Story : Sequence : Characters : Casting :
Honeymoon followed by the news of transfer to Keonjhar for Mehwesh as senior engineer for the new telecom project came as a pleasant opportunity to seek some time with Mehnaz away from the humdrum of the joint family that usually follows. Everyone was sad to get departed from the newly wed. But were concerned about the couple who would face a cultural and regional change from Rajasthan. The packages were not unpacked and journey was set for Keonjhar.
Mountain surrounded city was a merry for Mehnaz but Mehwesh found little time. He became busy in installation of the hub and Mehnaz found him in her arms only in late nights, when he was too tired even to talk. Still Mehwesh never gave her a chance to complain. As every Sunday he would take her for sight seeing, prepare dishes to give her surprises. Sundays were special and Sunday nights were always awaited. After marriage Mehnaz and Mehwesh truly fell in love with each other, more, each passing days; as they got to know each other and respected each other’s individuality.
Five months had passed, on rosy wings. It was the first Sunday of March. Mehwesh had planned a long drive in morning on the winding hilly tracks rich with nature’s bounty. For the first time in life on insistence of Mehwesh, reluctant Mehnaz sported a tight jean with a sleeveless t-shirt. The colors of her shyness gave her a contrasting bold look, which Mehwesh adored. He found a new Mehnaz with whom he zoomed off on his Caliber.
Till late noon they were just wandering, enjoying thoroughly the fast ride and their being with each other. After 4 pm they had a quick lunch of “pakkhal-bhaat” in a small restaurant during which plan for movie was made.
Unknown to the couples enjoying the movie, a man in forties, in rich suit was fumbling for keys in front of their door. Quite calmly he searched for the right key. Getting it, he confidently opened the door and walked in locking the door behind him. Once in the house, he explored here and there, finally taking a bottle of soft drink, he settled down in sofa taking remote in his hand, skipping channels.
The sound of laughter, increasing sounds of tapping heels and finally clicks of key in lock of the door, made the unknown guest alert. Jumping on his heels, he switched off the TV, light and rolled under the bed. The effect of the comedy in the movie was still upbeat. They could hardly suppress their rolling laughter. In the same ecstasy, she threw herself on the bed and kept on rolling with laughter. Mehwesh reminded her of passing time. He was getting impatient. Wiping her tears of laughter she went to bathroom to refresh herself.
Coming out in her pale yellow nightie, she was astonished to see Mehwesh on bed covered with a ‘chaddar’ till neck. Seeing her he cried “Run Mehnaz! Run!” Still in the hang over of the movie, she queried, “What’s up, a race now? What about …”, another shock awaited her as she pulled up the ‘chaddar’. He was tied up!
“Yes, there is a race”, the man intervened, “between you and me, that I am going to win. He’d be just a spectator.”
He looked dangerous, even in the soberest of his dress. Something in his eyes and voice sent shivers down her spine. Very casually he pulled out his lethal knife, wiped his sweat off and walked towards her. Sensing danger Mehnaz tried to run towards the phone. It was dead! He pulled her from the phone and threw her beside Mehwesh. Quietly he sat besides them explaining,
“Listen carefully, I don’t want to hurt you. Don’t compel me. Do as I say nothing will ever happen to any of you. Wait girl … any movement to run, your husband will get hurt. That’s good. Both of your lives depend on each other. If she does what I want he lives, if she refuses, he dies…he dies a slow painful death.“
“What is it? Want money take it. Leave him. Take anything you want just don’t hurt him”, she said.
“Sure, now get rid of your clothes.”
They were horrified and Mehnaz was pleading while trying to escape while Mehwesh was on top of his voice. Irritated the man turned the TV on, in loud volume. Steps of fleeing Mehnaz were stopped by scream of Mehwesh. He was bleeding on his chest.
“I said you …”, the man smilingly said.
The intruder had left. But it seemed torturous time had stopped. Mehnaz was still lying motionless on bed. Mehwesh was panting. After sometime Mehnaz gathered herself and went to untie her husband. All the time Mehwesh was trying to look deep into her eyes, which she was trying to avoid. Sitting on bed Mehwesh took her hands in his. “Are you okay?” he asked and for the first time Mehnaz broke down. She cried for hours. Time went on and on and they never knew when morning came.
Seven days passing had not smoothed things in Mehnaz’s memory. Police informed the intruder to be a psychic but was still not caught as they knew nothing about his identity but modus operandi suggested him to be a single person and psychic. Mehwesh tried his level best to console his wife but all was in vain. That spontaneous laughter that he could always associate Mehnaz with was hiding somewhere.
Life was limping back normal. Even the Sunday outing started but everything seemed to be lifeless, Sundays never remained the same. The office of Mehwesh and household of Mehnaz took their own course and to outsiders it seemed as normal as it was before. But no one knew what was the torment that was troubling him or her both.
All the time Mehwesh would try his best to cheer her up in all possible manners and Mehnaz would try hard to behave in the way she did before. The torturous time went on in just trying to be normal. But they never succeeded totally. Rather they always ended up sitting silently, staring at each other blankly or doing some meaningless things. Sunday outings also ended in intervals. Mehwesh came back sooner from office from usual time and Mehnaz always waited for him. But greetings were more formal. Being without Mehwesh were disturbing and being with him was more.
Sleeping on couches and floors had taken 4-5 months. That night Mehwesh went to bed for first time after the incident. He said, “It’s cold Mehnaz. Come here.” Quietly she did. Sleeping on the far edge she looked at Mehwesh. He was ogling at her with a known thirst in his eyes. She crept towards him. Cuddling besides she asked, ”Can we forget it?” “I have, and you should also, for my sake. And it’s not you to be blamed dear, I love you”, he replied. “You are always as before”, and he kissed her. Air of ecstasy flowed in and they passed into the horizon of breathlessness.
As she surrendered herself completely and he overtook her, gradually she felt presence of another person. She looked around; she saw something. A face, that was mocking, and robbing her of her womanhood. They ended up before their journey could even reach halfway. Mehwesh decided that moment itself that he would wait till she is psychologically prepared for it. The bed got the couples each night, and was a witness to his interest and resistance, and sometimes her initiation. But the end was like the first one.
Mehwesh was mentally strong enough to cope up with the loss of the old Mehnaz. The attention he used to get from her as a wife, friend and at times as guide also was missing. But he waited as somehow he had confidence. Confidence in her, himself and God. But something was their which troubled him. Perhaps his identity as her man. At times he needed her, as his wife. But whenever he got, he lost before getting completely. He was not getting satisfied with anything as its substitute. And gradually he found something consoling. Remembrance of the happy time they spent together. He fantasized about everything he could remember. It was relieving, at least partially.
Mehnaz knew very well she was not behaving the way she should. She recognized her painful existence and always wanted to go back to normalcy. She would all day prepare herself for his coming. She would rehearse of hugging him as he comes, but always on his entrance felt a pinch of helplessness in her heart and she would remain standing at the place faking a smile hardly believing herself that she is indeed smiling.
Mehwesh’s trial of revitalizing the past was taking a new dimension. He was previously troubled when his nice fantasies got their way out to those nightmarish hours they faced. But Mehwesh, a person who always saw some brightness even in darkest of shades, slowly found something that may help him out of his torment. He started discovering the feelings that would have prevailed in Mehnaz at the time her eyes were fixed on him while she was receiving the greatest shock of her life. He was, by now, getting some sort of satisfaction out of this. He knew it was a perversion but he accepted it as a lesser evil then the torment that both were facing. It was hard, but he settled down on it. There was no other way.
Mehnaz, feeling too guilty of making Mehwesh desperate and understanding him and his feelings for her was now prepared to face life with a new look. This evening she would receive him as she did a year ago. She was jubilant over her new attitude.
Mehwesh was more than happy to find the old Mehnaz. Evening went on in enjoying the newfound togetherness and reunion. Dinner was tastier than ever before. Then came the time which Mehnaz waited with all anxiety.
“I am back”, Mehnaz cuddled in his arms. It was the joy of heaven that she was experiencing and was intoxicated with. She was feeling as if it was their first meeting. She was more than just happy. She was light and relaxed; and moreover, excited. She wouldn’t deny the heaviness that remained in her heart but she knew there is no escape to that and she was ready to bear it all her life now. But nevertheless she was lighter.
Looking in her eyes, bringing her closer in his arms and touching her lips with all affection in his eyes Mehwesh asked, “Mehnaz”, “Hmm?” She closed her eyes and hummed. He continued, “Can you explain your experience… that night?” He was looking honest. All of a sudden all ecstatic intoxication seemed vanishing into the thin air on question of Mehwesh. She got a shock and it sent a cold chill down her spine. Her eyes opened and with confusion and a hint of indignation faced Mehwesh. She felt like being slapped in public. “Mehwesh!” She was in pain. She got up and taking her pillow went to floor.
Mehwesh knew what wrong he did. He wanted to make Mehnaz understand what he felt like. He is now in it. He had started identifying with it. A strange interest had begun sprouting its bud in his mind towards the incident. He knew he would never do anything to trouble Mehnaz and would kill this feeling if it disturbs her. But he couldn’t give up his crave to give it a bit more try. But any try would be the last one, he decided. He wanted Mehnaz and he can never afford to lose her. His interest in the feeling of Mehnaz at those times was immense, but Mehnaz is and always will be more important.
Restless Mehnaz was doing everything wrong. No work was getting completed perfectly at home. Her husbands face was becoming blurred in her vision. She couldn’t know how day went off and evening came. Night found them in same bed and close too. But distance had increased manifold. They now talked, ate and did all the things together. Even laughed and shared jokes. But their relationship changed to two known persons. Just close to each other.
After a long she was in his arms. Mehnaz never knew when Mehwesh, standing at her back in kitchen and talking, quietly held her hands. What she remembered was she rotated and sank quietly in his arms. She felt like crying after a long. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she felt like complaining and beating his broad chest with her small fist. She felt like talking a lot. She felt like vomiting out all the grievances in front of her husband. She felt she is pushing all her sorrows in her watertight heart and should take out all the heaviness that was choking her. “It was terrible Mehwesh”.
Mehnaz wanted to speak, Mehwesh knew. He wanted to listen too. But he had prepared himself before not to trouble her. He would give it a try he had thought, but after convincing himself that even it’s not happening wouldn’t drag Mehnaz away from him. He saw Mehnaz’s trouble and discovered that her relief would be more permanent if she speaks out. Some inhibitions or confusions stopped her from continuing but he was assured that she would feel good to say it out.
‘Why did I stop?’ Mehnaz thought. She thought she was catering to the wish of Mehwesh to narrate her experience. ‘Okay, so what?’ she argued with herself. She did it on impulse she knew and she thought she needed it. She felt so relaxed to just say her feeling in a word. ‘Then why did I stop?’ She was desperate. Perhaps she would have come out of everything the very night she went close to him after that night, she thought. But Mehwesh’s query made her feel bad. ‘Would I have?’ she asked herself. Someone screamed inside, ‘Yes, whom else I’ll confide with?’ She felt like calling up Mehwesh from office now. She waited, patiently.
Returning from office to meet a friend at home had become routine for Mehwesh. Mehnaz was no more than a friend. But last brief interaction was still fresh in his mind. Somehow he thought, everything has become alright, when he stepped in. “I have a lot to say Mehwesh, if you are not tired.” Looking at his eyes she said, holding his hands. Dinner was tastier tonight and Mehwesh decided to accept time as it comes.
She was like a small child aggrieved and had no one else other than Mehwesh to speak her heart out. Only he was the one who was in her side or else it seemed to her that the world and all others were somewhere too far off, distant. Resting her head on his chest, she began “Mehwesh … I wanted to share … something.” Mehwesh stroked her hairs and took her face in his hands. Looking into her deeply his smile assured her that he is listening. “Do anything that makes you feel good Mehnaz. I am always there to help you.” “I want to share them Mehwesh. All the feelings.” But after a moment she stopped. Mehwesh held her more closely. In the softest and sweetest of his voice, in a reassuring manner whispered, “Yes, Mehnaz, speak. I am also ………interested.” Easing her breath, Mehnaz continued.
Time flew past. Two of them kept on looking into each other and while one spoke, other listened. Eyes of Mehnaz shed all the deposits of water and Mehwesh drank them all. Satisfaction was evident on both of their faces. Hands clasped tightly to each other became warm with love and sweat. Each sentence, each word, each alphabet of her narration made her light and he; he could never understand or make anyone understand what his feelings were. Night prolonged and gave in to a promising morning. Through cloudy night of pessimism a morning of optimism was slowly coming in.
The story begins with Mehnaz and Mehwesh returning home after honeymoon. At home the holiday atmosphere is still there and excited sister in laws talk to the new member in their family about herself and themselves.
