TERRACE

INT. APARTMENT STAIRWAY, MUMBAI

Open on a narrow, dark stairway that leads up to a terrace door. The door is bolted
but not locked. Prashant walks up the stairs and wriggles the bolt before stepping out
onto the terrace.

EXT. APARTMENT TERRACE, AFTERNOON, MUMBAI

He is dressed in a suit as if ready to go to office, he seems normal. He’s on his
phone as he walks a bit and then pauses. Finally, he completes whatever he was
doing and looks ahead at the ledge. Confidently he moves towards the edge of the
terrace, as he looks around at the city. He finally looks over the wall.

Prashant’s POV:
We see a huge distance downwards, as he looks at cars honking below, then around
at the buildings before taking a step back. As he takes a couple of steps and looks
down again, He is silent and at peace with himself as he takes his cellphone and
puts it in the inside pocket of his jacket. Now as he prepares for the final moment
before he leaps, he’s suddenly interrupted by the sudden ringing of his cell phone.
He takes out the phone to check whose calling and realizes it’s an unknown number.
Seems like he’d decided not to answer any calls, still for some reason he answers it.

Prashant: Hello?

Caller: Hello, kya meri baat Prashant Jain sir se ho rahi hai?

Prashant: Yes?

Caller: Good afternoon sir, mai Vodafone se Meenal baat kar rahi hun. Aap
hamare lucky customer hain aur aap ko 2 months ke liye free hello tune ka
offer diya hai. Ismein aap Bollywood, classical, pop music jaise 20 categories
se apni favourite hello tune choose kar sakte hain.

He waits for her to finish.

Prashant: Thank you, par mujhe aap ka lucky customer nahi ban na…

Caller: Sir, please aap ek baar offer toh sun lijiye.

Prashant: No, thanks.

Caller: Sir, pehle 2 months free hain.

Prashant: Free hain toh kuch bhi le loon? Aap ko koi zeher free main dega toh
aap pee logi?

Caller: Sir, mai to bas offer bata rahi thi.

Prashant: Nahi chahiye aapka offer. Don’t you get that?

Caller: Sir, bas 2 minute ???

Prashant: Sorry, I don’t have 2 minutes. Kya ab mai chain se mar sakta hun?

She laughs on hearing the most ridiculous excuse ever as he’s really confused on
why she’s laughing.

Caller: Sir, customer mera phone rakhne ke liye kuch bhi bahane banate
hain..par aisa excuse maine pehli baar suna hai..very nice..
She laughs but her laughter is suddenly interrupted by his serious comeback.

Prashant: Chalo ye tumhara bhi first time hai aur mera bhi.

He hangs up the phone and we see her looking worried at the call center, as
something in voice made her believe he was serious.

Caller-Hello, hello, hello sir..

As she realizes its been cut she dials again.

Sir..sir..hello..hello? Aap sach mein suicide kar rahe hain ?

Prashant: What do you want?

Caller: Sir kya hua hai? Mujhe bataiye, Aap kyun marna chahte hai?

Prashant: Journalist ho tum? Ya counselor?

Caller: Koi bhi nahi sir… par aap ki family hogi, unke bare main sochiye? Unka
kya hoga?

Prashant:Tum apni Hello Tune becho, tumhe kya farak padta hai?

Caller: Sir, vaise bhi koi hello tune nahi leta. Aap bhi kahan le rahe hain?

Prashant: Aur Kyun lun mai tumhari hello tune? kya hoga usse ?

Caller: Sir, aap try nahi karenge to kaise pata lagega. Bas aapko Y daba kar
send karna hai.

Prashant (laughs): Wow. Tum bahot aage jayogi. Bas apna fayda, koi jiye ya
mare.

Caller: Sir, baat fayde ki nahi hai, Hello Tune bechna meri job hai...Mai bas
apna kaam kar rahi hun. nahi toh paisa kahaan se aayega?

Prashant: Life mein sab kuch paisa hai kya?

Caller: Nahi sir, hota to mai aapko vapas call nahi karti.

Prashant is silent and Meenal waits before speaking again.

Caller: Sir, hello? Please call mat kaatna. Kya ho gaya aisa?

