Last Promise

Shoot Draft 1 - 20-Feb-2021

written by

Devansh Garodia
Phone - 9833949964
E-mail - [email protected]

EXT. - DAY - BEACH

MANDIRA (26 year old) - young, smart, city girl. JAI (26
year old) is sitting beside her. Both sitting in the sand,
having ice-cream, a cigarette dangling coolly from her lips,
last puff and dumps it. A dog comes charging towards them.
Jai, startled reacts - comic - "oye! / Abe". She laughs,
pets the dog and makes the dog run away.

MANDIRA
Abhi tak kutto se darte ho?

You’re still afraid of dogs?

JAI
(shoots a look. Beat.)
Tu kehti thi na …

Hey You used to say--

CUT TO:
YOUNGER COUPLE

EXT. - DAY - BEACH

Same couple but their younger self are sitting at the same
place. With school uniform and ice-cream, school bags and a
bottle of water (Aquafina). Younger Mandira looking at
someone off screen.

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Yaar yeh bade log smoke kaise kar
lete hai, mera
Padosi smoke karta hain itna ganda
baas marta hain

Dude why do older people smoke? My

neighbour smokes & he stinks so
bad

YOUNGER JAI
Toh tu kabhi smoke nahi karegi ?

So..you’ll never smoke?

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Tu pag..

You’re Cra-

CUT TO:
OLDER COUPLE

MANDIRA
..al hai kya ?
Smoking lowers risk of Parkinson's
disease.
-zy or what? Smoking lowers risk
of Parkinson's disease.

JAI
(Nods his head in sarcastic
agreement) Matlab tu Parkinson ko
bye bye karne ke liye Cancer ko
welcome karegi.
Smart yaar.

So to avoid Parkinson's you’re

gonna invite cancer? You’re real
smart, aren’t you?

Mandira gives him the bird. Both chuckle, smiling. Look

ahead. Conversation shifts gears a little.

JAI
(pretending to be
 unaffected - uncaring -
smirk on face)
Toh... Finally jaa hi rahi hain ?

So… you’re finally leaving?

MANDIRA
Yyyep

Yyyep

JAI
Acceptance letter (does a tick
mark gesture)
Fees (tick)
Flight ticket (tick)

MANDIRA
(sad face)
Packinggg

JAI
Voh toh ho jayegi,
So...ye hafta khatam hone takk tu
..
(Whistles - gesturing plane flying
by hand)

Ah, that won’t take time…so by end

of the week you’re--

CUT TO:

YOUNGER COUPLE

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Mujhe na yahan padhna hi nahi hain

You know…I really don’t wanna

study here
 YOUNGER JAI
(deadpan)
garmi mein kaun padega. / Obviously

Yeah who wants to study here in

this heat? Obviously.

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Arey Idiot, matlab India mai nahi
padhna hain mujhe

Idiot! I mean I don’t wanna study

here in India.

YOUNGER JAI
Aise kisi bhi Airo-gairon ko nahi
lete us mein. bhaga denge tujhe
immigration se hi.

They don’t just let in any tom,

dick & harry in the US. They’ll
kick you right out of immigration!

She smiles sarcastically, flips the bird at him.

YOUNGER JAI
Accha chal ek baat bata, Bahar
kyun padhna chahti hain ?

Alright tell me, why do you want

to study abroad?

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Pata nahi--sab yaaar. Waha ki
Life. Waha ka khaana. Bahar..sab
kuch alag hai. Aise ratta nahi
marte vaha - yeh - yeh sab
(grabbing a book lying
besides on their bag)
Kabhi use hoga real life me? Wahan
ka life bohat different hain dude.

I don’t know man. The life. The

food. Everything-everything’s
different out there. Here-this-
nobody just sits memorizing stuff.
All this- you think we’ll ever use
this in real life? It's a
 different life out there.

YOUNGER JAI
Jinke kamm marks aate hai voh yahi
gyaan pelte hai.

She hits him on his shoulder.

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Shut up ya

YOUNGER JAI
Ahhh

YOUNGER MANDIRA
Tum topper log jyada udo mat
Theeke?
(Both of them smile, 2 sec pause)

YOUNGER JAI
Sun, udhar jaake bhoolegi nahi na
mujhe?
Hey…listen.. You won’t forget me
once you get there right?

CUT TO:

OLDER COUPLE

BACK TO PRESENT

JAI
Sun, udhar jaake bhool jaa mujhe
ek dusre ko block kar denge

Listen, Forget me once you get

there. We’ll block each other.

Raises hand. She offers ahead, quick Hi-Low five.

MANDIRA
Hmmm... cool. Soo no long
distance?
 JAI
Tch / Hatt. Long distance sirf
filmo,
aur instagram pe accha lagta hai.
Love ki fantasy jo maintain karni
hai. Real life me? Hi-hello-how
was your day-I miss you karte
karte – sabh khatam/pakk jaata
hain - yeh thodi chahiye
(gesturing the space
between them - hame)

Nah, it only looks good

in movies & on
Instagram. You know?
They gotta maintain this
fantasy of love. But in
real life? You do Hi-
hello- how was your day-
I miss you and after
that? It all fizzles
out. Do we really want
that?

Both shake heads. They don't want this.

JAI
(acting unemotional tough
guy)
End toh end. Usmein galat kya
hain?

An end’s an end. What’s wrong with

that?

Beat. Mandira sensing him out.

MANDIRA
Hmmm...(nods)...You're right.
Waise bhi... tujhse nahi handle
hone wala
Anyway – You probably won’t be
able to handle it

JAI
Oh hello?

MANDIRA
 Bangalore nahi kar saka us kya hi
karega?
You couldn’t handle Bangalore, how
do you think you’ll manage US?

JAI
Abey O – Internships toh Mumbai me
bhi milti hai

Oh hello- You get internships in

Mumbai too

MANDIRA
But Techie / Nerdy Bangalore Boys
toh Bangalore me hi

Yeah but – nerdy Bangalore boys in

JAI
Chi chi tere/tumhare standards
bohat hi gir gaye hain
Yuck - man you’ve really dropped
your standards.

MANDIRA
(smirking)
Voh toh kabke gir gaye-
Oh those I had a long time ago

JAI
Acchaaa, bade dialogue
baazi kar rahi hai aaj - mai
Indore jaata tha farm pe tab
tu ,mere peeche latoo thi
- aur mai ghaas .bhi nai
dalta tha tujhe

Oh really? Being a real

smartass huh? When I used to
visit my farm in Indore it
used to be you who used to
go crazy about me but I
never gave any attention
your moves

MANDIRA
Kuch bhi
 Bullshit

JAI
Chaar din baat nahi hui,
teri toh ICU waali haalat ho
jaati thi - Haa nai toh
Four days. Four days I
didn’t talk to you, you used
to wilt away like a dead
person.

MANDIRA
(giggling)
Kuchhh bhi Fuckk off
Bullshit! Fuck off

Both looking at each other, laughing - smiling.

CUT TO: