Patita (1953) - full transcript
Radha earns a living begging in order to support herself and her crippled and ailing father. They live in a small tenament, under the constant threat of eviction by their landlord for unpaid rent for several months. One day, while begging, Radha meets a young man, Nirmal Chander, who would like to see her improve her status by getting employment, he even goes to the extent of assisting her find work in a mill. He subsequently invites her over to meet his mother, and asks her to marry him, to which she agrees. Nirmal also seeks the permission of her dad. When he goes to get her to make arrangements for their marriage, he finds her and her dad gone. His attempts to locate her are in vain. Then after several months he finds her living in a small dilapidated hut with a young man named Mastram and a child - she calls her own - but claims that she is unmarried. Who is the biological father of this child? Where is he located?
Aren't you ashamed of begging?
You're an able woman!
How can you beg?! Get lost!
And fiind something to do.
Wait...
Maybe you don't like what I said?
But what I said is right.
For someone who is able-bodied,
begging is a very worst thing.
One loses esteem, one turns into
a parasite, a useless non-entity.
You are able. You should work.
Sure, I should. And I know that.
Then why don't you work?
- I wanted to. And I have tried.
Work apart, there is another
quid pro quo that men seek.
Not all men are alike.
If you want to work for a living...
I can offer you something.
I'm giving you a friend's address.
He'll put you on to something.
Get over to him tomorrow morning.
And start working.
Don't beg.
Radha, is it you, my child?
Did you fiind something?
Nothing, Daddy. But how are you?
- I'm not worried for myself.
It's the tomorrow that worries me.
- Why?
Bhikhu came here again, saying
that unless we pay up...
the arrears of the rent by tomorrow,
he's going to throw us out.
What's to happen now, Daddy?
Where are we going to go?
For someone with nowhere to go,
the world is a very small place.
But not be afraid, dear.
If he drives us out...
we'll go and park ourselves
under a tree.
At least no one will be able
to edge us out of there.
Daddy, someone gave me an address.
He said I could fiind work there.
But I threw the chit away.
- Why did you do that?
Who knows, it could have led us
to better times.
Let me go and look for it right now.
- Not at this time of the night.
Times are bad. It isn't safe.
- Don't worry. I'll be right back.
Looking for something?
-A piece of paper.
Paper?
- There's someone's address on it.
Address? Whose?
-A prospective employer.
Someone gave me the address.
- Really?
My father is sick. He can't work.
We haven't paid the rent for months.
If I can't fiind a job,
we're going to be homeless.
I must fiind the address!
Could it be this one?
Yes! Thanks!
Did you call me, sir?
- Yes. Look, I've asked a girl...
to see you. Give her a job.
- Sure.
I told her that I was referring her
to a friend of mine.
She shouldn't come to know
that I own this mill.
Fine.
- Put her on daily wages.
Name?
- Radha.
Age?
- i9.
Address?
-Address...
Mr Manohar Das'Hutments.
At Gol Park.
Husband's name?
- I'm not married.
Not married yet?
- No.
Your father's name?
- Sadhuram.
What does he do?
- Nothing.
He's unemployed?
- Yes.
He's sick. He can't work.
- Not to worry.
Come on. I'll show you
your workplace.
Daddy! I found a job!
I got paid one whole rupee!
And I went shopping! Look!
I'll cook for you tonight!
The kitchen fiire will burn!
After so many days!
Daddy! Why are you so quiet?
Uncle Bhikhu!
Have you come here to throw us out?
- No! To give you this house for good!
I wanted to throw your luggage out
the fiirst thing this morning.
But this poor old man, you know.
So I thought I'd wait for you.
We'll pay you every penny!
I have a job now!
Some big fat contract, is it?
At one rupee a day...
what will you feed yourself?
And how will you pay me?
I'll work harder. I'll make more!
And I'll save every penny!
What'd your pennies add up to?
Old man hasn't paid me in 3 years!
Know how much that is? i300!
- I'll pay you every penny!
Just give me some time!
- No more time!
I got the courts to stay the eviction
just because you said so.
But you haven't even paid up
a single installment!
The landlord is going to court
asking for a liquidation!
I'll go to the landlord,
and I'll beg of him!
All I'd ask him for is a bit of time.
He can spare a bit of time, can't he?
Can't he?! Of course he can!
He could write off the debt.
He could even give you this hovel!
But make sure you do...
whatever needs to be done,
today itself!.
No tomorrows, you know...
You...?
May I come in?
- Welcome.
But how did you get this address?
- My friend. He told me.
I asked him about your job.
- I got the job!
Your friend is a very nice man.
- Very nice man!
And I got paid today!
He's the one who gave me the address.
- You have done us a great favour!
Please, do not...
- Please be seated.
Friend of yours, is a very nice man.
-An old friend.
He said that once I'm trained,
I'll get a raise.
Why not? If you work hard enough,
I'll see to it that...
I mean my friend... he will
take care of everything.
But make sure you put
your heart in it.
Well, excuse me now.
May God be with you.
Wait...
How can I ever thank you for
what you have done for me...?
I have nothing else but this...
Give it to your father.
That'd make me happy.
I made 20 rupees today!
How are you today, Daddy?
- Fine!
Hello!
Coming from work?
- Yes.
Radha, I'd like to take you out.
- Take me out...?
To see my mother.
But I have to cook
for my father.
That's taken care of.
I just met him.
How can I go without telling him?
- I have told him.
Still, I must take his permission.
- Very well. Go on.
Daddy, that gentleman... the one
who was here the other day...
Nirmal. That's his name.
He left a moment ago.
He brought all this for me.
And you know what?
He even sat down to eat with me!
- I met him on my way here.
He was telling me that he wants
to take me to see his mother.
He told me that too. He might
be considering you for a job!
As his mother's maidservant...?
- Should I go then?
Yes, but be back early.
- Sure.
Mummy...
Come inside... come.
Mummy
Mummy... anybody home?
- Yes sir?
Where's my mother?
- She has gone out.
What are you doing over there?
Come inside.
You live here...?
- Yes.
Is this your house?
- Yes, my house. Why?
No, it's nothing.
- Sit down.
My mother has gone out.
She will be back soon.
I'll come another time.
- No! Today. We do it today.
Sit down. That's meant
for sitting.
Radha, there are kinds and
kinds of people who sit on it.
You're better than most of them.
I think I should be leaving.
- I think you should live here.
Here...? In this house?
- Yes.
You want me to give up my job?
- You will have to.
But I have never worked
in such a big house!
Who's asking you to work?
- What else am I supposed to do?
You're silly. Don't you even
understand as much?
Nirmal is about to proposition
Radha.
So what do you say?
Yes? Or no?
All I seek is to serve you!
Daddy, I...
No! He...!
Look at her dancing away
to gay abandon!
Uncle Bhikhu!
Don't you call me uncle!
I'm nobody's uncle!
And I'm not listening to you!
You said you'd go to see the landlord.
You said you'd beg of him!
You said you'd pay up everything!
You haven't done anything!
Why are you fellows waiting for?
Throw out their stuff.
No!
- What do you mean?!
Can't you ask Mr Nirmal to help us?
Nirmal?! Oh no! That can't be done!
What'd he think?
Uncle Bhikhu, please give
my Daddy a day's time.
Tomorrow...
- No way!
The boss wants you
thrown out today!
Go on, then!
Throw me out too!
No, Daddy!
No one throws you out
as long as I'm alive.
I'll go and see the landlord
right away.
Wait for me. I'm coming
with you too.
Yes boss. I tried to dissuade her.
But she insists on seeing you.
Very well, sir.
All right, you can see him.
But the door is closed.
- It'll open up.
What do you want?
Mercy! Bhikhu is throwing us out!
My father is very sick!
Please do not evict us!
I'll pay you up very soon!
Have mercy on us, sir!
So beautiful!
What's your name?
Radha.
Father's name?
Sadhuram.
i50 rupees.
- I'll pay up every penny!
Please give me some more time!
Have mercy on us!
I am very good at heart.
I can't bear to see anyone unhappy.
When I see people in need of money,
I throw my coffers open.
When I see you homeless,
I give you my rooms.
But when I ask for rent,
what do I get in return?
Lame excuses and false promises.
- It isn't that.
My father has been bed-ridden
for two years.
That's why he couldn't pay you.
But now I have a job.
I'll pay up everything I owe you.
But please give me some time.
Please don't throw us out!
It'd kill my father!
And I have no one else!
Please! Have mercy on me!
I'm moved!
I might give you more time.
I might even decide
to write the debt off.
I shall never forget
your kindness!
But on one condition.
- How may I be of service, sir?!
You are exquisite!
Let me go!
For God's sake! Open the door!
I beg of you! Let me go!
What's your hurry?
Come...
- Leave me!
Let go!
Do you think you can run from me?
Don't come near me!
I'll kill you!
What took you so long, Radha?
I was worried.
What did the landlord say?
What happened, Radha?
I knew this!
You expected the landlord
to be kind to you?
Oh no! These monied men
are stone-hearted!
You had to go to him
just because of me!
It's God's doing! Why else would He
put me in bed for two years?
But don't worry, dear. We'll fiind
ourselves a tree or something.
You aren't going to need any tree.
Not as long as the boss is alive.
What do you take him for?
He has written your debt off.
The boss was kind to her.
You should thank him for that.
He asked me not to bother you.
So, enjoy yourselves!
Heard that? The landlord has written
the debt off!.He was kind to you!
God! You have taken notice of us!
You are kind, Lord!
What's up?!
You're crying!
What's the matter?
Tell me, what happened?
What's happened to you?!
You don't go to work!
You don't even stay at home.
Your father says, you go out every
morning! Where have you been going?
Why don't you speak?
Where have you been going?
Why don't you answer me?
Where are you going?
- Leave me!
Let me go!
- No!
I'm not letting you go till you've
told me what's happening to you...?
What's come over you?
Are you forgetting everything?!
Radha! I want to do so much for you!
- I want nothing!
Nothing!
Radha, what's happening to you?
Don't worry. Everything
is going to be all right.
Make sure you eat well.
And take some exercise.
Don't you worry.
She isn't sick.
She's with baby.
- Baby?!
Don't worry. I will take care of
everything. Call me if you need me.
Radha, did you hear
what the midwife said?
Is this true?! Nirmal! Is he the one?!
He feigned the sympathy!
Then who is it?!
Tell me, Radha!
Why don't you speak?!
Tell me who the rascal is!
