🔥 Web Series Title: "Kaala Paani: Ek Rahasya Gaon"
🔮 Kaala Paani: Ek Rahasya Gaon
— Series Bible
1.
Concept / Idea (Logline)
When a college student returns to
his ancestral village during summer vacation, he stumbles into a decades-old
curse tied to his grandmother’s hidden past. What begins as a reopened murder
case turns into a battle between truth and superstition — and the boy learns he
is the heir to both the curse and the justice denied.
2.
Story Outline
- Premise:
A supernatural thriller rooted in Indian village folklore, ancestral
guilt, and hidden bloodlines.
- Arc: The
protagonist Rudra begins as an outsider, becomes a seeker of truth, and
ends as the reborn heir of his mother’s unfinished fight.
- Conflict:
Villagers vs. superstition, Rudra vs. Mukhiya, and the eternal fight
between truth and buried lies.
- Resolution:
Curse lifted, truth revealed, rebirth of legacy through Rudra.
3.
Characters (Bio Cards)
Rudra (20)
- Traits: Curious, restless, moral.
- Arc: From a guilt-ridden grandson to the chosen heir of
a cursed legacy.
Rukmani (Deceased Mother, Spirit)
- Traits: Strong-willed, wrongly accused healer,
misunderstood as a witch.
- Symbol: Represents truth, sacrifice, and suppressed
female power.
Nani
- Traits: Wise, protective, secret-bearer.
- Function: The emotional anchor who hides the past but
later enables Rudra.
Mukhiya
- Traits: Manipulative, powerful, patriarchal.
- Symbol: Represents corruption, fear, and the old order.
Chintu (Rudra’s Friend)
- Traits: Loyal, comic relief, grounded.
- Function: Humanizes Rudra’s struggle, shows cost of
friendship.
Tantrik Tilaknath
- Traits: Dark, greedy, ritualistic.
- Function: Mukhiya’s weapon to exploit fear.
4.
Plot Structure (3 Acts)
Act 1 (Ep 1–3)
- Return of Rudra, discovery of murders, whispers of
curses.
- Supernatural elements slowly revealed (cheekhti deewar,
peepal ke neeche).
Act 2 (Ep 4–7)
- Discovery of diary, Rukmani’s curse revealed.
- Rudra learns his true parentage.
- Rising tension between truth (Rudra) and power
(Mukhiya).
Act 3 (Ep 8–10)
- Bloodline heir revealed.
- Sacrifice rituals, supernatural showdown.
- Mukhiya defeated, curse lifted.
- Rebirth: Rukmani’s legacy lives through Rudra’s new
gurukul/clinic.
5.
Script (Screenplay Format)
You’ve already written episode
drafts beautifully in INT./EXT. + dialogues format. This can be polished
into industry-standard screenplay (Final Draft / Celtx format). Each
episode = ~35–40 pages (for 30–40 min runtime).
6.
Scene Breakdown (Example Ep 1)
- INT. Train – DAY
– Rudra intro.
- EXT. Village Square – EVENING – arrival, eerie budhiya.
- INT. Nana-Nani House – NIGHT – emotional reunion, photo mystery.
- EXT. Peepal Tree – NIGHT – discovery of body.
- INT. Rudra’s Room – NIGHT – diary voiceover, eerie hint.
7.
Dialogues, Subtext & Themes
- Dialogues:
Rustic, poetic, layered with double meanings.
- Subtext:
Every supernatural event reflects a suppressed truth.
- Themes:
- Truth vs. superstition.
- Burden of ancestral sins.
- Power of female voice suppressed by patriarchy.
- Rebirth through legacy.
8.
Treatment / Synopsis
A 10-episode supernatural thriller
where a boy learns he is the cursed heir of a wrongly accused woman, and must
face village superstition, corruption, and his own bloodline to bring peace.
Tonally dark, gothic, and atmospheric — similar to Tumbbad meets Sacred
Games (but rural and folk-driven).
9.
Storyboard / Shot Division (Sample)
- Ep 1 Opening:
Wide drone shot of fields → close-up of diary in Rudra’s hand → transition
to gaon.
- Horror Set Pieces:
- Cheekhti deewar → handheld shaky cam.
- Peepal ke neeche → low-angle with flashlight POV.
- Bali ritual → wide shots with fire + thunder SFX.
10.
Dialogue Drafts & Revisions
- First Draft:
Expository, heavy lines.
- Revision: More natural, layered with silence and subtext.Example:
- Draft: “Main Rukmani ka beta hoon!”
- Revised: “Us aurat ko tumne jadugarni kaha… mere liye,
vo maa hai.”
11.
Scene Pacing & Runtime
- Ep 1–3: Slow burn, eerie buildup (30 min).
- Ep 4–7: Exposition + mid-level reveals (35 min).
- Ep 8–10: Fast-paced, action + rituals + climax (40
min).
12.
Character Arcs
- Rudra:
Outsider → Seeker → Heir → Leader.
- Nani:
Silent protector → Secret revealer.
- Mukhiya:
Powerful oppressor → Exposed criminal.
- Rukmani (Spirit):
Curse-bearer → Liberated mother.
- Chintu:
Sidekick → Survivor → Witness.
13.
World-Building & Research
- Folklore: Indian ghost stories, peepal trees, water
curses.
- Authentic setting: Bhojpuri/Hindi heartland.
- Rituals: Accurate havan, yantra, mantras.
- Production design: Mud houses, oil lamps, hand-painted
walls.
14.
Tone & Genre Consistency
- Genre:
Supernatural thriller / folk-horror.
- Tone:
Dark, atmospheric, suspenseful.
- Visual Palette:
- Night = deep blues/greens.
- Rituals = fire, reds, oranges.
- Day = washed-out yellows/browns (realism).
15.
Mini Checklist Before Writing
✨ This structure makes Kaala
Paani: Ek Rahasya Gaon fully ready for pitching, scripting, or even visual
pre-production.
📌 Screenplay structure (Episode 2 ~36 pages target):
· ACT I (Setup, pp. 1–12): Rudra disturbed from last night → Gafoor warns him → curiosity grows.
· ACT II (Rising Action, pp. 13–24): Rudra investigates the old school wall → first eerie scream → villagers gossip → Nani warns with deeper context.
· ACT III (Climax + Hook, pp. 25–36): Rudra’s nightmare → burnt woman “Rukmani” partly revealed → wall whisper escalates → Episode ends on her calling his name.
Episode 1 — Wapsi (the Return) —
Full Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: Standard one-hour drama
screenplay. Roman Hindi dialogues. Action in English. Page count target ~38.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. COUNTRYSIDE / RAIL LINE – DAY
A WIDE, SUN-BLEACHED LANDSCAPE.
Mustard fields ripple. Heat-haze dances. In the far distance, a METAL SERPENT —
a PASSENGER TRAIN — clatters past.
SOUND: A gentle, metallic rhythm
under a high summer wind.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN COMPARTMENT – DAY
CLOSE ON a LEATHER-BOUND DIARY.
Fingertips trace an underlined line: “Bharola — answers or ashes.”
Reveal RUDRA (20), lean, sharp-eyed,
a city backpack and rope-handled bag on the seat. He stares through the window;
his reflection overlays the racing fields.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Teen saal ho gaye us ghatna ko...
Par gaon shayad waisa hi hai.
Shayad main badal gaya hoon.
He caps his pen, closes the diary.
He glances as a FAMILY squeezes in. A LITTLE BOY peeks at him curiously.
LITTLE BOY
Bhaiya, aap Bharola utroge?
RUDRA (half-smile)
Haan. Tum bhi?
LITTLE BOY (proud)
Main roz. Nani ke saath.
Rudra’s smile fades — the word
“Nani” hits something soft.
WHISTLE BLAST. The train begins to
slow.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL PLATFORM – LATE AFTERNOON
A low platform. Hand-painted
signboard: BHAROLA. Goats. Jaggery sellers.
Rudra steps down; the train exhales
and pulls away, leaving an eerie stillness as its sound fades.
He adjusts the rope-bag, scans the
faces. A COUGHING PORTER eyes him.
PORTER
Shehar se aaye ho, babu? Gaon
chaloge to
wahan bus milegi. Do baje wali nikal
gayi.
RUDRA
Koi rasta chal ke?
PORTER
Haan, par garmi mein jaan nikalti
hai.
Rudra nods thanks, starts walking.
CUT TO:
EXT. DIRT ROAD TO BHAROLA – GOLDEN
HOUR
Dusty feet. Cicadas sing. A distant
PEIPAL TREE marks the horizon like a black ink blot.
A RUSTY VILLAGE BUS creaks up
behind, horn squeals. Rudra flags it; it shudders to a halt.
INT. VILLAGE BUS – MOVING –
CONTINUOUS
Crowded bench seats. Old film song
on tinny speaker. A MAN with sacks of rice, a WOMAN with a chicken in a basket.
Rudra squeezes in.
His gaze drifts to the window — the
PEIPAL TREE grows larger, looming.
FLASH of an OLD WOMAN’S EYES in
reflection — watching him.
He turns. No one like that inside.
The bus lurches.
CUT TO:
EXT. BHAROLA BUS STOP / CHAURAHA –
EVENING
Bus belches smoke, leaves Rudra in a
whirl of dust. A hand pump, a tea stall, a half-collapsed brick wall with
political posters peeling.
Long lens — across the square,
beneath the ancient PEIPAL TREE — AN OLD WOMAN in a plain white sari stands
perfectly still. Her eyes lock to Rudra.
For a beat, everything else recedes.
Just the leaves rustling above her.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Dadi...?
A blink. A gust. A swirl of dust.
The OLD WOMAN is gone.
Rudra squints, unsettled.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE LANES – SUNSET
A tracking shot behind RUDRA as he
navigates narrow lanes — mud walls, cow dung cakes drying in circles, marigold
strings.
VILLAGER WOMAN balances water on her
head; she slows, stares, then pretends not to. A pair of KIDS stop a
marbles game to look.
At a doorway, GAFOOR CHACHA (late
60s), with a hookah, watches Rudra pass.
GAFOOR
Kaun ka ghar dhoondh rahe ho, beta?
RUDRA
Mishra kothi. Nani ka ghar.
GAFOOR (softening)
Shanta ke... (correcting himself) —
Sumitra ke yahan?
Seedha jao, neem ke baad baaya.
Aur... deewar se lag ke mat chalna
raat ko.
RUDRA
Kyun?
GAFOOR (shrugs, offhand)
Gaon chup rehta hai. Mitti cheekhti
hai.
Rudra exhales a nervous laugh. Keeps
moving.
CUT TO:
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – DUSK
A small, clean courtyard. Tulsi
plant at the center.
NANI (65), thin, kind eyes, steps
out with a steel lota. She freezes — stares. The lota clinks to the floor.
NANI (hoarsely)
Rudra...
He drops the bag; they embrace
tight. She smells like smoke and soap.
NANI (into his shoulder)
Tu aa gaya... ghar saans le raha hai
ab.
RUDRA (soft)
Kaise ho, Nani?
NANI (pulling back)
Theek hoon. Bas... raat ko hawa tez
chalti hai.
Aaj jaldi kha le.
She cups his face — reads the
grown-boy lines.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Earthen walls glow in lantern light.
A small shrine with diya. A wall holds a DUSTY PORTRAIT under glass —
grime-veiled.
Nani serves dal, rice, green
chillies. Rudra’s eyes keep drifting to the portrait.
He stands, reaches up, wipes the
glass with his sleeve.
REVEAL: The same OLD WOMAN from
under the Peipal — calm, stern, eyes that see through.
RUDRA (under breath)
Yeh... kaun?
NANI (voice tight)
Teri dadi.
A beat. The flame flickers.
NANI (CONT’D)
Jab se... gaye... tab se kisi ne is
tasveer ko
haath nahi lagaya.
Rudra’s hand trembles; he lowers it.
RUDRA
Nani... ajib sa laga... jaise...
(struggles)
NANI (cutting, gentle)
Khaana thanda ho jayega, beta.
They eat in silence. Outside — the
wind rises. A distant DOG howls once.
HARD CUT:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATER NIGHT
A cot. A thin bedsheet. A single
cracked window. The leather diary on his chest; pen fallen.
SOUND: Khar-khar — faint,
papery scraping. Like nails along plaster.
Rudra’s eyes snap open. He holds his
breath.
The SCRAPING stops. The wind dies.
An unnatural quiet.
He slowly swings his legs off the
cot. Pads to the wall.
Whispers. Or the wind? Unclear.
RUDRA (whisper)
Kaun...?
The oil lamp gutters. A TINY POCKET
TORCH beam skims the wall texture.
A HANDPRINT appears for a second in
the sweep. Darker than shadow. Then gone.
RUDRA (to himself)
Neend... ya sach?
A SOFT KNOCK on the door. He
startles.
NANI (O.S.)
Paani pee le.
He opens. Nani holds a brass tumbler
and a TULSI MALA.
NANI (steady)
Apne paas rakhna.
RUDRA (searching her face)
Nani... yeh deewar...
NANI (firm)
Subah baat karenge. Aaj thak gaye
ho.
He takes the mala. She touches his
head and leaves.
He sits on the cot, the mala in his
fist, staring at the wall.
SMASH TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 1
FADE UP:
EXT. VILLAGE LANES – DAWN
Blue hour. A foggy quiet. Rudra
walks with a camera-phone, filming stray images — a prayer flag, a cracked
shrine tile, a child’s chalk drawings on the floor.
He stops at the OLD SCHOOL boundary
— a low wall with vines. A section shows faded brown stains, hand-smears.
He lift his phone.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Gaon chup rehta hai. Mitti cheekhti
hai.
FOOTSTEPS. GAFOOR appears, smoking.
GAFOOR
Subah-subah school ke paas kyun?
RUDRA (startled)
Bas... dekh raha tha.
GAFOOR (nodding at wall)
Us deewar se lag ke mat khade rehna.
RUDRA
Kya hai yahan?
GAFOOR (matter-of-fact)
Cheekh. Raat me sunai deti hai.
He starts to shuffle away.
RUDRA
Chacha... kal raat ki laash? Koi
khabar?
Gafoor considers him; lowers his
voice.
GAFOOR
Panchayat dekh rahi. Police ko mat
bula.
Nadi ka paani... kaala ho gaya hai.
Rudra frowns — tries to ask more,
but Gafoor’s already gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARKET STRIP – MORNING
Vendors spread tarps. Chai steam.
Rudra stands aside with a clay cup. CHINTU (19), wiry, energetic, bounces in.
CHINTU
Arre bhai! Shehar waale Rudra bhai!
Yaad hai?
RUDRA (breaks into a smile)
Chintu? Tu to lamba ho gaya.
They hug quick, boyish.
CHINTU
Kal raat peepal ke neeche — log bole
ek bori me.
RUDRA
Kiski?
CHINTU (shrugs)
Gaon wale naam nahi bolte. Dimag me
hawa bhar jaati hai.
RUDRA
Mujhe dikhana wahan.
CHINTU (hesitates)
Din me theek. Raat ko mat.
He nods.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT ROOM – LATE MORNING
A dim mud-hall with a chabootra. On
a table — a thick, bound REGISTER. MUKHIYA (50s), heavy-set, eyes that bully.
Two men linger.
Rudra stands at the threshold; Nani
beside him, tight-lipped.
MUKHIYA
Padhai-likhai shehar ki. Gaon ki
zameen pe
shehar ka dimaag chalata mat phiro,
beta.
RUDRA (polite)
Sirf pooch raha hoon. Kal raat...?
MUKHIYA (smiles without warmth)
Poochna sikh liya, jawaab lena reh
gaya.
He taps the register closed.
MUKHIYA (CONT’D)
Nani ko aaram karne do. Tum yahan
naye ho.
Nani nudges Rudra to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / KITCHEN – NOON
Steam. Pressure-cooker whistle.
Rudra helps chop onions.
RUDRA
Nani... kal se... ajeeb lag raha
hai.
Dadi ki tasveer me —
NANI (cutting gently)
Chehra wahi rahta hai, bachpan badal
jaata hai.
RUDRA
Aap kuch chhupa rahi ho?
NANI (a beat, then smiles)
Khichdi mein namak kam pad gaya.
Chowk se le aao.
Rudra watches her for a second.
Takes the steel katori; exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE TURN / SHRINE –
AFTERNOON
Rudra buys salt. Notices a small
wayside shrine to a village deity; red threads tied around a small stone. A
PANDIT (40s) tidies things.
RUDRA
Pandit ji, nadi ka paani...
PANDIT
Jal shuddh hai toh sab shuddh.
Par jab paap badhta hai, jal pe
chhaaya padti hai.
RUDRA (quiet)
Chhaaya kab hatti hai?
PANDIT (eyes him)
Jab sach bol diya jaata hai.
The answer sits heavy with him.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE / PERIMETER – LATE
AFTERNOON
Chintu brings Rudra around the back
way. Yellow tape — not police, just jute string. The ground is scuffed; a dark
patch of soil looks freshly disturbed.
CHINTU (low)
Yahin. Raat ko toofan... hawa alag
thi.
Rudra crouches, touches the earth.
It’s cool, unnaturally.
WHISPER — like a breath through old
cloth.
He looks up into the branches:
COLORFUL THREADS with name-tags
flutter; many snapped, frayed.
RUDRA (to himself)
Kisne bandhe the yeh?
CHINTU
Manat ke dhaage. Pehle kaun tha, ab
kaun nahi,
yeh ped sab yaad rakhta hai.
A DOG begins to bark at nothing,
hackles up. It circles a point near the roots, refuses to step closer.
CHINTU (CONT’D)
Chal, shaam ho rahi.
They move away. The dog’s barking
fades.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / COURTYARD –
TWILIGHT
Rudra returns. Nani lights the
evening lamp at the shrine. She hums a low, old tune.
NANI (without looking)
Ped par mat ruka kar.
RUDRA (trying a joke)
Aapko kaise pata? Aap to yahin thi.
NANI (tiny smile)
Hawa bata deti hai.
They share a soft silence. A comfort
in the ordinary ritual.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – NIGHT
On the cot again; diary open. Rudra
writes.
INSERT — DIARY: “Day 1. Return. Old
faces. Old eyes. New silence. I felt watched.”
The LAMP dims. Fzzzt. A
blackout. Darkness swallows the room.
SOUND: A faraway SCREAM — too
distant to locate — or inside his head?
He freezes. The room grows colder.
A SLOW, DELIBERATE SCRATCHING
resumes — the wall. Khar... khar... It seems inside the plaster.
Rudra shines his tiny torch. The beam
jittering.
Something like CONDENSATION spreads
across the wall, but in a pattern — five lines like fingers.
RUDRA (barely a voice)
Kaun ho tum?
A breath at his ear that isn’t his:
FEMALE WHISPER (O.S.)
*Suno...*
Rudra whirls — the room is empty.
The door-latch rattles once. Then
stops.
His phone on the bed lights up with
a notification; he flinches. Just a low battery warning.
He sits, breathing hard. Clutches
the tulsi mala.
CUT TO BLACK.
EXT. VILLAGE / OPEN FIELD – PRE-DAWN
A damp mist blankets the ground. A
SHADOW — a person — walks alone along the field bunds.
A MATCH CUT to—
INT. PANCHAYAT ROOM – SAME TIME
Mukhiya and two MEN stand over a
canvas sack (BORI). The sack is damp. A dark stain creeps.
MAN #1 (uneasy)
Subah hone se pehle...?
MUKHIYA (flat)
Chup.
He motions. They lift the sack.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Nani’s hands knead dough. Rudra
splashes water on his face at the courtyard tap.
NANI (without looking)
Aaj ghar me hi reh ja.
RUDRA (wiping his face)
Kyun?
NANI
Mandir me pooja hai.
RUDRA (smiles)
Main bhi chalunga.
She doesn’t argue. A nod.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE – LATE MORNING
A small crowd. Bells. Pandit chants.
Rudra stands aside, watching faces more than idols.
He drifts. Sees GAFOOR arguing
softly with a younger man. The younger man points toward the CHAURAHA.
Rudra follows their line of sight —
A GATHERING forms in the distance.
He moves.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA / PEIPAL TREE –
CONTINUOUS
The crowd thickens. Torches even in
daylight. A BORi lies near the tree roots. A hush — no one wants to open it.
Rudra edges in, Chintu finds him.
CHINTU (whisper)
Phir se...
RUDRA
Kisko bulaa rahe?
CHINTU
Panch bol raha — apne aap dekhenge
pehle.
The Panch (40s) looks ill. He
gestures to two men. They untie the rope knot on the bori mouth.
A HEAVY STENCH escapes. People
recoil, cover noses.
Rudra instinctively lifts his shirt
over his face, but keeps looking.
The bori is tugged open just enough
— a glimpse: wet hair, grey skin, a woman’s broken bangle tangled in jute
fibers.
VILLAGER WOMAN (gasping)
Bhagwan...
PANCH (voice shaking)
Wahi jagah... teen saal pehle jahan
ladki mili thi.
CHINTU (to Rudra, eyes wide)
Yeh teesri baar hai, bhai.
Rudra’s vision tightens — tunnel.
The sounds muffle, then sharpen.
SOUND DESIGN: A high, thin ringing.
His gaze lifts — to the leaves
above, churning although no wind blows down here.
WHISPER, almost under the ringing —
a single word —
FEMALE WHISPER (O.S.)
*Suno...*
Rudra jerks around. No one behind
him.
CLOSE ON — his eyes. Reflected in
them for an instant: a BURNT FEMALE FACE at the edge of the crowd, watching
him.
He blinks. It’s gone.
A baby starts crying somewhere.
MUKHIYA (O.S., firm)
Bas. Bori bandh do.
Murmurs, fear. Some obey.
RUDRA (blurts)
Police ko bulao!
All heads turn. Silence.
MUKHIYA (steps in, measured)
Shehar ki aadat yahan mat laao,
beta. Pehle hum dekhte hain.
RUDRA (stares him down)
Kiski laash hai?
MUKHIYA (the smile again; thin)
Gaon ka kaam gaon samjhega.
A stare-down. A beat. Rudra looks to
Chintu; Chintu’s eyes plead: not here, not now.
Rudra swallows it.
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK OF PEIPAL – MOMENTS LATER
Rudra steps away from the crowd,
breathing hard. Leans his palm to the bark.
CLOSE ON — his palm against the
tree. For a fraction, the bark’s texture seems to press back.
He snatches his hand away.
A SLENDER RED THREAD, broken, sticks
to his wrist. It holds for a second, then slips, twirls down, and lands near
his boot.
The wind starts up, sudden and cold.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Wapas aate hi maut ne mera swagat
kiya.
Par is baar sirf laash nahi... kuch
aur bhi tha.
Ek thandi hawa. Ek aahat.
Aur ek chehra... jo insaan ka nahi
tha.
He exhales. The red thread coils
like a tiny snake on the earth.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – AFTERNOON
Rudra sits with untouched food. Nani
watches him.
NANI
Kha le, beta.
RUDRA (quiet)
Nani, agar koi galat ho raha ho
to... chup rehna theek hai?
NANI (chooses words)
Kabhi kabhi awaaz se pehle samay
aata hai.
RUDRA
Aur agar samay nikal gaya?
She doesn’t answer.
She pushes a small, old KEY across
the table.
NANI
Sandook me kuch kagaz hain. Sham ko
dekh lena.
He studies the key, then her face.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE WELL – LATE AFTERNOON
Women draw water. A BUCKET rises —
the water looks slightly off — a faint dark tinge no one wants to name.
A WOMAN’S GRIP slips; the rope burns
her palm. She yelps.
Rudra is passing, helps steady the
pulley.
WOMAN
Shukriya.
He peers into the bucket — the
surface trembles — appears almost viscous for a blink, then normal.
He steps back.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / STORAGE ALCOVE –
SUNSET
Rudra uses the key on a small wooden
chest. Inside — papers tied with cloth, an old fountain pen, a faded studio
photograph of a young SHANTA (his dadi) with intense eyes.
Underneath — a single PAGE tucked
away, cracked, fragile. Handwriting: Shringar, Shraap aur Shabd — 1964.
He reads a line aloud, barely a
whisper:
RUDRA (reading)
“Us raat, maine kuch nahi kiya...
sirf dekha.”
He looks to the portrait on the wall
in the other room. The same eyes, older.
RUDRA (to himself)
Dadi...
SOUND: A low rumble of thunder, though
the sky outside is clear.
CUT TO:
EXT. LANES / T-JUNCTION NEAR OLD
SCHOOL – EARLY NIGHT
Chintu meets Rudra, excited and
scared.
CHINTU
Panchayat me baat chal rahi — police
ko kal bulayenge.
Par... log darte hain.
RUDRA
Dar kis baat ka? Sach se?
CHINTU (shrugs helpless)
Gaon me sach ka bhi daam hota hai.
Rudra absorbs that. Then—
RUDRA
Mere saath chal. School ki deewar.
They head down the lane.
CUT TO:
EXT. OLD SCHOOL WALL – NIGHT
A narrow back lane. Cracked plaster.
Moonlight like milk.
Rudra and Chintu approach. The air
seems colder here.
Rudra places his ear to the wall.
Chintu is uneasy.
CHINTU
Bhai, rehne de —
SOUND: Khar... khar... SLOW
SCRAPING... then a breathy Aaaah — fleeting.
Rudra flinches back, eyes blazing.
RUDRA (hoarse, to the wall)
Kaun ho tum?
The wind dies. The lane is utterly
still.
A SINGLE FOOTPRINT forms in the thin
dust by their feet — tiny, child-sized — as if pressed by an invisible heel.
Chintu stares, shakes.
CHINTU (barely)
Chal. Abhi.
RUDRA (to the air)
Tumhari awaaz... mujhe sunai deti
hai.
No reply. The footprint sits,
perfect.
They back away.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE – LATER NIGHT
The crowd gone. The trunk looks
darker than night. A jute string flaps, tapping wood in rhythm.
Rudra steps within a respectful
distance and sits on the platform edge, facing the tree.
He pulls his diary. Writes.
INSERT — DIARY: “I asked: ‘Who are
you?’ The wall answered by breathing.”
He looks up into the branches.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Agar yeh ped ne kisi ki rooh ka
raasta band kiya hai,
to shayad yeh diary uska raasta khol
degi.
He tears a small page. Places it
near a root. Weighted with a pebble.
A STRANGE BREEZE swirls downward,
though the leaves above stay almost still.
He shivers.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani sits awake, counting prayer beads.
She stops mid-count. Looks toward Rudra’s empty cot. Closes her eyes; whispers
something old and private.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE – SAME
Rudra still sits. A small movement
in the soil near the page — barely a tremble.
He leans closer.
