told Junu you're Vishu!" "I lied to him." "We have a bet every morning." "He mostly makes the mistake, but tells us rightly sometimes, too." "But we don't accept that and make a fool out of him!" "The beauty of the whole thing is that you've been fooled too!" "But never mind..." "I'll send my brother along." "Have you been waiting for long?" "No." "I've just arrived." "I've got something for you, too." "How about Ramu?" "What's this?" "They are of different colours." "Yes." "I've been deceived time and again." "It really scares me." "My Vishu must look different." "It's a habit of 21 years which I can't break." "Neither will Ramu forsake it, nor will my father." "You don't understand my problem." "What if I happen to say something embarrassing to Ramu?" "But you're making a mistake!" "He will himself address you as his sister-in-law!" "Please, Vishu... atleast till I get to know the two of you separately." "Can't you help me just this much?" "Should we forsake a habit of years for the convenience of a few days it would be an awful thing to do, Madhu." "So what's wrong?" "What's wrong if Vishu did not accept the shirt?" "Is there no other way of telling the difference between them?" "Idea!" "I'm going to break the limbs of one of them!" "The one in bandages will be Ramu and the other will be your beloved!" "Is that okay, holy mother?" "Break his limbs indeed!" "Your ideas are rotten like you!" "Get lost, crazy idiot!" "Stupid people!" "They can never understand a genius!" "How many days will you wear a long face, dear?" "The closer you get to him, you will know who Vishu is." "But I can't do that!" "Out of my fear that I might take Ramu for Vishu I don't even take a proper look at him." "I don't even talk much." "When I can't even talk and look at him properly how will I ever get close to him?" "You must first stop calling me an idiot and a moron!" "I've changed my strategy!" "You want to know the difference between the two boys, isn't it?" "I have an idea given by Lord Balaji that will help you see things properly for atleast 6 months!" "I'm gonna use it!" "Vishu to the left;" "and Ramu lies to the right." "The elder one is the left;" "the younger one to the right." "The divine twins!" "They're gonna have it today!" "In the name of Lord Balaji..." "Why were you shaving my son's head?" "Tell me!" "Speak up!" "Madhu can't make out the difference between Ramu and Vishu!" "But why should she know the difference?" "Madhu and Vishu..." "Madhu and Vishu are..." "Come to the point!" "Vishu and my sister are in love with each other." "You were ill when you came here, Madam." "You have recovered now." "So please return." "Please don't discuss marriage." "Why not?" "What's wrong with it?" "The feeling of love is mutual between your son and my grand-daughter." "It was because of them that I have spoken of marriage." "It is I who decides their future!" "They can't get married, I say!" "Why not?" "What does she lack?" "Is she ugly or uneducated?" "Isn't she of equal status?" "Status is of no consequence, madam." "Is it the caste difference then?" "It's not even that!" "Just because she has fallen in love I hope you don't think she comes from a lowly family." "Your grand-daughter is as good as gold!" "But we can't concede!" "But why don't you concede, Mr Rajamani?" "Is it okay to oppose them without any reason?" "It's not without reason!" "I do have a valid one!" "I'm a twin, too..." "I was born a Siamese-twin." "Our family, which was from the Northern parts of India had settled down in Rameshwaram two generations ago." "We've had four rice-cakes, 2 dishes each of mutton-curry and fry and two pieces each of fish-fried." "Four rice-cakes, mutton and fish... right?" "That'll be Rupees 8.50 paise." "It works out to 9.50, brother." "You've got it wrong." "Really?" "Well, then... pay me as my sister-in-law says." "Parasmani!" "Your brother is sweating it out away by the hot-oven." "Should you keep forgetting 2 Rupees for every customer your business will be doomed." "You've had your fill, haven't you?" "Have we charged you in excess?" "Then why must you find faults?" "Go away." "See that, brother?" "They've started making fun of you." "It was pretty simple arithmetic." "You shouldn't have made a mistake." "What is it?" "Have the skies fallen for the mistake of a Rupee?" "!" "Isn't my husband one of the owners, too?" "But you're shouting at him as if he were a servant!" "When did I shout at him?" "Didn't you lecture him?" "When a woman says that to a man, how will other people treat him?" "What have I said that you're losing your temper?" "If there is anything you must say, ask your husband to speak up!" "You can't say such things!" "You must respect your brother-in-law!" "It's such a little thing and..." "Little thing, my foot!" "It begins with your accounts; it'll be something else tomorrow!" "Then she'll pick on everything you do and plot to throw us out." "This is really a problem!" "If you keep fighting like this, we're never going to prosper." "Oh sure, brother." "'We' are responsible, aren't we?" "'We' are the cursed ones!" "We've ruined the business!" "You're talking too much now..." "Must I shut up like my husband?" "That would be convenient for you, I bet!" "Don't talk like that to my brother." "He's no less than God for me." "Every man is a God for his wife." "And how will I tolerate it if she humiliates my God before me!" "Forgive me, lady!" "I'll never utter a word again." "You're trying to bully us, eh?" "All right." "Go in now." "Go on, Manjari." "Get on with your work." "Brother..." "I'm good for nothing." "I can't get a simple calculation right." "I'm causing so many fights." "I don't know what to do." "Look... you're my brother." "You're fine as you are." "But I can't bear to see you shedding tears." "Go on... wipe your tears and continue with your work." "I must leave, Manjari." "Listen..." "Something is happening to me." "There's a fire in my stomach." "I think the baby will arrive by this afternoon." "I will stay back in that case." "You will need help." "I think I'll send Parasmani for the provisions today." "No, not him." "He can't make out the difference in quality." "They'll con him with an old goat and sick birds in the market." "He'll bring you only 8 things, if you ask for ten." "You'll have to rush to the market for the rest of the two things." "You'd better go yourself." "I'll be back soon." "Will you come here for a moment, brother?" "What is it, sister-in-law?" "I've been feeling uneasy since this morning." "Could you fetch me a soda?" "Rightaway, sis-in-law." "Where to?" "!" "Where are you going, wagging your tail like a dog?" "I've got to fetch some soda-water for sister-in-law." "You can't go shopping for goats and hens all you can buy is soda-water!" "Draw some water for me." "Ask her husband to fetch the soda!" "Don't say such things..." "she says she's feeling uneasy." "She's feigning it!" "No witch could resist giving orders to a brother-in-law who acts like a slave!" "Get on with your work!" "Why must you talk rubbish, if I help her now that she is due?" "What else will you do for her if she is due now?" "I know you're doing it because she's a temptress!" "You mustn't twist everything like this, Sundari!" "Mustn't a woman understand another woman's problems?" "I see!" "She has cast a spell on you!" "This woman can't manage with just one man!" "A husband who cooks; a brother-in-law for fun she has two such men firmly under her grip!" "No wonder you're running to serve her, aren't you?" "This is the limit!" "I can't stop your tongue from wagging!" "I'm going for the soda." "Curse me for it, if you wish." "Beware!" "If you cross the threshold, I'll snap this marriage necklace!" "There's no need for anyone to go out." "I'll go and fetch the soda on my own." "I can't take such talk anymore." "I beg of you!" "Please don't say such things again!" "Could I have a soda, please?" "My daughter!" "My darling daughter!" "Why have you left us?" "Rajamani...!" "My daughter..." "Brother!" "I've killed her, brother!" "It's I who has killed my sister-in-law!" "I listened to my wife and became the reason for her death!" "She begged of me to fetch her some soda-water." "But this witch fought with her!" "And she accused her of such repulsive things!" "She didn't die a natural death." "She was a self-respecting lady!" "She couldn't take the slander and died of shock, brother!" "I've come to be tied to a witch, brother!" "Your wife didn't want to see her ever again!" "So she has died!" "I've robbed the poor children of their mother, with her death!" "I have killed my sister-in-law!" "Hack me to pieces, brother!" "Burn me to ashes!" "Leave no trace of me!" "I'm a sinner, brother..." "Kill me, too!" "Rajamani..." "I've taken enough." "I've paid for my daughter's wedding with you." "Your brother and his wife have done her to death." "The sinners!" "They have killed her!" "Give me these innocent little children..." "I will bring them up." "That woman couldn't give a pregnant lady a soda-water." "Why will she give the kids any milk or compassion?" "Get up!" "Your wife is not dead!" "Why are you sitting with a long face?" "Get up, I say!" "I can't tolerate two-penny women calling us murderers!" "Whom did you call two-penny?" "Oh, shut up!" "We'd rather live in tents!" "We don't need this roof!" "Let's go." "Ask for a division in the eatery and the wealth." "Go on!" "Why are you spewing venom?" "My brother is mourning anyway!" "Oh indeed!" "Sad to leave him despite all the taunts and jibes, eh?" "Are you going to sing the kids a lullaby now?" "We played servants to her till as long as she lived." "Are you going to clean the kids' mess and bring them up now?" "If there is no one at home and if the kids fall sick they'll hold us responsible!" "No." "Ask him for a division!" "No..." "I can't leave my brother." "I can never go against him." "Then you'd better leave me!" "Rather than be the wife of a useless man I'd prefer to be the mistress of an able man!" "If that is what you have decided..." "do as you wish." "Hold it!" "What the hell is all this?" "!" "Where did you learn that from?" "How could you say that you'd severe your relationship?" "!" "Such things never ought to happen in good families!" "And what do you want?" "The wealth?" "The eatery?" "The properties, right?" "Very well then..." "You may have it all." "The witch asks for it and you're giving it to her, Rajamani!" "She deserves no sympathy!" "Keep out of this." "Let her go to hell, brother!" "Did you marry her to break the relationship?" "You must preserve it till you die." "That is what good families are made of." "Till as long as I live neither will our property be divided, nor will your family split." "Brother... don't leave me!" "Please don't leave me!" "God!" "Where is he going with the babies?" "!" "Don't leave me, brother!" "I had asked you twins to marry sisters, Rajamani!" "So the sisters would take care of each other's problems!" "And they'd live in peace." "You didn't listen to me." "And now you're being driven out of your own house!" "I have all the comforts and luxuries today." "But my brother is struggling for a few currency notes." "We were separated, because we brought wives from different families." "I will not make that mistake again." "So I will now have my sons married to only twin-sisters." "This is the decision I took on that very day." "No one can change my decision." "God!" "Mysterious are Your ways!" "I had never imagined my problems would be solved on their own!" "What are you talking about?" "You've driven away a worry that has been bothering me all these days." "My grand-daughter Madhumita..." "is also a twin." "Well, madam... are you telling me of a scene from the movies?" "There's life in the movies..." "and movies in real life." "Facts are often stranger than the fiction of cinema!" "When her mother was carrying her, she had a very huge belly." "And her father superstitiously followed the astrologer's advice." "The astrologer told him that he'd have twins." ""You will rule the world, if you have twin-boys", he said." ""Should you have twin-girls, you'll die at the age of 40", he warned!" "Her father is a terribly superstitious man!" "He started pacing the floors of the hospital with a sword in hand!" "Our fears were right;" "the twins born were female." "In the fear that he might kill one of them, to save himself we gave away one baby-girl to the Brahmin cook working in our house." "We paid him a lot of money and told him to bring up the girl till her father reached 40." "The name of the other girl is Vaishnavi." "Madhu's younger sister; she studies in a college at Kodaikanal." "But how can I believe all this?" "Wait a moment." "I swear by this sacred fire, Rajamani!" "So, Rajamani?" "Do you approve of their wedding now?" "Since you have sworn she has a twin-sister, I do agree, madam." "What is it?" "What's the name of the other sister?" "Now... it was Vaishnavi." "What?" "!" "Doesn't Madhumita have a twin-sister?" "You're indeed a dirty old lady!" "Keep your mouth shut, you ass!" "What are you talking about, grandma?" "Am I not a twin?" "No." "Don't they say, "use a thousand lies for a marriage"?" "What have you done, grandma!" "This is no laughing matter!" "How could you lie... have you thought of the consequences?" "Another lie will fix everything!" "We must get you married to Vishu at the earliest." "On the very next day, we'll