Prashant (chuckles cynically): Ajeeb hai, jab kisi se baat karna chaho to koi milta
nahi hai, aur jab marna chaho to log peecha nahi chodte hain. Ironic

Caller: Sir, aap ameer log itni philosophy vaali batein kyun karte hain? Aap toh
acchi English bolte ho, tab bhi aap khush nahi hain.

Prashant: Duniya mein jab tak insaan paise na kama le, usse yehi lagta hai, ki
khushi paise se aati hai.

Caller: Sir aisa nahi hai. Mai money minded nahi hun..Par agar aaj 3 customers
ne hello tune nahi li to commission nahi milega.

Prashant-Commission, profit, emi. Bas yahi life hai?

Caller- Sir meri to nahi hai..aapke oopar poori family ki responsibility hoti to
aap kya karte ?

Prashant-Responsibilities, responsibilities hoti hain..unse koi nahi bhaag

sakta

Caller-To aap kyun bhaag rahe hain ?

Prashant goes quiet for a few seconds.

Prashant: Kisne kaha mai bhaag raha hun ? Meri family ke paas aaj vo sab
kuch hai jo woh soch bhi nahi sakte the. Maybe the problem is that I
overdelivered.

Caller: Fir problem kya hai sir ?, life kabhi bhi itni buri nahi hoti, jitni hame lagti
hai.

Prashant: Tumhe kya pata hai, mere life ke baare mein? Sach ye hai ke sab
kuch karne ke baad bhi tum bahot akele reh jaoge, tum jiyo ya maro kisi koi koi
fark nahi padta, sab do din royenge aur phir? Property, paise, uski discussion
hogi, bas !!

Caller: Sir, main bas itna jaanti hun ki duniya mein bahot saare log jeena
chahte hain, aur woh mar jaate hain. Aur kab marna chahiye hamara decision
nahi hota.

Prashant: Wow, so deep. Dekho, thanks for the motivation. Par tum nahi
samjhogi.

Caller: Sir, shayad na samjhun par sun to rahi hun.. aap akele nahi ho sir.
Please ruk jao. Sochiye kuch to baat hogi, varna mai kyun aapko aise moment
par call karti ?
Prashant: Ho sakta hai but it doesn’t matter now, Tum stress mat lo, it’s not
your problem. Ye mera decision hai.

This is when she gets really exhausted and loses her calm. Irritated she responds.

Caller: Theek hai sir, aap kood jaiye.

Prashant: What?

Caller: Haan sir, please jump. Aap logon ki life ki sabse badi problem ye hai ki
usmein sach mein koi problem hai hee nahi. Isliye aap ye problems paida karte
rehte hain. Aapko marna hai to maro jaakar, par ye sab acting mat karo ki life
ne aapke saath bahot bura kiya hai. Sach hai ki aap mein problems face karne
ki himmat hee nahi hai.

Prashant: Fuck off, tum hoti kaun ho batane vaale mujhe kya karna hai ?

Caller: Aap fuck off ho jaiye, iss phone se, iss duniya se, aap logon ki vajah se
hee duniya mein depression failta hai. Khud to marte hee hain, apni family ko
hamesha ke liye dukh de jaate hain. Sab ki problems nahi dikhti, sirf apni.
Bahut sad hai ki marne se pehle aapko hello tune bechne vaali ek ladki se baat
karni pad rahi hai. Par aapke paas aur option bhi kya hai. Aapne kabhi…

As she is talking he cuts the phone and we hear the dead tone of the phone.

She checks on her headset and says hello but she can see the call has been cut.
She takes a deep breath and realises what she has done. Panicking, she dials his
number again. She hears the beep of the call being cut. She looks worried and looks
around. She takes a deep breath, looks worriedly around at other employees who
are all on call, then shakes herself out of it A few moments later, on her screen she
sees that he has purchased a Hello Tune. She tries to click on his number from the
database but it simply says ‘Dialing Next Customer’. She readjusts her headset. We
hear the phone ringing again, before a girl’s voice answers.

Girl: Hello?

Meenal: Good afternoon ma’am, main Vodafone customer care se Meenal baat
kar rahi hun. Hamare lucky customers ko 2 months ke liye free hello tune ka
offer diya jaa raha hai…

As she continues, the camera pans out to show the scale of the call center, MUSIC
rises and we fade to THE CREDITS.