"Traitor!" "Tie him up!" "It's a bad omen." "A defector's eyes should not fall on us." "Kill him!" "He must not live!" "My brother died because of this renegade!" "Traitor." "Your betrayal killed seven among us." "velu, Paranthaman, Pannir, Surya... they all died." "Chandran was captured and took cyanide." "You violated your family... and your blood brothers!" "No turncoat escapes us." "Your fate will be a lesson to others like you." "The person who saw it all... will settle the score." "Malli." "Everyone here is proud of you." "They hero-worship you." "But I am different." "Remember the shoot-out under the bridge?" "I fought like one possessed by Malli." "The blood surged within me." "If you were a man, I'd marry you." "We are surrounded." "One of them is getting away." "Malli!" "The execution is necessary." "That vip is blocking our movement." "This time we should not fail." "Fire!" "Let us take our decision to its conclusion." "We need a suicide-bomber as a volunteer." "Select a girl from Camp 14." "Each one of you is eligible." "The chosen one will meet and lunch with our Leader... and embark on the mission with blessings." "Anuradha." "Priya." "Tara." "Sumitra." "Malli." "Age seventeen." "Twenty." "Seventeen." "Nineteen." "Eighteen." "Five years' experience." "Trained in many Camps." "Now in Camp 14." "I was three years in Camp 7." "Two years now in Camp 14." "I was captured once." "In the struggle, I lost my arm." "I was in jail for two years, but I escaped." "A child was in the jeep, so..." "I hesitated in pressing the trigger." "It won't happen again." "Thirty operations, all successful." "I'm ready for anything." "I want to achieve." "I'll die in the attempt." "I need this opportunity." "Mentally, I'm still strong." "I'll fight to death." "My father was a revolutionary nationalist poet." "O comrade, be vigilant." "You can sleep after death." "Until then, fight on." "If today, our flesh merges with the soil... tomorrow, this country can be ours." "Select me." "I'll welcome the mission." "I want to die a martyr." "My death should not be a routine one." "I want to die in glory." "I will give my life for my country." "Sumitra had hopes, but..." "Malli, you won." "Move out fast!" "An army truck is on its way." "Malli, you stay." "Complete the task." "Take all care." "Perumal, keep in touch." "My man will reach you soon." "I need feedback." "Our struggle has a purpose." "Justice is on our side." "Our objectives are unique." "Our aim has a goal." "We are self-confident." "Death will not deter us." "We will shed our blood but not our tears." "Ramu was fearless in death." "He died a martyr." "He will live in our history." "Such bravery strengthens our movement." "What's your name?" "Malli." "Don't cry." "Be strong and brave." "Be proud of your brother." "Sit." "Your name is..." "Malli." "Malli, we are fighting for the future of our people." "We are sacrificing everything-- our youth, families, education, our lives." "Malli, so many comrades have given their lives... but their ranks continue to be replenished... because of committed young people like you... who come forward offering their lives." "With that, our success is guaranteed." "Come." "Sir..." "I have met you before." "At my brother Ramu's funeral." "You told me that my brother died a martyr... and to be proud of him." "So, you are Ramu's sister." "Patriotism and valor are in your blood." "Have you seen this person?" "In newspapers." "He is a key and important person... and a major obstacle in our struggle." "Your job is to kill him." "We failed once." "But not this time." "I have faith in you." "The world fears violence and bloodshed." "That fear, that will generate respect for us." "This assassination should shake the world... make headlines over TV and the media." "When I look at you..." "I know we have an infallible weapon." "You're supreme..." "a thinking bomb." "All gone." "Dead." "Books." "You're a girl." "You haven't seen one before?" "Never this close." "So close, you're like a flash of light before my eyes." "A traitor betrayed us." "They killed everyone in Camp 7." "But you came to my rescue." "Your breathing, it's so comforting." "Malli, we'll leave you at the edge of the forest." "From there, Lotus will be your guide." "You will take orders from Lotus since... there are mines hidden in the forest." "You will travel two days by ferry to your destination." "Perumal will meet you and give you instructions." "Your hair is very long." "When you were three, your hair was this long." "And grew again when you were twelve." "How old is this strand of hair now?" "Nineteen." "Your hair is not letting go of me." "See?" "Come, let's go." "We have to reach the boat in two days." "That is Lotus' responsibility." "You know why I am called Lotus?" "Because I float, carrying folks safely to the other side." "That's why the Leader named me Lotus." "I have led twenty-six people safely by now to the ferry." "You are the twenty-seventh." "It's OK if you don't talk." "Just listen to Lotus." "Do you swim?" "Stay here." "Don't move till I return." "Stop!" "I told you not to move." "There are "apples" (mines) hidden under the wire." "Just touch and..." "Remove your clothes." "Not here!" "Behind there." "What's your name again?" "Malli." "In the forest... every tree, bird, and leaf is known to me." "I also know where and how the mines are camouflaged." "That's why our Leader has faith in me." "Malli, the sound of anklets averts suspicion." "It helped us pass the last checkpoint." "Come, let's go." "That blast!" "There'll be blood and flesh everywhere." "We'll go another way." "This was my home." "All of them left me." "My father, mother, sister." "They burnt the whole village." "I can't bear to leave." "I feel I belong here." "My father was a priest." "They immolated him." "Don't burn my father!" "What happened?" "Nothing." "Just a nightmare." "Seeing you, I think of my sister." "She loved me very much." "Malli, I really like you." "You listen to all that I have to say." "You don't talk much." "The real name of Lotus is Surya." "You must call me Surya." "Malli, I shouldn't be asking you this, but I will." "Will you return?" "Yes." "All twenty-six I took across said they would but did not." "I always feel I am alone." "You killed him." "You're a murderer." "You're like the rest of them." "You, too, will not return." "You won't be back." "Stop it." "Let's go before the army reaches here." "Lotus, don't waste time." "Listen to me." "Let's go." "Surya." "I will not come back." "It's important that I go." "Your memory will always remain with me." "My mission is for the future of our people." "Thyagu, the wireless message came through." "Malli is expected at 8:.45." "You wait." "I'll fetch her." "Your clothes are in this... stitched to measurements received by wireless." "You will stay with a farmer called Vasudevan." "He loves to talk." "People call him Mad vasu." "The assassination venue is close by." "You are meant to be my cousin." "You are here to study agriculture... on a research project." "OK?" "Can't you knock before you enter?" "We did." "Perhaps you did not hear us." "So we came in." "You sing very well." "Man can grow old, but his mind should not." "I belong to a family of the arts." "Dance is an art form." "So is singing." "Sir, my cousin." "She is the one who will stay here." "He is the landlord." "I don't rent the house for money." "A well needs water." "A house needs to be lived in." "My son will return." "He travels all over India." "He is a photojournalist... taking pictures of riots and the war." "Nothing scares him." "Thank you for giving us your house in our emergency." "We will abide by your conditions." "Are you here on an agricultural study?" "Yes." "Have you seen the earthworm work at the soil?" "Will your research be even more thorough?" "What is your name?" "Malli (jasmine)." "A name with fragrance." "Here is the key." "Go left." "It's the first room on the right." "That's my son's room." "You will like it." "Don't bother to clean up... or change things around." "Gopal, can't you hear the cow?" "Go milk it." "Even if the cow wants to give, people are too lazy to accept." "Malli, I'll meet you later." "You're very pretty." "Are these tears or the rain?" "Raindrops." "These raindrops look so lovely on your face." "Are you angry?" "No." "You were murmuring something about books." "I used to love books." "I was thirteen." "I buried my books... and promised my mother that... only after we attain our freedom... would I retrieve them." "I wanted so much to study." "That is my dream." "What is your dream?" "If we get used to seeing reality as dreams... then all dreams will be real." "Let me see if all is quiet." "You didn't tell me your name." "I will when I am back." "Listen carefully." "This is our assassination plan." "We are at vasu's house." "He is never at home between 5:30 to 7:30." "It is a good place for us to meet and talk." "Today is the 16th." "The assassination is fixed for the 20th." "From vasu's house to the assassination site... we need to take the ferry." "On the 20th, exactly at 9:05... the vip will arrive." "9:05 p.m. sharp!" "This site has been selected because of reduced security." "All the way from the road to his being presented on stage... there will be many women waiting to garland him." "You, too, will hold a garland." "Your waist will be strapped with plastic explosives." "You will garland him." "By 9:20... the assassination will be over." "At 9:30... all broadcasting stations will announce the news." "Tomorrow we meet again... for the first rehearsal." "OK?" "This tiny seed contains a huge tree." "This is the miracle of nature." "Certain processes are inexplicable." "They must be experienced." "Miss Research!" "Come here." "Do you know the tale of two seeds?" "One was the optimistic seed." "The other, the pessimistic one." "The optimistic seed spoke of its dream." ""When I am sown, I'll grow tall and big." ""My roots will go deep into the earth..." ""in search of water." ""My leaves will dance with the wind." ""Dewdrops will rain on me." ""l will be content and will salute the earth."" "The pessimistic seed disagreed." ""l don't want my roots to go..." ""deep within the dark, suffocating earth..." ""to look for water." ""lf I become a plant, I may be pulled out by the roots." ""lf I blossom into a flower, I may adorn someone's hair." ""l refuse to grow unless my safety is guaranteed."" "The optimistic seed grew up to become a big tree." "The pessimistic seed bided its time." "An alert hen... ate the pessimistic seed." "Do you get the story?" "Man has to have dreams." "Only then can there be the desire to make them real." "Plant the seed, my dear." "Has it started growing?" "Shut up!" "One day it will bloom into a flower." "When you see a flower, what do you see?" "The earth smiling... through flowers." "O Lord of Seven Mountains, arise and save us all." "O Lord with broad shoulders, wake up and save the world." "O Lord, arise to save the three worlds." "Miss Research, is the food tasty?" "Do you know how to sing?" "I can't." "Can you cook?" "Do you talk at least?" "Anyway, you can talk very well." "If one talks, it's called speech." "Only with two can there be a conversation." "Are you wondering... why there are four leaves for just three persons?" "Are you expecting guests?" "No." "It's for my wife." "Is she...?" "She used to sit here to eat with us." "Is she no more?" "You really talk too much." "Finish your food." "No, not that way." "It signifies the end of a relation." "To bond a relationship, you fold it this way." "The way you research agriculture..." "learn about our culture as well." "That's correct." "With plastic explosives, your belt will be heavier." "It's only a rehearsal." "Thyagu, you are the vip." "Take your position." "Take the garland." "No, not now!" "Many women are waiting in line to garland him." "You are one of them." "Relax." "The vip has got out of the car." "He is approaching." "His arrival is being announced." "Bands begin to blare their music in the background." "Keep your eye on the vip." "Be calm." "You are smart, just as the Leader said." "But remember two things." "You must smile." "Yes, like that." "And in the last few seconds, blank out all thoughts." "Focus your entire concentration and aim on... pressing the trigger-button." "Malli, have you met her by now?" "My wife Padmavathy." "Remember the fourth leaf while we were eating?" "It was for her." "For seven years, she has not stirred." "When my son did not return, she held my hand, like this." "To console me." "I did not cry, but she went into a coma." "And another nostalgic incident in my life." "During our marriage ceremony... she surreptitiously held my hand, like this." "I felt so ecstatic." "So many doctors!" "Medicine upon medicine." "But nothing worked." "I am confident... one day she will be up and sit with us over a meal." "This is Malli." "She's researching her agricultural project." "She is staying in the next room." "Malli, we never know if God listens." "Still, we pray." "Nor do we know if she can understand." "But we keep talking to her." "Stop eyeing the working women!" "Back to work, all of you." "Malli, five to ten times is not enough." "You must do a count of hundred." "You should keep your body fit... and your mind under control." "That's how I am." "My father taught me to be so." "And I passed that dictum to my son." "Gopal, go do your work." "Malli, what of your mother and father?" "They're dead." "Gopal, get some water." "Malli, are you hurt?" "I told you not to strain." "You should do your exercises slowly." "Drink this." "It's nothing." "I'm all right." "Is Thyagu your cousin?" "Yes." "Your parents are no more." "Any other relatives?" "No." "Gopal, do you know who a true orphan is?" "Not the one without relatives... but the one who is alone despite having them." "That is why I asked." "Take some more curry." "No, enough." "There is a thief out there." "Hide in darkness, and one day the dark will reveal you." "People should trust each other." "But we don't." "Do you trust me?" "Do I trust you?" "But I know why you are here... and what you intend to do." "Stop, don't run!" "Catch the thief!" "Did he say that?" "That he knows everything?" "This is a foolproof plan." "If he knows, then others may also come to know." "Shall we get rid of him?" "That's a risk." "Malli, try with utmost care to... to see if he really knows or is trying to get information." "Did you catch the thief?" "You don't know what happened?" "That was no thief, it was Gopal." "We struggled with each other." "It was some drama." "You said that you knew something about me?" "What is it?" "What could be the most lonely thing on earth?" "A seed." "Unless it is sown... it belongs neither to the earth, nor to the sky." "It has to wait for the wind." "It has to fall on earth." "And for the rain." "So that it can grow in the earth's darkness..." "like the embryo in a mother's womb." "Earth is a mother, just like you." "That day, do you know why you vomited suddenly?" "A sign of motherhood." "You are expecting." "A man has to be a father, a woman has to be a mother... to fulfill their lives." "Don't hide anything." "Motherhood is to be revered." "Be proud of it." "Malli, what are you doing in the rain?" "You will fall ill." "It's only an empty nest." "Its purpose for nurturing the young ones... has been served." "Now its usefulness is over." "The birds have flown." "Don't research this." "Come inside." "There's life in you." "That is important." "The rain isn't good for you." "You are to be a mother!" "My blessings." "What did the old man know?" "What did he say?" "He was curious about us." "About our relationship." "I convinced him." "That's his habit." "Old people are nosy." "I spoke to our Leader through the wireless." "He told me that you were Ramu's sister." "I am proud to hear that." "We grew up hero-worshipping him." "Ramu was the first to consume cyanide... and die for our movement." "Today is the final rehearsal." "The Leader has sent his blessing." "Tomorrow marks the day of the assassination." "It's time for me to leave." "I'll meet you at 5:30." "What happened?" "I heard the cry of a newborn." "Padmavathy, Malli heard a newborn cry." "It's a good sign." "She is going to be a mother." "The house will be alive again." "Why do you look depressed?" "He is dead." "Who?" "The father of the child." "Don't worry." "I will shoulder your problems, my dear." "I will be the grandpa of the newborn." "I feel it is all for the good." "Malli, here is the dress." "Check the fitting." "Go change." "Hurry." "Is it heavy?" "Lift your hands." "No problem?" "Turn to the right." "Check how easily you can reach the button." "Thyagu, take your position." "Garland him." "Quick." "The vip is not there with you for long." "Garland him with a smile." "Avoid raising suspicion." "Fall at his feet to seek his blessing." "Press the switch." "Quick." "Malli, why hesitate?" "Don't think." "Do what you are here for." "The last time, we failed in our efforts." "This time, we cannot." "All our comrades are waiting eagerly." "Don't disappoint them." "Don't let down their trust." "Don't turn back on our people's future." "Don't betray the martyred dreams of your brother." "Lastly, don't betray yourself." "Your great sacrifice... your valiant death... will stir the hearts of our people." "Our future generations will pay homage to you." "Your death will herald a new era for our people." "Think only about that." "I will do it..." "to the finish." "Malli, I offered prayers for you... and for a safe delivery." "That is this granddad's wish." "Malli." "The vip's schedule is in the newspaper." "Everything is going as planned." "Thyagu will be ready with the bomb." "We will return in two hours." "Malli." "A last wish?" "Anything you would like?" "No." "To eat something?" "No." "I will eat with the old man." "I'll return." "Today, I won't eat." "I fast on this day." "I kept telling you that my son will return someday." "That's not true." "He died seven years ago." "But he still lives in our hearts." "When people die, what remains?" "Only memories..." "good memories." "You've been with us just 4 days, but you've won over our hearts." "I..." "Don't talk." "Eat well." "Stay here." "I have plans for you, too." "Do as I say." "Now, drink this milk." "I must now administer her medicines." "9:05, the vip arrives." "9:20 is the time for the assassination." "It is all in your hands." "Tonight is the beginning of a new era." "That message comes from our Leader with his good wishes." "Now the time is 7:45." "8:.15, the boat will be ready." "We must reach the assassination site by 8:30." "At 9:30, the news will spread to every corner of the world." "Your sacrifice will inspire future generations." "I'll be back in a moment." "I'm going." "Am I doing the right thing?" "I am like you." "You have lost your son." "I am about to." "I must sacrifice my future for that of the people." "Malli." "I am going."