"Listen, the decorations should be splendid." "You haven't yet taken the clothes?" "Go soon." "Come with me." "Put it properly." "Let me see." " You also apply." " No, I don't have the time." "Have you eaten anything?" " No." " Ramu, get them something to eat." "See if the sweets are here, and you, manage the kitchen." "Are you still here?" "After an international flight, it takes time to come out of the airport." "I'll be back in a jiffy." "Hi, dad!" "God bless you." "Easy!" "How are you?" " Dad, how is mummy?" " Very fine." "Bless you." "Is this the time to come?" "When the groom is on his way?" "Suppose the flight were to get delayed, then?" "If India's famous industrialist, Mr. and Mrs. Digvijay's only son Karan happens to be travelling by plane, then would the Americans dare to delay it." " Enough." "Come in." " Right, dad?" " How are you, bride?" " Brother!" "Easy!" "The coat is from Bond Street." "Sit down." "Show me your hand." " Why did you come so late?" " Sorry, my dear sister, but I'm here now." "But if you delay, then your groom will run away." "Right, mother?" "He is a special friend Mr. Mathur." "Bless you, dear!" "Heartiest congratulations!" "Where is the photographer?" " This is great!" "Congratulations!" " Thank you!" " I think all the joys have come to your house together." " How?" "You son has come from America yesterday with a first class MBA." " Your girl's getting married today." " Indeed." "Your hotel business is flourishing." "What more can anyone get?" "Just watch what happens next." "Karan too is with me now." "When will Rai and you be coming to Hong Kong?" " To see your Grand Hotel?" " Just come and take a look." " See what I achieved there." " We will surely come." "Our daughter too has got married." "What else do we have to do until Karan gets married?" "To tour and enjoy!" " Goverdhan, your glass look empty." " Have it filled." "I'll arrange for that too." "Buddy, a variety of girls are present in this party today." "Choose one for yourself too and get married to her." "No, I don't spot a single girl who can captivate my heart and my eyes." "Really?" "Tell me, what kind of girl do you like?" "Buddy, the girl should be a little salty, a little sour, a little sweet." "Her complexion should be like the darkness of dusk shadowing the moonlight." "Are you describing a girl or a cookie?" "Is a girl salty, sweet..." "No, but if I find her, then I'll recognize her instantly." " Is everything okay?" " I'm fine." "Attend to the other guests." "I had warned her before." "You..." " Laila, it's your mother on the phone." " Mother's phone?" "Do such girls too have mothers?" "And Mr. Rai's son is informing her like it's a call for a princess!" " Here." " Laila, it's me." " Yes, mother?" " I want to tell you something important." " Yes, what is it?" " I may die before you reach here." "So I deem it necessary to tell you everything right now." " What's so important?" " I'm not your mother." " No, don't say that." " I did live with this lie." "But it's difficult to die." "Forgive me..." "If you are not my mother, then who is?" "Who is my mother?" "Don't worry, Get ready to leave." "I'll make all the arrangements." " Get two tickets for Lucknow." " Lucknow?" "Who's going?" " You and me." " But there's nobody of ours there." "Don't ask too many questions." "Please go." "You mean Laila!" "We all understood." "Go." "Good-day." "Come in." "I can understand your grief, Laila." "Thank you." "Here's Rs. 25,000." " Laila?" " Who else?" "Why are you unnecessarily mourning for that bloody old lady?" "What has she given you?" "This brothel?" "Jingling anklets?" "What else have you got other then I lecherous men chewing paan?" "Tell me something." "You used to flatter her before." "Why are you talking ill about her today?" " I flatter flesh." "It started wearing out and perished." " Get out!" "I'm not going anywhere, for I am where business is!" "What business?" "The business that never gets slack and that your mother would do." " Trading flesh." " Don't you dare even mention business!" "I'm fortunate that she was not my mother." "What difference does it make?" "A goat reared in a butcher's house can never become a school teacher!" "So hear me and quickly get into business." "Immoral, vile man!" "Run away from here!" "Pimps of brothels do not run, lovers do." "For me, this is not a brothel, but a grave where my childhood got buried." "What work do pimps have near the grave?" "Go!" "Search for the flesh of a live person!" "What are you doing?" "Do you think you are a heroine?" "What's your name?" "Where do you stay?" "I have paid an advance of Rs. 25,000 to Prem before." "I have got another 25,000 with me." "If you please me, then you will get a reward." "Had your mother slept with flesh eating jackals or vultures?" "That you were born!" "What are you doing?" "Don't joke." "I've paid advance money." "Open the door and scoot immediately, or I'll blow your brains apart!" " What are you doing" " Scoot!" "I'll go away!" "Where has Prem trapped me?" "He has trapped me!" "You?" "After all, why would you be left behind?" "What's the price you are going to stake?" " No, I have not come for that." " You are lying!" "You're the son of a sinner who indulges in flesh trading!" "It will be no lie if you want to buy a body with money!" "It is not always necessary the children too tread on the path of their parents." "Laila, I love you." "Mister, this is a place where I have heard this a thousand times." "And it's turned out to be a lie every time." "So, every courtesan despises the word love more then she despises a pimp." "Get out!" "Listen, someday, I will assure you that I really do love you." " Whom do you love?" " You." "Who am I?" "Who is Laila?" "Who is Laila?" "What's her identity?" "Is she a courtesan?" "She is a cabaret dancer, someone who's meant to be exhibited!" "She is a toy, a shop." "The world identifies me with these things, right?" "I do not want this identity!" "Nor your love!" "Now I understand why you kept asking over the phone the other day..." " ...about your mother." " Why shouldn't I ask?" "An identity is very important for a woman." "About whose daughter she is." "About who conceived her, who her mother is." "Whether you have a roof over your head