This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
Catalyst By S.Manasvi ______________________________________________________________________ (A montage of events) Scene A Basketball Court Ext./Day 10.00 am Dhruv and his father are playing basketball. Mother is watching. Scene B Runway of the house Ext./Day 11.00 am A huge bungalow. A wide runway accompanies the house where a car is parked. Dhruv trying to start a car but when it doesn't start, he tosses the keys towards his father who is standing in the balcony. Father comes down, opens the car bonnet. In the background, Dhruv has already picked up his bike to go out. Father watches him go past. Scene C Dhruv's Bedroom Int./Evening 6.00 pm It is a typical youngster's room with bright colours and stuff thrown all over the room. Loud music is going on in the background. Dhruv is hunting for something amidst the pile of dirty clothes. He is throwing clothes behind to clean up the bed. His father enters the room and is welcomed by a T-shirt hitting his face. He removes it and looks around the mess with disgust. Dhruv turns to see his father. Father throws his watch at the bed and leaves. Dhruv is relieved, as this was what he was searching for. He wears his watch and turns off the music system. The loud music stops abruptly. Scene I Dining Room Int./Morning 8.30 am Toast comes out of the automatic toaster. There is a neat dining room of a posh bungalow. Mother enters from the kitchen wearing a homely saree and holding a mug of milk in her hands. Dhruv comes in a jogging suit perspiring heavily. He watches as his mother takes out 'Drinking Chocolate' from the cupboard. Dhruv Oh mom! Please. 'Drinking Chocolate' no… Mother The just plain milk? Dhruv Why not coffee mom? Mother Hmm… Mother wants to reply but she is interrupted by entry of his father, who has just entered the dining room reading a file. His attire suggests he is all set to leave for the office. He sits in a chair parallel to the smaller side of the table. Mother Meeting? Father Son, I've called up the contractor for the expansion of garage. Will you explain it to him when he comes? Dhruv Garage! Dhruv shows disinterest. He casually gets up from the chair picking up an apple from the table and looks at the existing garage from the window. Dhruv Do I really need to Dad? You can call him up and explain. Father looks at the mother at Dhruv's answer. Mother calmly puts 'Drinking Chocolate' in his milk. She looks at Dhruv. Dhruv comes back and takes his seat, making a sad face. Father looks at Dhruv. Mother Just take him to office with you. Father shakes his head suggesting let the son do what he wants. Scene II Discotheque Int./Night 10.00 pm Loud music is going on in a hep discotheque. Dhruv is dancing and enjoying time with his friends. The discotheque is very crowded and it's hard to recognise anyone amidst the flickering lights. Dhruv, wearing a tight T-shirt and faded jeans, comes from the dance floor to the table where his friend is seated. Suddenly his mobile, kept on the table, rings and he picks up the call. He can't hear properly so he comes out of the discotheque. Scene III Outside the discotheque Ext./Night 10.05 pm Dhruv comes out of the discotheque and finds a convenient position where he can listen to the call. He is shocked to hear something on the phone. Dhruv What? He rushes towards his bike. He starts it and leaves. He encounters busy traffic but he is driving very fast. Scene IV Father's Bedroom Int./Night 10.30 pm Father is lying unconscious in his bed. He is on saline drip and a nurse is writing a report. Mother is sitting close to him and a doctor is talking to Dhruv. Dhruv is still in his party clothes. He is extremely tense and restless. Every now and then he is looking at his father to ensure everything is fine. Doctor There's nothing to worry, really. It was a mild one. He just needs to take rest and of course no tensions. They both make an exit. Scene V Foyer outside the room Int./Night 10.35 pm Doctor and Dhruv come out of father's room. Doctor leaves and the phone rings. Dhruv moves towards the phone and attends the call. Dhruv Hello! Yes uncle… no, he's out of danger… it was a mild one. no, I don't think he'd be coming to office for at least a month… meeting! Hmm… I'll see. Dhruv keeps the phone and again enters his father's room. Scene VI (Back to Scene IV) Father's room Int./Night 10.40 pm Dhruv enters the room and watches his mother adjusting the blanket for his father. She looks towards the nurse and nurse suggests she can leave him now. The mother moves towards a file kept on the rack. As she opens the file, Dhruv comes and takes the file from her. They both share a smile of understanding and he leaves the room. Scene VII Dhruv's bedroom Int./Night 10.45 pm Soft Light is thrown all over the room, the source being a stylish table lamp. Dhruv is going through the file and light music is playing in the background. After a while, he turns the volume low and moves his hand to switch off the lamp. He switches off the lamp and goes to sleep. Interlude I Rocky Terrains Ext./Day Dhruv throws a basketball up in the air to put it in the basket. The basketball goes high in the air and falls on a rocky patch of land. Dhruv comes to find his basketball and starts hunting for it. He is unable to find the ball and is extremely exhausted. He is running all around and he thinks he is lost. He looks around for help and finds no one. An alarm sound comes from nowhere. Scene VIII Dhruv's Bedroom Int./Morning 7.00 am Alarm clock is sounding. Morning light is coming in its diffused form from the window. Dhruv opens his eyes as if suddenly woken up from a dream. He switches off the alarm, gets up and goes out of his room. Scene IX Corridor joining the rooms Int./Morning 7.05 am Dhruv peeps into his father's room. A nurse is coming out. She nods her head affectionately to suggest his father is perfectly all right. Dhruv peeps again and then goes back to his room. Insert I Father's Bedroom Int./Morning 7.05 am Father is sleeping peacefully. Mother is seated besides him but her back towards Dhruv. Back to Scene VIII Dhruv's Bedroom Int./Morning 7.10 am Dhruv comes to his room and almost trips over the basketball lying on the floor. He looks at the basketball and keeps it up in the cupboard. He picks up his towel and goes towards the bathroom. On the way, he glances upon his shoes kept in a disorderly way. He arranges them in the shoe-shelf. He goes inside the bathroom. Scene IX Dining Room Int-Ext./Morning 8.00 am Dhruv is talking to the contractor. Contractor is making notes on a small pad. He is wearing a half-sleeved shirt with a jacket and a pair of trousers. Dhruv is wearing his office clothes. He has folded his hands and he has a mature look on his face. Dhruv That wall there has to go to make way for 2 cars. Contractor Are we going according to the plan? Dhruv Ya ya same same. We are following the same plan. Contractor Okay. Dhruv When can I expect the quotations from you? Contractor Latest by evening. Dhruv Labour? Contractor 3 days full labour. Just think over it. I will try to reduce. Mother, who is wearing a pale coloured double piece nightgown, is seeing all this from the dining room window with a proud smile on her face. Her hands move towards a coffee jar and she prepares coffee. She turns towards the table and Dhruv also enters from the backdoor. He passes by the empty chair of his father and sits on the adjacent chair. Mother comes and keeps the mug on the table. As Dhruv picks up the mug, he is pleasantly surprised to smell coffee. He looks up to his mother and she smiles. As she picks up the medicine and passes by, she ruffles up his hair and kisses him on his forehead. Dhruv looks at her with a new found confidence. (END) 7/29/03 Page 1 of 5 ©Manasvi
Return to SimplyScripts.com