Susanna's Seven Husbands
Page 13
The man peels off his nylon-stocking mask—it’s Dr Tarafdar.
Dr Tarfdar permits himself a grim smile of respect.
Int. Health institute. Night.
All alone in his office, enjoying a glass of Scotch, Dr Tarafdar puts his feet on his desk and leans back, talking—it seems—to no one.
The camera slowly comes around to reveal the Bluetooth earpiece he is wearing. Phone call continues.
He gulps his drink down and makes the sound of choking and crying while grinning at himself in the mirror.
Cut to:
Ext. Susanna’s house. Night.
Dr Tarafdar parks his car and walks a bit unsteadily to the front door.
Int. Upstairs corridor. Same.
Approaching the master bedroom Dr Tarafdar spots a fruit basket waiting for him on a hall table. It is exactly the same as the one Susanna sent to Eva. Dr Tarafdar rummages through the fruits and selects an apple. He takes a bite and enters the bedroom.
Int. Bedroom. Continuous.
Dr Tarafdar takes off his clothes while singing a Bengali Rabindra Sangeet song.
A female voice sings the second line from behind.
Dr Tarafdar turns sharply to find Susanna standing next to the window.
She looks very attractive in the soft, romantic light of a single lamp. He is shocked to see her but composes himself the next moment.
DR TARAFDAR.
Susanna smiles and sings the next line.
SUSANNA.
Dr Tarafdar walks towards her.
DR TARAFDAR. Why …?
SUSANNA.
He stands next to her.
DR TARAFDAR.
SUSANNA.
She forgets the next word and asks Dr Tarafdar.
SUSANNA. Hmm …?
Dr Tarafdar sings the word.
DR TARAFDAR.
SUSANNA.
She stops again.
DR TARAFDAR. Tara … You don’t know how much I missed you, Susanna.
He tries to hug her but she slips away. They both now stand on the two sides of the bed. She takes off her gown while singing.
SUSANNA.
She slips into the blanket.
SUSANNA.
She looks at Dr Tarafdar with inviting eyes. He turns and takes off his pants.
DR TARAFDAR.
Dr Tarafdar is about to get into the blanket but suddenly stops. His attention is fixed on some sinuous movement in the sheets. He pulls back the covers, revealing one of Susanna’s cobra’s, which rises to greet him, it’s tongue flicking. Tarafdar utters a strangled cry and staggers back while bundling the snake in the blanket. He then turns and throws the writhing sheet out of the window. He takes a while to get his breath back. A smile slowly emerges on his lips as he turns.
DR TARAFDAR.
He moves towards her in a serpentine walk, gets on the bed, flicking his tongue like a cobra. he reaches very close to her face and sings softly.
DR TARAFDAR.
Susanna’s face is expressionless. Her eyes are cold—she is in a war now and she knows it.
Cut to:
Int. Kitchen. Day.
Susanna has concealed herself behind the door and is spying on Dr Tarafdar as he prepares a pot of tomato soup. He tosses in a few spices, then speaks without turning around.
DR TARAFDAR. vinegar Bring it, please.
Susanna is shocked. She puts on a smile and enters to hand him the bottle. He mixes a few drops from it into the pot.
He holds out a spoonful of the soup.
DR TARAFDAR. ?
SUSANNA.
Dr Tarafdar slurps up the soup then nods happily.
DR TARAFDAR.
Cut to:
Ext. Terrace. Day.
Dr Tarafdar emerges from the kitchen, carrying a tray with two bowls of soup. He sets them down on a lazy Susan in the centre of the patio table.
As Susanna watches intently, he adds some fresh parsley to each one, then rotates the turntable, sending one steaming bowl around to her.
He smiles encouragingly.
Instead of eating, she rotates the lazy Susan 180 degrees. Now her bowl of soup is in front of him.
Dr Tarafdar’s smile never fades. He sits down, tucks a napkin into his shirt front, and turns the lazy Susan again!
Susanna dreamily inhales the aroma, picks up her spoon and…rotates the turntable once more.