or not you do need a small piece of land beneath your feet." "I don't need your sympathy." "Go away!" "What did you see in her today that you fell in love with her?" "Everybody knows her only as a courtesan." "Tell me, what things does a courtesan pine for?" " Expensive clothes, jewelry, right?" " Yes." "Today, I saw her pining for a mother." "At that moment, she looked like only a daughter, that's all." "A daughter who got separated from her mother in this journey of life." "Chandu, I would be very pleased if I could unite her with her mother." "Or to do something to help her in this mater." "Therefore, I'm still roaming around in these dens so that some..." " What are you saying?" " I told you." "What?" "You won't get anything here." "The work has not been done, so I will surely take back Rs. 25,000 that I have given as advance money." "You can get flesh in return for dough, but you cannot get dough back!" " Why not?" " Choose some other girl instead of Laila." "I want Laila and nobody else!" "I want only Laila!" "What are you saying?" "One needs to have a strong heart to win over Laila." "Right, gentlemen?" "Yes!" "You ran away scared from Laila's house!" "If you do not return the money, then I'll fix you!" "Give this threat to courtesans!" "We are not courtesans but pimps!" "We fix things for others!" "Go." "Don't act tough with me." "Go!" "I'm going, but I will take my money back from you!" "Who do you think you are?" "!" "10,000 for every answer given to a question." "Answer, since when do you know Laila?" "I know Laila since the time this market knows her!" "She was only 3 years old then." "Where was she before that?" "In hell!" "I won't tell you a thing more, irrespective of the amount you give!" "Mister, what's wrong?" "One should treat pimps and puppies in the same manner!" "If they don't heed you, then kick them!" "I'll tell you everything." "Don't hit me." "When Laila was 3 years old, I stole her." "And sold her to Dulharibai for Rs. 500." "You separated a daughter from her mother for just Rs. 500?" "I had asked for Rs. 1000, but Dulharibai gave only Rs. 500!" "What did you say, you impudent man?" "Where did you fetch her from?" "Who is her mother?" "Answer!" "When a thief steals some stuff, does he ever remember the safe?" "I can tell you the address of the house from where I had stolen her." " Write..." " No writing!" "You come along too!" "SHANTIDEVI ORPHANAGE." "Come." " Is somebody here?" " Yes." "Come out." "Somebody is here to meet Shantidevi." " Did you address me as mother?" " Yes." "Say it again." "You called me mother." "It felt very good." "But the joy of hearing your own child call you mother is so different." "I am your own daughter." "My daughter?" "I have no daughter." "Therefore, I run this orphanage for some peace of mind." "So, am I an orphan?" "What is your name?" "Yes, this man has kidnapped her from here 18 years ago." " 18 years ago?" " Yes." "My dear, ask Ram to bring the old album." "18 years ago, a girl did get lost from here." "I don't quite remember it." "Yes!" "But her name was Sitara, not Laila." "Yes, Dularibai christened her Laila." "Yes!" "Razia had brought you here." "This locket was around your neck which I had removed and kept aside." "Take it." "Yes, I remember this locket." "I remember it very well." " They had made it especially for you." " They?" " Yes, they." "The three of them." " Three?" "It is very difficult to forget them." "Touch wood!" "What girls they were!" "They were free like the birds flying in the sky." "Beautiful like butterflies and lively like the deer in the jungle." "In such a lovely weather, Barkha is going to meet her lover on a cycle." "I think a cycle has a special place in your story." "You always keep talking of special places!" "If this nonsense of yours impedes my romance, then I will not spare you!" "A plain Jane like her got a superb lover, whereas nobody is concerned about me!" "Let alone being concerned, he will get totally smitten!" "Let him come before us just once!" "My cycle chain has come out!" "Barkha, wait!" "I can't wait, I'm getting late." "Come later." "Look, the cycle chain has come out." "You removed the chain too!" "Look, I haven't removed it." "Do you have eyes or buttons?" "You've dirtied my clothes and cycle!" "If there was a proper landing facility on you cycle, then my name would have featured in the Guinness Book today!" "You are getting angry instead of me!" "I missed a chance because of you!" "You are more concerned about your chance!" "Suppose I'd have died, then?" "You are concerned about your life." "What about you having taken mine?" "What's wrong with you?" "You are sturdy and robust." "My face begins to glow when I set my eyes on her." "She assumes that the sick man is felling fine!" "Lady, I spent half my life craving for you." "And I'll spend the other half waiting for you." " You promise, but come so late?" " But I am here." "If you're here, then talk about love." "Why are you fighting with me?" "Are you the one who fights or me?" "Point number 1: you have no manners!" "There is only one way to silence you!" "So you are here?" "And I went further ahead looking for you!" "Sunil, you always evade us." "We will surely learn gliding today!" " There are 2 flies in the ointment!" " What did you say?" " No, I shall teach you today." " Yes." "Salma, there is a lover for you." "There is no need for you to be jealous now, understand?" "Look." "He looks like a prince!" "He looks like a Nawab!" " Only a flower is missing from his attire!" " A damsel is here!" "He is from your community!" "If you have the guts, then narrate your couplets to him." " Is this a challenge?" " Yes!" "I'll set him straight right away!" "Excuse me, I think I have seen you somewhere." "You must have, I come here quite often." " Not here, but somewhere outside." " Even you look quite familiar." "Yes, isn't the paan shop around the corner here yours?" " I do eat paan, but that shop is not mine." " I've got it!" "The ladies' tailor!" "You stitch clothes very well." "Lady, you are mistaken!" "Then, you are a poet, right?" "Yes, I do recite couples at times." "My name is Akram Illahabadi." "Even I am very fond of couplets." "We will vibe well then." " Recite a couplet on me." " Not now, I'm