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A Sword Over The Head
A Sword Over The Head
ACT 1
1 INT. BLACK 1
QUICK CUTS: Ameer places the laptop on the table and inserts
the charger cable into it... He turns on the charger and
opens the laptop.
His laptop wallpaper is a big picture of Quentin Tarantino
with his quote by the side : "If you just love movies enough,
you can make a good one."
The wall in the room is covered with posters of films of
Padmarajan, Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino, Anurag
Kashyap, Bong Joon Ho etc...
CLOSE UP on Ameer's face. He stares blankly at the laptop
screen.
Reveal the laptop screen – A screenplay is opened in MS Word.
The first page reads:
"A SWORD OVER THE HEAD
Written by
Ameer"
Ameer scrolls through the script. There are around 60 pages.
He reaches the bottom of the script and opens a new blank
page.
He stares at the laptop screen.
He types in "INT. CRIMINAL'S ROOM - AFTERNOON"
He sighs deeply.
He taps his fingers on the table.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
-- Ameer sits with his finger tips together, rapidly shaking
his legs
AMEER (CONT'D)
...award ivide medikaan
saadhichathilu. This really means a
lot. Thanks to everyone who
supported me, encouraged me, and
believed in me.
Ameer breaks the egg into a steel cup -- Some part of the egg
yolk falls outside the cup.
We see the kitchen sink -- there's a few dirty dishes.
Ameer takes out a plate from the sink, lazily washes it and
places it near.
CUT TO:
He gets back to the stove and reaches his hand to the salt
container kept by the side of the stove.
He quickly lifts his hand, making the pan fall to the floor.
AMEER
Fuck!
He quickly turns off the stove. Then looks at his omelette --
on the floor.
Ameer sits at his table and starts eating bread slices from
his plate while watching an interview of Quentin Tarantino on
the laptop.
CUT TO:
5.
The clock on the wall reads 11:22 AM. The empty plate lies on
the table.
Ameer slouches on his chair, staring at the laptop screen.
Sighs.
AMEER
Aah.
JESSIE
Eda nee Innu free aano?
AMEER
entha?
JESSIE
Njan oru aaru mani aakumbo office-
een erangum. Nammak onnu porathu
poyaalo? To a restaurant or
something.
AMEER
Poratho... Script ezhuthaan und.
JESSIE
Nee oru MAASAM aayitt ezhuthi konde
irikuvalle... You need a break
AMEER
Edi I'm so close. Ee script onnu
theeratte... I don't want any
distractions.
JESSIE
Ninne onnu kanaan vendi alle njan
parayane... enthuvaada nee ingana...
Ninne okke Keri pranayikaan thonniya
enne venam parayaan
6.
AMEER
Athusheri... Ente script-inu state
award-o national award-o okke kitti
kazhiyumbo ithu thanne
parayanotto...
JESSIE
(sarcastic)
national award mathiyo? Oru Oscar
engilum vende?
AMEER
Onnu podo...
JESSIE
Nee aa room-eenn vellappozhokke
porath erangu. Eth neravum script
enn paranj nadakkalle... There's
more to life.
AMEER
Tsk... I'm fine this way
JESSIE
Nee ingana onnum aayirunnilla
The doorbell RINGS. Ameer turns his head.
AMEER
Njan pinne vilikaam, aaro door-il
vannittund...
JESSIE
Araa?
AMEER
ariyilla nokatte
JESSIE
Eppa vilikkum?
AMEER
(annoyed)
Eppozhelum vilikaam!
AMEER
Dheshyapettillallo...
JESSIE
7.
Pinne?
AMEER
Tsk... njan door-ilu araann nokatte
A beat.
AMEER
va akathu irikaam
UNCLE
Aah.
Uncle removes his shoes and steps inside.
UNCLE
George ippo Germany-ila... M Arch-
inu padikuvaa...
AMEER
Uh, N-Njan kazhikaan enthelum
edukaam
UNCLE
Amma enth parayunnu?
AMEER
Njan joli kalanjathinte pinakam
ithuvare mareetilla.
UNCLE
Oh, Avalu parayanathilum karyam
ille? joli kalanjathu mandatharam
anenne njanum parayu.
Ameer doesn't respond.
UNCLE
well, on the other hand,
kudumbathilu oru filmmaker ollathu
nalla karyama. Pakshe you should be
successful as a filmmaker, allengi
aarkum ninne oru vila undavoola.
(a beat)
By the way, enthaanu ninte ippothe
status? Ezhuthi theraar aayo?
AMEER
aah first draft theeraar aayi
almost.
9.
UNCLE
katha entha?
AMEER
Uh... okay
(clears throat)
katha oru train yathrene pattiya...
UNCLE
Train yathra?
AMEER
Aah
UNCLE
Appo cinemede thudakkam thott
avasanam vare ee train yathra thanne
aano?
AMEER
Uh, kind of... Full katha train-nte
akathu vachu thanneyaanu nadakane.
Pinne edakk kurach flashback scenes
okke und.
UNCLE
Oh, okay okay.
AMEER
Randu main charcters und. Oru
criminal-um oru prostitute-um
UNCLE
prostitute-aa?
AMEER
Aah. Ee criminal ee prostitute-ine
train-ilu vacha parichayapedane...