have to say that the girl died ofjaundice!" "Or we could even say that she has run away with someone!" "But this is cheating!" "I've sworn on the fire, okay?" "Rajamani's coming with us to India to look up this imaginary girl." "You will shut your mouths till you are married, okay?" "Else, I'll kill you!" "I'm here, Mom!" "How are you, Madesh?" "How are you, son?" "How are you, Mom?" "It's all thanks to them." "That is Mr Rajamani." "Let me tell him..." "No." "Let me." "My name is Shwetambar;" "Everything I wear is white in fact, I have a clean heart and a white bank-account, too!" "All because I can never lie to anyone." "And you..." "We're Vishu and Ramu." "Hello." "Oh indeed!" "I'm delighted to meet him, Mr Rajamani." "If only I had twin-daughters like you I'd have got them married to your sons and repaid your debt." "Alas!" "I have only one daughter." "Strange!" "You were initially scared at the idea of having twin-daughters!" "And now you talk of marriage!" "Scared, was I?" "Of what?" "When his wife was pregnant wasn't he going around with sword in hand?" "Of course, sir!" "Shut up!" "And you now say you'd get them both married!" "This is really strange!" "Well?" "Why did you wield the sword when I was about to deliver?" "When did I wield a sword?" "You're absent-minded!" "Weren't you tense and pacing the hospital when she was delivering?" "That's right, Mom." "I've told them the stories about you." "And that is what they're asking about!" "But how about the sword, mom?" "You're a shameless man!" "Won't you invite your guests in?" "Go and show them their rooms!" "Go on and show Vishu and Ramu their rooms... go on!" "God Almighty!" "Take care..." "What was that about the sword?" "Forgetful man!" "Didn't you promise the family deity a sword when the girls were born?" "That's it then..." "Madhumita!" "Take Papa inside." "I'm confused, grandma..." "I'm going to kill you!" "You said he had picked up the sword, to kill the baby." "You now speak of the family-deity!" "How come?" "Tell me!" "Will you shut up?" "My son doesn't know that his other daughter, Vaishnavi, is alive." "Junu's been talking half-baked nonsense." "What if my son really kills Vaishnavi in a misunderstanding?" "That will even foil the marriage at hand!" "Besides, no one has really seen Vaishnavi as yet." "Your son doesn't know where Vaishnavi is." "How will he kill her?" "Junu!" "Please remain silent!" "Shut up, Junu!" "Don't interfere when elders are talking!" "You're talking nonsense, though she says Vaishnavi is in danger!" "Don't you want me to see Vaishnavi in my life?" "It's not that." "Vaishnavi..." "Hush!" "Come along!" "A sword in hand!" "Death at 40!" "The astrologer!" "Vaishnavi...!" "...who studies at Kodaikanal!" "Mother!" "I'm never going to see food again!" "Why not, son?" "What do you lack?" "You once told me that liars never get any food, didn't you?" "If I now lie at your instance forget a spot of breakfast, I won't even get a sip of coffee!" "You're making fun of me!" "Of course!" "You've been lying through your teeth!" "The twins, the astrologer the swords and the college at Kodaikanal!" "No, sir!" "I'm not going to get another sip of water!" "Don't be crazy!" "Your daughter has fallen in love with him!" "It's our duty to get the girl married to the boy of her choice." "A harmless lie like this one is therefore, no sin." "So how many daughters do you have?" "Just one." "One?" "Two, I mean." "Speak properly!" "I have one, if I have one." "And two, if I really have two." "But only one of them lives now." "I mean, another must certainly have been born... or even not born." "She must have died at birth;" "or even without birth!" "She could even have taken birth without my knowledge." "She could even have been brought up elsewhere." "Which means, I have one daughter;" "my wife has one." "It does add up to two, mom!" "Now look; it's okay if you can't lie." "Just continue talking nonsense like this, till they are married." "I'll manage it somehow." "Yes, daughter-in-law?" "I can very well lie." "But not when I'm fasting." "Fasting for what?" "I fast on Mondays for Shiva;" "on Tuesdays for Mangal Gauri..." "On Thursdays... for Sai Baba." "Fridays are for Goddess Durga;" "Saturdays for Lord Balaji and on Sundays I fast for the Sun God." "On Wednesdays, she's free!" "Yes." "On Wednesdays, I can lie!" "But not if it is a day of religious significance." "Why are you fasting so much?" "For your well-being, of course." "There!" "She cares so much for you." "But why is your wife taking such good care of me?" "Goddess Mother..." "You keep out of this." "For your daughter's wedding, perform a penance I tell you, for a week!" "What penance is that?" "The oath of silence!" "Don't open your mouth!" "Hush!" "Grandma!" "You're impossible!" "Why did you do all this?" "!" "And now, Vaishnavi's coming over to see you!" "You said that to everyone rather proudly!" "But who will arrive?" "And where the hell from?" "!" "What a dumb question!" "It's you who will arrive." "Who?" "I?" "!" "Of course." "In a double-role!" "My God...!" "You're not playing with dolls!" "This is cheating!" "A betrayal!" "I can't do it!" "Sure." "Go and cry your heart out somewhere." "Your father will get you married to someone else!" "With Vishu in your heart, you can settle down with another man!" "Won't that be betrayal or cheating yourself?" "This is actually worse!" "Why are you bothering me?" "It's not true, darling." "Now look; they want to take a look at the other sister." "You can easily arrive like the winds and make your way out, too!" "Rather than leave the man you love and lead a miserable life, you'd rather put up this act for sometime." "This is no betrayal." "There she is!" "It's Vaishnavi, of course!" "My word!" "You've really grown up!" "Haven't you, darling?" "How are you?" "Do you recognise me?" "I'm your" "Grandmother!" "My respects..." "Bless you, dear!" "Do you know him?" "How would you!" "This is your father." "Hello, madam... er!" "And that is your mother, Durga." "Why are you staring at her?" "She's your younger daughter, Vaishnavi." "Younger, because she was born second." "Or she'd have been the elder one." "Had she come third, she'd have been the third." "And so..." "You get it, don't you?" "All said and done, I have only one daughter." "Father!" "You believed the soothsayer and kept me away from you for 20 long years!" "Had I not been given away to someone, what would have happened of me?" "And mother... didn't you feel anything for me either?" "Don't play dumb!" "You're only observing a fast of silence!" "This is Mr Rajamani, dear." "He runs an Indian restaurant in America." "My respects." "What do you think of her?" "She's like the Goddesses." "That