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1 INT. SREEDHARAN’S HALL. DAY. 1

A swing gently sways in the middle of the hall. On the swing

lies a young woman, CHITHRA (30), smiling with her eyes
closed... Probably dreaming... Alone.

Apart from the gentle creaks of the swaying swing, the only
other sounds are that of the birds singing outside. There is
a sense of calmness in the air.

A tune slowly begins to play in the background... It has the

charm of a lullaby but even so, it has something deeply
haunting about it.

THE CAMERA SLOWLY MOVES TOWARDS CHITHRA.

Suddenly, we hear the voice of an old woman calling someone.

WOMAN (V.O.)
Unniyetta... ?

Though the voice is of an old woman, it is as if Chithra is

speaking lying down on the swing without opening her mouth.

MAN (V.O.)
Hmmm?

The voice is of Sreedharan (70).

They are clearly conversing with each other through their

minds.

CHITHRA (V.O.)
Nammal ee kanunna nakshthrangal
okke undallo... pande marichatha...
Ariyamo? (Do You know that these
stars that we see are already
dead?)

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Hmm hmm...

CHITHRA (V.O.)
Pakshe nammukk ippozhum athine okke
kanaam... Alive and kicking... (But
we can still see them... Alive and
kicking.)

BY THIS TIME, THE CAMERA HAS REACHED CLOSE TO CHITHRA.

She opens her eyes and looks towards the camera. It is as if

she is looking beyond the camera
 2.

2 INT. SREEDHARAN’S TERRACE. NIGHT. 2

Suddenly, we are transported to an open terrace.

On the terrace floor lies Chithra and SREEDHARAN (70), facing

the night sky. Their heads are touching but they are facing
the opposite directions. Chithra is looking up at the sky,
her smile intact. Sreedharan too is smiling with a calmness
in his face.

The voice of the woman continues, picking up from their

earlier conversation.

CHITHRA (V.O.)
Rasamayirikkummale... Doore
mukaleenn... arengilum nammale
ithey pole ippo... nokki
kidakkuvanengil alle...? (It would
be fascinating, right? If someone
is looking down at us from above,
lying down like this...?)

The man’s smile widens.

CHITHRA (V.O.)
Avaru avidunn nokkumbo nammale
ivide kanuo...? Nammal appozhekkum
poyittundavumalle...! (Will they
see us from up there? We would be
gone by then, no?)

The man’s face shine with wonder.

CHITHRA (V.O.)
Hmmm... kanum enn thanne vecho...
angane anengi... nammale ingane
thanne ayirikkuva avaru kanuva...
hmm? (Okay, let’s assume they do
see us. If then will they see us
just like this?)

Sreedharan slightly turns his face towards Chithra,

curiously.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Alla...? Appo... avarkk nammal
enthayirikkum... arayirikkum...
Nammal arayirikkum, Chithra? (What
would we be to them, then? Hmm? Who
would we be then, Chithra?)

Chithra closes her eyes, deep in thought with the same smile.
 3.

3 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 3

Chithra is still lying on the swing, swaying, smiling with

her eyes closed. She is hugging onto a young man’s hand, now.
It is the POV of Sreedharan (30).

Sreedharan continues inquisitively, slightly impatient like a

little boy. But the sound is same as before of the 70-year-
old Sreedharan...

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Tch... Para? (Tell, no?)

She leaves his hand, opens her eyes just so slightly and
says...

CHITHRA
Kaduppathiloru kaappi itt thannal
utharam parayam... hmm... chellu,
chellu... (I’ll answer if you get
me a strong cup of coffee...
hmmm... Go now...)

She smiles. This time she had spoken loudly in her own young
voice.

4 INT. SREEDHARAN’S KITCHEN. DAY. 4

Sreedharan is busy preparing coffee. There is a youthful

exuberance in his actions even though he is over 70.

During the process, he notices a few small pieces of coconut

kept aside and he casually takes one of them, pops it into
his mouth and chews on it.

Suddenly, he can hear the sound of a man and his young

daughter talking, from the house next to his.

DAUGHTER (O.S.)
Read it please, pappa?

MAN (O.S)
You read it for me, dear. You are
the one who wrote it.

DAUGHTER (O.S.)
No... you only read.

Sreedharan takes a look outside the window and he can see the
man taking the book from the young girl to read.

DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
Read it loud, pappa...
 4.

The man sighs and starts reading it aloud. It is the girl’s

essay for class that he is reading. But he is clearly
struggling to read Kannada.

MAN 1
The name... of my role model... is
Saalumarada Thimmakka.... She is...
from Tumkur....

In between the reading, when he comes across a difficult

word, he stops... But as he figures the word out and reads
the sentence, there is a sense of contentment in his face and
voice.

Meanwhile, Sreedharan who is watching all this from the

kitchen, takes his eyes off from the father and the daughter
and gets back into making his coffee. As he pours the coffee
into his mug, he thinks.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Veruthe ayaale 10 varshathekk
Dubaikk paranjuvittu. Swantham
bhasha polum marannu poyi. Kashtam.
(He was sent to Dubai for no reason
for 10 years. Look at him. He has
forgotten his own language. Sad.)

O.S., His phone chimes with a message. He looks towards that

direction.

He pops another piece of coconut and leaves with the coffee

mug.

5 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 5

Sreedharan picks up the phone kept for charging. He, then,

squints his eyes, bringing the phone closer to see the
numbers on the lock screen clearly. He, then, presses the
numbers carefully unlocking the phone. On the phone we can
see a photo of Sreedharan and Chithra as the phone’s
wallpaper. It is a very recent photo where Chithra is as old
as Sreedharan. The message is also from Chithra. It is a
voice message. He slowly walks with the phone, playing the
message.

CHITHRA
(from the phone)
Kaapi kudicho? Athe... Chechikk
pettenn oru shwasam muttal.
Balettan vann vilichond poyi. Appo
enikkenthayalum rand divasam koodi
ammayude koode ivide nilkendi
varum.
(MORE)
 5.
CHITHRA (CONT'D)
Njan kurach kazhinj vilikkam. (Had
coffee? Sister had trouble
breathing. Balettan came and took
her home. The thing is, then, I am
stuck here for 2 more days with
Amma. I’ll call you later.)

We can see the swing in the hall, gently swaying almost

coming to a rest.

6 INT. SREEDHARAN’S PORCH. DAY. 6

Sreedharan slowly sits on his chair on the porch with his

coffee.

As he takes a sip of the coffee, he takes a deep sigh and

leans back comfortably.

Across the road, he notices an old woman. She is plucking

flowers from a flower tree leaning onto the road from the
house opposite to his. He watches as the woman slyly and
carefully plucks the flowers. Sreedharan is pleasantly
surprised.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Aha... Chechi inn nerthe anallo...
Aarkum perumariyilla, evidunna
varunne ennum ariyilla. Pakshe ella
divasavum ivide kaanum. (Aha... She
seems to be early today. Nobody
knows her name or where she is
from. But everyday she will be
here.)

He notices another woman in the house opposite to his. It’s

the same house from where the flower tree leans onto the
road. This woman is inside the house and is making the dough
for the morning pooris. She seems to be unaware of the old
woman’s presence, outside.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Pakshe ee chechi poo parikkunnath
innuvare Sangeetha
shradichittilla.. Kandaal
orappalle... Vazhakkavum... Hmmm...
Sangeetha ariyathirikkatte...Aa
paavam poo parichotte... (But till
this very day, Sangeetha hasn’t
spotted her. If she does, for sure,
there will be an argument. Hope
Sangeetha doesn’t see her... Let
this poor soul pluck the flowers,
no?)
 6.

As he watches the innocence of the two women, suddenly, the

sound of chenda starts rising in the background.

Sreedharan takes a sip of coffee, tapping on the armrest to

the rhythm of the chenda, enjoying the music.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Inn rudrathilanallo. (Seems like
It’s rudram today.)

He looks towards the house next to his from where the music
is coming from. A man is playing the chenda, outside the
house. Sreedharan finds this odd.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Athentha Gopalji inn purath irunn
kottunnath...
(pauses)
Ennalum kazhiv arinju
kodithittundtto... What a morning!
(How come you are practising
outside today, Gopalji...(pauses)
Anyway, you have indeed been given
ample talent. What a morning!)

Nevertheless, Sreedharan closes his eyes and immerses himself

in that music for some time more as Gopalji takes his
performance to the next level.