Dr Tarafdar’s smile has become fierce. He takes the spoonful of soup and, instead of having it himself, offers it to her. She looks him in the eye. He holds the spoon, still smiling at her. A beat.
Suddenly Maggie enters screaming from inside the kitchen.
MAGGIE. Miss
Int. Kitchen. Day.
Inside the kitchen Ghalib lies dead on the floor. Dr Tarafdar bends down to check his pulse. He looks at Susanna and shakes his head. Susanna’s eyes turn to the empty bowl of soup lying next to Ghalib’s arm.
Cut to:
Ext. Backyard. Day.
Susanna takes out the black plastic sheet from above the rows of mushrooms in the garden. The row sandwiched between the purple and white ones is empty. Her eyes shift to see a single red mushroom lying near the pathway.
Cut to:
Int. Health institute. Day.
Dr Tarafdar is displaying his lab of naturopathy to some of his foreign colleagues. The lab has oversized specimens of garlic, ginger and mushrooms. He turns to see Susanna standing outside the glass window, wearing her black veil costume. His smile fades.
Cut to:
Int. Dr Tarafdar’s office. Moments later.
Dr Tarafdar enters his office, where Susanna is waiting for him. She holds up the red mushroom in between her fingers and drops it down on the table.
DR TARAFDAR. Susanna … I can explain …
WHAM! Susanna slams down one of her father’s revolvers on the table. Then she produces a box of bullets and loads one round into the gun. She spins the cylinder, puts the gun to her head and pulls the trigger!
CLICK!
WHAM! She slams the gun back on to the desk and glares at Dr Tarafdar. He looks at the gun, as tears start to form in his eyes.
Susanna picks up the gun and places it in his shaky palm. A nervous Tarafdar keeps talking.
He cries and looks at her, begging for mercy.
Susanna takes the gun from his hand and points it at him. He begins to tremble.
She pulls the trigger.
CLICK!
A cunning smile appears on his lips, as Susanna once again aims the gun at her temple. He eagerly waits for her to pull the trigger. She does…
CLICK!
He closes his eyes in despair and starts to cry again.
DR TARAFDAR. I loved you … genuinely ……
Susanna aims the gun back at him again. He shuts his eyes as she pulls the trigger.
CLICK!
He opens his eyes, and a smile slowly appears on his tearful face.
She lifts her eyes, now shining with fury. She turns the gun on him and pulls the trigger four times.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! BANG!
The bullet knocks Dr Tarafdar off his feet. He hits the wall, a blotch of blood staining his white medical coat. Grabbing at a lamp, he falls to the floor and dies.
Fade out.
Ext. Road. Night.
Behind the wheel of her car, Susanna makes her getaway on the Panchgani main road. As she rushes towards the farm, two police cars roar by, headed for Tarafdar’s wellness centre.
Int. Susanna’s house. Night.
The oil portrait of Susanna’s father looks down as she enters the dining room, splashing kerosene everywhere.
Int. Foyer. Continuous.
Susanna works her way upstairs, soaking the carpets in kerosene.
Int. Upstairs corridor. Continuous.
She pours the last of the kerosene over the bannister and into the foyer below. She then lights a match and throws it.
A shot in slow motion of the match tumbling down—and igniting t
he inferno!
Int. Bedroom. Night.
The grandfather clock is ticking. With great dignity, Susanna walks to the rocking chair, and sits in front of the mirror, patiently awaiting the flames to engulf her.
Int. Maggie’s quarters. Night.
Maggie, packing her bags, notices something outside. She comes to the window and screams.
From her POV, we see the house engulfed in flames. Already the fire is out of control.
Int. Bedroom. Night.
The room is full of smoke. Coughing and wheezing, Susanna staggers off the chair and tries to open the window. It’s jammed.
Int. Susanna’s house. Night.
The fire is already roaring, bathing the garden in orange light. Maggie comes running and tries to enter the house, fighting her way through the flames.
MAGGIE. Miss
Cut to:
Int. Foyer. Moments later.