is Junu." "He's the chef at their restaurant." "Something is really fishy." "He's the fish!" "The flowers in her hair are all so fresh." "As if she had boarded the train at the last station!" "Well?" "Don't women freshen up at stations and wear some flowers?" "It's to meet you that she has worn those flowers!" "This is my elder son, Vishu." "He's studying medicine." "Greetings." "I'll be marrying your sister." "Really?" "That's wonderful!" "Nice to know that, brother-in-law!" "And where is my sister?" "Yes... where is she?" "Since Vaishnavi has arrived after 20 years she is offering a thanksgiving at the temple!" "And who is this gentleman?" "Who indeed!" "Goddess Vaishnavi!" "I'm your younger brother, Madesh!" "I see!" "Won't you introduce me..." "This is my younger son, Ramu." "They're twins like you." "Greetings." "That was a superb act, Madhu!" "You acted like a veteran!" "You outdid her in the act!" "You even asked who I was!" "That was a master stroke!" "Let's shake on that!" "My foot!" "Only I can understand the tenterhooks I was on!" "There he is..." "The next act begins, Madhu!" "Vishu's knocking at the door!" "Quickly change and go outside!" "What are you standing here for?" "Get into the act!" "Quick!" "One moment, please!" "Go in!" "Where were you?" "You didn't even come to the station." "I went away to the temple." "It was terribly crowded." "And by the time I could return, you had already departed." "Funny!" "You're speaking the language of priests!" "Indeed!" "I was conferring with the sibling and..." "I was talking to Vaishnavi, you see." "Some of her language seems to have rubbed off on me." "Well, never mind." "But have you spoken to Vaishnavi about Ramu?" "She has liked him, I hope." "She has just arrived, Vishu!" "We haven't even got over our childhood as yet." "Once we've graduated from school and college we will certainly pursue negotiations on matrimony." "So, please don't ask me this question for the next 4 or 5 days." "Vaishnavi's waiting for me." "Sister-in-law!" "..." "I'm Ramu." "But what could you..." "I came to meet Vaishnavi." "Vaishnavi's having a bath." "Give me a moment, okay?" "Ramu wants to talk to you." "Come on out quickly." "It will take me at least another hour, sis." "It's okay..." "I'll wait." "Why must you?" "I will call you, the moment she steps out." "Why must I bother you?" "Go on..." "I'll wait here." "Please leave." "A proper soup, really!" "Listen... go out!" "Both the brothers are at it!" "They've made life difficult for us!" "Greetings." "Greetings." "You...?" "I'm Ramu... the younger brother." "What brings you here?" "Since I was going to meet you I went around shopping in America and got these things for you." "This is used by most of Hollywood's glamourous women." "And here's this perfume..." "Everything I have is a rage." "Do you like it?" "You must've taken a lot of trouble, going around shopping for me." "May I say something, if you don't mind?" "I don't really use these cosmetics." "I use local herbs for beauty-care." "That's all." "Please don't misunderstand me and please take away all that." "No wonder you don't like them." "You want to use only the herbal-products, okay." "Even the doctors in America recommend herbal products nowadays" "These are toys Madhumita played with, as a child." "That's the nipple of her milk-bottle; the waistband her school-bag, her tiny little anklets..." "This is what she first had her milk from." "I landed myself in an embarrassing position today." "What happened?" "I brought loads of lip-sticks and cosmetics for Vaishnavi." "But she said she uses only herbal products." "You're a fool!" "Take her out and get to know her." "You both ought to know each other's tastes." "Take her out, all on my own?" "!" "I'm scared, you know." "You were giving me the pep-talk the other day!" "And you're scared of the very same thing today!" "That's love, my boy..." "A heart-ache." "Greetings." "Greetings." "I know your favourite colour!" "Green!" "No." "It's white." "But I can tell you your lucky number." "Seven!" "It's two." "Later, perhaps..." "One moment, Vaishu!" "I could tell who your favourite actor is." "It's Nana Patekar!" "No." "It's Shah Rukh Khan." "What do you make out of all this?" "You have many a wrong impressions about me." "That's because I know nothing about you!" "So?" "The two of us will dine at the Park Sheraton tonight!" "And we'll be friends after that, okay?" "Grandma!" "Who the hell is that?" "Wait..." "I'm coming with my stick!" "I'll smash his skull with this!" "So it's you!" "What is it, Ramu?" "Nothing much, grandma." "She got scared when I asked her to come out with me." "I see..." "Vaishu, go in, my dear." "She's not an American to quickly agree to go out on a date!" "She was brought up in a conservative Brahmin household." "In fact, she was planning on going to the temple today." "So how can she go with you?" "Not a chance." "The temple, eh?" "Hello, grandma." "Wow!" "Where are you going in that attire, son?" "I'm going to the temple." "Good idea." "Go ahead." "Could you call Vaishu please?" "What for?" "Didn't you say Vaishu's going to the temple this evening?" "I'll take her to the temple and bring her back safely." "I've had it!" "Please call Vaishu, grandma." "My God... she can't go with you." "Why not?" "How can I explain that?" "Why not?" "She can't, for a couple of days." "I hope you understand." "But why not?" "!" "Why are you repeating "why not?"!" "It has to do with womenfolk..." "try to understand!" "That's right, son." "Well, never mind." "We can go out after a couple of days." "I should be going now." "A narrow escape!" "Yes, just a minute." "I'm Ramu." "What is it?" "Grandma has told me..." "What?" "!" "My God!" "What must I do?" "!" "I know women don't like to discuss this subject." "I know the problems women face during this period." "So I've got you some very effective pills... here you are." "I know why you're hesitating." "You're against modern medicine." "So I've got some nature cure, too." "Fenugreek seeds." "Swallow a handful with hot water your pain will vanish in a few minutes!" "Take it." "Grandma!" "What's this, Mr Shwetambar?" "It's rice." "Not this." "Your daughter has returned after 20 years but there's no trace of happiness on your face." "Is something the matter?" "It could be; and could not." "If there is, it can't make me laugh nor the absence of it can compel laughter." "Running away isn't possible;" "nor will running away solve it." "The fact that something is the matter, is the biggest matter!" "For use of the word "matter", may you be known as the poet!" "Let me ask his wife." "What's the problem?" "I can't speak." "I'm observing the oath of silence." "But she just