Sreedharan opens his eyes to take another sip of the coffee

when he notices a young man (30) walking down the road.
Sreedharan is surprised and curious to see this man.
Sreedharan’s expressions clearly suggests that he doesn’t
know who this man is and there is something strange about
him. He notices a bandage on the left side of the stranger’s
forehead.

As the stranger comes closer to Sreedharan and Gopalji’s

house, he looks towards Gopalji who is still going on with
his performance. As the stranger reaches in front of
Sreedharan’s house, he notices Sreedharan looking at him. The
stranger waves and smiles at Sreedharan. The man is clearly
excited to see Sreedharan.

Confused, Sreedharan waves back with a pale smile. He watches

on as the stranger opens the gate and walks into Sreedharan’s
front yard.

STRANGER
Sreedharan maashe, Good morning...

SREEDHARAN
Good morning....
 7.

The stranger walks up to the porch where Sreedharan is

sitting and says.

STRANGER
Akathekk varamallo alle, maashe...
(May I come inside, sir?)

Sreedharan is slightly taken aback by this question but

stands up from his chair inviting the stranger inside.

SREEDHARAN
Pinnentha... varu... come (Of
course... come...come)

The stranger walks into the house without any inhibitions

which irks Sreedharan, slightly. The uneasiness of the
stranger’s presence, confuses Sreedharan as he follows the
stranger into the hall.

7 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY 7

As they walk in, the stranger says.

STRANGER
Maashu thirakkilallalo alle... inn
class onnum ille? (Hope you are not
busy? No class today?)

SREEDHARAN
Ey... njan ippo afternoon
mathramalle class edukkar ullu...
oru companykk areyengilum kittumo
enn nokki irikuvayirunnu... (No...
I just take classes in the
afternoon nowadays. I was hoping
for someone’s company.)

The stranger comes and sits on the sofa and Sreedharan sits
opposite to him.

STRANGER
Enne manasilayilla alle...(You
don’t remember me, right?)

SREEDHARAN
Nalla parichayam... pakshe... Peru
angott kittunnilla... (Very
familiar... but... can’t seem to
get your name...)

The stranger chuckles.

 8.

STRANGER
Oru perillu enthirikkunnu maashe...
(What’s there in a name, sir...)

Sreedharan realizes this statement as a familiar phrase to

him and this prompts him to ask...

SREEDHARAN
Thanne njan padippichittundo? (Were
you my student?)

STRANGER
Ey... illa... (No...)

SREEDHARAN
Allengil pinne... bangaloril vech
ulla parichayamano? (Then... do we
know each other from Banglore?)

STRANGER
Athinum munpa, maashe... (Much
before that, sir...)

SREEDHARAN
Athinum munp enn parayumbo...?
(Before that, uh?)

STRANGER
Oru karyam cheyam... Njan kuracch
clues tharaam. Njan aaranu enn
maashinu parayan pattumo enn
nokkatte? (Let’s do one thing. I
will give you some clues. Let’s see
if you can figure out who I am.)

Sreedharan silently sits, contemplating this proposition.

STRANGER (CONT’D)
Enth parayunnu mashe... Paraytte...
(What say, sir... Shall I give?)

The Stranger makes a specific gesture which Sreedharan

notices. He realizes that gesture is very familiar to him.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Sheay... enikk iyale ariyam...(I
definitely know this man...)

Realizing that he’s been silent for a bit, Sreedharan motions

to get up offering the stranger coffee.

SREEDHARAN
Njan enthayalum kaappi edukkam...
(Great... I’ll get you coffee.)
 9.

The stranger refuses the offer, gesturing with his hand.

STRANGER
Venda maashe... njan angane kaapi
kudikkarilla... (No, sir... I don’t
really drink coffee.)

SREEDHARAN
Oru glass vellamengilum... (A glass
of water, then?)

STRANGER
Vellam onnum venda... Maashu
irikku...(No need of water... Sit,
no, sir?)

Sreedharan slowly sits straight back on the sofa. The

uneasiness in Sreedharan is still evident.

SREEDHARAN
Perenthanu enna paranje.... (What
did you say your name is?)

The Stranger continues to hold his smile, but remains silent,

as though lost in thought, still holding Sreedharan’s gaze,
he softly says...

STRANGER
Devadathan...