in a hurry." "Some other time." "Listen, what are you doing in a girls' college?" "I have some work with Mrs. Baig, the principal of this college." "Your work surely will be done!" "She is very snooty!" "Pardon?" "She is my mother." "What?" "She is nice." "He was the principal's son!" "Madam, have you ever seem a polo match?" "Not once, but many times." "This is a regal sport." "Do not play any mischief in the course of the game." "Because the prince has specially invited us there." "We had made a request and the permission was granted." "Behave properly with somebody so decent." "Specially, the three of you." "How do you think the prince looks?" "You say." "I think he'll have a crown, a sword by his side and be decked with jewelry from head to toe." "He will have a thick moustache and ride a white horse." "The competition today is between Prince Arjun Singh and Ranbir Singh." "Prince Arjun Singh always wins." "We've to see who will win the trophy." "The match is going to begin." "There are 40,000 spectators here today." "Prince Arjun Singh, controlling the ball well, is heading towards the goal." "Please, click his photograph." "Ranbir Singh is swiftly heading towards Arjun Singh." "We have to see if Ranbir Singh gains control over the ball or not." "And that's a goal!" "The way the match is progressing it's difficult to say who will win." " Mother, I am thirsty." " So what do I do?" "Go and drink water." "Mister, have you come here to watch the game or to while away your time?" " I thought you had called me." " You are under the wrong impression." "So, should I leave then?" "Don't pay much attention to what I said." "Pay attention on what I have not said" "Barkha, he is so handsome!" "I've gone crazy!" "Move aside, click a photograph of me with him." " Prince, she is my friend Raj." " You have not introduced yourself." "I am Barkha, Raj's friend." "By the way, you are very beautiful, so are you." "Tell him!" "She was saying, "that prince is so handsome and strong"." "Tell him!" "You play polo very well." "Why do you play polo?" "Why do I play polo?" "I play polo because..." "Yes, because I have a horse." "Autograph!" " What is it?" " Where do I give my autograph?" " Here." " The poor man is damned!" " Who?" " The one who holds her hand in his." "I'm not saying this." "The lines on your palm are." "The one who will rule Raj's heart will not be a poor man, but a prince." " Your pen." " Thank you." "May I have a photograph please?" "Of the two of you?" " There." " Come." "Come little closer." " Your horse is lovely." " Yes, that it is." " May I ride it?" " I may agree, but perhaps it will not." "I know riding." "If you're being stubborn, then go ahead at your own risk." "Raj, you will fall!" "Are you mad?" "What's wrong?" "Is everything okay?" " I hope these girls aren't harassing you." " Absolutely not." "We have received complaints that you meet boys outside." "But what's the harm?" "There is no harm, but..." "Do you know how to drive a car?" "Would you like to drive a car which has no brake?" "Youth too is such a car which has no brake." "It's so easy to meet with an accident in this situation." "But, madam, we have never done anything wrong." "You haven't done anything wrong until today, but you could do it tomorrow." "And I am concerned about your present, as well as your future." "You father is here." "Yes, he wants to take all the three of you out for Diwali vacations." "You may go, but do not forget my advice." "Because a moment's error results in a lifetime punishment." "You may go now." " Salutations." " Bless you." "Wonder which fool complained about us." "All the girls are jealous of us." "Jealousy too plays a special role in love!" "Hi, dear!" "Barkha, congratulations!" "Your father is going to get an MLA ticket." " Salma, how is your mother?" " Very fine." "Let's go, the car's waiting." "I hope a majestic royal personality alights from it." "Raj, wait!" "where are you running in these clothes?" "You can't go in these clothes." "You look like a devil!" " Then?" " Then what?" "We will bedeck you and dress you up like a princess." " Come in." " Look at your house intently." "For I have come to take away a very precious thing from your home." "Please, sit down first." "Go, princess of spring!" "Your prince will fall on the ground like a bird with its wings clipped." " How do I look?" " Go!" "The prince and the princess!" "What a scene it will be!" "I'll fix you up too." "The horse which I had taken from you has won the race." "Whenever you strike a deal with me, you will undoubtedly stand to gain." "I can fail to recognize humans, but not horses." "I can fail to recognize horses, but not humans." "By the way, I have come to take an Arabian stallion from you." "I came to discuss that." "It's good that you've come." "Prince, meet my daughter." "I have already met her at the polo playground." "I didn't know then that she was your daughter." "So, you have met before?" "That's very nice." "Both of you talk." "I'll be back soon." " Give me a kiss." " A kiss?" "Give me a kiss, stupid." " I'm quite tired today." " Fool, this is Salma speaking." "My heart despairs without you, I thirst to set my eyes on you!" " Yes, that's true." " What's wrong with you?" "Don't you..." " Yes, I do." " Then say that you love me." "Yes, I am in love." "Everybody loves his mother." " Mother?" " Even I love her." " From where did your mother spring?" " she's always been there." " Why is inquiring about me?" " Mother, it's Iqbal." "Iqbal, doesn't your mother love you?" " He disconnected!" " He has a stepmother." "Really?" "Poor boy!" "I have come to ask something from your father." " Is it expensive?" " Yes, he could even refuse me." "Is it animate or inanimate?" "Animate, he has nurtured that thing with great care." "Yes, I understood!" "You are talking about that Arabian stallion with almond eyes, right?" "Yes, almond eyes." "And if you touch its hair, it feels like silk." "Silk." "If you touch it, it feels like soft velvet." "I had written my name on your hand." "Why did you erase it?" "Perhaps, the ink was not everlasting, so it got erased." "This time, I'll write with an everlasting ink that it will never get erased." "Look, I'm flying!" "Hi, my sweet baby!" "Come, let's