Speak up, Radha!
i50 rupees is a lot of money
for a poor girl, Daddy.
Kill me, Daddy! Kill me!
I can't take this any longer!
Do you hear, God? Do you hear
my little girl scream?!
Our God! The refuge of
the poor and the burdened!
Where were you when it happened
to my daughter?!
You saw it happen to my daughter!
And yet you are the God!
My world plunges into darkness!
Thy kingdom come!
What sin was she punished for?
Did she go against you?
But thy will is done, on earth!
My daughter has been brought
to dishonor!
Are you not shamed?!
No use crying. Our blind God
has now turned deaf!.
Our cries go unheard.
You think I'm a cripple?
You think I'll take it lying?!
Never! I will not tolerate
your crimes! Never!
Poor, we might be.
But we don't sell our women!
I'll kill that devil!
No one on earth can stop me!
Not even God!
Daddy!
Stop!
Where do you think
you're going?
Oh I see!
Want to die? That's very easy.
One step, and it's all over!
Dropping dead is easy.
But living, now that's tough.
Understand? Oh no, you don't!
The easy way out is for fools.
The smart ones live,
and they put up a fight.
I get it.
No food... no home... no clothes.
So you want to die.
But just think this over...
If all the homeless and the hungry
decided to die, who would be left?
No one else, but me!
Now look at me.
What do I have? Nothing.
My clothes, borrowed.
My pockets, empty.
My stomach, always empty.
But here I am, alive! Happy!
Catch me grumbling?
Never!
Understand?
No, you don't.
But never mind.
Come with me.
- Leave me alone!
Please yourself. If you won't
come with me, just come along.
Come on.
- But...
Oh yes! I understand.
You want to die.
But tell me, who wanted to be born
in the fiirst place? No one!
But born we were.
Now, who wants to die?
No one! But die we shall!
Surely, and someday. Everyone dies.
What's your hurry?
Did that fellow send you a cable?
Has he written to you, express mail?
Has he been telephoning you? No!
You don't gate-crash.
- Go away from here.
Who's here to stay? Someday
or the other, everyone leaves.
He hasn't cabled me or anything.
So, I can't get going.
And you better drop the idea
of going to heaven.
Just come home with your brother.
Yes, brother.
Move it!
Mast Manor! Mastram's house.
It's old. But it's as strong
as the Red Fort in Delhi.
Get lost. I have a new guest.
That's what you'd call
an understanding guest.
Takes the back-door out.
In this world, the poor are at par
with dogs. Understand?
You don't understand, do you?
Never mind, come on in.
Keeps happening all the time,
but never mind.
The drawing room in Mast Manor.
Welcome.
No! Don't touch that!
If that budges, the roof will come
crashing down on the floor...
and the floor...
well, where's the floor gone?
Don't get it? Neither does she!
Where's the floor?
Just come on in.
This is Mastram's suite.
When I'm hungry, I cook myself
a meal, and I lay the table.
Then I sit down to eat.
When I feel like sleeping,
I lie down on my bed.
When I feel like it,
I just change sides.
This house is blessed by The Lord.
Sunshine in the mornings,
moonlight by night...
the bounty of rains, and
the pleasure of winter chills!
God has been very kind to me!
By the way, I forgot
to ask you your name.
You can sit on the bed.
Sit down.
Sit!
Relax, while I fiix something
for the stomach.
You know Radha,
life is all about eating.
From time immemorial
unto the future to come...
every war has been fought
on or around the stomach.
Strife, attrition, murder and war
are all centered over this terrain.
But for this, there would be no
Mastrams and Radhas in this world.
But for cause,
would there be effect?
No, she doesn't understand.
4 hours! 240 minutes.
For i4,400 seconds...
I have been marching up and down.
Why? What for?
What for, Mastram?!
Mastram, you're an ass!
Ass? Who says I'm an ass?!
Called myself an ass, did I?
Takes an ass to call an ass an ass.
The baby!
Coming, darling.
Who was that crying?
The infant, then the man,
then the old man...
and then the infant again.
The world goes in circles.
Don't understand?
Give him to me.
. No, you'll drop him.
He loves coming to me.
He's growing fast. At this speed,
he'll become a me. Another Mastram.
What did you ask?
Oh, it's all arranged.
Don't worry.
You're on your way to
another Mast Manor...
much bigger than this mansion.
You'll have it all for yourself.
A nursery for you, a playhouse for you
and a playground for you.
You're going to live it up.
How about it, sonny?
Are we going somewhere else?
. What did you say?
Are we going somewhere else?
Why should we? As long as
l have Mast Manor...
l'm not going anywhere.
Not even to Taj Mahal.
We aren't going anywhere.
The prince is going.
Going? Where?
Oh, l forgot to tell you, Radha.
The orphanage is willing
to take him in.
Orphanage?
. Yes.
Why in an orphanage?
He's fine here.
Not at all.
lt no good for him to live here.
Nor for you.
No. l won't let you take him away.
lt's my baby. l'm his mother.
You don't know how cruel
this world can be.
They won't let you and your baby
live like human beings.
At every step, you will be hounded
like stray dogs.
Frighten me as much as you will,
l won't give him away.
l will toil for his sake.
l can go hungry for his sake.
But l can't bear
to give him away.
He's all l have.
Nice thought.
You keep him.
You toil for him.
Beg if you have to, put up
with anything. For his sake.
You'd do everything a mother
would do for her son.
And in time, he grows up.
Do you know what happens then?
Someone is going to ask him
who his father is.
What answer has he?
Blank.
Then he comes and asks you.
What answer have you?
None.
Stories aren't told about a mother's
sacrifices or sorrows. Father's name?
That question is coming up.
. Shut up. For God's sake, shut up.
You don't know a mother's emotions.
You are a man. Emotions for a man...
You imply l'm devoid of emotion?
Emotion? l have none.
All my emotions have been
trampled upon.
l am taken for a madman.
They call me a fool.
l say something, people laugh at me.
l do something, people laugh at me.
Even when l scream,
they laugh at me.
They do not see the tears l weep.
My brother...
Radha, l want to tell you a story.
Want to listen?
Here goes.
A long time ago,
in the dark of night...
a pretty girl from a poor family
ran away from home. You know why?
She wanted to marry a rich man.
And why? Because she was in love.
Love drew hearts together...
and promises made for an eternity...
were short.lived.
Only a few months.
Lust spent, the storm subsides.
Bubble burst, and her man was gone.
Poor pretty girl couldn't go home.
The fire of love burnt in her belly
and she lived like a tramp.
And she cried, and she lived in hope.
Then she gave birth to her son.
For the sake of her son, she toiled.
She begged and she went hungry.
Then the boy grew up and
went to play with other boys.
Not that he knew how he differed
from the other boys. He didn't.
Then one day, someone asked him
his father's name.
From that day, life changed
for mother and son.
Women branded his mother ''whore''.
Mother and son ran.
They tried to hide the stigma.
They move. From one place to another.
But their shadow chased them.
Then one day,
the poor pretty mother died.
And the boy?
What happened to him?
He couldn't die.
He's still alive.
Where is he?
Right in front of you.
l am the one.
You want to give my son away to
an orphanage, don't you? Take him.
Greetings, Swami.
Mastram, when did you come?
. Just now. But l haven't come alone.
Look, Mastram's pocket edition
... little Mastram.
Go on children, back to play.
Radha, hold him.
He's very energetic.
lt's very difficult to take
a mother away from her child.
will you stop singing?
This is too long for a song.
And in C sharp.
You're by far the best already.
Shut up, won't you?
Radha is strange.
Left me holding the baby.
Your mother has gone to find work.
with the money she earns...
she will buy sweets.
She'll give you sweets.
l know why you're crying.
lt's time you went to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Close your eyes.
No, Chandu. What have l done
to deserve this?.
Why did you do this?
My only pantaloons. Wet.
What are you?.
Well never mind.
But you're never on my side.
You know what
the wet feeling is like?
That's the bed creaking.
Anything. l'll do any work.
l have worked here before.
Sorry. No vacancy.
May l see the old manager?
. He has been transferred.
May l see the boss?
. lt's useless.
No. l hear he's very kind.
He'll surely give me a job.
You don't believe me? All right,
come along and see him.
You wait here.
There's a woman. She wants a job.
Says she has worked here earlier.
A woman is looking for a job.
. Then give it to her.
Why are you bothering me?
. l told her we have no vacancies.
But she insists on seeing you.
. l've told you so many times...
not to bother me over trifles.
l don't want to see anyone.
l told you. No use seeing him.
He doesn't want to see anyone.
What's it now?.
Surprised?
You must never have imagined
you'd see me here.
But strange are the games
destiny plays.
So here you are, in my office.
Looking for a job.
l never knew....
. l know you don't know...
that l am the owner. Had you known,
you might not have come here.
Am l right?
Where are you going?
Don't you want a job?
Remember when l wanted
to give you a status?
Remember, l wanted to give you
a place in society?
Remember, l once wanted
to marry you?
Remember?
But muck.raking worms don't
survive in fresh water.
You preferred the streets
to a life of respectability.
Has the road come to a dead end?
What, no one to sympathize
with you anymore?
No one left to win over
with your sob stories?
Why look for work?
Why pursue respectability?
Begging is easy. Walk the streets
with outstretched arms.
Weep, and you'll enjoy yourself
without having to work for it.
lsn't that what you want?
Fool l was that l wanted
to change you.
Oh yes. Speak. Why hesitate?
Say something.
Give what excuses you can.
Tell a white lie. Go on.
Give me those lines
to evoke sympathy.
Not mine. Not any more.
l gave you whatever l had.
My love, my status, my future...
it was all yours for the asking.
But you fooled me.
l loved you, and you took it
for a game.
Why have you come here?
Get out.
Out.
Whose baby is that?
l'm asking you.
Mine.
When did you marry?
l haven't.
Who is his father?
Our landlord.
Manohar, that scoundrel?.
Where is your father?
Dead.
When?
When he came to know
that l'm pregnant.
How did all this happen?.
Why do you want to know how?
l'm ruined. That's all.
No. But this could never happen.
Radha, you must tell me.
A girl who is raped because
she doesn't have money...
finds all the doors
shut on her face.
She has no place in society.
For she has lived in sin.
She is cursed.
She is a whore.
Welcome. What brings you here?
You're a rare sight these days.
That look on your face...
as if your mill is on fire.
The fire is raging inside me.
. ls everything all right with you?
l'm all right. But that girl...
. Girl? Who's this girl?
Radha.