SREEDHARAN
Devadathan... Deva... Dathan...
Angane adhikam Devadathanmare enikk
ariyan vazhiyilla... Prayam ayille,
Devan... (Devadathan.... Deva...
dathan... I don’t think I know many
Devadathans... I’m getting old, no,
Devan...)

Devadathan takes a moment and says.

DEVADATHAN
Maashinu enne theere orma illa
alle...? (You really don’t remember
me?)

Sreedharan is taken aback by this question. He remains silent

with a tinge of guilt, unable to answer.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Saramilla maashe... Njan adyathe
clue parayam... okay? (It’s okay,
sir... I’ll give you the first
clue... okay?)
 10.

Before Sreedharan could compose himself, Devadathan folds his

little finger...

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
2...6...3...3...

Sreedharan looks on, doubtfully.

SREEDHARAN
(under his breath)
2633...

Devadathan sits with the same placid smile as if waiting for

Sreedharan to reply.

Suddenly, remembering something Sreedharan quickly looks

towards his phone kept nearby.

The sound of a school bell ringing and ambience of a school,

crowds his mind. There are footsteps hurrying and whispers of
students all around.

The sound of the pages of a book turning slowly rises in his

mind.

8 INT. SCHOOL LIBRARY. DAY. 8

Two young boys of age 16 are going through a large kannada

dictionary quite excitedly. One of them is Sreedharan. They
are giggling and commenting to each other as they try to find
a word in the dictionary.

Suddenly, they stop at page 2633. Young Sreedharan’s finger

goes through each word on that page until it reaches the word
- Suma.

SREEDHARAN
It’s here... Look, look...

Young Sreedharan accidently raises his voice in the

excitement of seeing the word he is looking for.

Immediately, the librarian gives out a loud and long shush to

shut him down.

Scared, young Sreedharan quickly shuts the book, loudly.

9 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 9

MATCH CUT TO Sreedharan shutting the (imaginary) dictionary

on his side where the phone is kept. He caresses the book for
second.
 11.

The innocence of a teenager appears on his face for a moment

as half a smile but then it suddenly disappears as he quickly
looks at Devadathan, curiously.

Devadathan is still sitting in front of Sreedharan with the

same smile intact.

Sreedharan asks with the confidence that he has cracked who

Devadathan is...

SREEDHARAN
Thaan Gopide araa...? (Are you
related to Gopi?)

DEVADATHAN
Ah, athonnumalla, maashe... (It’s
not that, sir...)

Sreedharan becomes confused again...

SREEDHARAN
Oh...

DEVADATHAN
Njan enna aduthath parayam... (Let
me go to the next one.)

Devadathan folds his second finger. This time, Sreedharan

listens intently.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Oru urula kazhichaal thireeravunna
prashnangale lokathullu...(One gulp
of rice is enough to solve all
problems in the world...)

Sreedharan’s jaws drop in wonder.

10 INT. SREEDHARAN’S CHILDHOOD HOME. DAY. 10

A woman (30s), Sreedharan’s mother takes some rice on a

plate. We can see the steam still coming off of the rice as
it falls on the plate. She pours a little coconut oil onto
the rice. She takes some salt and puts it on the rice as
well. Ignoring the heat of the rice, she starts mixing the
three items on the plate with her hand, effortlessly.

We can hear a boy, Sreedharan (12) saying with a tone of

disappointment...
 12.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Velichannayum uppumo...? (Oil and
Salt...?)

CUT TO:

Sreedharan (12) sits on the veranda, suspiciously watching

his mother by his side, expertly rolling the rice into balls.
We can hear the sound of her bangles clinging together, as
she does this. Both, mother and son are dressed up to leave
somewhere.

There are several packed luggage and containers kept around

them. We can see two people loading these things onto a car
parked outside the house.

Sreedharan’s face looks completely devastated. There is

sadness and anger in his face. His eyes have welled up.

She offers him the rice ball but he shakes his head “no”
refusing the food and looks away. There is concern in the
mother’s face.

MOTHER
Kazhikk, mone... Namukk povende...
Samayamayi... (Have, dear... We
will have to leave soon... It’s
time...)

He continues to refuse...

MOTHER (CONT’D)
Oru urula kazhichaal thireeravunna
prashnangale lokathullu... Hmm,
kazhikk... (One gulp of rice is
enough to solve all problems in the
world... Have...)