fly very high!" "Yes, captain!" "I'm coming!" "Friends, today's birthday holds a special significance in my life." "In my lonely life, a flower of love and friendship has blossomed this year." "And that flower is present in this gathering." "What's wrong?" "Why aren't any of you drinking champagne?" "We don't drink alcohol." "It isn't alcohol, but champagne." "One drinks it to celebrate happy moments." "Won't all of you drink champagne to celebrate my birthday?" "Between childhood and youth, is an invisible border." "This glass of champagne helps in crossing that border." "Your palace is very beautiful." "I'd like to see all of it." "It wasn't beautiful." "Your presence has made it beautiful." "You're trying to be evasive." "Say explicitly that you don't wish to show it to me." "If you want to see it, will I decline?" "Come with me." " Where's Raj?" " I don't know." "What a lovely color!" "Is this your bedroom?" "Yes." "Since the last 1000 years, I have been sleeping on it alone." "Are you 1000 years old?" "I'm not, but I've been waiting since that long." "Whom are you waiting for?" "For the one who did not give me any gift for my birthday." "You are a prince." "What could I possibly have which I can give to you?" "You can give something." "Wait!" "What are you doing, Salma?" " How do you feel?" " I'm scared, how about you?" "I feel a romantic scene is on." "You are Salim, I am Anarkali" "There is music being played in the background." "Come." " Will anybody come?" " Forget everything else." "Only remember you are that Salim who rebelled against his father for Anarkali." "Come." "Closer." "Closer." "Still closer." "Won't you ask why I've brought you here?" " I know." " What do you know?" " That your intentions are not noble." " What intentions?" "Stealing me from myself." " What is your intention?" " To get stolen!" " We should leave now." " You really want to go?" "I will not leave if you don't want me to." "What do we do?" "Abortion?" "The doctor says that it is too late for an abortion." "Then what will we do?" "Let's think." "Why don't we talk to the one because of whom all of us are worried?" " What's the use?" " We'll ask him to get married." " Suppose, he refuses, then?" " Then, we'll smash his head!" " Suppose he is really helpless, then?" " Meaning?" "His marriage could have been fixed elsewhere." "Then we are really in trouble." "Whatever happens, is what we are destined for." "Now think about what to do with the one who is going to be born." "It's simple, when we have shared our joys, we'll share our sorrows too." "This is what the responsibility of friendship is." "Then, let all of us become mothers to the one who is going to be born." "So that the child considers itself fortunate for having not one, but three mothers." "And nobody will be maligned either." "So, is it a promise?" " Yes!" " Certainly!" "Warden, salutations!" "Salma, what brings you here suddenly?" "Just assume that love drew me here." "Or did some important work draw you here?" "How do you understand so quickly about what's in the heart?" "I too was of your age once." "Those were the days of youth!" "Touch wood, you are still very beautiful." "You are buttering me a lot." "There's surely some important work today." "Keep it, this is Rs. 10,000." "If you need more money, then I'll oblige." "But for what?" "There are many private bungalows here, aren't there?" "Book any bungalow in your name for a year." "But why?" "To celebrate your honeymoon?" "I'm not so lucky!" "The moon hid behind the clouds and the termites ate away the honey!" "Fantastic!" "Our college exams will finish after a month." "Then, I'll stay in that bungalow and complete a course in journalism." "Only then will I go home." "That was Salma's ploy..." "A smart ploy." "The three of them together had booked a private bungalow so that you could born." "So, is Salma my mother?" "That I do not know." "Nobody does." "The discreet manner in which they conducted nobody could know." "They did what they had to, but I've had to bear its consequence!" " Then?" " The exams got over." "The college was shut." "But the three of them remained here." "They kept sending money on time for your expenses and inquiring about you." "She kept sending pieces of paper." "Did she ever come to meet me?" "But how did she reach the orphanage from your custody?" "At their behest, I admitted her to Shantidevi Orphanage for a good upbringing." "I didn't want the world to malign them because of her." "Because they were not married then, and had a whole life ahead of them." "Didn't they have any duty towards the one whom they gave life to?" "If they didn't, then why did they not kill me as soon as I was born?" "Answer me." "What was my fault?" "That everyone kept handing me over to others like a waste paper." "They did bestow me with life." "But not with the right to live" "They did not give me the right to live." " Stop it!" " No!" "Are you seeking revenge from destiny?" "Think of changing your destiny instead!" "This madness will take away your life!" "For how long will you dance?" "This madness is my destiny and dancing, my life." "For how long will you keep watching this spectacle of my defeat?" "One gets defeated when one accepts it." "Instead, fight with the world which has put you in this mess!" "I am with you in this fight." "I'll retrieve your happiness for you." "Really?" "Will you do me such a great favor?" "How can I repay you?" "The selfish mother who gave birth to me and flung me into this filthy environment where life is just trade I want to bring her before the world somehow." "I want to win this battle at any cost now!" "Karan, I am willing to do anything for that." "Everything which I haven't done until now." "Come, Karan." "Do whatever you please with me." "Whenever I met you, I saw dignity in everything you did." "I saw innocence in every style of yours." "There existed a fragrance of purity in every abusive word you said." "Every style, mannerism and word of yours touched my heart." "And I fell in love with you." "But your misbehavior today!" "I do not know if it is your nobleness or selfishness!" "But it is a great insult to my love!" "Forgive me." "I was shattered, I was defeated!" "But now I feel that I am not alone." "My Karan