spoke!" "It's her first day at fasting." "She still doesn't know the rules." "Yes." "Go ahead and eat, dear." "And what can the matter be?" "Won't a daughter's wedding pose some worries for her parents?" "You're right." "And you..." "laugh, you idiot!" "Here goes..." "We're all laughing..." "why isn't she joining us?" "Go on, dear..." "laugh!" "She laughs like a villain from the movies!" "Why isn't Vaishnavi around?" "She's not keeping well." "She'll be here soon." "What's wrong with her?" "Hush, Papa!" "It's a problem women face... can't you keep quiet." "Try this vegetable kofta, Mr Rajamani." "Have some..." "Grandma..." "Could I have some, please?" "Of course." "As if I'd forget you." "What's that, Madhu?" "You're eating in my plate!" "It's Indian tradition for the wife to eat from her husband's plate." "This bears testimony to our love." "What will you have, Junu?" "One more of what?" "Here's Vaishnavi..." "now that Madhu's gone." "Sit next to Ramu." "Sit down there, dear." "Your father-in-law asks you to!" "Will you eat quietly, Shwetambar?" "This is very spicy." "Eat well, dear." "Don't feel shy." "I'll back soon." "How's the stomach-ache now?" "It's okay now." "What are you staring at?" "That's the Indian tradition!" "It's a tradition for wives to eat from their husband's plates." "It's proof of our love." "What's wrong?" "What the hell have you done?" "A little extra force, you know." "What's happened?" "I've spilt it all." "Naturally." "That's what happens when you eat in haste." "But don't worry." "I'll get you another plate." "Why isn't Vaishnavi around, Madhu?" "She's resting." "Strange." "The two of you disappear in turns." "I wish to see you both together." "I wonder why that's not happening." "Is that all, sir?" "I'll go and fetch Vaishnavi." "Where to, Junu?" "She's resting in her room." "You don't plan to disturb her, do you?" "What's wrong if your father wants to see them both together?" "There's nothing wrong, Juno." "But what's the hurry?" "Vaishu and Madhu will together sing for you this evening." "Not sing alone..." "they will even dance together!" "That's the real-time animation computer I bought in America." "I've already fed Vaishnavi's picture into its memory." "This chord will relay my action to the computer." "Whatever I do will be reproduced by the computer-image of Vaishnavi." "I will present this computer-image on the stage." "Brother..." "Brother Rajamani..." "Parasmani!" "Come in...!" "What have you done to yourself?" "It hurts me to see you like this." "Never mind about me." "Tell me about yourself." "You've been fine I hope?" "It's after ages that I've been given back my joys." "Hasn't your wife come with you?" "No, she didn't come." "She's still the same." "In fact, she's worse than she was." "Call your sons out here." "I'm dying to meet them." "This is your uncle." "Please bless us, uncle." "May you be happy." "We hereby announce the wedding of Vishu son of Rajamani and Manjari of Rameshwaram with Madhumita, daughter of Shwetambar and Durga of Madras." "We also announce the wedding of Vaishnavi, daughter of Shwetambar and Durga of Madras with Ramu." "Madhumita and Vishwanath shall be married next month and Vaishnavi and Ramu shall be married the month after..." "Hold it." "Why are you having two different wedding dates?" "We must have both the weddings on the same day and at the same alter." "No, sir!" "No way!" "If both the weddings are held together it's traditionally proved that only one of them succeeds." "To the best of my knowledge, such weddings have not been auspicious." "If one didn't bear any children, the other husband went insane." "Were the weddings you witnessed of twin-couples?" "No." "So why must we worry?" "I was deprived of marital bliss, because we married separately." "Neither did my brother lead a happy married life." "My sons must therefore be married together at the same alter." "I will not change my decision." "Go ahead and change the programme, priest." "I am very happy..." "Here you are... we have performed the engagement ceremony." "May everything go off well." "My wife and I wish to go to Tirupati to wash away our sins." "Pardon me?" "Your sins?" "Not at all!" "Remember... he has kept his daughter away for so long." "That's the sin he talks of!" "I see." "So that is the matter." "Could be; and could not be, too." "If it is indeed true, is the Lord going to punish us?" "If it were not true, will the Lord not bless us?" "Shut up!" "I wish I had undertaken the oath of silence!" "What is your name?" "Rajamani?" "Is that your name?" "Or is it your father's?" "It's my brother's!" "All right." "How much do you owe them?" "I've earned millions!" "Why didn't you tell me?" "Money can't set this right." "My wife hasn't forgotten anything of the past." "She flares up at the mere mention of your name." "The frustration of not bearing a child has driven her crazy." "She snaps at me for every little thing." "I considered death better than putting up with this torture." "And then I received your letter." "So I wanted to see you and the kids before I died." "Now that I had even seen their wives, I lay down to die!" "But my cursed life!" "It's not worth living..." "and I don't even die!" "I'm like the stray dog!" "I'm good for nothing, brother!" "I'm a useless man!" "So long as I live, I will not let you die." "Who do I have, but you and your wife?" "My sons will be married only when the two of you attend the wedding!" "I'll take your place as Parasmani in the village for some days." "I'll somehow convince your wife and bring her to the wedding." "Till then, you must play Rajamani and handle things here." "Okay?" "You are an angel, brother." "Whatever you do will be right." "Asking me for the money!" "Are you, punk?" "!" "You dealt with my husband!" "Don't you dare talk to me!" "Take all her stuff!" "Back off, you worms!" "This is stuff my mother gave me as dowry!" "Take away only those things that are in the business!" "My husband!" "He won't get a penny!" "He ran away for fear of creditors!" "This won't repay our dues!" "Get other things from inside." "Wait, Sundari..." "What for?" "They've taken everything away." "I'm not going to rot here!" "I'm going to my mother's place." "When you're capable of earning and feeding me, just let me know." "If you must live of ill-gotten stuff, you can fall at my father's feet." "He can look after another pauper like you!" "Let's go." "Hey, mister..." "You've won the lottery!" "Hey, wait... halt there!" "You've won 2.5 million!" "Of course!" "It's true!" "He's a millionaire now!" "Three cheers for him!" "God Almighty!" "Hey, lay off..." "let him get some breeze!" "Run along, guys..." "Go and get him something to drink." "She was leaving him." "And now he has money!" "She's clinging to him." "I cling to my husband to infuse some spirit into him!" "Doesn't your wife fight with you?" "Just shut up and get lost!" "Well, it's because I scolded you that good times are upon us." "Give me that ticket." "I'll go and fetch the money." "If you go there, they'll get rid of you with just 2500 rupees!" "If I have the money, I'll take good care of the family." "You will get your pocket-money." "Now give me the ticket." "Because I didn't want anyone to cheat me I got my name written on the ticket." "So they will pay the money only to me." "God!" "But I'm your wife..." "won't they pay me too?" "What a waste!" "Sir...!" "Pretend to read this book, if you're caught in a bad situation." "Sir..." "What do you find in this encyclopaedia of cooking?" "I've come to thank you." "What for?" "People with lots of black money often buy the tickets with their ill-gotten wealth." "But you bought the ticket for the welfare of your family." "Parasmani's changed the face of the hotel after winning the lottery." "He is a wise man now." "Do come in..." "Look after them, Ramaswamy." "I'm pretty weak at calculations, my friend." "I have entrusted this task to you because you're an educated man." "Do look after it well." "I take responsibility for your welfare." "Would you have an engagement ring of this design?" "Sorry, we've run out of stock." "But you can place an order." "Your name, sir?" "Rammohan." "Grandma!" "What is it?" "Ramu's bothering me, grandma!" "What has he been doing?" "He's got an engagement ring made!" "He insists that I wear it!" "I don't want to be Vaishnavi for another minute now!" "Don't you want to be Vaishnavi..." "Very well!" "You don't have to be Vaishnavi at all!" "Leave tonight, under the pretext of attending your examinations!" "Go on!" "Go on, darling..." "Is Vaishnavi out, too?" "What do we do now?" "There are only two ways." "Go on." "The first is to hire another girl to play the part." "The other is to change the mind of the crazy man, Rajamani who insists that his sons marry only twin-sisters." "How's that possible?" "I'll book a room in Pondicherry and have a brain-storming session with my friends!" "Do not worry about me!" "I will arrive at the right moment have Madhu married and stun everyone!" "Look, Parasmani; you now have every comfort." "God has given you good times again." "But what's the use?" "By not giving you support in your old age by not giving you a child, the Lord has indeed been unjust." "Just marry this girl." "She'll bear you half a dozen children." "No one in our family has married a second time." "My brother hasn't married a second time either." "But your brother already has two sons." "But you have no one to light your funeral pyre." "But I could be responsible for this state of affairs, too." "Not at all!" "The men in your family have all been fertile." "Doesn't your brother have sons?" "So the fault does not lie with you." "Your wife deprived your sister-in-law of the soda-water and killed her." "It's because of that sin that she will never bear children." "She's sick and haggard, bearing to the jibes of the villagers." "There is no hope of her bearing you an heir at this age." "She can never make good this lack of children." "Which human being does not lack something or the other?" "I can't cook;" "I can't even keep proper accounts." "When she bears all that silently, why must I probe her deficiency?" "Let me tell you;" "I'm not bothered even if I have no children." "But I will not do an injustice to Sundari." "So please go away." "Come along, Vaishu..." "this is the compartment." "The juice, drinking water..." "I've packed it all." "I've got you some magazines for you to read." "I dodged everyone, so I could have a heart-to-heart talk with you." "But you don't say a word." "You're always so silent..." "but I like that, too." "There's music even in your silence!" "Whenever I look at you, I'm reminded of sister-in-law." "She's just like you." "She was madly in love with my brother, but she boarded the plane, without uttering a word about it to him." "But fate has brought them together." "Should you too leave without saying anything to me I'll die out of the grief." "Do you atleast approve of me?" "It's true that your sister and my brother love each other." "But I hope this aspect of being twins and marrying together is not something you're worried about?" "I hope it's not that?" "You approve of me then, don't you?" "Silence is a sign of consent." "But it is not enough for me!" "Please... will you tell me as much, atleast once?" "The train has got the signal and is moving ahead." "But our love just doesn't take off!" "Just say it once that you love me... please!" "Just once...!" "?" "I don't want to return without an answer." "May I accompany you to Kodaikanal?" "Please get off the train!" "I'll write later and tell you how I feel." "Please get off the train." "I understand!" "You can't bring yourself about to say it!" "So you will write to me!" "That's enough for me." "I will leave now." "Oh Lord!" "No need to write a lengthy letter!" "Just write," "Here I am, Madhu!" "I want to kill myself!" "Whatever for?" "Who's Ramu?" "He's none other than my brother-in-law, grandma!" "And a brother-in-law is considered to be a son!" "And that poor chap is going crazy living on hopes of false love!" "What happens to him, when he gets to know the truth about Vaishnavi?" "If he does something to himself..." "how will I ever face Vishu again?" "I've had enough!" "Rather than betray those people and marry that boy I'd rather tell them the truth and beg for their forgiveness!" "Should there be anything worthwhile in our love we will still unite." "Don't be silly and put the cart before the horse!" "Why tell him the truth?" "You're part of Vaishnavi is over." "You don't have to fool Ramu anymore." "The wedding is around the corner!" "The moment you take the vows..." "I will beg at Ramu's feet and beg for his forgiveness!" "I will tell him that it was I who lied for the two of you!" "I'm prepared to beg for forgiveness from everyone." "Will your apology bring the corpses back to life?" "I can't do this anymore!" "Okay!" "Go and tell them!" "I'll kill myself under this trains!" "Sure." "Do that." "I won't live after I've spoken the truth either." "Listen, my little girl..." "Wait!" "Junu!" "This is Madesh's room, isn't it?" "Why are you messing around with these things?" "This is a superb computer!" "When Vaishnavi and Madhu were dancing together the other day Madesh had attached these chords to the computer and was dancing away to glory!" "I too want to dance." "But I don't know where the switch is." "Why don't you do something?" "Why