He looks at her strangely, considering her words; his sadness

intact. She offers him the rice ball again.

He reluctantly takes it from her hand with his mouth.

The moment he starts chewing the food, he stops. It’s the

most delicious thing he has ever eaten.

He starts chewing quickly, now. All his hunger which he was

suppressing over his sadness comes back as he indulges in the
food he has been fed by his mother. He quickly gulps down the
rice ball and opens his mouth for the next one. She smiles
and gives him one more.

His mother caresses his hair tenderly with love.

 13.

11 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 11

CLOSE SHOT of Sreedharan’s eyes - welled up with that memory.

The sound of chewing still going on his mind. But there is a
tender smile on his face. He sits transfixed in wonder with
the memory of his mother. He can also hear the sound of his
mother’s bangles clinging together while she makes the rice
balls. He takes a deep sigh and says, under his breath.

SREEDHARAN
Amma...

DEVADATHAN (O.S.)
Maashe...?

This prompts Sreedharan to look at Devadathan.

Devadathan smiles with the same intensity and equanimity and

keeps on chewing something imperceptibly.

Sreedharan with a twinkle in his eyes with a slender smile of

curiosity, says...

SREEDHARAN
Devanu ith engane ariyaam...? (How
do you know this, Devan?)

Devadathan laughs and folds his third finger. He takes a

moment and without giving Sreedharan a cue begins reciting in
broken intervals.

DEVADATHAN
Kodi Bengere... Maashinte
cheriyammayude makante veetil...
Kinarinte aduth... purakil...
akathu ninn kutti idaan kazhiyatha
oru kulimuriyund... (Kodi Bengere.
Your cousin’s house. Near the well,
behind the house... the bathroom
that cannot be locked...)

The smile on Sreedharan’s face quickly wipes away as he goes

into a state of shock. A sense of uneasiness creeps into him.

He wipes his face on the sleeves of his shirt.

12 INT. SREEDHARAN’S COUSIN’S HOUSE. KODI BENGERE. DAY. 12

SREEDHARAN (28) wipes his face on the sleeves of his shirt as

he walks briskly towards the bathroom near the well, behind
the house.
 14.

He pushes open the half closed bathroom door... The vision

that welcomes him is the naked body of his cousin’s wife,
Surabhi - just out of the shower and toweling her hair. Both
of them simultaneously cries ‘Aiyo’ inwards in dismay... He
closes the bathroom door in a jiffy and runs out.

CUT TO:

Later, it is Surabhi, herself who serves Sreedharan tea.

His cousin and Chithra are also present there. Sreedharan is

unable to look at Surabhi with embarrassment as he takes the
tea from the serving tray. There is a ringing in his mind.
Surabhi too is clearly uncomfortable in that situation. She
serves tea to the others as well. Sreedharan sits there
blowing the steam of the hot cup of tea as Surabhi leaves
with the tray.

13 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 13

Sreedharan feels as if he saw a blurred figure of a woman

passing by in front of him with a serving tray in her hand in
the foreground. He sits in fear. The ringing in his mind,
continues.

Devadathan remains silent but his smile remains the same as

he holds Sreedharan’s gaze. It is clear that Sreedharan is
getting quite uneasy and not able to grasp the situation.

Sreedharan says with a slight tone of anger, trying to hide

and control his fear but his voice trembles.

SREEDHARAN
Nee aara... Entha ninakk vende?(Who
are you? What do you want?)

With hopeful tone, Devadathan replies.

DEVADATHAN
Aadutha cluevil maashinu ellam
manasilakum... Enikk urappa...
(From the next clue, you will
definitely understand everything,
sir. I’m sure.)

All of a sudden Sreedharan was gripped with fear. His stomach

just fell empty and he was scared of what was coming next.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Parayatte maashe... (Shall I?)

After a few more moments of silence, Devan repeats himself.

 15.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Shall I?

Devadathan folds his fourth finger.

14 EXT. THE VILLAGE TEMPLE GROUNDS. BHOOTHA KOLA. NIGHT. 14

A sudden cut to the CLOSE ON THE BHOOTHA, blood dripping from

his mouth, he is chewing on the head of the chicken. The
makeup on his face, his fire-lit eyes and his animalistic
grunts made for a very eerie atmosphere.