is with me, my Karan..." "Yes, Laila, I'm with you." "Go and make preparations for the cabaret." "During a race, an athlete's feet ascends and descends very swiftly." "Similar is the case of a courtesan while she is dancing." "The speed is the same." "But an athlete wins the race." "Whereas a courtesan breathes her last dancing in one place." "You have to win a race in life, so mingle with winners." "And do not waste your time in such petty matters." "Until yesterday, I was the caretaker of this factory." "From today, you are the owner of this factory." "And of our hotel too." "You look after the business from now on." "Yes, dad, but I was thinking that so soon, you..." "I have a lot of expectations from you." " It's up to you to make our business flourish." " I know." "The matter has reached the ministry." "I've received news that our goods worth millions have been seized." "Our license could be cancelled at the annual meeting." "Our factory could be shut down." "And it could have a very detrimental effect on our hotel business too." "This is a ploy of our rivals." "They would want our factory to shut down so that they can benefit from it." " I think so too." " Anyway, there's no need to panic." "There is still time for the Ministry's Annual Meeting." "Who's the minister of that department these days?" "Laila, you're here." "I was looking for you everywhere." "If you follow me, then you will also get ruined." "I have looked into your father's eyes." "It holds nothing but hatred for me." "When I met you, I thought that somebody loves me too." "But no, your father will never approve." "Anyway, I am unfortunate." "Else, why would my parents leave me all alone to wander in this world?" " Please, let me go." " Laila!" "I have found out about all your three mothers." " Really?" " Let me have a biscuit first." "Quick." "Barkhadevi." "She has become a Health and Welfare Minister." "Mrs. Salma has become the principal of the college where she was studying." "Recently, she has gained fame for writing a book on child psychology." "And then Mrs. Raj." "Nowadays, she's into breeding of racehorses." "One more thing." "They aren't friends anymore and haven't met each other for years." "Then it will be very difficult to bring them together." "But leave all that on me." "Just promise me one thing." "You will be meeting your mothers for the first time." "And I also know that doing this is very difficult." "But as far as possible, keep a hold on your emotions." "Promise me." "May we enter, madam?" "Come." "I am Karan, a reporter of "Bharat Today"." "I had taken an appointment with you." "She's my colleague Laila." " He is Chandu, a photographer." " I was waiting for you." "Please, sit." "What do you wish to ask me?" "Firstly, congratulations for writing such a good book on child psychology." "You've read it?" "By reading it, if a mother is able to give more love to her child then I'll know that my hard work has not gone a waste." "Madam, do you get time from work and hobbies for your children?" "I don't get time, I have to make time." "Kids do not crave so much for toys and gifts as they do for parents' love." "By God's grace, my children are blessed with plenty of love from parents." " Are you speaking this from your perspective or your children's?" " Both." "What do you feel about those children who are victims of the follies of youth?" " Meaning?" " The outcome of love before wedlock." "I'll certainly say that, if it is the mother's fault then she ought to be punished, not the children." "Children should get their prerogative." "Even if it means fighting with the whole world." "Really?" "You are right." " You studied in this college, right?" " Yes." " 1973, 1974 batch?" " Yes, why?" "I believe that the students of that batch were liberal minded." "The girls of today are nothing compared to what the girls of those times did." "Drinking champagne, horse riding, hand gliding, falling in love..." "This will make a very nice article for the magazine." " Yes, it can, but it could also create a big scandal in society?" " Why?" "Because some of those girls have reached very high places now." "Listen, I have some other work too." "We are sorry we wasted your time." "We have a request to make." "Our magazine is conducting a seminar on child psychology on the 25th of this month." "We'd be very pleased if you could grace the occasion." " Do come." " Here's the card." "I now request the Health and Welfare minister, Barkhadevi, to say a few words on the occasion of the inauguration of this Home." "I'd like to congratulate the people of Rampur..." "For giving these helpless children a thought." "For making a home for these homeless people." "There are millions of homeless and destitute children in this country." "These orphans crave for the love of their parents." "I say, If we cannot look after children or raise them then we have no right to give birth to them." "If I could, I would adopt thousands of orphans." "On behalf of my Ministry, I assure your that we will extend our full cooperation to you." "Thank you." "I wish to present a check of 1 lakh for the Children's Home." "This is an invitation to the silver jubilee function of our magazine." "We will consider ourselves very fortunate if you would attend it." "I'll try." "My dear!" "Come." "So much love for a horse?" "Even a mother would not love her child so much, madam." "This is no ordinary horse but a racehorse." "Prince Abdullah is its father and Cinderella, its mother." "Its sister, Thunderbird, has won this year's Derby." "Actually, madam, we came here to invite you regarding this matter." "Thunderbird, whom you were talking about, is going to be auctioned at Hotel Ritz tomorrow." "Really?" "I am willing to give any price for it." "If you intend to but it, then stake your price at the hotel, not here." "At 8:30 in the evening." "You'll come, won't you?" " I was called for the silver jubilee function of a magazine." " What?" "I was told that there would be a seminar on child psychology." "And I was told that there would be an auction of Derby horses." "What is the meaning of calling all of us to one place?" "Who is she and what does she want from us?" "Barkhadevi, Health and Welfare Minister." "Mrs. Salma Akram Baig, principal