. Which Radha?
So you've forgotten her?
. Remembering is tough.
l have scores coming
to see me every day.
How many can l remember?
Try hard enough, and you'll remember.
The name is Radha.
Which Radha are you talking about?
She and her sick father...
used to be tenants
in your hutments.
They were very poor.
They defaulted on the rent.
You wanted to evict them.
Remember?
She came to see you.
She begged you for mercy.
Remember her now?
. Oh yes. She did come to me.
But you might not be knowing this.
l decided to forego the debt.
Did you? After you raped her?
. That's a lie.
She has a baby now.
. Nonsense.
You don't know what girls like her
are capable of. She's accusing me...
because she wants to blackmail me.
. Shut up.
She isn't that type.
. So you know her?
l never imagined you'd develop
a soft corner for a girl her type.
But you're a friend. lf you insist,
l'll settle it with cash.
Can money buy respectability for her?
. Why are you so concerned for her?
l'm here to pay you for your deed.
l'll expose you.
l'll tell the world what lies behind
your facade of respectability.
l'll report you to the police.
. Nice way to pass on the buck.
What do you mean?
. What proof the child is mine?
l could say he's yours.
You know her too.
Who knows, it might be your baby?
. Scoundrel.
No. Don't hit me. Forgive me.
l beg of you.
. She begged of you too.
Did you show her mercy?
You cur.
Where is he gone?
Who are you?
First you say who you are.
Where's Radha?
How did you know Radha lives here?
. l met her here a while ago.
You must be the man.
. What do you mean?
Clear, isn't it? Radha, the baby
... and the father? You're the one.
Nonsense. Tell me, where's Radha?
And l ask you, where
have you been all this while?
You put that poor girl in a fix,
and you disappear.
Now you walk in and
you start asking questions.
Shut up, l say.
. You shut up. Scoundrel.
Now get me clear.
l'm not his father.
The man who ruined Radha
is someone else.
l just came to know all this.
You hear that?.
l wanted to marry Radha.
But before l knew it,
everything went haywire.
Radha ran away from me,
for the shame of it.
And l thought she had fooled me.
You hear that?.
Now tell me where Radha is.
l'll give her the honor she has lost.
l'll take on the world for her sake.
l'll marry Radha.
. You'll marry her?.
Yes. l'll marry her.
. But she is tainted.
And she has a baby. A bastard.
. Babies aren't bastards.
Their parents are the bastards.
. You really think that way?.
will you marry Radha for real?.
No, she isn't here.
. Where has she gone?.
l don't know where she has gone.
. Where could she have gone?
l screamed at her.
l threw her out of my office.
Where could she have gone?
. Come with me.
People say that whatever You do,
You always do for the better.
l do not know, what good You seek
to do out of my ruination?
What have You got out of
ruining my life?
l do not understand Your ways.
But l have borne it all.
But l cannot bear it any longer.
l can't bear to live anymore.
For one last time,
l stand here before You.
This is Your gift to me.
Unto You l commend him.
Now it is Your duty
to look after him.
Where are you going?
Where's the baby?
Where is he?
What are you up to?.
Come with me.
Pick him up.
And look at me.
Radha...
we begin a new life now.
Come.
Mother...
Can l give you some good news?
. Yes?
l've decided to marry.
ls that so?
l'm very happy.
l've been waiting for this.
l'll find a girl for you.
l'm seeing a girl.
. Who is she?
She's a very good girl.
Good character...
simple, sweet.natured
and beautiful.
She's fantastic.
You're going to like her.
But Mother...
She might be poor.
So what if she doesn't have money?
Money isn't everything in life.
Besides, God has given us
so much already.
And there's something else, Mother.
Yes?
You see...
actually she has a...
Why did you stop? Go on.
Nothing really, but her father
died last year.
Now she has no one.
l want to marry her
as soon as l can.
Nirmal, l am sure you're doing this
after due deliberation.
l've thought it over, Mother.
Very well then.
l only want to see you happy.
l'm very happy.
l've never been happier.
Guess what happened?
. What?
My mother has agreed.
. Really?
Yes. So what do you think?
. l am happy. Very happy.
And you told your mother everything?
. Everything.
About my son too?
You didn't tell her that.
l know you didn't.
l'll tell her after the wedding.
. No. You must tell her now.
lf l tell her now,
she might not understand.
l know what you've been through.
She doesn't.
l'll tell her after the wedding.
Then she can't misread this.
No. l cannot betray your mother.
She should know everything.
lf she forgives me,
if she gives me her blessings...
only then can l marry her.
. Why are you so obstinate?
You life was ruined.
You told me nothing.
You went through the worst.
Yet you told me nothing.
l want to marry you. l want to bring
the happiness back into your life.
And you refuse me?. Why?
Don't you care for me?
Don't you love me?
l don't care for you.
l don't love you.
Lies. You're just trying
to run away from me again.
But l'm not going to let this happen.
l'm not going to let you suffer.
l'll face the whole world for you.
And l'll ask them only one question.
Who is at fault?
You? Or that scoundrel?
Why do our peers punish you?
Why spare that scoundrel?
Why must you be made to
carry the cross all your life?
And let those scoundrels
point fingers at you?
No time to weep. lt's time
to come to terms with life.
Together, we can make a better life
for ourselves.
Only, you will have to help me.
l'll do whatever you want.
This used to be our old house.
. Our new house.
My father built it years ago.
But after he died, no one comes here.
Make yourselves comfortable here.
Tiger. Cheetah. Deer.
This is a museum.
Hunting was my father's hobby.
. Nice hobby.
They paid with their lives for his
hobby. Not a nice hobby, mister.
l'm against violence.
Non.violence is the greatest virtue.
Maybe you're right.
My father paid a price for it.
See this gun?
Aside, please. lf it goes off,
l might end up stuffed and on show.
Not to be afraid.
lt won't go off.
The lone cartridge is still in there.
My father shot himself with the other.
Forget it. Come on,
l'll show you around.
Who you are, what you are...
where you are from...
l know nothing.
l don't even know
what your past was.
All l knew was that...
my son wanted to marry you.
As his mother,
l wanted to see him happy.
Now my son has married you.
You enter this house as a bride.
with you, our fortunes are tied.
People have always respected
our family.
No one has ever raised
a finger at us.
Our esteem, our prestige
is in your hands.
Why are you screaming, Chandu?
No, no, Chandu.
You scream worse than the kid.
Can l tell you something?
What is it?
. lf you can scream worse...
why don't you join a circus?
. Hey sahib.
l'm tired. l want to get some sleep.
You have to calm this fellow down.
He'll calm down in a moment.
l have taken care of dozens.
lt shows. Just stop the circus
and do what l tell you to do.
l think he's hungry.
Give him a feed.
He wants his mother.
He wants his uncle.
Give him to me.
Radha, you look anxious.
. He's crying.
Who...?
. My Chandu is crying.
Mastram is with him. And the nurse
who's taking care of him is adept.
He has never stayed
away from me at night.
Please. Take me there.
. Not at this time of the day.
You do not understand.
For God's sake. Please take me.
Listen to me. lf Mother gets up,
she will ask a lot of questions.
Try to understand.
Don't cry, my dear. Don't cry.
l'm coming tomorrow.
Chandu my darling, here l am.
Chandu has just fallen asleep.
. Fallen asleep...?
After 12 hours.
. l hope he didn't cry last night.
Didn't he?. He wailed my ears
off my head. But who cares...?
Son, these people have been waiting
to wish you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Yes, mother?
ls it true that Radha used to beg
on the streets?
Yes.
And she worked in the mill
before you married her?
Yes, she worked in the mill.
l put her on the job.
And she was a good worker.
. But...
What's wrong with working in the mill?
lt was honest hard work after all.
She has been through hard times.
She begged. And then she worked.
lnstead of depending on anyone...
she picked up the courage
to confront her circumstance.
l know it doesn't make sense to you.
You live in this grand house.
You've never seen the world outside.
You have no idea about life out there.
You don't know what people have to do
just to keep their esteem intact.
Keep your voice down. When did l say
it's bad to work for a living?
l just mean to say that
you never mentioned it.
l must've forgotten.
l'm sorry.
Please tell your mother everything.
l'm tired of concealing the truth.
l feel like a criminal.
. No use getting agitated.
l'll tell her. l told you l would.
. No, don't put it off any longer.
She must be informed right away.
No matter if she throws me out...
but you must tell her today.
. Tell her, l will. Be patient.
lf you won't tell her,
then l shall.
l'll make a clean breast of it.
l'm going to tell her everything.
All right, l'll talk to her.
Mother, l want to tell you something.
Go on.
You see...
l'll tell you.
Yes. Speaking.
What?. ls that so?
l'm coming.
There's a problem at the factory
in Manipur. l'm going to the office.
What did your mother say?
. l didn't get the chance to talk.
l'm going to office. lt's urgent.
. What is the matter?
l'll get to know once
l get to the office.
Now look, don't you do anything silly
before l'm back. For my sake, please.
Get my residence. Fast.
l'm going to Manipur.
The workers have a right to bonuses.
The manager shouldn't have refused...
to pay them, just because
l hadn't authorized the payment.
Mother, the workers in Manipur have
gone on strike. l'm going to Manipur.
Hello, Aunt.
Manohar, welcome.
So how have you been?
. Alive. But surely...
you must've thought that l'm dead.
. What a thing to say.
The whole town was invited
to Nirmal's wedding.
l wasn't even informed.
. Nirmal might have...
forgotten to invite you.
. To err is human.
Now the lady l saw leaving
in the car, is she the one...?
Yes. She's Nirmal's wife.
. She looks familiar.
Now where have l seen her...?
You must've seen her at the mill.
She used to work there.
Really? l thought he married
someone from a good family.
Have no doubt. She might be poor.
But she comes from a good family.
How foolish of me. As long as
you're sitting here, how could...
But l've surely seen her somewhere.
Oh yes, l remember. She's the lady
who keeps going in and coming out...
of your old house. l keep seeing her
on my way to office and back.
l noticed your car parked outside.
Then l saw her.
So l guessed that she and Nirmal
must be living in the old house.
Must've gone there to take a look.
We own the house, you see.
Would you like a drink, Manohar?
. No thank you. l was passing by.
l thought l'd see my old friend
and do the courtesy of wishing him.
Oh, l'm late. Excuse me Aunt,
l must be leaving.
Where's my brother?
. Sitting. Over there, Miss.
Not Miss again.
. Excuse me, madam.
l don't know what's come over him.
All he does is sleep and scream.
Why, what's the matter?
. None at all.
No matters, no issues,
nothing special and for no reason.
Understand?
No you don't.
Are you angry with me because l've
put you through so much trouble?
Oh yes, l'm angry.
But not at you.
l'm angry with myself.
l don't understand this.
How could a little boy make
me forget my Mast Manor?.
Radha, please let me go.
My Manor is lying empty.
without you, this house
is going to feel empty.
You have been so kind to me.
. Don't mention it.
l'm paying back my mother's kindness
to another mother.
That settles my score. Get it?
No, you won't understand.
But never mind that.
l'm leaving now.
Let me know if you need me.
All l am today, all l have,
is all because of you.
l'm indebted to you.
. Are you mad?
No obligations between
brother and sister.
See you, then.
Where's Radha?
l want to know where Radha is.
. Upstairs.
Madam...
What is it?
Wait. Please.
Please. Listen to me.
Mercy.
Have mercy on me.
Please. Have mercy on me.
You bore the child before the wedding.
You never even told me.
You have cheated me.
l never intended to.
l told him to tell you everything.
But he wouldn't listen to me.
lt isn't my fault.
l could never have imagined
that my son would stoop so low.
No. Please do not say that.
He is a God.
Silence.
He's just as responsible for this
as you are. He's just as rotten.
No.
He has nothing to do with the baby.
The baby isn't his.
Not Nirmal's?.
. No.
Do you realize what you are saying?
. l'm telling you the truth.
Then you will leave this house.
At this moment.
Mercy. Have mercy on me.
l am completely innocent.
lnnocent?. You have lived in sin.
You are a whore.
You aren't fit to be part
of any family.
Mercy. Have mercy on me.
l told you that the fortunes
of my family are tied to you.
To you l entrusted
my family's esteem.
You have brought us to disrepute.
You have tainted us. Forever.
You aren't fit to be part
of this family.
You have no place in this house.
You belong to the gutters.
Throw her out.
What are you waiting for?
'Your mother has come to know
about everything.''
''She has thrown me
out of the house.''
''l wanted to escape
this cruel world.''
''But my life isn't only mine.
So l couldn't kill myself.''
''But l can't bear to live any longer.
l can't take this anymore.''
''Please come back as soon as you
receive this letter. Or else.''
What was that?.
What was that sound?.
Where have you been?.
You left me all alone.
Why did you leave me?
Why have you been so long?
l was worried you'd
never come back to me.
Don't weep, Radha.
l won't leave you ever again.
Rise
You are about to face
the harshest test of your life.
As long as l have you beside me,
l fear nothing.
l shall never leave you.
You are completely drenched.
How did you get wet?
You should change your clothes.
. My dress will dry up.
No, you'd catch a cold.
The weather is chilly.
Weather can touch me no more.
And no thoughts cross my mind.
Except you.
There's a storm coming up.
The car has been found.
But Mr Nirmal wasn't in it.
We assume that he might have
fallen out of the car.
The current might have taken him
somewhere else.
Or might be, he was swept on to
some outcrop...
A complete search operation
must be conducted.
l shall try my best. And as soon
as we have news, l'll inform you.
Madam...
Get up.
What is the matter?
. Your husband met with an accident.
What?
. His car fell into a river.
He was in the car.
. What are you saying?
lt's true. People from the mill
went to meet his mother.
They couldn't find his body.
. You're out of your mind.
He was here last night.
We even had dinner together.
He must be here.
Listen...
Where is he...?
. He never came here.
You must've been dreaming.
. Shut up.
What are you looking for?
He never came here.
Shut the doors.
Radha, do you hear me?
You are weeping?
This is no time to weep.
This is no place to weep.
You will find no sympathy here.
Go back.
Be brave.
l'm with you.
l'll always be with you.
Go home, Radha.
Go back home.
Do not be disappointed with life.
Life is too precious.
You have suffered for your innocence.
But it has not gone waste.
Do not lose courage.
You have to do your duty.
This world of civilized savages
you will have to reform.
Unto the dark heart of society
you will have to show the light.
To humanity dying of decadence,
you will infuse a new life.
You have much to do, Radha.
Surprised to see me?
As for me, l expected
a rousing welcome.
But we won't mind it, shall we?
Get out of here, l say.
l will. As soon as you've agreed
to my proposition.
l tell you...
. l'm telling you to come with me.
You talked that idiot Nirmal into
marrying you. Brilliant.
Now Nirmal is dead. And you've been
thrown out of that house.
Look Radha, you're still beautiful.
Lovable. So come with me.
And that boy. You insist he's mine.
Well, he can tag along too.
Every pleasure in life
will be yours.
Excellent. l see that you
are very pragmatic, Radha.
Get out of my way.
. l've been waiting for you.
Go away from here.
. with you, of course.
l have bought a lovely villa far away
from the madding crowd. For you.
You will be very comfortable there.
Go away from here.
Or l'll kill you.
Get lost.
l have already lost my hear
to your beauty.
What use threatening me
with an empty gun?
Go away from here, l say.
. Come to your senses, Radha.
Aren't you ashamed to threaten me?
Have you forgotten the day...
when you came to me?
You came to me. Remember?
And l helped you.
. You exploited my poverty.
And l was foolish then. l was just
a girl. Today, l am a married woman.
Married woman?.
Go away.
Go away.
Brother...
Brother.
Radha, what happened to you?
l've killed him.
. Whom?
l killed him.
l killed him.
Who...?
. l killed him.
Who have you killed?
. That scoundrel.
Manohar...?
. Yes.
He came to take me and my baby.
l killed him. He'll never make
me feel miserable again.
He'll never make me feel
miserable again.
Radha, where's Nirmal?
Where's Nirmal?
He's no more. No more.
What are you saying, Radha?
l'm a widow now. A widow.
A man was murdered in your house.
Do you know who killed him?
l killed him.
You have to come with me.
Tears? ln your eyes?
Who is it?.
You do not even recognize
my voice, Mother?
My son. Where are you?.
Where are you, my darling?.
Close, very close to you.
But why the tears in your eyes?
You should not weep.
What is it that you do not have?
A palatial house, acres of land...
huge factories, wealth, esteem,
status, you have it all.
l want none of that.
You are all l have.
Come back to me, my son.
That time lies in the past now.
l cannot come back now.
My son.
Your misplaced sense of honor,
has destroyed my family.
You sent my Radha away.
Son.
She cheated you.
She brought us to dishonor.
You do not know what kind
of a woman she is.
l know.
She also has a child.
l know. She never hid anything
from me. She is innocent.
Radha is as innocent
as the morning star.
She is as pure as
the idols you worship.
The devil might smear your idol
with filth.
Yet Mother, you will not say that
the idol you worship is desecrated.
What are you saying, son?
lt is a story of a rich man's lust
and a poor girl's helplessness.
That scoundrel raped her.
l wanted to help her.
l wanted to give her the honor
the happiness she had lost.
That is why l married her.
But like the rest of the world,
you too were blind. You disowned her.
She too is someone's daughter.
That you did not consider.
Had it been your own daughter,
what would you have done?
Forgive me, son.
l knew nothing.
l'll bring her back.
l promise you, l will.
Bring her back, l will.
. But the police has arrested her.
What?
. She killed the man who raped her.
For all her innocence, Radha
is again being pronounced guilty.
You must go and tell the world
what the truth is.
You will tell them what Radha is.
You will tell them...
how that scoundrel took advantage
of Radha's helplessness.
Tell them how he ruined her.
Show them how the social mores
have punished an innocent girl.
l will. l will tell them.
Right now.
You think Radha is guilty.
You are wrong, as l was wrong.
Radha stands before the law
accused of murder.
Let the law take its own course.
l have nothing to tell the law.
But you l ask, what crime is Radha's?
Why do you call her a criminal?
will you grant a scoundrel,
the benefit of being innocent?
And you label an innocent girl
a criminal?
ls it because a woman stands weak,
muted before the tyranny of man?
Then l ask you as a woman,
why not punish the scoundrels?
will you punish the innocent
because she is a woman?
These scoundrels, they are men.
They walk with their heads held high.
And the world respects them.
So they sit in the pulpit...
and they point fingers at the woman,
whom they have denigrated.
Have you ever considered the fate
of these innocent girls?
As l have done to Radha,
they are disowned by family...
shunned by society and
discarded by this world.
After that, the disrepute
drives them to death.
Or else, they are relegated
to live life in indignity.
Had it been your daughter,
or your son's wife...
standing in Radha's place,
what would you have done?
Ask yourselves, search within
and you will find the answer.
Radha is someone's daughter.
Radha is someone's wife too.
She cries out to you for justice.
She cries out for your help.
Sympathize with her.
Give her back the honor she has lost.
Give her a chance to start afresh.
l do not ask for mercy,
l seek justice for Radha.
The law will give it's justice.
l ask you to do justice
to your daughters.
The jury has decided that...
the accused acted in self defense.
The accused is found not guilty.
This court exonerates Radha.
Chandu. My darling.
Where's Chandu?
Must be somewhere around.
Chandu, your uncle is here.
Oh l forgot.
He must've taken the nanny out.
l mean, vice versa...
Your baby isn't here.
He's in his house.
Come with me.
You? Here?.
You object?
. None.
l and my Mast Manor are honored.
No mother would do what you did.
Shut up, and come with me.
with you...?
Any objections?
. None. Thanks for asking me.
l was going to come with you anyway.
. Shut up.
My darling.
Son...
l've done whatever
you wanted me to do.
You'll forgive me now, won't you?
Mother...
Mother, l'm here.
My son.
My darling.
People gave me up for dead.
But God saved me.
And l used the opportunity
to prove Radha's innocence.
l knew you'd tell the world
that Radha is innocent.
And you carried it off so well.
l could never have done...
what you did for Radha.
l'm proud of you, Mother.
Guess where l hid that night?
l have no idea.
. Under your bed.
You're an imp.
Why did you punish me like this?.
l had lost a dear one.
l stayed away from you so that...
you could know how hard it is
when one loses someone so dear.
Radha, my child.
Come over here. All of you.
Radha. Hurry.
Come Radha. Come my child.
My lost son is back.
The love of my life.
He is back.
Alive.
They tell you not to believe
your ears.
l say, don't even believe
your eyes.
Oh no. l understand it at last.
Watch it. You'll drop my baby.
Get me my best dress.
And my jewelry.
l'll adorn my Radha in finery.