He is seated on a pile of carcasses, surrounded by a ring of

fire with a crowd of people on it’s outer periphery. The
Bhootha on hearing someone murmuring, jumps and runs towards
them howling and screaming at them... A small boy stands
scared among the crowd, unable to move watching the
performance.

CLOSE on the small boy, Sreedharan (10), as he is in shock,

his body trembles and he is unable to stop it. Suddenly, the
little boy feels as if the entire crowd has vanished around
him, leaving him alone with the Bhootha.

Little Sreedharan, falls flat on the ground. His whole body

trembling and shaking vigorously, but his eyes deadly still
almost as if he is asleep. The Bhootha’s face appears in
front of the fallen Sreedharan. The Bhootha whispers.

BHOOTHA
(You are Bobbariya’s favourite
boy... Do not resist it... If you
do, you will struggle forever...)

15 INT. SREEDHARAN'S HALL. DAY. 15

Sreedharan’s body was shivering all over... Just like it did

during the bhootha kola. He had fallen down back on where he
was sitting. His vision was blurring. Suddenly Devadathan’s
face appears in front of him. Just as close as the bhootha.

Suddenly, Sreedharan realizes all that was just an immersive

experience. He hasn’t fallen down and Devadathan is sitting
exactly where he was sitting earlier.

The unfamiliar feeling Sreedharan had when Devadathan walked

in had turned into complete fear now. As though sensing the
fear, Devadathan speaks in an effort to calm the situation
with a slight tone of concern.
 16.

DEVADATHAN
Maashu pedikkalle... njan onnum
cheyilla... (Don’t worry, sir... I
won’t harm you...)

Devadathan takes a moment and then, slowly continues...

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Sherikkum njan oru sahayam
chodikkan vannatha... (Actually, I
came to ask for some help.)

Sreedharan is still struggling to get back to normalcy.

Sreedharan thinks, slightly angry.

SREEDHARAN (V.O.)
Sahayamo? Iyal enthokkeya ee
parayunne...(Help? What is he
talking about?)

Devadathan smiles equably.

DEVADATHAN
Njan enthokkeya ee parayunne
ennalle maashu ippo chinthichath...
(You were thinking “What is he
talking about?”, right?)

Sreedharan is taken aback by this. He trembles.

SREEDHARAN
Nee aara...? (Who are you?)

Devadathan takes a deep breath and says.

DEVADATHAN
Devadathan... Janikkunnathinu munp
maricha... Marichittum jeevikkunna
oraal... athre enikk ariyu
maashe.... (Devadathan... A man who
died before being born. A man who
continues to live after dying. I do
not know anything more, sir)

Sreedharan looks on tired and confused. Soon, his eyes widen

and he calls Devadathan, slowly, under his breath.

SREEDHARAN
Dathan...?

Devadathan smiles happily.

 17.

16 INT. SREEDHARAN’S KITCHEN. DAY. 16

Sreedharan (30) is pouring coffee into a mug. He is

completely lost in thought, absent-minded, the coffee is
overflowing from the mug.

THE CAMERA CAPTURES HIM FROM BEHIND NOT REVEALING HIS FACE.
CUT TO HIS POV; HIM STARING OUT THE WINDOW, LOST IN THOUGHT.
(THIS ENTIRE SCENE WILL BE HIS POV.)

Suddenly...

CHITHRA (O.S.)
Oru Kaappi edukkan ithrem
neramo...? (How long will you take
to make coffee...)

Sreedharan looks towards the direction of the voice. Chithra

(30) is looking at him leaning on to the kitchen door.

Sreedharan suddenly realizes what he is doing and immediately

stops pouring the coffee. He keeps the coffee pot aside and
stands looking at the mess he has created, arms on his hips.

SREEDHARAN
Shaey... oru kadha alochich
ingane.... (I got lost in a
story...)

Though we do not see his face, Sreedharan is in his 30s but

the voice is that of 70 year old Sreedharan.

Chithra smiles...

CHITHRA
Hmm... Thonni... Para, kelkkatte...
(Hmmm... Figured... tell me...)

She walks forward as Sreedharan looks for a cloth to clean

the spilled coffee.

SREEDHARAN
Marichittum jeevikkunna oralude
kadha... (Story of a man who
continues to live after dying.)