of St. Xavier Woman's College." "Princess Lakshmi Raj Singh." "It's a matter of great honor that you have come to my humble home." "I am extremely thrilled to see the three of you together." "Even you must be happy." "You are meeting each other after years, right?" "What's the matter?" "I have done something so noble." "At least, thank me if not give a reward." "Why did you call us to such a despicable place?" "To display my dance." "How was it?" "Very disgusting and vulgar!" "Aren't you ashamed of doing it?" "I was embarrassed seeing it!" "Only a tramp can dance this way!" "You are right, but what do I do?" "I have been raised in such atmosphere where I have been taught since childhood to satiate the desires of lusty men." "And to satisfy them by displaying my naked body." "Do not blame your desires on helplessness!" "Believe me, you've written a book on child psychology, right?" "A child who is deprived of her parents' love will do exactly what I am, when she becomes the cynosure of a brothel." "You are a contemptible toy kept in a brothel for men!" "You, yourself, agree to it." "Then, what could women like us have anything to do with you?" "Are women like you interested only in horses, not in humans?" "My time is very precious." "Say whatever you want to quickly!" "I know, what I am going to say now is also very precious." "In your speech, you talk of adopting thousands of orphans." "I'm also an orphan." "My mother has been separated from me." "Please, unite us." "Even if your story is true, why did you choose us to narrate it?" "Because the three of you play a very important role in my life." "You exhibit your body for a livelihood!" "How can we have anything to do with you?" "Then listen!" "One, among you three great personalities, is my mother!" "You are exceeding your limits!" "You dare call us your mother!" "You want to blackmail us!" "Me?" "Blackmailing my mother?" "No." "I know that you hold a very high place in society." "Home, family, children, wealth, fame!" "I only wish to know that who amongst you made merry in your youth and whose live outcome stands in front of you!" "This girl is either crazy or extremely shrewd!" "In the course of looting men perhaps, she has learnt the ways to loot women too!" "It's very late, I'll leave." "I have to attend an important meeting." "Wait!" "Do you recognize this locket?" "The symbol of three friends!" "Salma, Raj e Barkha who never hid any secret from each other." "So much that, playing the game of love, one of them became pregnant." "Then, the three of them rented Golden Valley Farm." "And gave birth to a baby girl away from the eyes of the world." "Dr. Patwardhan too helped them in this sin." "They left, handing the baby over to Razia, never to return again!" "Now, do you recognize this locket?" "It is the same locket which you had out around that innocent baby's neck!" "Around my neck!" "Recognize this locket." "You didn't, right?" "Go away from here!" "None of you are worthily of being called my mother!" "I'll spend the rest of my life in the filth where I have been raised!" "Go away!" "Did you see these "society women"?" "They rejected you!" "They don't possess the heart of a mother!" "They are stone-hearted!" "Anyway, one does not receive love as alms." "Why do you need a mother, and that too, like them?" "Mothers like them?" "You are dead for them!" "And henceforth you too forget them!" "Sitara is such a cute name." "Our Sitara is so cute, so sweet, isn't she?" "The time has come to be separated from her." "So soon?" "But Sitara is so small." " Without her, we..." " It's a matter of only a few days." "We are handing over Sitara to Razia." "And then, whoever amongst us gets married first, will adopt her." "She will raise Sitara like her daughter, yes?" "Let's pray to God that we will be able to endure Sitara's separation." "One, among you three great personalities, is my mother." "Do you recognize this locket?" "Wonder what destiny conspired." "It bestowed misfortune on one so weak." "You are solely responsible for her ruination, madam." "Because you were the first one to get married." "The condition at mu in-laws' home was such that I couldn't say a thing." "Writing books for children is very easy." "But singing lullabies is very difficult." " Don't make me talk too much." " What did both of you do to find Sitara?" "You only kept inquiring about the breeds of horses!" " Raj, even I can shout!" " What will you shout?" "You were always only a romanticist!" "Once you got Akram, you got everything!" "After that, did you ever think of Sitara?" "Why not ask her this question?" "Are you afraid of the minister?" "I have searched for Sitara much more than both of you." "There's no big deal in talking." "You can say anything." "Am I lying then?" "You may be." "To lie is a habit of politicians like you." "A lie too has a special place in politics." "A special place, again?" "Meeting after separation too has a special place in friendship!" "We have found Sitara too after being separated." "We had made some promises earlier too." "We'll make a promise today too, but with the intention of fulfilling it." "Sitara is ours." "And we vow that her prerogative will be rightly given to her." " When will you call?" " In a while." "Where were you?" "We have been waiting for you since so long." "The greater the man, the longer the wait." "This appears to be the practice here." "Mr. Digvijay Singh, the minister has summoned you." "Excuse me, only you." "I have very little time." "Say whatever you want to quickly." "Madam, the Director of Health Services has cancelled your factory license." "Because the medicines made in your company were substandard." "Minister, there surely must have been some mistake." "Give me one more chance." "I've brought this check of 10 lakhs for the Party's Election Fund." "Please take." "You may go." "The boy and the girl are having their honeymoon." "Everybody falls in love when young." "You must have also done the same." "But with such a disgusting girl?" "It doesn't look good." "Did you call for me, dad?" "Karan, the more I try to raise you higher, the more you keep falling into a trap." "Why?" "I have done no such thing that will bring you shame." "Laila is a cabaret dancer, an object to be