Come on, we have work to do.
Well Mastram, what say you?
l don't think l quite understand...
There are lots you won't.
Are you weeping?
This is surely a first.
For the first time in my life,
l have witnessed such joy.
What are you fellows waiting for?
Radha isn't wearing a bride's attire,
don't you see?
She's still dressed
in the widow's black.
Now come on, upstairs.
Hurry up.
Say what, Mastram?
You're an able woman!
How can you beg?! Get lost!
And fiind something to do.
Wait...
Maybe you don't like what I said?
But what I said is right.
For someone who is able-bodied,
begging is a very worst thing.
One loses esteem, one turns into
a parasite, a useless non-entity.
You are able. You should work.
Sure, I should. And I know that.
Then why don't you work?
- I wanted to. And I have tried.
Work apart, there is another
quid pro quo that men seek.
Not all men are alike.
If you want to work for a living...
I can offer you something.
I'm giving you a friend's address.
He'll put you on to something.
Get over to him tomorrow morning.
And start working.
Don't beg.
Radha, is it you, my child?
Did you fiind something?
Nothing, Daddy. But how are you?
- I'm not worried for myself.
It's the tomorrow that worries me.
- Why?
Bhikhu came here again, saying
that unless we pay up...
the arrears of the rent by tomorrow,
he's going to throw us out.
What's to happen now, Daddy?
Where are we going to go?
For someone with nowhere to go,
the world is a very small place.
But not be afraid, dear.
If he drives us out...
we'll go and park ourselves
under a tree.
At least no one will be able
to edge us out of there.
Daddy, someone gave me an address.
He said I could fiind work there.
But I threw the chit away.
- Why did you do that?
Who knows, it could have led us
to better times.
Let me go and look for it right now.
- Not at this time of the night.
Times are bad. It isn't safe.
- Don't worry. I'll be right back.
Looking for something?
-A piece of paper.
Paper?
- There's someone's address on it.
Address? Whose?
-A prospective employer.
Someone gave me the address.
- Really?
My father is sick. He can't work.
We haven't paid the rent for months.
If I can't fiind a job,
we're going to be homeless.
I must fiind the address!
Could it be this one?
Yes! Thanks!
Did you call me, sir?
- Yes. Look, I've asked a girl...
to see you. Give her a job.
- Sure.
I told her that I was referring her
to a friend of mine.
She shouldn't come to know
that I own this mill.
Fine.
- Put her on daily wages.
Name?
- Radha.
Age?
- i9.
Address?
-Address...
Mr Manohar Das'Hutments.
At Gol Park.
Husband's name?
- I'm not married.
Not married yet?
- No.
Your father's name?
- Sadhuram.
What does he do?
- Nothing.
He's unemployed?
- Yes.
He's sick. He can't work.
- Not to worry.
Come on. I'll show you
your workplace.
Daddy! I found a job!
I got paid one whole rupee!
And I went shopping! Look!
I'll cook for you tonight!
The kitchen fiire will burn!
After so many days!
Daddy! Why are you so quiet?
Uncle Bhikhu!
Have you come here to throw us out?
- No! To give you this house for good!
I wanted to throw your luggage out
the fiirst thing this morning.
But this poor old man, you know.
So I thought I'd wait for you.
We'll pay you every penny!
I have a job now!
Some big fat contract, is it?
At one rupee a day...
what will you feed yourself?
And how will you pay me?
I'll work harder. I'll make more!
And I'll save every penny!
What'd your pennies add up to?
Old man hasn't paid me in 3 years!
Know how much that is? i300!
- I'll pay you every penny!
Just give me some time!
- No more time!
I got the courts to stay the eviction
just because you said so.
But you haven't even paid up
a single installment!
The landlord is going to court
asking for a liquidation!
I'll go to the landlord,
and I'll beg of him!
All I'd ask him for is a bit of time.
He can spare a bit of time, can't he?
Can't he?! Of course he can!
He could write off the debt.
He could even give you this hovel!
But make sure you do...
whatever needs to be done,
today itself!.
No tomorrows, you know...
You...?
May I come in?
- Welcome.
But how did you get this address?
- My friend. He told me.
I asked him about your job.
- I got the job!
Your friend is a very nice man.
- Very nice man!
And I got paid today!
He's the one who gave me the address.
- You have done us a great favour!
Please, do not...
- Please be seated.
Friend of yours, is a very nice man.
-An old friend.
He said that once I'm trained,
I'll get a raise.
Why not? If you work hard enough,
I'll see to it that...
I mean my friend... he will
take care of everything.
But make sure you put
your heart in it.
Well, excuse me now.
May God be with you.
Wait...
How can I ever thank you for
what you have done for me...?
I have nothing else but this...
Give it to your father.
That'd make me happy.
I made 20 rupees today!
How are you today, Daddy?
- Fine!
Hello!
Coming from work?
- Yes.
Radha, I'd like to take you out.
- Take me out...?
To see my mother.
But I have to cook
for my father.
That's taken care of.
I just met him.
How can I go without telling him?
- I have told him.
Still, I must take his permission.
- Very well. Go on.
Daddy, that gentleman... the one
who was here the other day...
Nirmal. That's his name.
He left a moment ago.
He brought all this for me.
And you know what?
He even sat down to eat with me!
- I met him on my way here.
He was telling me that he wants
to take me to see his mother.
He told me that too. He might
be considering you for a job!
As his mother's maidservant...?
- Should I go then?
Yes, but be back early.
- Sure.
Mummy...
Come inside... come.
Mummy
Mummy... anybody home?
- Yes sir?
Where's my mother?
- She has gone out.
What are you doing over there?
Come inside.
You live here...?
- Yes.
Is this your house?
- Yes, my house. Why?
No, it's nothing.
- Sit down.
My mother has gone out.
She will be back soon.
I'll come another time.
- No! Today. We do it today.
Sit down. That's meant
for sitting.
Radha, there are kinds and
kinds of people who sit on it.
You're better than most of them.
I think I should be leaving.
- I think you should live here.
Here...? In this house?
- Yes.
You want me to give up my job?
- You will have to.
But I have never worked
in such a big house!
Who's asking you to work?
- What else am I supposed to do?
You're silly. Don't you even
understand as much?
Nirmal is about to proposition
Radha.
So what do you say?
Yes? Or no?
All I seek is to serve you!
Daddy, I...
No! He...!
Look at her dancing away
to gay abandon!
Uncle Bhikhu!
Don't you call me uncle!
I'm nobody's uncle!
And I'm not listening to you!
You said you'd go to see the landlord.
You said you'd beg of him!
You said you'd pay up everything!
You haven't done anything!
Why are you fellows waiting for?
Throw out their stuff.
No!
- What do you mean?!
Can't you ask Mr Nirmal to help us?
Nirmal?! Oh no! That can't be done!
What'd he think?
Uncle Bhikhu, please give
my Daddy a day's time.
Tomorrow...
- No way!
The boss wants you
thrown out today!
Go on, then!
Throw me out too!
No, Daddy!
No one throws you out
as long as I'm alive.
I'll go and see the landlord
right away.
Wait for me. I'm coming
with you too.
Yes boss. I tried to dissuade her.
But she insists on seeing you.
Very well, sir.
All right, you can see him.
But the door is closed.
- It'll open up.
What do you want?
Mercy! Bhikhu is throwing us out!
My father is very sick!
Please do not evict us!
I'll pay you up very soon!
Have mercy on us, sir!
So beautiful!
What's your name?
Radha.
Father's name?
Sadhuram.
i50 rupees.
- I'll pay up every penny!
Please give me some more time!
Have mercy on us!
I am very good at heart.
I can't bear to see anyone unhappy.
When I see people in need of money,
I throw my coffers open.
When I see you homeless,
I give you my rooms.
But when I ask for rent,
what do I get in return?
Lame excuses and false promises.
- It isn't that.
My father has been bed-ridden
for two years.
That's why he couldn't pay you.
But now I have a job.
I'll pay up everything I owe you.
But please give me some time.
Please don't throw us out!
It'd kill my father!
And I have no one else!
Please! Have mercy on me!
I'm moved!
I might give you more time.
I might even decide
to write the debt off.
I shall never forget
your kindness!
But on one condition.
- How may I be of service, sir?!
You are exquisite!
Let me go!
For God's sake! Open the door!
I beg of you! Let me go!
What's your hurry?
Come...
- Leave me!
Let go!
Do you think you can run from me?
Don't come near me!
I'll kill you!
What took you so long, Radha?
I was worried.
What did the landlord say?
What happened, Radha?
I knew this!
You expected the landlord
to be kind to you?
Oh no! These monied men
are stone-hearted!
You had to go to him
just because of me!
It's God's doing! Why else would He
put me in bed for two years?
But don't worry, dear. We'll fiind
ourselves a tree or something.
You aren't going to need any tree.
Not as long as the boss is alive.
What do you take him for?
He has written your debt off.
The boss was kind to her.
You should thank him for that.
He asked me not to bother you.
So, enjoy yourselves!
Heard that? The landlord has written
the debt off!.He was kind to you!
God! You have taken notice of us!
You are kind, Lord!
What's up?!
You're crying!
What's the matter?
Tell me, what happened?
What's happened to you?!
You don't go to work!
You don't even stay at home.
Your father says, you go out every
morning! Where have you been going?
Why don't you speak?
Where have you been going?
Why don't you answer me?
Where are you going?
- Leave me!
Let me go!
- No!
I'm not letting you go till you've
told me what's happening to you...?
What's come over you?
Are you forgetting everything?!
Radha! I want to do so much for you!
- I want nothing!
Nothing!
Radha, what's happening to you?
Don't worry. Everything
is going to be all right.
Make sure you eat well.
And take some exercise.
Don't you worry.
She isn't sick.
She's with baby.
- Baby?!
Don't worry. I will take care of
everything. Call me if you need me.
Radha, did you hear
what the midwife said?
Is this true?! Nirmal! Is he the one?!
He feigned the sympathy!
Then who is it?!
Tell me, Radha!
Why don't you speak?!
Tell me who the rascal is!
Speak up, Radha!
i50 rupees is a lot of money
for a poor girl, Daddy.
Kill me, Daddy! Kill me!
I can't take this any longer!
Do you hear, God? Do you hear
my little girl scream?!
Our God! The refuge of
the poor and the burdened!
Where were you when it happened
to my daughter?!
You saw it happen to my daughter!
And yet you are the God!
My world plunges into darkness!
Thy kingdom come!