Chithra comes and stands next to the counter and jibes,

sarcastically.

CHITHRA
Ennitt... Janikkunnathinu munp
iyalum marikkumo... (Will he too
die before being born?)
 18.

As he cleans the counter, he says...

SREEDHARAN
Aalkk oru peru venam... Onnum
kittunnilla... (Don’t have a name
for the character. That’s the
problem.)

CHITHRA
Oru perilenthirikkunnu maashe...
(What’s in a name, sir...)

Sreedharan turns his face to look at Chithra who is still

smiling.

CHITHRA (CONT’D)
...ennalle Unniyettan eppozhum
parayaru... allengilum enthengilum
excuse kanumallo Unniyettanu
ezhuthathirikkan... ... (That’s
what you always say... Anyway, you
always have some excuse to not
write.)

Slightly pissed off, Sreedharan says, getting back to the

cleaning...

SREEDHARAN
Enna nee para... Oru peru
para...(Then you tell... Give me a
name.)

Chithra slowly closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, leans on

the counter crossing her arms. Then, thoughtfully but
confidently, she says...

CHITHRA
Devadathan...

Sreedharan stops cleaning and looks at Chithra who opens her

eyes with complete confidence.

SREEDHARAN
Devadathan.... Kollam... Deva...
Dathan... Dathan enn vilikkum...
(Nice. Devadathan. Friends call him
Dathan.)

CHITHRA
(curiously)
Pakshe... ee Dathan... enganeya
ayalu marichittum jeevikkunne...
eh? (But this Dathan... How does he
continues to live after dying?)
 19.

SREEDHARAN
Ath mattullavarude manasil... As a
story maybe... (Hmm... In the minds
of the others... As a story,
maybe...)

CHITHRA
Ah... Perfect... Appo Unniyettanu
utharam kittiyallo... Nammalum,
ithre okke ullu... (Ah...
Perfect... Got the answer, no? We,
too, are the same.)

Chithra, proudly smiling, watches Sreedharan taking a sip of

coffee, taking in her words.

SREEDHARAN
Hmmm...

17 INT. SREEDHARAN'S PORCH. DAY. 17

Sreedharan (70) is sitting on his chair at the porch, taking

a sip of coffee...

Devadathan, too, is there, standing outside the porch,

leaning on to the railing, still holding that smile.

With a slender smile, Sreedharan looks at Devadathan.

SREEDHARAN
Dathan...

Devadathan looks on eagerly.

SREEDHARAN (CONT’D)
...thante kadha njan ezhuthi
theerkkam. (I will finish writing
your story.)

Devadathan’s smile widens.

DEVADATHAN
Enna pinne... njan irangatte,
maashe... (Shall I take leave
then?)

SREEDHARAN
Eh? Pokuvayo? (Leaving already?)

DEVADATHAN
Pinne ponaam... Njan ingane ninnal
Maashinte ezhutth nadakkilla...
(MORE)
 20.
DEVADATHAN (CONT'D)
(I have to go... Otherwise you
won’t write...)

Sreedharan smiles.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Njan engott ponam enn mathram
maashu alochich ezhuthiyaal
mathi... Okay? (You just think,
decide and write where I should
head to... Okay?)

Devadathan laughs and turns to leave.

DEVADATHAN (CONT’D)
Pattumengil enneyum dubaiyilekko
chenda classino paranju vidu,
maashe... (Consider sending me to
Dubai or for Chenda lessons as
well...)

Devadathan chuckles and walks away.

Sreedharan sighs and takes the last sip of coffee with a

content smile.

Sreedharan looks on as Devadathan opens the gate and leaves.

He sees Devadathan smiling and greeting the old woman who is
still plucking the flowers and she greets him back.
Devadathan walks away and the old woman returns to pluck the
flowers.

Slowly, a tune starts playing in the background...

Sreedharan watches Devadathan walking away down the path.

Devadathan walks through the path to reach a junction of four

roads converging.

He stops for a second, wondering which direction to turn.

Suddenly, he hears a kid shouting...

KID (O.S.)
CATCH...

He turns to the direction of the voice to see a ball flying

towards him. Reflexively, he catches the ball. He looks at
the ball in his hand and smiles at his achievement rather
surprised at his reflex.

He looks up towards the direction where the ball came from.

Hopeful.