14768

Fade in

It is late at night. A dog howls somewhere into the distance. Aseem, a man in his 30s, wakes up in an old alleyway. He is wearing a brown jacket and black jeans. He stares at the starlit sky for a long time, and sighs. He walks towards an old apartment building. A brown cat looks at him and runs away.

He smokes as he walks up the stairs and into a darkened aisle, and switches the flashlight on his phone. Three seconds later, the bulb goes out. He takes his keys out and opens the door. The door opens with a click.

His wife, Ananya, wrapped up in a blanket and spread out on the sofa in front of the TV, gets up and smiles at him. He doesn’t smile back. He goes into the bathroom, and begins to fiddle with the drainpipe under the wash basin.

Ananya [questioningly]: What’re you doing? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the drainpipe.

Aseem: Yeah, for now

Ananya [hugging him from behind]: I made your favourite biryani today. Come and eat?

Aseem [exasperatedly]: I already ate [after a pause]. And would you please not add so much cardamom in it?

Ananya: How could you say that without even tasting it? And would it have killed you to tell me you were eating outside?

She goes back to sit on the sofa and continues to watch Bigg Boss.

He sits next to her, and looks at her with spite.

Aseem: You know, they’re going to kick Rimi out in this one.

Ananya [mutes the TV]: Why would you do that? Who the hell told you that?

Aseem [scowls]: Why do you watch this shit anyway? I’m sick of it!

Ananya: Since when do you care what I do or don’t? What’s wrong with you today?

Aseem [rubbing his face]: I’m fucking tired of this, Ananya

Ananya [switches the TV off]: Tired of what? It’s been a week since we shifted here. Are you sick of me already?

Aseem: I’m NOT sick of you. I’m sick of this cage… this prison… I want to be free.

Ananya: Everyone feels that way about life at some point. You can’t give up. There’s so much life ahead of us

Aseem: Or so you think

Ananya: Let’s go on a trip this weekend. You and me. Like old times.

Aseem [laughs loudly]: A trip? Sure? Let’s go to fucking Prague

Ananya [sighs]: I don’t get it. What do you want me to do?

Aseem: Leave me alone

Ananya: Let me help?

Aseem: You can’t. I can’t explain. You won’t get it

Ananya [annoyed]: If you don’t tell me anything, why am I even here?

Aseem: WILL YOU JUST FUCKING LEAVE ME ALONE?!

She throws the remote and it breaks into two pieces. He picks up one of his office awards, titled, ‘Best Salesman of the Month’ and throws it at Ananya. She looks at him in horror as tears fill her eyes.

Ananya: YOU’RE CRAZY! [Runs into the bedroom]

Aseem picks up the remote and stares at it. He begins to sweat.

Aseem: Have I changed it this time? Can I find the loophole? There’s only one thing I haven’t tried.

He doubles up on the floor and sobs. He lies there, staring up at the ceiling, mumbling to himself. He finally gets up, gets a knife from the kitchen, goes into the bedroom, and slashes Ananya’s neck in one swift motion. She screams.  And then, lies still.

Aseem [sobbing]: I’m sorry, Ananya. I love you, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t.

He doesn’t bother to clean up the blood, or hide the body. He goes in the bathroom and washes his face. He strips down to his boxer shorts, switches the TV on, and stares vacantly at it till he falls asleep.

Fade out.

14769

Fade in

It is late at night. A dog howls somewhere into the distance. Aseem, a man in his 30s, wakes up in an old alleyway. He is wearing a brown jacket and black jeans. He stares at the starlit sky and yells out in frustration.

Aseem [weeping]: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!

He walks towards an old apartment building. A brown cat looks at him and runs away.

He walks up the stairs and into a darkened aisle, and switches the flashlight on his phone. Three seconds later, the bulb goes out. He takes his keys out and opens the door. The door opens with a click.