What sin was she punished for?
Did she go against you?
But thy will is done, on earth!
My daughter has been brought
to dishonor!
Are you not shamed?!
No use crying. Our blind God
has now turned deaf!.
Our cries go unheard.
You think I'm a cripple?
You think I'll take it lying?!
Never! I will not tolerate
your crimes! Never!
Poor, we might be.
But we don't sell our women!
I'll kill that devil!
No one on earth can stop me!
Not even God!
Daddy!
Stop!
Where do you think
you're going?
Oh I see!
Want to die? That's very easy.
One step, and it's all over!
Dropping dead is easy.
But living, now that's tough.
Understand? Oh no, you don't!
The easy way out is for fools.
The smart ones live,
and they put up a fight.
I get it.
No food... no home... no clothes.
So you want to die.
But just think this over...
If all the homeless and the hungry
decided to die, who would be left?
No one else, but me!
Now look at me.
What do I have? Nothing.
My clothes, borrowed.
My pockets, empty.
My stomach, always empty.
But here I am, alive! Happy!
Catch me grumbling?
Never!
Understand?
No, you don't.
But never mind.
Come with me.
- Leave me alone!
Please yourself. If you won't
come with me, just come along.
Come on.
- But...
Oh yes! I understand.
You want to die.
But tell me, who wanted to be born
in the fiirst place? No one!
But born we were.
Now, who wants to die?
No one! But die we shall!
Surely, and someday. Everyone dies.
What's your hurry?
Did that fellow send you a cable?
Has he written to you, express mail?
Has he been telephoning you? No!
You don't gate-crash.
- Go away from here.
Who's here to stay? Someday
or the other, everyone leaves.
He hasn't cabled me or anything.
So, I can't get going.
And you better drop the idea
of going to heaven.
Just come home with your brother.
Yes, brother.
Move it!
Mast Manor! Mastram's house.
It's old. But it's as strong
as the Red Fort in Delhi.
Get lost. I have a new guest.
That's what you'd call
an understanding guest.
Takes the back-door out.
In this world, the poor are at par
with dogs. Understand?
You don't understand, do you?
Never mind, come on in.
Keeps happening all the time,
but never mind.
The drawing room in Mast Manor.
Welcome.
No! Don't touch that!
If that budges, the roof will come
crashing down on the floor...
and the floor...
well, where's the floor gone?
Don't get it? Neither does she!
Where's the floor?
Just come on in.
This is Mastram's suite.
When I'm hungry, I cook myself
a meal, and I lay the table.
Then I sit down to eat.
When I feel like sleeping,
I lie down on my bed.
When I feel like it,
I just change sides.
This house is blessed by The Lord.
Sunshine in the mornings,
moonlight by night...
the bounty of rains, and
the pleasure of winter chills!
God has been very kind to me!
By the way, I forgot
to ask you your name.
You can sit on the bed.
Sit down.
Sit!
Relax, while I fiix something
for the stomach.
You know Radha,
life is all about eating.
From time immemorial
unto the future to come...
every war has been fought
on or around the stomach.
Strife, attrition, murder and war
are all centered over this terrain.
But for this, there would be no
Mastrams and Radhas in this world.
But for cause,
would there be effect?
No, she doesn't understand.
4 hours! 240 minutes.
For i4,400 seconds...
I have been marching up and down.
Why? What for?
What for, Mastram?!
Mastram, you're an ass!
Ass? Who says I'm an ass?!
Called myself an ass, did I?
Takes an ass to call an ass an ass.
The baby!
Coming, darling.
Who was that crying?
The infant, then the man,
then the old man...
and then the infant again.
The world goes in circles.
Don't understand?
Give him to me.
. No, you'll drop him.
He loves coming to me.
He's growing fast. At this speed,
he'll become a me. Another Mastram.
What did you ask?
Oh, it's all arranged.
Don't worry.
You're on your way to
another Mast Manor...
much bigger than this mansion.
You'll have it all for yourself.
A nursery for you, a playhouse for you
and a playground for you.
You're going to live it up.
How about it, sonny?
Are we going somewhere else?
. What did you say?
Are we going somewhere else?
Why should we? As long as
l have Mast Manor...
l'm not going anywhere.
Not even to Taj Mahal.
We aren't going anywhere.
The prince is going.
Going? Where?
Oh, l forgot to tell you, Radha.
The orphanage is willing
to take him in.
Orphanage?
. Yes.
Why in an orphanage?
He's fine here.
Not at all.
lt no good for him to live here.
Nor for you.
No. l won't let you take him away.
lt's my baby. l'm his mother.
You don't know how cruel
this world can be.
They won't let you and your baby
live like human beings.
At every step, you will be hounded
like stray dogs.
Frighten me as much as you will,
l won't give him away.
l will toil for his sake.
l can go hungry for his sake.
But l can't bear
to give him away.
He's all l have.
Nice thought.
You keep him.
You toil for him.
Beg if you have to, put up
with anything. For his sake.
You'd do everything a mother
would do for her son.
And in time, he grows up.
Do you know what happens then?
Someone is going to ask him
who his father is.
What answer has he?
Blank.
Then he comes and asks you.
What answer have you?
None.
Stories aren't told about a mother's
sacrifices or sorrows. Father's name?
That question is coming up.
. Shut up. For God's sake, shut up.
You don't know a mother's emotions.
You are a man. Emotions for a man...
You imply l'm devoid of emotion?
Emotion? l have none.
All my emotions have been
trampled upon.
l am taken for a madman.
They call me a fool.
l say something, people laugh at me.
l do something, people laugh at me.
Even when l scream,
they laugh at me.
They do not see the tears l weep.
My brother...
Radha, l want to tell you a story.
Want to listen?
Here goes.
A long time ago,
in the dark of night...
a pretty girl from a poor family
ran away from home. You know why?
She wanted to marry a rich man.
And why? Because she was in love.
Love drew hearts together...
and promises made for an eternity...
were short.lived.
Only a few months.
Lust spent, the storm subsides.
Bubble burst, and her man was gone.
Poor pretty girl couldn't go home.
The fire of love burnt in her belly
and she lived like a tramp.
And she cried, and she lived in hope.
Then she gave birth to her son.
For the sake of her son, she toiled.
She begged and she went hungry.
Then the boy grew up and
went to play with other boys.
Not that he knew how he differed
from the other boys. He didn't.
Then one day, someone asked him
his father's name.
From that day, life changed
for mother and son.
Women branded his mother ''whore''.
Mother and son ran.
They tried to hide the stigma.
They move. From one place to another.
But their shadow chased them.
Then one day,
the poor pretty mother died.
And the boy?
What happened to him?
He couldn't die.
He's still alive.
Where is he?
Right in front of you.
l am the one.
You want to give my son away to
an orphanage, don't you? Take him.
Greetings, Swami.
Mastram, when did you come?
. Just now. But l haven't come alone.
Look, Mastram's pocket edition
... little Mastram.
Go on children, back to play.
Radha, hold him.
He's very energetic.
lt's very difficult to take
a mother away from her child.
will you stop singing?
This is too long for a song.
And in C sharp.
You're by far the best already.
Shut up, won't you?
Radha is strange.
Left me holding the baby.
Your mother has gone to find work.
with the money she earns...
she will buy sweets.
She'll give you sweets.
l know why you're crying.
lt's time you went to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Close your eyes.
No, Chandu. What have l done
to deserve this?.
Why did you do this?
My only pantaloons. Wet.
What are you?.
Well never mind.
But you're never on my side.
You know what
the wet feeling is like?
That's the bed creaking.
Anything. l'll do any work.
l have worked here before.
Sorry. No vacancy.
May l see the old manager?
. He has been transferred.
May l see the boss?
. lt's useless.
No. l hear he's very kind.
He'll surely give me a job.
You don't believe me? All right,
come along and see him.
You wait here.
There's a woman. She wants a job.
Says she has worked here earlier.
A woman is looking for a job.
. Then give it to her.
Why are you bothering me?
. l told her we have no vacancies.
But she insists on seeing you.
. l've told you so many times...
not to bother me over trifles.
l don't want to see anyone.
l told you. No use seeing him.
He doesn't want to see anyone.
What's it now?.
Surprised?
You must never have imagined
you'd see me here.
But strange are the games
destiny plays.
So here you are, in my office.
Looking for a job.
l never knew....
. l know you don't know...
that l am the owner. Had you known,
you might not have come here.
Am l right?
Where are you going?
Don't you want a job?
Remember when l wanted
to give you a status?
Remember, l wanted to give you
a place in society?
Remember, l once wanted
to marry you?
Remember?
But muck.raking worms don't
survive in fresh water.
You preferred the streets
to a life of respectability.
Has the road come to a dead end?
What, no one to sympathize
with you anymore?
No one left to win over
with your sob stories?
Why look for work?
Why pursue respectability?
Begging is easy. Walk the streets
with outstretched arms.
Weep, and you'll enjoy yourself
without having to work for it.
lsn't that what you want?
Fool l was that l wanted
to change you.
Oh yes. Speak. Why hesitate?
Say something.
Give what excuses you can.
Tell a white lie. Go on.
Give me those lines
to evoke sympathy.
Not mine. Not any more.
l gave you whatever l had.
My love, my status, my future...
it was all yours for the asking.
But you fooled me.
l loved you, and you took it
for a game.
Why have you come here?
Get out.
Out.
Whose baby is that?
l'm asking you.
Mine.
When did you marry?
l haven't.
Who is his father?
Our landlord.
Manohar, that scoundrel?.
Where is your father?
Dead.
When?
When he came to know
that l'm pregnant.
How did all this happen?.
Why do you want to know how?
l'm ruined. That's all.
No. But this could never happen.
Radha, you must tell me.
A girl who is raped because
she doesn't have money...
finds all the doors
shut on her face.
She has no place in society.
For she has lived in sin.
She is cursed.
She is a whore.
Welcome. What brings you here?
You're a rare sight these days.
That look on your face...
as if your mill is on fire.
The fire is raging inside me.
. ls everything all right with you?
l'm all right. But that girl...
. Girl? Who's this girl?
Radha.
. Which Radha?
So you've forgotten her?
. Remembering is tough.
l have scores coming
to see me every day.
How many can l remember?
Try hard enough, and you'll remember.
The name is Radha.
Which Radha are you talking about?
She and her sick father...
used to be tenants
in your hutments.
They were very poor.
They defaulted on the rent.
You wanted to evict them.
Remember?
She came to see you.
She begged you for mercy.
Remember her now?
. Oh yes. She did come to me.
But you might not be knowing this.
l decided to forego the debt.
Did you? After you raped her?
. That's a lie.
She has a baby now.
. Nonsense.
You don't know what girls like her
are capable of. She's accusing me...
because she wants to blackmail me.
. Shut up.
She isn't that type.
. So you know her?
l never imagined you'd develop
a soft corner for a girl her type.
But you're a friend. lf you insist,
l'll settle it with cash.
Can money buy respectability for her?
. Why are you so concerned for her?
l'm here to pay you for your deed.
l'll expose you.
l'll tell the world what lies behind
your facade of respectability.
l'll report you to the police.
. Nice way to pass on the buck.
What do you mean?
. What proof the child is mine?
l could say he's yours.
You know her too.
Who knows, it might be your baby?
. Scoundrel.
No. Don't hit me. Forgive me.
l beg of you.
. She begged of you too.
Did you show her mercy?
You cur.
Where is he gone?
Who are you?
First you say who you are.
Where's Radha?
How did you know Radha lives here?
. l met her here a while ago.
You must be the man.
. What do you mean?
Clear, isn't it? Radha, the baby
... and the father? You're the one.
Nonsense. Tell me, where's Radha?
And l ask you, where
have you been all this while?
You put that poor girl in a fix,
and you disappear.
Now you walk in and
you start asking questions.
Shut up, l say.
. You shut up. Scoundrel.
Now get me clear.
l'm not his father.
The man who ruined Radha
is someone else.
l just came to know all this.
You hear that?.
l wanted to marry Radha.
But before l knew it,
everything went haywire.
Radha ran away from me,
for the shame of it.
And l thought she had fooled me.
You hear that?.
Now tell me where Radha is.
l'll give her the honor she has lost.
l'll take on the world for her sake.
l'll marry Radha.
. You'll marry her?.
Yes. l'll marry her.
. But she is tainted.
And she has a baby. A bastard.
. Babies aren't bastards.
Their parents are the bastards.
. You really think that way?.
will you marry Radha for real?.
No, she isn't here.
. Where has she gone?.
l don't know where she has gone.
. Where could she have gone?
l screamed at her.
l threw her out of my office.
Where could she have gone?
. Come with me.
People say that whatever You do,
You always do for the better.
l do not know, what good You seek
to do out of my ruination?
What have You got out of
ruining my life?
l do not understand Your ways.
But l have borne it all.
But l cannot bear it any longer.
l can't bear to live anymore.
For one last time,
l stand here before You.
This is Your gift to me.
Unto You l commend him.
Now it is Your duty
to look after him.
Where are you going?
Where's the baby?
Where is he?
What are you up to?.
Come with me.
Pick him up.
And look at me.
Radha...
we begin a new life now.
Come.
Mother...
Can l give you some good news?
. Yes?
l've decided to marry.
ls that so?
l'm very happy.
l've been waiting for this.
l'll find a girl for you.
l'm seeing a girl.
. Who is she?
She's a very good girl.
Good character...
simple, sweet.natured
and beautiful.
She's fantastic.
You're going to like her.
But Mother...
She might be poor.
So what if she doesn't have money?
Money isn't everything in life.
Besides, God has given us
so much already.
And there's something else, Mother.
Yes?
You see...
actually she has a...
Why did you stop? Go on.
Nothing really, but her father
died last year.
Now she has no one.
l want to marry her
as soon as l can.
Nirmal, l am sure you're doing this
after due deliberation.
l've thought it over, Mother.
Very well then.
l only want to see you happy.
l'm very happy.
l've never been happier.
Guess what happened?
. What?
My mother has agreed.
. Really?
Yes. So what do you think?
. l am happy. Very happy.
And you told your mother everything?
. Everything.
About my son too?
You didn't tell her that.
l know you didn't.
l'll tell her after the wedding.
. No. You must tell her now.
lf l tell her now,
she might not understand.
l know what you've been through.
She doesn't.
l'll tell her after the wedding.
Then she can't misread this.
No. l cannot betray your mother.
She should know everything.
lf she forgives me,
if she gives me her blessings...
only then can l marry her.
. Why are you so obstinate?
You life was ruined.
You told me nothing.
You went through the worst.
Yet you told me nothing.
l want to marry you. l want to bring
the happiness back into your life.
And you refuse me?. Why?
Don't you care for me?
Don't you love me?
l don't care for you.
l don't love you.
Lies. You're just trying
to run away from me again.
But l'm not going to let this happen.
l'm not going to let you suffer.
l'll face the whole world for you.
And l'll ask them only one question.
Who is at fault?
You? Or that scoundrel?
Why do our peers punish you?
Why spare that scoundrel?
Why must you be made to
carry the cross all your life?
And let those scoundrels
point fingers at you?
No time to weep. lt's time
to come to terms with life.
Together, we can make a better life
for ourselves.
Only, you will have to help me.
l'll do whatever you want.
This used to be our old house.
. Our new house.
My father built it years ago.
But after he died, no one comes here.
Make yourselves comfortable here.
Tiger. Cheetah. Deer.
This is a museum.
Hunting was my father's hobby.
. Nice hobby.
They paid with their lives for his
hobby. Not a nice hobby, mister.
l'm against violence.
Non.violence is the greatest virtue.
Maybe you're right.
My father paid a price for it.
See this gun?
Aside, please. lf it goes off,
l might end up stuffed and on show.
Not to be afraid.
lt won't go off.
The lone cartridge is still in there.
My father shot himself with the other.
Forget it. Come on,
l'll show you around.
Who you are, what you are...
where you are from...
l know nothing.
l don't even know
what your past was.
All l knew was that...
my son wanted to marry you.
As his mother,
l wanted to see him happy.
Now my son has married you.
You enter this house as a bride.
with you, our fortunes are tied.
People have always respected
our family.
No one has ever raised
a finger at us.
Our esteem, our prestige
is in your hands.
Why are you screaming, Chandu?
No, no, Chandu.
You scream worse than the kid.
Can l tell you something?
What is it?
. lf you can scream worse...
why don't you join a circus?
. Hey sahib.
l'm tired. l want to get some sleep.
You have to calm this fellow down.
He'll calm down in a moment.
l have taken care of dozens.
lt shows. Just stop the circus
and do what l tell you to do.
l think he's hungry.
Give him a feed.
He wants his mother.
He wants his uncle.
Give him to me.
Radha, you look anxious.
. He's crying.
Who...?
. My Chandu is crying.
Mastram is with him. And the nurse
who's taking care of him is adept.
He has never stayed
away from me at night.
Please. Take me there.
. Not at this time of the day.
You do not understand.
For God's sake. Please take me.
Listen to me. lf Mother gets up,
she will ask a lot of questions.
Try to understand.
Don't cry, my dear. Don't cry.
l'm coming tomorrow.
Chandu my darling, here l am.
Chandu has just fallen asleep.
. Fallen asleep...?
After 12 hours.
. l hope he didn't cry last night.
Didn't he?. He wailed my ears
off my head. But who cares...?
Son, these people have been waiting
to wish you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Yes, mother?
ls it true that Radha used to beg
on the streets?
Yes.
And she worked in the mill
before you married her?
Yes, she worked in the mill.
l put her on the job.
And she was a good worker.
. But...
What's wrong with working in the mill?
lt was honest hard work after all.
She has been through hard times.
She begged. And then she worked.
lnstead of depending on anyone...
she picked up the courage
to confront her circumstance.
l know it doesn't make sense to you.
You live in this grand house.
You've never seen the world outside.
You have no idea about life out there.
You don't know what people have to do
just to keep their esteem intact.
Keep your voice down. When did l say
it's bad to work for a living?
l just mean to say that
you never mentioned it.
l must've forgotten.
l'm sorry.
Please tell your mother everything.
l'm tired of concealing the truth.
l feel like a criminal.
. No use getting agitated.
l'll tell her. l told you l would.
. No, don't put it off any longer.
She must be informed right away.
No matter if she throws me out...
but you must tell her today.
. Tell her, l will. Be patient.
lf you won't tell her,
then l shall.
l'll make a clean breast of it.
l'm going to tell her everything.
All right, l'll talk to her.
Mother, l want to tell you something.
Go on.
You see...
l'll tell you.
Yes. Speaking.
What?. ls that so?
l'm coming.
There's a problem at the factory
in Manipur. l'm going to the office.
What did your mother say?
. l didn't get the chance to talk.
l'm going to office. lt's urgent.
. What is the matter?
l'll get to know once
l get to the office.
Now look, don't you do anything silly
before l'm back. For my sake, please.
Get my residence. Fast.
l'm going to Manipur.
The workers have a right to bonuses.
The manager shouldn't have refused...
to pay them, just because
l hadn't authorized the payment.
Mother, the workers in Manipur have
gone on strike. l'm going to Manipur.
Hello, Aunt.
Manohar, welcome.
So how have you been?
. Alive. But surely...
you must've thought that l'm dead.
. What a thing to say.
The whole town was invited
to Nirmal's wedding.
l wasn't even informed.
. Nirmal might have...
forgotten to invite you.
. To err is human.
Now the lady l saw leaving
in the car, is she the one...?
Yes. She's Nirmal's wife.
. She looks familiar.
Now where have l seen her...?
You must've seen her at the mill.
She used to work there.
Really? l thought he married
someone from a good family.
Have no doubt. She might be poor.
But she comes from a good family.
How foolish of me. As long as
you're sitting here, how could...
But l've surely seen her somewhere.
Oh yes, l remember. She's the lady
who keeps going in and coming out...
of your old house. l keep seeing her
on my way to office and back.
l noticed your car parked outside.
Then l saw her.
So l guessed that she and Nirmal
must be living in the old house.
Must've gone there to take a look.
We own the house, you see.
Would you like a drink, Manohar?
. No thank you. l was passing by.
l thought l'd see my old friend
and do the courtesy of wishing him.
Oh, l'm late. Excuse me Aunt,
l must be leaving.
Where's my brother?
. Sitting. Over there, Miss.
Not Miss again.
. Excuse me, madam.
l don't know what's come over him.
All he does is sleep and scream.
Why, what's the matter?
. None at all.
No matters, no issues,
nothing special and for no reason.
Understand?
No you don't.
Are you angry with me because l've
put you through so much trouble?
Oh yes, l'm angry.
But not at you.
l'm angry with myself.
l don't understand this.
How could a little boy make
me forget my Mast Manor?.
