Script / Phulkumar

Scene 1 ext./afternoon

Mohammed Salim rises up on the old bridge and walks down it holding a bright pink flower in his hands. The sound of children reciting the verse (with the vibrating sound of a circling wire are heard),

“Mother says study, Father says give heart to it, but my concentration is not in my books because of the smell of flower...my only interest..."

All sound stops when Salim suddenly halts and looks straight at camera.


Scene 2 /Title

Key Titles

Scene 3 int./night

The spilled water on the hospital floor, which reflects the passing people seen in the window with the sound of thunder and storm. In the foreground the saline bag drops its liquid at a slow rhythm, the silhouette of the hospital bed is seen in front of the window. An old woman anxiously waits on a bench in the corridor, counting her beads, while the nurse noisily pushes the cart. Inside the room, the liquid in the saline bag stops to drop, Hazera's unconscious out of focus face in the background.


Scene 4 ext./morning

Th grandmother carrying the baby climbs on a rickshaw and slowly goes down the steep old bridge. The rickshaw rides through the street where all the people turn their heads to see the grandmother go by. The rickshaw passes two girls.

Scene 5 int./day

The grandmother swings the crying baby in the swing and tries to feed him milk. The school rhyme is heard.


Scene 6 ext./int./day

In front of the school, in the open area, some students not wearing school uniform are standing with their hands holding their ears. On the second story, some students run out of the class. In the classroom, the students reciting the verse along with the teacher,

“Mother says study, Father says give heart to it, but my concentration is not in my books because of the smell of kathal chapa...my only interest is to stay next to the river. To hide under the tree branch and call out like a bird....."

While other srudents are reciting, Salim, with his head down, draws something. The teacher notices him and asks him,

“Salim, you tell me, how does a 'khathal chapa' flower look like?"

Salim, absent mindedly answers,

“I like the smell of milk."

The students all laugh hard, and the teacher slams his stick down, scolds him.

In the empty classroom, Salim stands on a table with his hand holding his ears, the voices of some other students are heard making fun on him,

‘What, Salim, want to have milk? Drink, drink...’

Salim is embarrassed.

Scene 7 ext./int./afternoon

A butterfly flies in Salim’s garden. It clings to a full bloom flower. Salim enters the garden and searches for a flower to pick. Grandmother reading the Quran is heard.

Salim hugs grandmother and asks her,

‘Did my mother look like you?’

Grandmother answers,

‘Why should she be like me, she was like a fairy, a red fairy.’

Salim shows her the flower and asks,

‘Like this?’

Grandmother laughs. Tells him-

‘Get washed and have some food’

Salim –

‘Let me first give this flower to mother’s grave, then-‘

Salims goes away and grandmother takes a long breath and says –

‘what should I do with this mad boy!’


Scene 8 ext./day

A flute sings throughout the sequence

Salim holding a flower, touches the fern on the ruined wall and walks up to the opening.

Salim sitting in a hole against the clouds travelling in the sky. He jumps off.

Salim in water picks up a flower from beneath the water.

Along the moss filled wall, Salim enters and exits.


Scene 9 int./day

The flute continues but at one time the sound distorts into other sound effects.

Boy Salim walks through a tunnel into a space, where he sees his mother sleeping, dressed in a bright saree. He goes up to her and puts the flower in front of the mother’s nose. She awakens and he runs off. Then we see grown up Salim, now, looking at the camera, holding a roller and kite. He walks away.


Scene 10 ext./day

In a cigarette shop in the neighborhood, a monkey on Shafi’s shoulder goes for the hanging bananas in the shop. Just then, the shopkeeper sneezes and the monkey jumps back. Shafi annoyed at this, warns the shopkeeper that he better be nice to his monkey-
Shafi says,

‘Why you scare him? If you fuck around with Gabbar Singh, I will cut open your guts.’

The shopkeeper says (offscreen),

‘ShafiBhai, I didn’t scare him. What can I do if I have to sneeze.’

Shafi exclaims,

‘You will hold the sneeze! If you ever fuck around again then...’

Shopkeeper replies,

‘Really, sir, I have never ...’

Shafi says,

‘Just remember it.’

And he leaves with the monkey and his video cassettes. The shopkeeper tries to hold his next sneeze, offscreen.

The familiar swinging of the wire sound is heard.


Scene 11 ext./late afternoon

The Volkswagen broken down on the road, the bridge is in the far background. The retired Major comes out of the car and lights a cigarette. Hablu swinging the wire instrument enters and crosses Major, who is pretty disturbed.

Scene 12 ext./int./night

In the darkness, a colored window lights up. Inside, we hear a sneezing sound then Maleka Begum quickly enters the room. She finds the key and opens the cabinet to get the medicine. Hablu, her son, brings the water.
Maleka says to Hablu -

‘Tomorrow morning, go and call Abu, Habu and Shafi. I can’t stand anymore this suffering.’

Scene 13 int./ night

The three brothers together in their living room engrossed in the Hindi/Bollywood film they are watching. They get disturbed and lose their precious concentration on the movie by the sneezing sounds coming from neighboring houses.

Scene 14 int./night

Major sneezes in his bedroom; his wife disturbed. He gets up from the bed and goes to the balcony, where he lights his cigarette, apparently in a lot of discomfort.

Scene 15 ext./morning

Habu carrying a cage of pigeons, comes up to the roof. He sits down and takes out one pigeon to tie its wings, when people start to call him.

Offscreen voice calls out,

‘O, HabuBhai, are u home?’

Habu says,

‘What do u want?’

Offscreen voice says,

‘You, sir, Madam is calling you.’

Habu asks,

‘Why?’

Second offscreen voice says,

‘Major sir is calling, I don’t know why, but he said for you to go immediately. Very important work.’

Third voice says,

‘Maulana sir’s health is very bad.’

Habu says,

‘You guys go home. Why are they calling us? Just a waste of time.’

He throws the pigeon in to the air.


Scene 16 ext./morning

Salim finds a stray sunflower plant. He picks it up.

He is in his garden, where he plants the sunflower. Hablu enters, swinging the wire instrument. Salim asks him,

‘Do you want a flower?’


Scene 17 int./morning

Maleka Banu’s living room, where the three brothers are sitting and fooling around with Hablu. Maleka enters and says,

‘Hablu, give them more sweets. Eat, don’t be shy, eat.’

Abu while eating asks,

‘Your employees are giving you trouble again?’

Maleka says,

‘No.’

Habu says,

‘Then why did you call us?’

Shafi adds,

‘To eat bakhurkhani?’

Maleka,

‘Can’t you see, how I’m sneezing. Please do something.’

The three brothers surprised look at each other and says,

‘What will we do?’

Abu says,

‘Sneezes don’t get scared of knives and guns. If your employees or your shopkeeper give trouble then call us.’

They get up and leave.

Scene 18 ext./day

The three brothers walking on the street, going to someone else’s house.

Scene 19 int./day

Maulana taking hot water vapor. The three brothers are eating jackfruit and
watching Maulana curiously. Abu says,

‘Why you called us, any meeting to go to?’

Maulana says,

‘Can’t you see how I’m suffering.’

Abu says,

‘This is not our job.’

Habu says,

‘Have any real jobs, call us, o.k.?’

At this time, Shafi with a piece of jack fruit in his hand gives out a loud sneeze.
Maulana smiles a little and tells them,

‘I give so much money and you won’t do this for me.’

The three brothers get a little annoyed at this.

Scene 20 int./day

The three brothers are at the Major’s residence. Major rubs his nose and tells Abu,

‘Everybody in the neighborhood is suffering from sneezing. Why is this happening, go and find out.’

Scene 21 int./day

The three brothers are at the pharmacist’s chamber. The pharmacist tells them,

‘Have histacin.’

Abu says,

‘Had it, didn’t work.’

Pharmacist,

‘Have avil.’

Habu says,

‘Had avil too, did not work.’

Pharmacist says,

‘Then say what did you have rice with?’

Abu say,

‘Beef.’

Pharmacist says,

‘Stop eating beef.’

Shafi says,

‘Not everyone in the neighborhood had beef.’

Pharmacist says,

‘Is there any bad smell in the neighborhood?’

The three brothers shake their head.

Pharmacist asks,

‘Dust?’

Abu says,

‘Like all neighborhoods.’

Pharmacist asks,

‘Are there a lot of flowers in the neighborhood?’

Abu says,

‘No.’

Habu looks at Shafi and Abu, then Shafi says,

‘Yes, yes, there are.’

Pharmacist says,

‘Hmm, pollen from flowers can cause such a thing, also.’

Scene 22 ext./day

The three brothers rise up on the bridge and go into the neighborhood carrying large knives. The tempo of a beat from a instrument starts and it’s speed increases with the progression of the scene. The three brothers walk through the neighborhood. The people around them run away scared at such a sight.

They reach Salim’s garden and they destroy it, cutting all the plants down. Salim picks up a broken flower in the garden and is shocked. Grandmother is cursing them on off screen.


Scene 23 ext./night


Grandmother and Salim are on the steps in front of the house. Salim rests his head upon grandmother as she recounts a fairy tale to him.

Salim says,

‘No, not this story. That one, when father told you he wants to marry red fairy, what happens next?’

Grandmother goes on,

‘Oh, yes, your father, one day, said he wants to marry. We said, then marry. Your father said he wants to marry red fairy. We said, go marry a red fairy. Then, we went to look for a red fairy. We go to Gendaria, Narinda, Dayaganj. We ask people, brother do you know where red fairy lives? We need a red fairy. Then, your father says, no, not red fairy, I want a blue fairy. So, we go look for a blue fairy...we go to Mirpur, Jinjira to look for blue fairy. We ask people do you know where blue fairy lives. Then your father says, not blue fairy, a green fairy he wants. We look again. Your father says, no, not green- I want a red fairy after all. So we go out again.’

Salim says,

‘To look for a red fairy?’

Grandmother replies,

‘Yes, there, standing on the lead depot, we see in the clouds, a tall building. There were no stairs to climb this building. On the roof of this building, there stood a girl looking down at the water....’

Salim has fallen asleep.


Scene 24 ext./day

A woman in a black veil comes down the bridge with a rickshaw carrying a large Belgium mirror. She takes off the veil from her face in front the camera and goes in to the neighborhood.


Scene 25 ext./day

On the street, Shafi and Habu push the thief to the ground and start to him as Shereen Akhter on the rickshaw comes passing through the neighborhood. Habu and Shafi see Shereen pass by and they recognises her.

Scene 26 ext./day

Shereen Akhter is scene moving around on the roof of her house. The retired Major sees through his telescope from his balcony.

Scene 27 ext./day

Shafi makes his monkey jump on the Volkswagen and walks off and then Major comes, hits his head on the car as he sneezes while getting into the car.

Scene 28 ext./int./night

The light is on inside Salim’s room. He’s sitting at his study table drawing a picture of a butterfly. He spreads some milk on the drawing. Off screen, grandmother says,

‘Salim, drink your milk while it’s hot, dear. All day, only mother, mother and flower, flower. This time concentrate a little on your studies.’


Scene 29 int./night

Shereen is sleeping. Her father calls her,

‘Wake up, dear. Jabbar Maulana is waiting to see you.’

Shereen gets up.

A book is handed to Shereen,

‘Path to Heaven’,

the Maulana exclaims, off screen,

‘Masshalla.’

Maulana says, on screen,

‘ I brought a book for you.’

Shereen says,

‘But, I don’t know how to read.’

Maulauna says,

‘Hmm, keep it.’

Scene 30 int./night

Abu and Habu eat dinner in the living room, sitting on the sofa. Shafi cleans the head of the VCR.

Major drinks alcohol, sitting in dark balcony.