In the course of their discussion and light conversations Mehnaz portrays her life that she led at her parents place. They talked about each other’s past and funny incidences that occurred in Mehwesh’s past. Here Mehnaz’s past life, in college could be flash backed during conversations with Mehwesh.
Mehwesh gets a promotion and posting at Keonjhar, Orissa. He and Mehnaz start for the place.
In Delhi, a rich businessperson sitting gloomily ponders about his school and college days. Here flashback of the man’s past can be shown. But it will be restricted just to his school and college days. He thinks about the amount of humiliations and ridicules that were targeted to him. He was referred ‘Timbo’ as a shortcut of timid person. He is too bitter but not a trace of anger was on his visage. There was a sort of satisfaction and contentment in his eyes.
In Keonjhar Mehnaz and Mehwesh go out every Sunday They have a lot of fun. In longer holidays they go to tourist places like Ushakutti, Hirakud, Konark, Puri, Cuttack and Bhubneswar. On workdays he would have to be in office or at site while she would wait and cooks for him. Mehwesh’s praise of his recipes encouraged her to send them to magazines. This way some months pass giving them new experiences.
One day after signing some papers the said businessman of Delhi hands them to his PA and says he is going out on some work for a week. He catches flight.
Next Sunday Mehwesh gets a pair of jeans and t-shirt and urges his wife to wear them to go out. Reluctant Mehnaz does it. She looked good. They had the best Sunday they ever had. After returning back they faced the man in their flat. It was a nightmare they survived.
That man is sitting in a private, overcrowded bus. He is smiling to himself. Flashback of his interaction with his friends, business and then a get-together is shown. Here the first criminal bent of his mind gets first spark. He knows what will satisfy him now. If needed, he will do it. And he was determined to seek revenge against all males having a counterpart, and that too in a specific way.
Mehnaz is sad and gloomy. She is trying hard to come out of it. She, after long battles with herself, gets back to her normal life. She was thinking to share her pain with her husband. Mehwesh, unknown to her, driven by his nature was slowly seeking pleasure in fantasizing the night of pain. Before she could, Mehwesh’s request to explain that night made her feel disgraced.
Again a big rift comes in between. Mehwesh thinks to give her time. But still he had plans to at least ask her one last time. She, on her part was also reconciling herself to the fact. Simultaneously Mehwesh was getting frustrated on his helplessness. The only way out he found was that uncommon, though weird psychology to feel what Mehnaz had felt that night. He found it the lesser evil or the only escape way out.
Mehwesh’s past of school and college days where he picked up this habit of finding pleasure in pains are shown here as flashback.
Mehnaz thought all over the things. Again and again. She was starting to reconcile with the facts and truths. She finally decided to speak out, like last time.
That night they both felt each other’s presence and she spoke out everything. Mehwesh listened to all intently. As she spoke and he listened, all the distances that were created between them shrunk. Mehwesh got the pleasure that he could never explain to others but he was happier as he got his wife back. It proved to be a new turning point in their life.
Characters in the story are basically three. Two of them are protagonists named Mehwesh and Mehnaz. They are husband and wife. The third one is an unnamed man who has the negative shade. We shall discuss about each of them in detail.
The man is a psychic patient who is a rich man of Delhi. Police has records about him in file for similar cases. After first incident was reported in Delhi he seemed to vanish. His modus operandi is that he never stays in a city for more than a week.
He is a person in forties. He is a fair, lean and thin, having a pale and painful face. He looks respectable and dignified. His attitude is gentlemanly. Any person passing by him would not only feel respect for him but also would like to help. He manages to dress himself up in rich suits. He keeps a dagger always with him. He is a sexually perverted person who finds pleasure in seeing others in pain. And he finds this pleasure by inflicting pain on persons who would get affected and as side effect the victims nearer ones would also suffer.
Whenever he needs to satisfy his insane urge, he reaches any previously unvisited place by him. For two to three days he seeks the location where he would play his game. Next couple of days he sets up his target and studies the persons or families where he couldn’t be stopped to do as he wishes. Then he waits for the day he calculates and sneaks in the house. As soon as he satisfies his cannibalistic desires, he leaves the town.
He was a rich businessman and quite successful in life, but was still single whose root can be traced back to his school and college days. He was above the ordinary when it came to studies. However, far below when it came to something else. He was too timid and introvert to meet and interact with opposite sex. This attributed to ridicules that he kept on facing from his friends who had girlfriends. This was torturously continuous in his life. Being reclusive he neither could discuss this with anyone, nor could he help himself to be like what his friends were. All the accumulated and suppressed anger and anguish got stored and magnified with time till he couldn’t stop himself from ending up as a criminal and psychic. After studies he joined his fathers business and being lone child he was left alone after his parents. Marriage was not possible even by a lot trial of his parents and after them he never had any interest. He went on getting involved in his business and always tried to hide his traumas in involvements and wine. But somewhere and somehow his pains kept on tormenting him and eating him up. Although he was an eligible bachelor, being unapproachable from his side he kept on getting more isolated each moment.
His insanity got a spark one evening in a small get-to-gather party of old college friends. The old habit of his friends was testing his patience again and no one knew he had met his saturation. An impulse, on his friends taunt made him do something too unexpected. A kiss from his angry lips met his taunting friends wife. But this changed everything. He saw two things that partially healed all his long nourished wounds. Shock and fear in the lady’s eyes and a pinch of pain, frustration and fear in his friends face.
He had tasted blood.
Mehnaz was born and brought up in Rajasthan. She was a homely girl who was attached to her parents emotionally. She was fair, slim and beautiful. After graduation she was engaged to Mehwesh. They married a year after that. But till the D-Day they never saw or talked to each other. She thought that if she has to be someone else’s after a year, she should spend as much time as she could with her family. Still she couldn’t stop herself in falling in love with a person whom her parents thought best for her. Mehwesh had become a part of her life even before meeting him.
She was an optimistic jolly girl who always found something bright even in the darkest clouds. Still her sense of justice and reason was remarkable. For every incident in her life she would carefully reason it. For some strange reasons she never could blame anybody for anything, she would somehow find a reason to excuse or find out why any person reacted in the way he or she did.
Her strength was the people close to her. She derived her energy from the happiness’, smile and affection of her dear ones. But even if she was alone, the thought of the loved ones would make her strong enough to face any challenges in life. And always she found Almighty as her true inner strength.
Mehnaz believed in living in present and always tried to push the past back. She had the habit to fight her own battle herself. Despite having respect and feeling for her close ones who try to help her, she resisted taking their help because more they would help her, more deeper she would sink in her frustration, and pain. It was her firm belief that she would be victorious if she fought alone. She would only take help if she would find it the last resort, and that too from the closest ones.
The basic feature of Mehnaz’s character and psychology is that she was honest and frank. If she chose to be close to somebody, then she was like an open book. Her thoughts and feelings would be easily read.
Mehwesh was a gentle and intelligent person with a lot of patience. It helped him in his studies and later in his career too. He was a voracious reader and it helped him to get best of grades in his career. He was a topper throughout his life. He built his career as an Electronics and Telecommunications engineer and was placed in a MNC.
Obedient and respectful to his parents, Mehwesh was a easy-going person throughout his life. He took every thing, good and bad, in his stride. He enjoyed partying out with friends. Living in hostels had made him quite self-dependent. But living in hostels had another impact in his life.
Away from his parents right from std. VII was difficult for him as it would have been for any boy. Yet, Mehwesh found a way out. Instead of complaining in pain and lamenting, he started to train himself to enjoy his present state how so ever melancholic it was. It was the way he followed always till it became habitual.
Like all young men, Mehwesh too had a girl in his dream. But he seldom found time to search her out. Thus when his parents asked him to marry Mehnaz, he agreed hoping that she would be the one in his dream. He was optimistic yet apprehensive. What if she is not the dreamt one? And this was another reason why he never took initiative to call her up before marriage. Then again as his nature beckoned him, he started getting attracted to his uncertain marital future. In a way this gave him an unexplainable pleasure. He reasoned it, as even if it is painful, it would open new door of excitement.
Every thing happened even more than Mehwesh’s expectations.
Success was his buzzword. Mehwesh worked hard to achieve it and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of his life. This was also reflected in his marital life. Perhaps this was the main reason of their happy life together. Mehnaz’s optimism with sense of reasoning and his attitude to derive all positive shades even from excruciating aspects of his life.
These three characters who had their individual lives intermingled with each other in the story to give altogether a new contort to the story.
Ø Hero : Mehwesh Akhtar : Dino Morea
Ø Heroine : Mehnaz Nigar : Neha
Ø
Villain :
(Timbo,
as
called by friends
: Manoj Bajpai
And
sir, at office)
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