Radha, please let me go.
My Manor is lying empty.
without you, this house
is going to feel empty.
You have been so kind to me.
. Don't mention it.
l'm paying back my mother's kindness
to another mother.
That settles my score. Get it?
No, you won't understand.
But never mind that.
l'm leaving now.
Let me know if you need me.
All l am today, all l have,
is all because of you.
l'm indebted to you.
. Are you mad?
No obligations between
brother and sister.
See you, then.
Where's Radha?
l want to know where Radha is.
. Upstairs.
Madam...
What is it?
Wait. Please.
Please. Listen to me.
Mercy.
Have mercy on me.
Please. Have mercy on me.
You bore the child before the wedding.
You never even told me.
You have cheated me.
l never intended to.
l told him to tell you everything.
But he wouldn't listen to me.
lt isn't my fault.
l could never have imagined
that my son would stoop so low.
No. Please do not say that.
He is a God.
Silence.
He's just as responsible for this
as you are. He's just as rotten.
No.
He has nothing to do with the baby.
The baby isn't his.
Not Nirmal's?.
. No.
Do you realize what you are saying?
. l'm telling you the truth.
Then you will leave this house.
At this moment.
Mercy. Have mercy on me.
l am completely innocent.
lnnocent?. You have lived in sin.
You are a whore.
You aren't fit to be part
of any family.
Mercy. Have mercy on me.
l told you that the fortunes
of my family are tied to you.
To you l entrusted
my family's esteem.
You have brought us to disrepute.
You have tainted us. Forever.
You aren't fit to be part
of this family.
You have no place in this house.
You belong to the gutters.
Throw her out.
What are you waiting for?
'Your mother has come to know
about everything.''
''She has thrown me
out of the house.''
''l wanted to escape
this cruel world.''
''But my life isn't only mine.
So l couldn't kill myself.''
''But l can't bear to live any longer.
l can't take this anymore.''
''Please come back as soon as you
receive this letter. Or else.''
What was that?.
What was that sound?.
Where have you been?.
You left me all alone.
Why did you leave me?
Why have you been so long?
l was worried you'd
never come back to me.
Don't weep, Radha.
l won't leave you ever again.
Rise
You are about to face
the harshest test of your life.
As long as l have you beside me,
l fear nothing.
l shall never leave you.
You are completely drenched.
How did you get wet?
You should change your clothes.
. My dress will dry up.
No, you'd catch a cold.
The weather is chilly.
Weather can touch me no more.
And no thoughts cross my mind.
Except you.
There's a storm coming up.
The car has been found.
But Mr Nirmal wasn't in it.
We assume that he might have
fallen out of the car.
The current might have taken him
somewhere else.
Or might be, he was swept on to
some outcrop...
A complete search operation
must be conducted.
l shall try my best. And as soon
as we have news, l'll inform you.
Madam...
Get up.
What is the matter?
. Your husband met with an accident.
What?
. His car fell into a river.
He was in the car.
. What are you saying?
lt's true. People from the mill
went to meet his mother.
They couldn't find his body.
. You're out of your mind.
He was here last night.
We even had dinner together.
He must be here.
Listen...
Where is he...?
. He never came here.
You must've been dreaming.
. Shut up.
What are you looking for?
He never came here.
Shut the doors.
Radha, do you hear me?
You are weeping?
This is no time to weep.
This is no place to weep.
You will find no sympathy here.
Go back.
Be brave.
l'm with you.
l'll always be with you.
Go home, Radha.
Go back home.
Do not be disappointed with life.
Life is too precious.
You have suffered for your innocence.
But it has not gone waste.
Do not lose courage.
You have to do your duty.
This world of civilized savages
you will have to reform.
Unto the dark heart of society
you will have to show the light.
To humanity dying of decadence,
you will infuse a new life.
You have much to do, Radha.
Surprised to see me?
As for me, l expected
a rousing welcome.
But we won't mind it, shall we?
Get out of here, l say.
l will. As soon as you've agreed
to my proposition.
l tell you...
. l'm telling you to come with me.
You talked that idiot Nirmal into
marrying you. Brilliant.
Now Nirmal is dead. And you've been
thrown out of that house.
Look Radha, you're still beautiful.
Lovable. So come with me.
And that boy. You insist he's mine.
Well, he can tag along too.
Every pleasure in life
will be yours.
Excellent. l see that you
are very pragmatic, Radha.
Get out of my way.
. l've been waiting for you.
Go away from here.
. with you, of course.
l have bought a lovely villa far away
from the madding crowd. For you.
You will be very comfortable there.
Go away from here.
Or l'll kill you.
Get lost.
l have already lost my hear
to your beauty.
What use threatening me
with an empty gun?
Go away from here, l say.
. Come to your senses, Radha.
Aren't you ashamed to threaten me?
Have you forgotten the day...
when you came to me?
You came to me. Remember?
And l helped you.
. You exploited my poverty.
And l was foolish then. l was just
a girl. Today, l am a married woman.
Married woman?.
Go away.
Go away.
Brother...
Brother.
Radha, what happened to you?
l've killed him.
. Whom?
l killed him.
l killed him.
Who...?
. l killed him.
Who have you killed?
. That scoundrel.
Manohar...?
. Yes.
He came to take me and my baby.
l killed him. He'll never make
me feel miserable again.
He'll never make me feel
miserable again.
Radha, where's Nirmal?
Where's Nirmal?
He's no more. No more.
What are you saying, Radha?
l'm a widow now. A widow.
A man was murdered in your house.
Do you know who killed him?
l killed him.
You have to come with me.
Tears? ln your eyes?
Who is it?.
You do not even recognize
my voice, Mother?
My son. Where are you?.
Where are you, my darling?.
Close, very close to you.
But why the tears in your eyes?
You should not weep.
What is it that you do not have?
A palatial house, acres of land...
huge factories, wealth, esteem,
status, you have it all.
l want none of that.
You are all l have.
Come back to me, my son.
That time lies in the past now.
l cannot come back now.
My son.
Your misplaced sense of honor,
has destroyed my family.
You sent my Radha away.
Son.
She cheated you.
She brought us to dishonor.
You do not know what kind
of a woman she is.
l know.
She also has a child.
l know. She never hid anything
from me. She is innocent.
Radha is as innocent
as the morning star.
She is as pure as
the idols you worship.
The devil might smear your idol
with filth.
Yet Mother, you will not say that
the idol you worship is desecrated.
What are you saying, son?
lt is a story of a rich man's lust
and a poor girl's helplessness.
That scoundrel raped her.
l wanted to help her.
l wanted to give her the honor
the happiness she had lost.
That is why l married her.
But like the rest of the world,
you too were blind. You disowned her.
She too is someone's daughter.
That you did not consider.
Had it been your own daughter,
what would you have done?
Forgive me, son.
l knew nothing.
l'll bring her back.
l promise you, l will.
Bring her back, l will.
. But the police has arrested her.
What?
. She killed the man who raped her.
For all her innocence, Radha
is again being pronounced guilty.
You must go and tell the world
what the truth is.
You will tell them what Radha is.
You will tell them...
how that scoundrel took advantage
of Radha's helplessness.
Tell them how he ruined her.
Show them how the social mores
have punished an innocent girl.
l will. l will tell them.
Right now.
You think Radha is guilty.
You are wrong, as l was wrong.
Radha stands before the law
accused of murder.
Let the law take its own course.
l have nothing to tell the law.
But you l ask, what crime is Radha's?
Why do you call her a criminal?
will you grant a scoundrel,
the benefit of being innocent?
And you label an innocent girl
a criminal?
ls it because a woman stands weak,
muted before the tyranny of man?
Then l ask you as a woman,
why not punish the scoundrels?
will you punish the innocent
because she is a woman?
These scoundrels, they are men.
They walk with their heads held high.
And the world respects them.
So they sit in the pulpit...
and they point fingers at the woman,
whom they have denigrated.
Have you ever considered the fate
of these innocent girls?
As l have done to Radha,
they are disowned by family...
shunned by society and
discarded by this world.
After that, the disrepute
drives them to death.
Or else, they are relegated
to live life in indignity.
Had it been your daughter,
or your son's wife...
standing in Radha's place,
what would you have done?
Ask yourselves, search within
and you will find the answer.
Radha is someone's daughter.
Radha is someone's wife too.
She cries out to you for justice.
She cries out for your help.
Sympathize with her.
Give her back the honor she has lost.
Give her a chance to start afresh.
l do not ask for mercy,
l seek justice for Radha.
The law will give it's justice.
l ask you to do justice
to your daughters.
The jury has decided that...
the accused acted in self defense.
The accused is found not guilty.
This court exonerates Radha.
Chandu. My darling.
Where's Chandu?
Must be somewhere around.
Chandu, your uncle is here.
Oh l forgot.
He must've taken the nanny out.
l mean, vice versa...
Your baby isn't here.
He's in his house.
Come with me.
You? Here?.
You object?
. None.
l and my Mast Manor are honored.
No mother would do what you did.
Shut up, and come with me.
with you...?
Any objections?
. None. Thanks for asking me.
l was going to come with you anyway.
. Shut up.
My darling.
Son...
l've done whatever
you wanted me to do.
You'll forgive me now, won't you?
Mother...
Mother, l'm here.
My son.
My darling.
People gave me up for dead.
But God saved me.
And l used the opportunity
to prove Radha's innocence.
l knew you'd tell the world
that Radha is innocent.
And you carried it off so well.
l could never have done...
what you did for Radha.
l'm proud of you, Mother.
Guess where l hid that night?
l have no idea.
. Under your bed.
You're an imp.
Why did you punish me like this?.
l had lost a dear one.
l stayed away from you so that...
you could know how hard it is
when one loses someone so dear.
Radha, my child.
Come over here. All of you.
Radha. Hurry.
Come Radha. Come my child.
My lost son is back.
The love of my life.
He is back.
Alive.
They tell you not to believe
your ears.
l say, don't even believe
your eyes.
Oh no. l understand it at last.
Watch it. You'll drop my baby.
Get me my best dress.
And my jewelry.
l'll adorn my Radha in finery.
Come on, we have work to do.
Well Mastram, what say you?
l don't think l quite understand...
There are lots you won't.
Are you weeping?
This is surely a first.
For the first time in my life,
l have witnessed such joy.
What are you fellows waiting for?
Radha isn't wearing a bride's attire,
don't you see?
She's still dressed
in the widow's black.
Now come on, upstairs.
Hurry up.
Say what, Mastram?