""DUVIDHA" (INDECISION) A Rashtani Folk Tale" "Based on the story by Vijayadan Detha" "cast:" "Ravi Menon, Raisa Padamsee, Hardan  Shambhudan and the villagers of Baraunda" "folk musicians:" "Ramjan Hammu, Latif, Saki Khan" "cinematography:" "Navroze Contractor" "Produced and directed by:" "MANI KAUL" "It is believed that for many years a ghost lived in this banyan tree" "The ghost saw the beautiful bride and was bewitched by her radiance" "Suddenly he was overcome by a strong desire to enter the bride's body" "The thought threw him into a confusion such as he had never felt before" "Hardly had the cart moved on when the ghost fainted" "Meanwhile, sitting in the bullock cart, the bridegroom too was troubled and confused" "His wedding accounts did not tally!" "For a merchant, correct accounts are vital" "Nature will allow no error in her books" "How, then, can a merchant?" "I said to my husband:" ""Please take a look over there..." ""Look at the lovely fruit growing on that bush" ""Won't you climb down and fetch me some?"" "He replied: "Only peasants eat this fruit!" ""What an add idea!" ""If you want fruit, eat what we have here instead"" ""If you won't." I said." ""I'll get them myself!"" ""Don't tell them about the fruit at home."" "I said to her "Everyone will mock us!"" ""Let them!"" "So said the bride and stepped out of the cart" "Now I know what it is" "He's so scared of his father, he can think of nothing but his books!" "The wedding is over and done with..." "But the accounts are not!" "Once the wedding accounts are done I must leave for Disawar, tomorrow morning!" "You may not realize it but there may never again be such an auspicious time for our business" "The bride was upset to hear of her husband leaving her so soon" "Even the fruit seemed tasteless now" "She felt lost and abandoned" "What terrible news this was!" "The bride could not believe her ears" "Didn't I tell you not to eat it?" "This fruit is only fit for peasants!" "People like us cannot like it" "There, you see?" "You threw it away, after all!" "After picking it in the midday sun!" "The bride did not utter a word" "Sitting silently in the cart her thoughts wandered back to her parents' home" "She remembered her mother and father..." "The companionship of her friends..." "Her brothers..." "The pond where she used to play..." "The songs they sang..." "Her dolls and her toys..." "And the games they played" "There, take it and go, quickly..." "Next one!" "There, take it and go, quickly..." "Next one!" "Be diligent and tend to your chores" "Take care of your parents-in-law" "Remember, our honour lies in our hands" "Let us not give in to temptation" "We will only have to suffer the consequences" "Five years is no time at all" "Time flies by." "I'll be back before you know it" "You have all you need here..." "The house, the lamps, the comfort" "Do not let any temptation sway you while I am gone" "Five years will be gone in a flash!" "The bridegroom left his father's village and set out for Disawar" "He planned to make a fortune there" "He carried one small bag containing all his belongings" "The horizon beyond held great visions of wealth and prosperity" "Hidden in the banyan tree, the ghost looked out" "And recognized the bridegroom at once" "Putting on a human shape he appeared the bridegroom" ""Brother," he said, "it's barely daybreak" ""Where are you going at this early hour?"" ""It's not too early in Disawar." said the bridegroom" ""I am going to live and work there for five years" "I must not let my chance slip by." "I may never be so blessed again"" "The ghost carefully observed the bridegroom's each and every gesture" "And he thought to himself:" ""What if I took on his shape and form..." ""And appeared in his village tomorrow?" ""No one will question me for five years" ""Even the bride won't be able to tell the difference"" "Father, may I speak to you?" "I met a sage this morning, on my journey" "His body was covered in a rash" "I removed all trace of it." "I bathed him and fed him" "The great sage granted me a boon." "He said that every morning I shall find five gold coins when I awake" "But I must not go to Disawar" "What shall I do, Father?" "I await your decision" "I knew in my heart that you would return" "Who knows where your heart was right or wrong?" "But make sure first." "I could be someone else in disguise" "Perhaps I'm not your husband" "I could be deceiving you" "You are exactly as I remember you" "The same face..." "The same eyes..." "The same way of speaking..." "You are the same in every way" "Then the ghost told the young bride the true story" "He told her how he saw her under the banyan tree" "How, for love of her." "He had deceived her husband" "And came to the village in her husband's form and shape" "And how he invented the story about the sage" "He told her the whole truth, hiding nothing" "His family cares only for gold..." "And the money from the family shop" "If I hadn't told you the truth..." "No one would have suspected me" "You would have received me as your husband" "But I couldn't deceive you" "I shall do whatever you tell me" "Now you know the truth." "I have hidden nothing" "I don't know" "Perhaps it would have been better had you remained silent" "What is best?" "The false or the truth?" "I cannot decide" "To parents, a daughter is like a weed that must be uprooted" "It's not the same with a son" "As soon as I was sixteen years old they married me off and sent me away" "The comfort and security of my mother's womb is a distant memory here in my husband's home" "When my money-mad husband left me I could not hold him back" "Yet I have asked the ghost to stay" "If I could not stop the man who was leaving how am I to send away the one who is here?" "If we had not stopped under the banyan tree that day God knows how these four years would have passed" "It would have been impossible to bear" "No, for you, the years would have gone by somehow" "But think how I would have suffered wandering from tree to tree, restless and hungry" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "Here you are, come and take some" "One day, some villagers came to Disawar and were amazed to see the bridegroom there" ""When did you leave home?" they asked him" ""Years ago!" answered the bridegroom, astounded by their question" ""But we saw you in the village only a few days ago." The merchants said" "He did not believe them And said to himself:" ""They