lusted after." "Sleep with her in a hotel room." "I have no objections." "But I surely do not approve of you roaming arm in arm with her in public." "You are my father." "But I doubt any father must have spoken so shamelessly to his son." "Firstly, you have made her a cabaret dancer in your hotel." "And then, you say she is an object meant to be lusted!" "No, dad." "Laila is no object, she is a girl." " So?" " I'll be her support, I'll marry her." "No way!" "A cabaret dancer cannot be the daughter-in-law of this house!" "Fine, then you will have to disown me from your family." " Do you know what are you saying?" " Yes, with much thought." " So, you won't hear me?" " I won't hear only this matter..." " Do you see this file?" " Yes, what's in it?" "The license of your father's factory has been cancelled." "We can make another attempt in Delhi to save ourselves." " You'll take this file and go to Delhi tonight." " But..." "Can't you do this much for your father?" "Okay." "Did you call me, sir?" "Enticing the hearts of the customers at the hotel you ended up stealing my son's heart." "You started dreaming about marrying him." "He is young and foolish, but I know tramps like you very well." "If you have set your sights on wealth, then you will get it." "But remember!" "A cabaret dancer can never become Digvijay Singh's daughter-in-law!" "Mr. Raj just doesn't know how to talk to lovely and young girls like you." "Spit on his job and come with me to Hong Kong." "I own a 5 star hotel." "I will keep you like a princess and take great care of you." " Uncle, I'm very upset now." " What did you say?" "Uncle?" "!" "I think she is indeed upset." "I'll speak to her later." "Sir, Laila is not ready to do the cabaret even today." "It's the third day today that she has refused." "I'm not paying her salary for free!" "It's also her last day in the hotel today." "Sack her!" "Catch her!" " No, leave me!" "Let me go!" " She's protesting a lot!" "Take her away!" "Does one set out all alone at the dead of night on such a deserted road?" "Don't you have some sense?" "Why are you staring that way?" "You felt offended because I scolded you, didn't you?" "Nobody ever scolded me with so much of authority." "Sit in the car." " Any road?" "I asked where you have to go!" " I don't know." " Meaning..." " No." "I am dead for them." " Come on." " Pardon?" "But..." "You like me to exert my authority, don't you?" "I'm doing just that." "It's going to be dawn in a little while." "Come." "Come." "Why are you looking that way?" "I have brought her with me." "The poor girl is alone in spite of heaving people of her own." "Why are you standing there?" "Come here." "The poor girl is very helpless." "She has told me everything about herself." "She'll stay with us for some days." "She's tired." "Attend to her." "I'll be back soon." "Don't worry." "I won't tell him a word about you." "I will not snatch the right which you won't give me willingly." "Sitara?" "Yes?" "Laila, today is the Diwali." "Grand celebrations are held in our house on this day." "On this festive day, the women of our house wear an attire of this color." "Take, get ready." "Women of the house?" "Guests too are our own." "Friends, on this joyous occasion, Mr. Pankaj Udhas will sing us a song." "On this occasion, I remember a very famous couplet penned by Mr. Sahir." "I'm so struck with grief." "How can I sing a song of joy?" "I'll give only what I get from life." "Let me also hear how the fusion of joy and sorrow sounds." "You were born in this world to endure pain." "But to live, you will have to smile." "Come!" "Mr. Arjun Singh, respectable people have graced you gatherings, but today..." "Even in today's gathering, decent people like you have come to grace it." "I meant the women." "Even the women have come from respectable homes." "A tramp doesn't become respectable wearing an attire of a decent woman." "You are my guest, but you are exceeding the limits!" "But I'd like to know what this girl, who dances naked in hotels is doing amidst the women of our families?" "I'd like to know too." "If circumstances compel a person to fall into muck then his lineage does not get tainted." "Is this a myth or your belief?" "I'm Arjun Singh." "This is my belief." "Raj is my wife." "This is my belief." "Laila is the daughter of respectable parents." "This is also my belief!" "Then, perhaps, are you also aware of who her parents are?" "If you don't, then let it be." "At least, this girl must be aware of who her parents are." "She is a girl who has been raised in brothels and who dances naked in hotels." " What is she doing in this mansion?" " Look, she is a special guest!" "A guest getting humiliated is not tolerated in our house!" "Okay, then what are we doing here?" "Permit us to leave." "Come on, let's go." "There is no place for us in this gathering!" "Wait." "What do you think about the blood flowing in my veins?" "Mrs. Barkhadevi, we have been serving you since so many years." "How can one think of you..." " My blood flows in this girl's veins." " What?" "!" "Laila is my daughter." "I think you're being swept by emotions and making a false statement." "Perhaps, are you trying to say that you would be adopting this girl?" "No!" "I wish to say that Laila is my daughter." "I have conceived her." "Do you realize the effect this would have on the party and the government?" "I'm resigning from the party and the government right now!" "Barkhadevi, you turned out to be a noble person!" "You accepted in front of all of us that she is your daughter." "If you don't mind, then also tell us who this girl's fortunate father is." "Because the world only knows that you have never married." "As I was a public figure, I've always answered all your questions." "But henceforth, nobody will have the right to ask me any questions!" "If anybody does have the right, then it is Laila!" "Let's go, Sitara." "Come, dear." "This is your grandparents' home." "It was shut since 18 years." "Damn!" "Look at the state it is in." "I never found time to come here." "There was an insatiable thirst." "Now, my heart has found peace." "Nobody can separate us now." "You were 6 months old when we handed you over to Razia." "We had asked her to keep you in Shantiniketan Orphanage." "Salma, Raj