Katheyilu main aayitt ivar thammil
ulla conversations aanu olle. Uh, ee
randu characters-intem different
perspective towards life, uh,
10.
UNCLE
Oh... Ithu orumathiri Adoor-nte okke
polathe cinema aayi poyi. Ithokke
arelum Kanaan varuvo?
AMEER
Athu saramilla... Kananavar
kaanatte...
UNCLE
Angana allallo. That's a wrong
attitude. Njan parayana kekku... nee
commercial cinema cheyy... you're
sure to achieve success. nalla paisa
undakaan pattum. Allathe ee rand
aalkaru train-il irunna samsaarikana
okke kanaan arelum varoonnu enikk
thonnanilla
AMEER
(Sighs) njan ithu paisa undakaan
vendi cheyunnatha alla... It's my
passion.
UNCLE
Ah best... Passion anengi vella part
time aayitt cheytha porayirunno?...
Joli okke kalanj ivide Vann irikande
karyam undo? nammal oru joli
cheyumbo ath sucessful akaan vendi
venam cheyaan. ippo ente karyam
thanne nokku... Enikk school-ilokke
padikumbo padaan nalla kazhivu
undaayirunnu. Annu njan
vicharikkuvayirunnu "ho,
veluthaayitt venam oru paatukaran
akaan" ennokke... but later I
realised I was stupid. Ippo enne
nokku, I have a real job. I have
money. I'm successful.
AMEER
Success is not always about money.
Ente cinema oraalu engilum kand
nallath paranja, ath ente success
aanu.
UNCLE
Yeah I get what you mean, but...
Think practically... Nee paranja
success kond real world-il ninak
11.
Awkward silence.
CUT TO:
KID
Fish cutlet. Ammem njanum
undakiyatha
AMEER
Ah
13.
The boy enters the room and picks up the cube. He looks at it
in awe.
After a beat, Ameer returns from the kitchen with the empty
box.
KID
Aa Rubik's cube araa solve cheythe?
AMEER
Uh, njanaa
KID
Solve cheyaan ariyuvo?
AMEER
Ah.
KID
Ente veetilum und. Pakshe enikku
solve cheyaan ariyathilla...
AMEER
Oh...
HARI
Alla alla, entha karyam?
AMEER
Eda ente script-nte first draft
finish aayi. Nee onnu vayichitt
engana undenn parayaamo? Njan ninak
mail cheythittund
HARI
(excited)
Nice, nice... I can't wait to read.
Njan vayichitt vilikaam
AMEER
Aah. Pattoongi innu thanne vayichu
theerkane...
HARI
Aahda, sure.
AMEER
Aah... I was thinking of going out
with you today
JESSIE
Wait... sherikum? Appo script
ezhuthande ninak?
AMEER
Script-nte first draft ippa ezhuthi
theerthe ollu.
(a beat)
So... you coming with me?
JESSIE
ezhu mani
AMEER
Ok poli. See you at seven.
WOMAN
Yeah... varuvallolle?
AMEER
vannirikkum!
HARI
Pinne, ee characters-inu ninak
enthelum peru koduthoode? Ella
eduthum 'criminal' 'prostitute'
'criminal' 'prostitute' enn
vilikumo... it's weird.
AMEER
Eda actually.. uh, it was an
artistic choice
A beat.
HARI
Eh?
AMEER
Eda... (sighs) To be honest I
thought it'd be cool for them to not
have any names...
HARI
Oh... Enna nee oru karyam cheyy. nee
dialogues-ilu avarde peru onnum
mention cheyanda.. but script-ilu
avare refer cheyaan aayitt enthelum
oru peru koduthekk... vayikanavarde
elupathinu...
AMEER
Aah... Athu njan sheri akaam
HARI
Aah, Pinne ee criminal-nte thalede
melil oru sword float cheyunna aa
scene ille?
AMEER
Ah, athu njan oru metaphor aanu
udheshiche...
17.
HARI
Aah, athu manasilaayi. But aa scene
kurach out of place alle ennoru
samshyam.
AMEER
Aano?
HARI
Ah, enikk angana aanu thonniye.
and... aa brothel owner-nte charcter
ille. Ayaalu kurach unrealistic aayi
thonni. He's just bad because he's
bad. That's not how people are in
real life. Aa charcter-inu kurachu
koodi depth kodukku...
AMEER
Oh.
HARI
And one last thing, ninte ending
nalla shokam aanu. There's no
resolution. There's no character
arc. There's nothing. Like, ending-
ilu sherikkum work cheyaan und. I
was expecting more from you dude.
(a beat)
By the way, no offense tto. I was
just sharing my thoughts...
AMEER
Eyy... I'm not offended.
(But we can tell he's
offended)
thanks for the feedback. I'll make
it better.
HARI
Yeah. and ninte katha mosham annenn
onnum alla njan parayane... It has
potential. Work on it and make it
better. You can do it. All the best
AMEER
Ah, thanks.
Ameer hangs up the call. He is upset.
ACT 2
CUT TO:
21 INT. BATHROOM 21
The faucet is on. Ameer stands, rinsing the wound on his
finger.
He turns off the faucet. Then, takes the bathroom towel and
gently wipes his finger.
He covers the wound with a bandage.
He sits on the toilet.
headaches.
(insanity scenes)
Contrasts
beginning:
Ending: