[radio playing]
Thank you.
I'll call once again.
You should help us.
-Good morning! -Sure it is.
Where are you off to?
To the junction. Where else?
Not to collect the rent, right?
To collect the rent and the arrears.
Yeah, right!
-Then... -Then, shall I come with you?
Give me a lift.
It's fine even if you are a little late to protest.
You can come slowly.
Hello?
What's happening?
Is it done?
Half of it is done.
Though it's just the midterms, an exam is an exam.
Make it fast.
Okay?
I need copies of this.
How many copies of this one?
39 copies.
Please wait for some time.
Why did you say you could not finish it then?
It wasn't finished, but I managed somehow.
Okay.
By the way, this soft spot for an ex-student
will remain only until the machine here is repaired.
Let me keep this inside.
And, dear, you can send the bill to my WhatsApp. Okay?
You may go then. Bye.
The question papers are here, sir.
Damn it!
-Once again! -No, it's my turn now.
Gangettan...
Aren't you bored?
Of what?
This life?
There's nothing to do.
And your daughter is running the only shop you had.
And you have nothing to do at home either...
Are you bored?
Of course!
I'm always bored.
Are you done?
Yes.
I'm bored of this game.
Let me go for a walk.
Go for a walk?
Are you coming?
Walking is like...
It's too sunny!
You go ahead!
Why should I walk?
Hey!
I met your friend from college on the bus in the morning.
Which friend?
The one who came here the other day?
That girl...
who looks like an intellectual.
Anu?
Yes! It's Anu.
I was wondering where you had gone, ikka.
You've come, huh?
Yesterday it was 11:30 a.m. and today it's 1:30 p.m.
I deserve this!
No, ikka. I reached by 11:00 a.m. today.
I couldn't get a bus for a long time.
It's very easy to give excuses, my dear.
Let me tell you something.
Only I know how I'm keeping this shop afloat.
If you don't come here on time,
I'll hire someone else for your job.
Keep that in mind!
He's just throwing attitude.
Eat your food.
And then? What did Anu say?
Which Anu?
Oh, Anu.
She said something.
I don't remember.
Life is just...
Don't!
You may go.
Give me five minutes.
You were in Vazhakulam yesterday, right?
Yes.
I was also part of the protest.
That's why I asked you not to come yesterday.
-Shall we start? -Make the frame tighter.
-Is this okay? -Yes, okay.
I look okay, right?
Is it live? Shall I tell Annie chechi then?
No! Don't do that!
-A little more. -Ready? Shall we start?
Within six days,
16 trees were chopped off
within the limits of one panchayat alone.
What is your response to the decision behind this?
The conservation and preservation of everything,
including plants, trees and us humans...
The right and freedom for that conservation belongs only to nature.
We should understand that.
Most of these are huge shade-giving trees
that would have lived for many more years robustly.
The entire world is discussing environmental issues
at this point in time.
Many people are trying to bring
the government's attention towards this, as well.
Until a favourable approach is undertaken,
these protest activities will continue.
Get lost!
[on TV] Is the government trying to silence the media by threatening us?
Will the Central Government be able to fight
against the freedom of the press
and the right to information of the citizens,
using the Official Secrets Act?
[news continues playing]
-Make it quick. -Okay.
Long time!
-I was busy. -Okay.
Four dosas wrapped in leaves.
Mani, get four dosas.
Keep some extra chutney.
Okay.
Do you want...
something for now?
Yeah. One.
One? Hey, get the plate.
Give it quickly.
Give me a double omelette.
Who is he?
Or pack two more.
Okay.
[TV playing in the background]
-Isn't it ready, chechi? -No.
You want a copy of the entire notebook, right?
Okay.
Hello, Saneesh!
What's happening?
I've arranged for the money.
Please come and sort this out tomorrow.
You don't go to school or take notes either.
Did it prove useful after you did all that?
And you're mocking us?
[prayers from church procession]
Come.
[prayers continue]
Hey! I'm leaving.
-You're leaving early? -Mom asked me to get home quickly.
-Get going then. -Bye!
-Hey! Here's your notebook. -Oops.
The cigarette...
Sorry.
How long will the shop be open?
Well... till around 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Or even 8:00 p.m.
Even if it gets a little late, I'll come back.
I hope you don't mind waiting.
It's all right.
Okay. I won't be late. But, just in case, keep it ready.
Okay?
Autorickshaw!
-The bus depot, please. -Hey!
I can bind the copy, right?
[in Tamil] Do as you wish.
[in Malayalam] Do as you wish.
Brother, please stop here.
What's up? Aren't you leaving?
I had some work.
I'm about to leave now. Where did you go?
I had a job interview.
So I had to go to Mavelikkara.
-Shall I leave? -Okay.
Let's go.
One black tea, please.
Okay.
It's been a while since you've come here, sir.
I was a little busy.
What's happening here?
Oh! We got hold of a huge snake!
Just sometime back.
It was lying in that corner there.
It was my brother who spotted it.
Why does it have to come out onto the road?
So, making roads through the hills is not wrong?
The snake was wrong in coming out, huh?
So what? People here ate it anyway.
It's time for me to leave.
I'll pay the rest later.
Hey, drop him home.
Okay.
Give me five minutes, yeah? I'll come with you.
Okay, sir.
Okay.
Okay, sir.
Akka!
Sister!
[dogs barking]
[movie playing on TV]
Allen, where are you now? Are you alone?
Yeah, I'm alone. I'm just sitting idle.
I will come after lunch...
after a nap.
Make sure you are here, okay?
Of course!
Just call me when you reach there.
There's no one else. It's just the two of us.
Well, call the others too.
I...
So, we will plan something after you come over.
Okay.
Don't sleep too long.
-Okay. -5:30 p.m.
-Okay. -See you.
So, this is why she's cooking fish.
Hey, uncle!
How're you doing?
What's the shop owner doing here?
Just like that... to visit my subjects.
Oh!
Hey!
Hey! Wait!
-I'm in the middle of my bath. -Stop it!
How long has it been?
Give me five minutes!
Uncle!
Which TV soap are you watching now?
Have you caught on to anything new?
-Pathetic. -Huh?
Pathetic?
It's a soap that has been going on for a while now.
You texted me that you wanted to say something, didn't you?
Serve the food, darling. I'm so hungry!
Hey...
you better learn to cook a couple more curries.
Can't say how long you'll keep getting my mom's curries.
What happened to your mom?
You idiot, nothing happened to my mom!
I am trapped.
My wedding has been fixed.
What?
Didn't you say you went because your mom called the other day?
Was it for this?
They came and spoke about everything within a day,
and decided everything.
With this, my job will be a closed chapter.
My life was just getting better.
That's when...
You're okay with it, right?
Everyone else is okay with it.
Okay then. See you tomorrow.
Are you sure?
-Hey! -Huh?
How was my curry?
Pathetic!
This is such an antique piece!
If you can't do it, tell me that.
I repaired this the last 110 times, right?
Not 110... Twelve times!
Won't people get fed up?
Then lock it up like it was earlier and get going.
Once I make some money,
I'll renovate the shop, upgrade the systems and call you.
Really?
Won't we get all this done if we had the money?
Please check it.
Check it.
When this customer comes back, I'll get some money.
I'll bring it to you.
AMBEDKAR LIBRARY
Hey, sit here. I'll be right back.
What's up?
Hey, I have to tell you something.
Well...
I've been trying to meet Gangettan for the past few days.
But he keeps evading me.
When I see my father's face,
I get worried as each day passes.
He's not interested in anything.
There are certain things in life
that we'll understand only when we reach his age.
Certain aspects of life depend upon
the wisdom we attain when our hair starts greying.
I have four grey hairs too.
Hey.
Don't you wish to study further and get a job anymore?
This scooter and that shop are all I have.
I don't know how much longer the two will run.
Is the date set?
It's on the 22nd.
I don't have time to think about anything.
Until you get a visa to go there,
can't you continue your job?
Have the Chinese potato.
It's yummy!
I'll be right back.
What do you want, miss?
Which eyeliner do you have here?
-Do you have Eyeconic? -Yes.
Writer and human rights activist
Gauri Shankar was shot dead in Dharmapuri.
Two people came on a bike and shot at Gauri.
Four bullets were found from Gauri's body.
Progressive Kannada writer
Nenjunnappa was also killed similarly earlier.
And this time it's Gauri Shankar,
who was a strong critic of Hindutva politics.
The incident happened the night he attended
a function conducted by writers.
There have been direct and indirect attacks
and death threats against Gauri Shankar
for the past few days, through social media and otherwise.
Senior writer Jayadevan said that
the country is facing an undeclared emergency.
Gauri, who loved the Malayalam language and its literature,
had written two of his five books in Malayalam.
Even if it gets a little late, I'll come back.
I hope you don't mind waiting.
I won't be late. But just in case, keep it ready.
Many eminent political and cultural personalities
expressed their shock.
Protests have begun in his motherland and in Kerala...
Did you know?
People are getting killed off for having a different opinion.
Who killed him?
Can be anyone.
Maybe it's all of us.
[telemarketer speaking on TV]
The investigation team in charge of writer Gauri Shankar's murder case
has reached Kerala.
A Tamil Nadu Crime Branch officer, who's also a Malayali,
Ismail Ibrahim, is leading the three-member investigation team.
Our reporter Jenny Philip is joining us with more details.
Your entry to this case was a move
made to shut the mouths of the media and the public, right?
I don't have the intention of satisfying the media
by saying something random.
I'm stating the facts in front of me.
The government's silence regarding Gauri Shankar's murder
indicates that there has been political intervention in the case.
And, ever since he became an advocate of Ambedkar ideology,
some political parties have turned against Gauri Shankar--
See, you can interpret this in any way.
But don't try to make people believe that those are facts.
The pistol that was allegedly used for the murder
was a country-made weapon.
Kerala Police are cooperating with us. We have a few leads.
We are looking into it.
Tamil Nadu Crime Branch Officer Ismail Ibrahim and team
are going forward with their investigation
with the support of Kerala Police.
We hope to get more details in the coming days.
Hey, type this up quickly.
It is a condolence note on behalf of our library.
He was staying in our area during his final days, wasn't he?
Here?
Isn't his place in Idukki?
He's a native of Idukki.
The route you take often?
He used to stay in the last house at that turning near the school.
I MET GAURI WHEN HE WAS 13
HE HAS BEEN A BROTHER TO ME SINCE THEN - SAROJINI
Hello!
I need it today itself.
Hey.
Did you watch the news?
What news?
A writer was shot dead.
Yeah. So?
Please come to Dr. James' hospital.
Gangettan is admitted there.
He suffered from a dizzy spell. The doctor said he's all right now.
Both of you please come there.
You just have to check your sugar level often.
That's all.
-No issue! -You shut up!
The doctor said he'll check once again in the morning
and discharge you after that.
But he told me earlier that we can leave right away.
Not a word!
You went out to have tea, snorted up snuff tobacco,
and fell unconscious on the road.
And you want to leave already?
I told the doctor not to let you go until tomorrow.
You'll take the medicines properly at least for a day.
Come!
Do you have that stone with you?
-Stone? -Your regular tool?
GAURI SHANKAR'S LAST MESSAGE WAS TO MD OF KM BOOKS, ANAND
GAURI SHANKAR'S MURDER
I do believe that this message
has got something to do with Gauri's murder.
Though it was an evidence submitted to the police,
what's the reason behind informing the media?
Like all of you, I want to know the truth too.
It can be from anywhere or anyone.
Isn't Gauri Shankar a victim of an ideology
that eliminates people who ask questions or raise objections
and brands them as anti-nationals?
Gauri was someone who thought a lot about
the people around him
and their helplessness.
I know that better than anyone else.
And you're saying he's a victim?
I don't believe that Gauri was a victim.
The answer to that question is in the message Gauri sent me.
"I have finished what I set out to do.
"My words are safe in this world.
"They will speak.
"I don't believe that my life is more precious than them."
GAURI'S LAST MESSAGE IS CRUCIAL IN THIS CASE, SAYS ANAND
Do as you wish.
How come you're here early in the morning?
How's your father doing?
I couldn't come there. I was busy.
He's all right.
We reached home in the morning.
Really?
I wanted to ask you something.
That's why I came over.
Why don't you come in and sit? I'll bring tea for you.
Annie is having a bath.
You might not be lucky to get tea from me again.
Didn't I tell you earlier about a job at a school?
Yes. I've been hearing about it for a while.
I got a letter from them.
I'll leave tomorrow itself.
That's great.
Annie has been throwing a fit saying that I never bothered
about the house while trying to reform society.
Drink the tea.
And tell me what you've come for.
There's this person from KM Publications, right?
-Anand? -Yes.
Can I get his phone number?
His phone number...
But will we be able to reach him?
I know someone in that office.
Yeah. That's also fine.
I can go there directly, right?
What's the matter?
Well...
it's for a friend from my college...
who has been asking about this for the past few days.
Let me see.
What is it? Are you not feeling well?
I am fine. Go to bed.
I knew when we had to go to the hospital...
that you'll have a lot of thoughts and become disturbed.
Do you think I'm not sad?
Did I say that?
She used to call me often,
asking me to buy milk and to get back home early.
I thought it was one of those calls.
I didn't answer the phone.
And...
we keep neglecting people who are always with us, right?
I was late by two hours to reach home.
We never think that someone who's always with us
will fall ill suddenly, right?
The price of those two hours...
I'll have to pay that for the rest of my life.
I know that it wasn't deliberate.
So, you shouldn't be careless about yourself either.
I want at least you to be with me, Dad.
Okay. Okay, sir.
-Ma'am, I couldn't reach Samuel sir. -Okay. I'll try calling him.
He said yesterday that we'll meet in the evening.
Let me see.
Didn't I tell you not to wait?
Anand sir is really busy.
He is not here.
All his scheduled appointments are cancelled.
-No-- -Please come back later.
I have brought something for sir.
I came to give this to him.
Will I be able to meet him at his house?
There's no point going there with this.
You know only to write, huh?
There's nothing to think about.
You may leave after submitting those papers there.
And a profile along with that.
The person who wrote this won't need a profile here.
This is the last work by writer Gauri Shankar.
-Ismail Ibrahim. -Hello, sir.
Hello. Anand is here, right?
-Yes, sir. -Is he upstairs?
-Yes. -Okay.
What is it, dear? Do you work here?
Err... I...
Did you come for an interview?
No... I mean, yes. I didn't get selected.
The old office is not functioning now, right?
How many people work here now?
So, Gauri... It's a long friendship?
Yes.
Five years.
But the time span doesn't matter.
It was more about the person he was.
Gauri was someone who didn't have to prove anything to anyone
and someone who had immense clarity about what he was doing.
The five years I spent with Gauri had changed me a lot.
We've had our own share of friendly arguments.
But I knew...
he was right all the time.
I'm not much of a reader.
But I've had an inclination towards crime thrillers since childhood.
And such type of novels.
In most cases, have you noticed,
the cause of the murder or the person behind it
is usually someone from the victim's immediate circle?
Here you are a part of that circle, Anand.
Officer,
out of Gauri's four books,
three were published by KM Publications.
Gauri was a friend whom I loved and respected.
The second book, a collection of...
It was a collection of essays.
There were many discussions and controversies about it back then.
What is it about?
Power...
of opinions,
of experiences,
and the power of writing.
The power of words.
"To my three continents and three oceans."
The three continents and three oceans...
he's referring to Tamil, Malayalam and English.
What was Gauri writing?
I don't know that.
There was a hint that it might be political.
He had told me many times
that he wanted to reiterate his politics through his books.
He had mentioned a title once.
What was it?
Karuppu.
You mean the drug?
Or something related to...
No. The colour.
The colour black.
[in Tamil] I knew you'd come. Welcome.
Sit down.
Sit!
[in Malayalam] What's happening? Are you done?
[in Tamil] There's a little more left.
Didn't you go home?
How come you're here at this hour?
My house isn't going anywhere.
I'll go there later.
It's a complete mess here.
Just like you.
It's not a mess.
What a mess!
It's a process...
Mr. Publisher.
Great process!
Seems like you're in a great mood.
Let's have tea and cigarettes, and talk.
I'll be back after I change.
["My Way" by Elvis Presley playing on car stereo]
Here's your tea.
Phew.
Sorry.
You needn't get scared as soon as you see the uniform.
Sit, sit.
I don't know that.
Come.
Come on!
There are limitations even in being a rebel, huh?
You have to be aware of the surroundings.
[in Malayalam] What's the rebellion
in sitting on that chair and smoking?
Rebellion.
What's the problem?
[in Tamil] You've been going off track ever since you came.
It's a topic we started talking about many times.
But you won't take the conversation forward.
All the issues since the origin of the Earth are in your head.
I know what you're trying to do.
But you need a balance in everything, Gauri.
What balance?
Between black and white?
No.
Between what you are and what you do.
Focus on yourself at least now, Gauri.
The struggles you've had so far haven't reduced even a bit.
They're only escalating!
Come to think of it,
what have you achieved by living like this for so long?
I'm not asking you to be materialistic.
But you need to have growth.
You... you have a block.
A block that you have created yourself.
Just break free and come out of it, man.
I can only write what I feel like writing.
Just like how you said what you felt now.
Gauri...
I'm concerned about you.
All of us will be concerned about others
for no particular reason.
And then? What will we do then?
Tell me!
-Hey! -Hey!
Even if you and I leave this world, all these issues will still remain.
You should write.
There are people like me to publish it,
and the public will read it.
But it shouldn't be confined to just
politics, activism and the controversies behind it.
You're better than that!
What are you trying to say now? Say it openly.
Hey, you are a creative guy.
Use your brains!
Start writing stories, fiction.
The rest are all blocks that are interrupting your creativity.
I can see them only like that.
The publisher who published the most number of books last year
is saying this?
Fiction or non-fiction...
there will be a slice of the writer's life in it.
Both are the same for me.
I'm not special or anything.
Cheers!
I had also lived like you for a long time.
Later, only after taking over my father's publishing company,
I felt my life had meaning to it.
You should also find something like that.
But the path you are on right now...
is dangerous.
You may not realise where it is taking you.
You can't walk back either.
Do something before it's too late.
I believe I am not alone on that path.
Right, Anand?
If you take the path that you're supposed to,
you won't be alone.
Are you speaking as a friend or a publisher now?
Both.
I must take a stand now.
For fiction or non-fiction?
For you!
It's foolish to think that
you can solve the world's problems by scribbling with your pen.
If you take it all to your head, you can't bear it.
Not to my head.
I've taken them to my heart.
What we spoke about earlier is right here.
What?
Rebellion.
Have you reached only so far?
Should I drop you off?
Yes, sir.
I recognised you when I saw you there, Mr. Gauri.
I've read your last two books, sir.
Such things are the only relief for policemen like us.
The one who was with you was KM Publication's...
It's Anand, my friend.
I've seen you a couple of times earlier, in Thrissur.
I was on duty for a function that a minister had attended.
Oh!
I've been working at the north station here for three years now.
How many years have you been in the service?
Oh! I have only a short while left in the service now, sir.
I started getting fed up
within three years of joining the force.
Then what happened?
Well, my hand got used to receiving the salary every month.
And the needs at home were never-ending.
And gradually I reached this stage.
I actually wanted to be a singer.
-Oh! -Like Yesudas.
Just like that.
Why don't you sing a song then?
Let me listen.
I'll sing.
[singing a classic Malayalam song]
Sir, your house...
Mr. Gauri!
Don't worry, sir.
There are fanatics all around, sir.
Good that you weren't at home, sir.
Let me try calling the police station.
CONDOLENCE MEET FOR GAURI SHANKAR
♪ Forgotten, she stands Like a yellowing tree ♪
♪ No more home To wide-winged birds ♪
♪ A lone wind blows into her ♪
♪ Like a weary traveller Looking for shade ♪
♪ Found, she comes alive ♪
♪ The trap doors of memory Shut to light ♪
♪ Slowly open Golden with life ♪
♪ Who is this traveller Who has come searching for her? ♪
♪ Elusive, like a thousand alphabets Forming in the sky ♪
♪ Distant… ♪
♪ Forlorn… ♪
♪ He stands, waiting ♪
♪ Beside... ♪
♪ Expectant... ♪
♪ She follows, as one ♪
♪ The skies swell with the wisdom ♪
♪ Of his becoming ♪
♪ The Earth shrinks ♪
♪ Under its thunderous downpour ♪
Even if a person is no more,
his actions will live on.
Right?
Did you stop by because you like Gauri, or is it the painting?
Both.
I... I have seen you on TV.
In the news.
Oh!
So, since you know me, shall we have some tea?
Come.
Thank you.
Have you read his books?
I have read one of them.
Okay.
When I talk about reading, I feel low.
Ever since I started this job,
I don't even get time to stay in one place.
Brother! Do you have hot parippu vadas?
Yesterday's?
I have tomorrow's. Shall I bring that?
Oh, yeah! I knew it when I saw it.
Bring it.
The parippu vadas are superb.
I had watched a couple of discussions on your channel.
Nobody was saying anything that I could understand.
Telling the truth to the people is not what the media does.
It's just making them feel it.
Only after...
the investors' interests,
TRPs
and political stands, does truth have any value here.
There are plenty of primetime slots available, right?
I'm going to meet Gauri's sister tomorrow.
In Idukki.
If she holds a press meet
or comes forward with a statement,
it will help this case.
Shall I also come with you tomorrow?
This isn't your first time, right?
No. While I was in college,
I've come to Munnar on a college tour.
Actually,
do you have any problem in me coming with you?
This is for your work, right?
Not because this is work.
But, since I don't know you well, I was sceptical.
However, many times, we might have to give place
on the front seat of our lives to people whom we don't know.
Anyway, don't tell anyone else about this trip.
Okay.
Even otherwise,
I don't have anyone to say this to.
Even if I say it, no one will believe me.
Why is that?
Because...
so far, I have only done what people expect from me.
We had called you.
-Anwar's... -Yes.
We got a little late.
Thank you.
These books...
I don't touch them.
When he left from here last time,
he had told my daughter
that all this belongs to her now.
But...
I didn't know it meant that...
he won't be coming back here again.
I hope you don't mind waiting.
Do as you wish.
Akka!
Kanmani!
[in Tamil] Welcome, Gauri.
-[in Tamil] How are you? -I am great.
-I'm doing great. -How much?
No, no! I'll pay.
-Muthuvel, how are you doing? -Good, good.
I thought you might not come.
I thought so too.
But life doesn't go according to plan, right?
Well, I heard there was some issue. What happened?
I heard so too.
Stop joking.
I have come alone, right?
No one else is hurt.
I'm not hurt too. I've come safely.
You're safe. That's enough.
YOUNG WRITERS' ASSOCIATION PLACE: AMBEDKAR STREET, DHARMAPURI
Sometimes that's what happens.
During my childhood,
once I was walking
through these Dharmapuri streets with my father
and then sat under a tree.
Then I had an idea...
that I should write stories.
This is where I began.
And life has brought me back to the same place.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know whether it has brought me here to update myself.
I am happy.
I am happy to have met you all. Greetings to all of you.
Many writers from the young generation have come here.
And most importantly, there are many women.
I'm truly happy.
Imagination is...
not just imagination. It's the truth.
In this world,
what we've seen, what we've heard,
what's going to happen, what has happened...
those are what we write about.
There are no rules or formulas to that.
Whatever comes to your mind write it.
Understand who you are first through those writings.
Understanding who we are is the most important aspect here.
We can present ourselves to the world after that.
Your freedom...
and your choice to be yourselves...
Express them without any inhibitions.
All the best to you.
Thank you.
Brother, one black tea, please.
-Black tea. -Okay, sir.
Thank you.
I'll call you after two days.
Are you also a journalist, dear?
No.
She's someone who likes Gauri's books.
Both of you should come again.
Okay then. We're leaving.
The subscriber you're trying to reach is out of coverage area
or currently not responding...
Are you sure you want to get down here?
-Yes. -Okay.
Okay then. Bye.
Hello?
Girl, where are you?
I... Well...
I've been waiting for you since morning.
I called you two-three times.
Why didn't you answer the phone?
♪ My love ♪
Go inside.
Please go inside.
♪ I wander in search of your gospel Day and night ♪
Oh, you're here! She is inside. Do you want some tea?
No, thanks. Let me go inside.
♪ I wander in search of your gospel Day and night ♪
♪ Like Prince Badarul Munir ♪
♪ Stringing together a rosary ♪
♪ Of eternal longing ♪
♪ As the uncaged birds of memories ♪
♪ Spread across The fragrant night sky ♪
♪ Mortals and gods hum melodies Of your sweet grace ♪
I wanted to ask you something.
Sit down.
I have to ask you something as well.
If you don't want to get married now,
can't you say that?
It's easier to obey what they say.
I'm sure they won't understand if I object to it.
What are you so sure about?
Have you ever tried objecting?
Forget that.
Where were you the other day?
What happened to you?
You know how many times your father called me?
I swear to God, I was terrified.
-I had gone to meet a friend. -Which friend?
Friend, huh?
There's no problem.
I am here right in front of you, am I not?
Are you concerned only about yourself?
I would have died out of tension here.
I don't feel good at all already.
My life was just getting better.
That's when...
[prayers]
♪ Like a butterfly that unfolds A thousand truths in a single flutter ♪
♪ Like the endless waves that heave On a throbbing moonlit sea ♪
♪ You, my beloved Are the song that rises ♪
♪ In the heart of the swaying branches Of this tree of life ♪
♪ O golden bride ♪
♪ Of what longing Does your heart sing? ♪
♪ You are the dream that glistens ♪
♪ In the moonlit leaves Of swirling trees ♪
♪ My love ♪
♪ I wander in search of your gospel Day and night ♪
♪ Like Prince Badarul Munir ♪
♪ Stringing together a rosary Of eternal longing ♪
♪ As the uncaged birds of memories ♪
♪ Spread across The fragrant night sky ♪
♪ Mortals and gods hum ♪
♪ Melodies of your sweet grace ♪
♪ For the lovelorn Who pray for your touch ♪
♪ Caged in the spells of djinns ♪
♪ For the damned who yearn For your return from oblivion ♪
♪ For the melancholic who smoulders Under the weight of longing ♪
♪ I beg for your song The solace of your breath ♪
♪ My insides quiver In unspeakable agony ♪
♪ Let me chant divine parables To resurrect fateful lovers ♪
♪ Charred in the pyre Of doomed passion ♪
♪ In the elusive garden Of your heart's paradise ♪
♪ Like a butterfly that unfolds A thousand truths in a single flutter ♪
♪ Like the endless waves that heave On a throbbing moonlit sea ♪
♪ You, my beloved Are the song that rises ♪
♪ In the heart of the swaying branches Of this tree of life ♪
♪ O golden bride ♪
♪ Of what longing Does your heart sing? ♪
♪ You are the dream that glistens ♪
♪ In the moonlit leaves Of swirling trees ♪
You're in charge of the youth festival this time as well?
That's a routine.
You're back after your fever? Don't be out in the sun.
GOVERNMENT HIGH SCHOOL THATTARAMBALAM
Huge protests have broken out all over the country.
Pillai chetta, tea for two people.
Demanding strong action against the accused,
there were protests in Delhi and Hyderabad.
-It's really hot, right? -I swear! It's too hot!
Can't even sit inside that classroom.
Those kids must be saluted.
Handwritten copies of Gauri Shankar's unpublished novel are out.
The handwritten copy that is believed to have led to the writer's murder
reached the houses of people who were close to Gauri Shankar
via courier.
This incident has created a furore.
Police have begun their search to find the person behind this.
Gauri's sister, Sarojini, has confirmed
that it's indeed Gauri Shankar's handwriting on the copies.
The fear that this newly released novel
will fiercely question the existing social system
had led communal forces to murder Gauri Shankar.
Gauri's friend and publisher Anand,
Tamil writer Muthuvel,
investigating officer Ismail Ibrahim and Gauri's sister, Sarojini,
were the ones who received the parcels in the morning.
"My words are safe in this world.
"They will speak to you."
These last words of Gauri have been reaffirmed on this day.
Let's hope that this country reads his novel Karuppu.
Just a minute.
-Where are you going? -I'll be right back.
People of the North-Eastern states have taken to the streets
to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
In Assam and Tripura...
Binu, add his sister's byte. I'll call and talk to her.
Armed forces have been deployed in Tripura.
An indefinite curfew has been declared in Assam...
It was the hour when the city drifts into quiet slumber
by the fading light of street lamps.
The bustle settled
as the last of the vendors made their way home.
The long lane stretched empty into the dark.
Everything stood still,
except for the occasional rumble of huge vehicles carrying goods.
The street lay asleep in dense silence
as if in submission to the night's unwritten rule.
Unfamiliar buildings leapt into endless heights on its sides.
A face, frozen with the melancholy of a thousand lifetimes,
stared into the lull.
In a heartbeat,
a dry wind snatched the piece of paper, damp with sweat.
Nine defeated faces remained in the dark.
Faces unsought in life and death.
The letter had reached without a trace.
Soiled, it held together black feeble alphabets.
Names... nine names listed one below the other.
One, two, three...
Nine defeated faces.
The pitch black of the night…
Now and then, the town recalls the incident
as nothing more than a fabled whisper.
Despite the murders in cold blood,
a truth still alive in the eyes of those who stood witness,
it remains discarded under the moss of time and deliberate oblivion,
like the mythical shrine of the goddess lost to wilderness.
It was at the break of dawn that Kani's pale blue corpse
surfaced in the pond within the temple that day.
The oracles called it the wrath of gods.
By the time the news of her killing gathered attention,
the corpses of everyone who set out to find her truth
appeared in the pond,
one after the other.
It was not the wrath of gods,
but of a kind of skin.
Nine murders.
Haunted by fear, a helpless group of people fled for their lives.
Their exodus for survival lay forgotten in the merciless onslaught of time.
The lives taken by the wrath of the gods
remained uninvestigated.
It was their destiny. Their bodies were all black.