Maggie starts up the stairway, but the fire makes her step back. A burning beam falls on her, knocking her off her feet. She tries to get up but is pinned to the ground. She screams in pain as the flames burn her skin…She looks up towards the corridor.
Int. Bedroom. Continuous.
Susanna finally manages to pry open the window. She can now hear the distant sounds of sirens. Susanna climbs out on to the parapet and jumps down.
Ext. Garden. Night.
Sirens of fire engines blare out loud as they pull up on the drive-way, but its too late. Covered in soot, the other servants watch as the walls of the house collapse.
Ext. Lakeside. Night.
The conflagration is visible across the lake. Flames and flashing police lights are reflected in the dark waves.
Susanna drags herself out of the water, bedraggled and glassy-eyed. She collapses on to the pier and lies there, motionless.
The camera moves in on Susanna as her head slowly comes up; her eyes are fixed on the distant fire.
Int. Train. Night.
Susanna is sitting on the floor in the general compartment of a crowded moving train. She is shivering inside a dirty, torn blanket. Her clothes are a mess.
She looks ill and starved.
Susanna notices an old newspaper on the floor, which has her photograph. She picks it up.
The headline reads—‘DNA Samples Confirm Merry Widow's Death’.
Flashcut: Susanna trying to open the window through the smoke. For a second she turns to hear the faint call of Maggie.
MAGGIE. Miss
Cut to:
Int. Private office. Day.
Flashback: Wearing rubber gloves, Arun opens the box and sorts through various bits of cloth and bone, pulling out half a cranium. Then—jackpot!
He lifts out the skeletal remains of a human foot with six toes.
Int. Train. Night.
Susanna now has tears in her eyes.
SUSANNA (voice-over). Maggie
Cut to:
Ext. Beach. Dawn.
The present day. Arun and Susanna sit on the rocks behind the house, overlooking the sea. It looks like they’ve been chatting though the night.
Susanna smiles.
SUSANNA.
Arun laughs.
ARUN.
Susanna turns to look at him, a sarcastic smile on her face.
Arun smiles mockingly, as she continues.
SUSANNA.
Arun shakes his head.
SUSANNA.
Susanna smiles and brushes his hair gently.
Susanna smiles at him.
SUSANNA. Sugar.
Arun looks at her sharply.
ARUN. ?
Susanna holds his nose and swings it around gently.
SUSANNA. My seventh husband.
Arun is shocked. Susanna laughs aloud.
SUSANNA.
She shows him a church far away across the horizon.
Arun nods.
SUSANNA. …?
ARUN.
He picks up his jacket and starts to walk away on the beach. Susanna laughs and calls out to him from behind.
SUSANNA. …
Arun keeps walking on the beach. The singing of a choir fades in on the soundtrack.
Fade to:
Ext. Église de Sacré Coeur de Jesus. Day.
The singing continues as we see the church—a magnificent Gothic-revival building. In the tower, the bell is ringing. Many guests are streaming through the main doorway.
Arun joins them, filled with grim determination.
Int. Église de Sacré Coeur de Jesus. Day.
As the pews are filling up, Arun goes up to the balcony, where he is alone at the rail. Visibly nervous, he looks down on the proceedings.
Ceremony.
A choir of Carmelite nuns, clad in brown habits, sings a Latin hymn as a bride enters, clad in a beautiful, white wedding gown. Her face is hidden by a white veil. Arun looks around—something is strange. Where is the groom? Even more strange: he sees that the bride is not Susanna. More brides file in, all of them in identical wedding gowns. Susanna is also there, last in a line of seven! Arun’s mouth is hanging open. The singing stops.
An elderly bishop steps up to the altar, wearing a surplice and brocaded chasuble. He’s using an ebony cane. Arun recognizes him as the older man in the restaurant earlier.
An abbot steps forward with a big pair of shears.
Each woman kneels, looking down as the abbot cuts their hair.
Arun grips the rail, fascinated and dismayed by the serene expression on Susanna’s face. She looks up as the Bishop walks up to her and slips a gold wedding ring on her finger.
The camera lifts to the balcony—but Arun has left.
Ext. Goa roads. Day.