are you messing with Madesh's things?" "First go and keep everything in its place." "Okay?" "I'll make one last try." "You're going to get into trouble today." "Look at this!" "Vaishu's doing just what I am doing!" "Oh get lost!" "You have nothing better to do." "Let's see you sway your hips, Madhu." "I've had enough, Madesh!" "Give me one last pose!" "Your anger is justified!" "But I've come to explain why it happened!" "You've done enough!" "What will you tell me?" "Pretend to speak the truth, now that you've been exposed?" "!" "How long will I put up with this farce?" "For God's sake!" "Please hear me out!" "Just shut up!" "Did I ever deceive you?" "I have loved you more than my own life!" "Is this why you have done this to me?" "For God's sake, Vishu!" "Please let me speak!" "I'm mad for having loved you so much!" "But what had my brother done?" "What mistake did he make?" "You've called him over from America, giving him hopes of marriage and have driven him crazy!" "Why did you do it?" "Don't lose your temper on her!" "Please listen to me, son..." "It's not Madhu's fault at all!" "Only to have you married, I lied that she has a twin sister." "It was I who compelled Madhu to play Vaishnavi!" "Curse me, if you wish." "Punish me as you will, but..." "Oh, shut up!" "What kind of a woman are you?" "The sight of you makes me sick!" "You open your mouth only to lie!" "I sympathised with you and helped you in America, because you were ill." "But you have given our family a humiliating blow!" "Please!" "No one in my family ever wanted to cheat anyone." "Believe me!" "For God's sake..." "You?" "!" "You have falsely sworn even on the sacred fire!" "How can you even expect me to believe you?" "I just..." "Don't you utter a word!" "Mr Rajamani!" "Vishu is a kid!" "He has lost his temper!" "You said you'd get your sons married only to twin-sisters." "And I didn't want their wedding to be stalled!" "So I was wondering what I had to do to get them married and I thought of the lie!" "I admit, I have lied!" "I have blundered by fooling everyone!" "But I will beg at your feet for your forgiveness...!" "For God's sake!" "Please get them married!" "Move away, Papa!" "She'll pretend to beg and throw you off balance!" "Don't believe her!" "She's a liar!" "All this is a farce!" "She's a criminal and this is a family of cheats!" "Let's go away from here, Papa!" "Come on!" "My God!" "I've been seeing you since you were a kid." "But you were never sad, dear." "Here... have something to eat." "Your grandma will kill me, if you don't eat." "Help yourself." "I'm not hungry, Joseph." "Know what?" "It'll take 2 days for us to hit the shores." "D'you want me to head back for the shores right now?" "It doesn't matter..." "I've given up." "I don't want to meet anyone anymore." "I have a question, if you don't mind." "Have you failed in love?" "That's inevitable, if you have fallen in love." "Get the boats sailing." "Quick!" "No, I won't let you go!" "They're deep waters." "There has been a ship-wreck!" "Come along..." "Vishu!" "We'll handle this..." "Let's go!" "Stay here." "I'll go and take a look." "You almost killed me!" "Did the idea of me committing suicide scare you?" "I'm past that stage now." "Why are you saying such things?" "The sight of you has begun to scare me!" "I want my Ramu back!" "Let's leave this city!" "Let's return to America!" "You're lying." "How can you return to America, with your beloved here?" "You're talking about Madhumita!" "Damn her!" "Don't even utter the cheat's name!" "She's a two-timing liar!" "I've buried her with my desires!" "She's dead, as far as I am concerned!" "Is that why you preserved all her effects all over again?" "Yes." "I was a crazy guy!" "I fell in love with her!" "But you did nothing!" "She deceived you too!" "I can't take that!" "She deceived me only because of you." "They played this game, only because she wanted to marry you." "I was fooled, because I took their dramatics to be true." "But now I know the truth." "People go to the movies;" "cry and laugh but they return to their world once the movie is over." "In the same vein, I have forgotten the past." "You're pretending to be unaffected by the grief, only for my sake!" "Who is she, after all?" "My sister-in-law, isn't it?" "The moment I realised that, I had nothing against her." "I'm not hurt anymore." "But the poor girl has been subjected to much more than I have." "To preserve the sanctity of our relationship and to keep a crazy lover like me at arm's length what must she have been through?" "That is no deception or fraud." "If anything, it's a measure of her love for you." "I take it upon myself to have you both married." "Why don't you talk to us, Papa?" "You're always immersed in the book when we want to talk to you." "I still stand by my decision." "Why must you be stubborn on having twin-sisters for us?" "If Vishu marries anyone except that girl, he'll be a miserable man!" "If he is not happy, I can't be happy too!" "And when we're both miserable, you won't be happy either." "Do you want to sacrifice our joys for your misplaced ideals?" "Answer me, Papa!" "Speak up!" "We will decide this after my younger brother arrives from the village." "It's you who must decide this issue of your sons' wedding!" "Why drag your brother into this?" "It's because of your brother that we have these problems!" "If your brother were a wise man, we wouldn't have landed in this mess!" "Had his wife been a good woman, our family wouldn't have broken up!" "Your brother and his wife are not good folks." "So why must you ruin our lives for them?" "Stop it... that's enough." "I will get you married to Madhumita as per your wishes." "But not on the date that they have now decided." "Let's have it at the earliest possible." "Why's that, Papa?" "They must be married, before I change my mind." "Please hear me out!" "What's wrong?" "They're patching up!" "Let's go." "Listen to me, will you?" "Why must I?" "Did you listen to me, the other day?" "I had begged in the same manner!" "I implored you in the name of God to listen to me!" "But you were deaf then!" "The Prince, aren't you?" "Frauds and cheats..." "what didn't you call us?" "And you're here to explain now!" "Oh, get lost!" "That was a mistake, Madhu." "I'm exactly in the same position as you were in that day." "Won't you forgive me and accept me back?" "Do you know something, Sundari?" "My brother's here in India." "I even went to meet him, without telling you." "My God!" "You tell me the good news after all these days!" "His sons are getting married in Madras." "He didn't come to invite us, because he feared your temper." "I'm dying to meet our relatives..." "why should he have feared me?" "You have