are jealous of my success..." ""...and want to destroy my happiness"" "One morning a trusted neighbor Came to give him news of home" "He told him that the bride was with child..." "Or had perhaps already given birth" "No, this cannot be true." "My family would have written" "I have sent them many letters but received no reply" "You are a strange one!" "Why should they write to you?" "The bridegroom's blood ran cold as he listened to the man:" "Their son never went to Disawar" "He came back after few days and was recognized by everyone!" "Now I see that you are an imposter!" "How can I be an imposter?" "This fruit may only be fit for peasants, but my wife likes it" "And it won't cost me money" "With this thought in mind... the husband gathered some fruit to take home" "What sort of magic is this?" "Two men, each looking like one another" "Two husbands who look the same" "Which one is true, which one is false?" "I don't understand" "The midwives explained again and again but the wife still refused to give birth to her child by operation" "Who are you?" "My son returned long ago" "Go away!" "Don't make mischief here" "I have been in Disawar for four years" "How could I have been here with my wife?" "I made a lot of money in Disawar." "I've brought my earnings home" "Was that wrong of me?" "It was you who sent me away to make my fortune" "Mother..." "Will you too deny the son to whom you gave birth?" "These four years were but a dream..." "A lost dream" "How can one expect dreams to last?" "They are built on quicksand" "Why don't you ask my wife about the fruit?" "She will tell you the truth" "You fool!" "My daughter-in-law lies near death, and you talk of fruit!" "If you value your honour, leave at once or else I shall have you thrashed" "I do not want your money" "So don't try to tempt me with it" "Go back to where you came from, or I shall have you beaten" ""Sethji," said the villagers, "What's done cannot be undone" ""If this young man is willing..." ""...why not let him take the test?" ""Please give him a chance!" ""Ask your daughter-in-law to tell you the story of the fruit"" "This is a family matter" "We will sort it out by ourselves" "I say that the man who has come here with the fruit is an imposter" "I shall ask my servants to throw him out" "Father, what is this madness?" "Decide what you will..." "but this is unjust" "Brothers, why must you insult my honour?" "We must all help one another in times of need" "Solve this problem in whichever way you will" "But I tell you this man is an imposter and a fraud" "The villagers were pleased to be The ones to settle matters..." "And they insisted on doing just that" ""This matter must be decided," they declared" ""The guilty must pay!"" ""We cannot permit the presence of two husbands," they said" ""Life will become impossible if this persists"" "Had a man asked me to resolve this dilemma ...I would have evaded the question" "But when a woman asked me I had to respond" ""How can you expect her to tell the truth?"" ""We cannot sort this out," Announced the village council" ""There will be an uproar"" ""We shall send the two men to the King" they decided" ""Let the King decide what must be done"" ""The ghost, who had once escaped from the tree and had come to live in the house was now to be brought to justice" "He was to be trapped yet again to be hidden away deep in a well" "Brother, whatever the King may decide you know that I am the Seth's real son" "I am her husband" "But tell me, who are you?" "I am he who lives beneath the skin of women" "I lay claim to their love" "I crave love and affection above all riches" "Don't talk such nonsense" "Just tell me, did you take the marriage vows?" "What does marriage mean?" "Life's mysteries cannot be solved by simple answers" "Where are you all going?" "The story was explained to the shepherd" "He could see then what all the fuss was about" "Why trouble the King with such a trifling matter?" "Sit down and drink some water" "You've tied these men up as if they were criminals" "Where could they escape to?" "Listen, brothers" "One of them must be lying" "So why is it so difficult?" "You could have questioned them at once" "I see" "I understand" "They have learnt to lie and to do it well" "That doesn't matter" "I will know the truth in just a minute" "Whoever opens his mouth first to admit this blade, speaks the truth" "Well done, my son" "You have spoken the truth." "These fools have ill-treated you" "But I must test you further" "I need a little help" "I will clap my hands seven times" "Whoever gathers all the sheep in that time is the true son" "How amazing..." "Who but true husband could have such courage?" "Let me set you one last test" "I'll snap my fingers seven times." "Whoever gets into this first is the real husband" "Today he will be punished And taught a lesson" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "I want to live in freedom" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "Let me be free!" "I want to live in freedom" "Let me be free!" ""When the bridegroom went home he went straight to his wife" "Every word he uttered pierced her heart like a dagger" "But she remained silent" "She lay there as if made of stone" "Why are you so sad?" "Even my parents couldn't tell who was their real son" "How were you to know who it was?" "You're not to blame" "The ghost was taught a lesson" "He deserved no better" "When he was trapped in the water-bag, he screamed for help" "But who will listen to him now?" "We will never be fooled again" "We had to throw him in the well" "And finally he stopped screaming" "The deceitful devil" "He won't forget this in a hurry" "From that moment, Whatever the family said the bride obeyed without question" "She never protested, never complained" "Her mother-in-law made many special sweets for her" "She ate these without uttering a word" "When she was asked to wash her hair, she did so" "She prayed" "She served the priest and sang with the women" "She prepared many fine dishes" "She covered her face with a yellow veil at her mother-in-law's bidding" "She rocked her child to sleep ...and put henna on her hands" "She did all she was asked" "It is rare to find such a dutiful daughter-in-law" "And on the auspicious night she slowly mounted the stairs" "Her breast were heavy with milk, her child lay in her arms" "Her head was bowed..." "Her heart heavy with sorrow" "There, her husband waited in sweet anticipation"