and me would pine to see you." "Then Razia would bring you to us on the sly." "You were going to be 3 years old." "I came to see you one day." "I was told then that you were lost." "My Sitara is lost!" "We moved heaven and earth searching for you." "But we didn't find you." "I felt as if a part of me has been taken away." "I was defeated and shattered." "I would have died, but there was a distant ray of hope." "That I would find you." "Today, I have found my Sitara." "You'll forgive me, won't you?" "Did you read the newspaper today?" "Laila is the illegitimate daughter of the minister Barkhadevi." " She accepted this?" " Yes" "Despite knowing that she could be stripped off power for doing so?" "I swear, she is a very bold woman!" "No, in fact, she is a very weak mother." "Who broke down seeing her daughter's tears." "It is very difficult to seek vengeance from a minister." "But we can very easily seek revenge from a mother." "Why do you worry, Mr. Rai?" "Seeking revenge is my department." "I'll handle it." "I am the right man for the task." "Karan, this is Laila speaking." "Where are you?" "I've been looking for you since the time I returned." "Do you know I've found my mother?" "My mother, Karan!" "What?" "!" "You have found your mother?" "Who is she?" "Barkhadevi is my mother." "She accepted me in front of everybody." "Come here soon." "I'll tell you everything." " Sitara." " Yes?" "I'll go to the office and come." "Mother, tell me something about my father." "What are you looking at?" "Your father and I loved each other a lot." "I had dreamt of spending the rest of my life with Sunil." "But we would fight about petty matters." "One day, when we were returning from Arjun Singh's party he mentioned something to me." "I want to tell you something." "I will be going for a few years to USA for my training." "Then we'll get married and leave together." "I cannot take you with me as the rules do not permit me to do so." " Sunil, what about me then?" " You'll have to wait." " I cannot wait for so long." " Implying, you don't love me?" "You do not love me!" "If you do love me, then why can't we get married and go to the USA." "You are laying a condition." "Conditions are not laid in love." "Sunil, you only love your career." "And you want me to sacrifice my life for your career." " You are a selfish man!" " Shit!" "Why don't you try to understand?" "I love you very much." " But I too have some constraints." " I don't want to hear anything." "You want to go to the USA, then go!" "And leave me alone!" " Barkha, listen to me!" " I don't want to hear a thing!" "I've realized today that you don't love me!" "Go to the USA!" "I never tried to meet him after that day." "He left for the USA after some days." "One day, I realized that I was pregnant!" "I was shocked." "Raj e Salma stood by me then." "I never found out where Sunil went or how he is." "Sitara, my life is very complicated." "But I hope you have got the answers to every question." "You are exerting your right over your daughter all alone!" "Even we have come to take our share." "Memories have a special place in a person's life." "It will be great fun reminiscing about old times today!" "Earlier, we were three friends, but we've got our fourth friend too today." "We'll talk, eat and drink." "And we won't even realize how the whole day passed, right?" "You start talking to your new friend." "While I go and resign." " Don't forget to bring rasgula." " I won't." "Listen, let's keep the kitchen ready before Barkha returns." "I really like this!" " Who are you?" " I like this too!" "Catch them!" " Leave me!" " I like this too!" "Wait!" "I did not like this!" "If you act too smart, then I'll blow your brains apart, understand?" "Quietly come with us bring them along!" "Help!" "Save me from this rogue!" " What happened?" " Some hoods kidnapped her and your friends." " This is Barkha." "I wish to meet you." " Come here soon." "Sitara has been kidnapped." "Some hoodlums were seen kidnapping Laila Mrs. Raj and Mrs. Salma." "With them, was Goverdhandas." "I think something is fishy." " Goverdhandas?" " Yes." "Yes, this does happen in business..." "I'll call you later." " Laila has been kidnapped." " Who is the responsible?" " You are." " What nonsense are you talking?" "!" "I'm not speaking nonsense!" "Goverdhandas is like a pawn in chess." "Who won't even take a step without your wish!" "Therefore, he has done all this according to your instructions!" "This is a lie, a blatant lie!" "You have gone so crazy in love with a cabaret dancer, that you have forgotten how to talk to your father!" "And if I do not get Laila, then I'll also forget how to live!" "Tell me, what does Laila lack now?" "She is a minister's daughter now." "She is also from a good family." "She can become Raibahadur Digvijaya Singh's daughter-in-law, right?" "He's right." "Should I make the one who has snatched my son my daughter-in-law?" "Make that girl my daughter-in-law whose mother has ruined my business?" "!" "Certainly not!" "You can never fulfill this dream as long as you are alive!" "And I will fulfill this dream even while I am dying!" "I don't understand what to do." "Shall we telephone the police?" "No, telephoning the police will worsen matters." "You don't worry." "Karan, look!" " Wait here." " Yes." "I liked it!" " Why did Goverdhandas give you money?" " That's our personal matter!" " Personal matter!" "indeed" " Yes, it is!" "Come on!" "Where did he disappear?" "Where did he go?" "Turn that way." "Karan, his bike!" "He's somewhere here." "Chandu, go and inform Mrs. Barkha while I look for him here." " Where is Sitara?" " She must be somewhere here." "Leave me!" "Take this girl away from here immediately." " Where is Sitara?" " We're still looking for her." "Help!" "Arjun, they are taking Sitara away." "Let go of me!" "Leave me!" "Beware!" "If you try to move ahead then I'll blow off the girl's brain!" "Leave me!" "Hello, let's go." "I did not like this." "Dad!" "Here's your child." "I never dreamt I'd meet all of you inder these circumstances." "Life, separation and unions, all these are twists of fate." "People have been concending defeat before love." "So, there's no big deal in my defeat." "Come, dear." "Subs:" "C. Rondinelli"