rid me of my worries of many years, Sundari." "But tell me..." "You have a guest from Madras." "Welcome, Madesh..." "Who is he?" "He's the brides' younger brother." "I see." "But what brings him here?" "!" "You must have won a lottery and turned millionaires." "But your arch-enemy, Rajamani..." "he's a billionaire!" "You must open a Nehruvian restaurant opposite his Gandhian one in America." "You must also be billionaires!" "That is what brings me here!" "You must do as I say..." "I will arrange everything!" "But, we can't..." "Limit yourself to snacks, old man!" "This man's brother has no sense!" "By insisting that his sons will marry only twin-sisters he has landed us in a dilemma!" "And that is where all the trouble began from!" "My sister has no twin!" "But speaking the truth will not make Rajamani relent!" "And Vishu will not marry, till his father says so." "I have a solution for that." "We could very well impersonate the man!" "Your husband, this chap, will go there as Rajamani." "If he consents, Vishu will immediately agree!" "And how about Rajamani?" "We knock him out cold!" "We'll lock him in a room and release him after the marriage." "Bloody swine!" "You're suggesting ways to ruin our brother's family!" "You're giving us wicked ideas!" "You bloody..." "Hey, relax..." "Leave him alone!" "Let me talk to her..." "she's very angry." "Go on..." "He bad-mouths our brother!" "I could smash his face!" "Don't be silly!" "He'll do something worse, if we drive him away." "So let's agree to whatever he says, and hand him over to my brother." "My brother will deal with him." "Madesh!" "Where were you?" "!" "How could you disappear with a wedding in your family?" "Your folks are looking for you." "A wedding in my family?" "A wedding..." "Who's getting married?" "Don't pretend." "It's your sister's wedding, of course." "It's at the wedding hall." "The ceremony begins at 10. 15." "And who's the bridegroom?" "Why ask me?" "!" "It's the elder twin!" "Welcome..." "Welcome!" "I was worried, when you didn't turn up." "Who's that?" "Must be your wife." "Welcome..." "And where were you?" "You look terrible!" "Go in and change!" "Please come in." "Where's my brother?" "He was around just now..." "What's going on over here?" "Whose permission are they marrying with?" "It was I who told them..." "Go and change first!" "She looks beautiful." "Ramu!" "Stop pulling my leg!" "Stop, brother!" "Don't do it!" "Get down from there, Vishu!" "Get up, I say!" "What are you doing, Rajamani?" "Why are you asking Vishu to get up?" "Have we erred somewhere?" "Or haven't we properly welcomed you?" "Now listen;" "I had made it very clear to you!" "That my sons would marry only twin-sisters!" "But your daughter is not a twin!" "You can't pull a fraud on me and get them married!" "What's wrong, Rajamani?" "Why are you letting all that anger get you?" "Please don't say that." "The wedding's taking place with your consent." "Who consented to the wedding?" "!" "Tell me!" "What's gotten into you, Papa?" "Why are you getting so angry?" "You said we must get married before you changed your mind!" "The wedding was hastened only at your own insistence." "At my...?" "There!" "Your son says that you had consented for the wedding!" "And why are you changing your mind now?" "I consented then, okay." "But this wedding will not be solemnised!" "What nonsense is this, buster?" "You agree and refuse..." "do you take it for a joke?" "I could knock your teeth out!" "Didn't you lie to me and humiliate me?" "Haven't all of you fooled my sons?" "Do you know how much it has hurt us?" "You ought to be hurt, too!" "You ought to suffer as we have!" "This is precisely why I pretended to give my consent!" "You must realise that!" "Get down, I say!" "No, Vishu!" "Stay put there!" "Go on, Vishu." "This wedding cannot take place." "We must pay for the mistake we have made." "It's all over!" "Sister-in-law!" "Wait... please!" "What the hell is this madness about twin-girls, dad?" "!" "You want twin-girls, because you have two sons, isn't it?" "But you don't have two sons anymore!" "You have just one!" "I'll go and kill myself!" "Why must you kill yourself?" "Who the hell is he to stop the wedding?" "!" "This man has publicly humiliated a family, after giving them hopes!" "He cannot be our father!" "This man must be an impostor!" "A fraud a cheat, a bloody double-crosser!" "Shut up!" "Whom are you calling those names?" "!" "To save my family... . d'you know what predicament your father is caught in?" "Shut up!" "Don't be hasty, Parasmani!" "Calm down..." "No!" "It wasn't brother who consented for the marriage!" "You can even kill me if you wish, brother!" "You are bearing this insult only to save my family from breaking up." "No matter what happens to my family your sons mustn't be separated from you." "So I must tell them the truth!" "My brother did not consent to the wedding!" "I was the one who agreed to the wedding!" "Shut up!" "My brother wasn't even here till yesterday." "It was I in his place who agreed to the wedding." "You came to Rameshwaram posing as my husband, did you?" "!" "You're no human-being!" "I hate you!" "I've lived with you without knowing whether you're my husband or his brother!" "What a shame!" "I have always threatened to break our relationship!" "But after this betrayal, I'd rather remain without a husband and lead the life of a widow!" "Please, Sundari!" "That's enough!" "Why cast me in hell, by threatening to break the relationship?" "!" "What harm have I done to you?" "All I did was for the welfare of your family!" "Why must you always insist on breaking your marriage?" "Aren't you also being insistent by saying that your sons will marry only twin-sisters?" "Aren't you?" "You can put on an act to make your brother's wife mend her ways!" "But the girl can't do the same to get married to her beloved!" "It's okay for you to lie for your brother's welfare!" "But the old lady can't lie for her grand-daughter's well-being!" "Great!" "You have one set of rules for them, and another for yourself!" "If you meant well in whatever you did, so did they!" "If you are right, so are they!" "And if they have erred, you have certainly erred, too!" "If you consent to let them marry my husband and I will stay here and bless the couple." "But if you don't agree, I'll leave after breaking this relationship!" "Till such time as our children fall in love, Mr Rajamani we are free to make decisions for them." "But once they fall in love, they are their own bosses." "It is not fair to impose one's ideals on one's children." "And what is life?" "It's a compromise." "Look at them." "Haven't they really made up?" "For our children's sake then, it's no mistake to compromise."