Nandini and Chetna sit inside a police jeep driving on the roads of Goa. Nandini is glued to the window, trying to look for Arun through the crowd. A bored and uninterested officer accompanies them.
Nandini suddenly notices a man on the other side of the road. His back is facing them. The man turns as he crosses the road.
NANDINI. Arun …! please …!
The jeep swerves to a halt as Nandini jumps out and runs across the road to follow him.
NANDINI. Arun …!
Cut to:
Ext. Goa street. Continuous.
Arun stops after a few steps, as he hears somebody call out his name from across the road. He turns to see Nandini standing at the end of the street, panting, trying to catch her breath. He keeps looking at her for a few moments. He is shocked to see her. He walks to her slowly as she runs and hugs him tight, with joyful tears in her eyes.
NANDINI. I hate you, Arun … I hate you …
Arun embraces her tightly.
ARUN. I am fine, Nandi … I told you I’ll come back soon.
As he comforts her, he notices Chetna and the cops emerging from across the road. He is alarmed to see them and whispers into Nandini’s ear.
ARUN. police ?
Nandini looks back at the cops and turns to Arun.
It brings a smile to Arun’s face as he hugs her tight.
ARUN. Never … She is dead …
Nandini looks at him. He wipes her tears.
ARUN. Forever … !
NANDINI.
ARUNA.
Cut to:
Int. Église de Sacré Coeur de Jesus. Moments later.
The bishop is at the altar, making his concluding remarks. The women in white have exited. But as the singing resumes, they re-enter the nave in single file, all of them now in flowing brown habits. In her new garb, Susanna is unrecognizable. The hymn turns joyful, triumphant. As Susanna kneels and begins to pray, the camera closes in.
Dissolve to:
MONTAGE
Husband #1: The Major, holding his gun, leans over the side of the machaan, eyes wide as the panther races towards him! Susanna is right behind him. With her foot, she shoves him off the platform! He screams as he disappears from view…
Husband #2: Jimmy is crawling in the rain, within the graves in the cemetery. Mag
gie is holding up a syringe and rubber strap, luring him closer…He finally snatches the syringe from her hands…
Husband #3: Up in the Zabarwan hills overlooking Dal Lake, in the middle of the freezing night, the poet is being buried alive by Goonga, Ghalib and Maggie. Only his head is sticking out, screaming in horror! With their shovels, they heap more and more dirt on to him…
Husband #4: As Susanna pulls up the rope ladder, Vronsky screams out to her, in deep passionate longing…Suddenly, in the darkness, half a dozen swaying snakes strike…
Husband #5: Keemat and Susanna sit in the solarium with drinks in their hands. Susanna is clutching a few Viagra pills. She urges him to take more. Keemat hesitates a few times…but then quickly snatches one more and gulps it down…
Husband #6: CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! BANG! The bullet knocks Dr Tarafdar off his feet. He hits the wall, a blotch of blood staining his white medical coat. Grabbing at a lamp, he falls to the floor and dies…
Int. Église de Sacré Coeur de Jesus. Day.
A shaft of golden sunlight, blazing through the stained glass, singles out Susanna, who’s one of the worshippers singing in praise of Jesus. The echoing voices reach the end of the hymn and Susanna lifts her eyes toward the cross on the wall, where Jesus is dying for our sins.
SUSANNA (singing) … Amen!
Fade out.
Int. Confession box. Day.
The curtain slides open. Through the carved wooden partition, we see Susanna in her habit.
SUSANNA. Father
THE END
Appendix
susanna’s seven husbands
The original short story by
Ruskin Bond
Locally the tomb was known as ‘the grave of the seven times married one’. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was Bluebeard’s grave; he was reputed to have killed several wives in turn because they showed undue curiosity about a locked room. But this was the tomb of Susanna Anna-Maria Yeates, and the inscription (most of it in Latin) stated that she was mourned by all who had benefited from her generosity, her beneficiaries having included various schools, orphanages and the church across the road. There was no sign of any other grave in the vicinity and presumably her husbands had been interred in the old Rajpur graveyard, below the Delhi Ridge.