A SHADOW slips across the page like
a hand passing before a candle — but there’s no candle, no hand.
He swallows.
A FAINT CHILD’S GIGGLE — then abrupt
silence.
He stands fast, backing away, eyes
never leaving the page. The giggle echoes in his head.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATER NIGHT
He enters, shuts the door, leans
against it. Heart hammering.
He sets the tulsi mala beside the
diary, as if the two are companions now.
He lies down — eyes open to the
ceiling — and listens to the house breathing.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. CHAURAHA – EARLY MORNING
A few villagers sweep the square.
The bori is gone. A wet shadow on the earth remains like a bruise.
Rudra stands over it, expression
unreadable. He takes a photo on his phone — click.
Mukhiya crosses behind him toward
the tea stall.
MUKHIYA
Photo khinchne se sach badalta nahi.
RUDRA (turns)
Nahi. Par bhoolta nahi.
A tense beat. Mukhiya smirks, goes
to tea.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Nani folds washed clothes. Rudra
enters.
RUDRA
Nani. Sandook me jo page tha — kiska
likha?
NANI (after a pause)
Teri dadi ka.
RUDRA
Unhone kya dekha tha?
NANI (measured)
Kuch aise cheezein... jise dekhne
aur kehne me
farq hota hai.
She hands him a small cotton pouch.
NANI (CONT’D)
Isse pehen.
He opens it — a thread with a tiny
copper charm.
RUDRA
Bachpan me bandha tha, na?
NANI (nods)
Tab tak... (she stops)
RUDRA (soft)
Tab tak kya?
She doesn’t answer. He ties the
thread to his wrist.
CUT TO:
EXT. OLD SCHOOL LANE – LATE MORNING
Rudra returns alone. The child’s
footprint remains in dust. He sets his palm next to it for scale; his hand
trembles.
He brushes gently — the print smears
too easily, like ash.
He looks to the wall — runs fingers
along it. Plaster cold like ice.
He leans his forehead briefly, eyes
shut.
RUDRA (whisper)
Main sun raha hoon. Tum bolo.
A faraway bell rings thrice. A crow
caws once.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVERBANK – MIDDAY
Women wash clothes. The river flows
sluggishly. On the surface — an occasional oil-slick shimmer.
Rudra crouches; cups water. Lifts it
to eye level.
Under the sun, for a second, the
water looks darker — a faint red thread through it. He blinks; it’s gone.
He lets the water fall between his
fingers.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Paani me koi kahani chhupi hai.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT – AFTERNOON
The register lies open this time. Dates
and names. A column: “Near Peipal.” Three entries are blurred as if smeared
when still wet.
Panch sits alone. He looks up at
Rudra with tired eyes.
PANCH
Tumhe shahar wapas jana chahiye.
RUDRA
Yahan meri dadi ki tasveer me ek
aurat dekhta hoon.
Aur ped ke neeche ek bori. Aap log
kyun darte hain?
PANCH (broken)
Dar... paani jaisa hota hai. Raat ko
kaala dikhta hai.
RUDRA
Subah?
PANCH
Subah tak log chup ho jaate hain.
Rudra’s jaw tightens. He leaves.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE – LATE AFTERNOON
Close on the page Rudra left last
night. It’s damp now. The ink bled, words spidering outward like veins.
Rudra kneels, lifts the page
gingerly. The soil beneath is cold and wet.
He hears, as if from inside the
earth:
FEMALE WHISPER (O.S.)
*Mat jao.*
He stills. Breath in his throat.
RUDRA (very softly)
Tum kaun ho?
No answer.
He sets the page back. Places a
heavier stone atop it.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – SUNSET
Evening rituals again. Nani and
Rudra sit side by side, silent, watching the diya flame. Their faces are gentle
in the modest light.
NANI (without looking)
Agar raat me awaaz aaye, dar mat.
Naam le lena jo yaad ho.
RUDRA
Kiska?
NANI
Jis par bharosa ho.
Rudra nods.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – NIGHT
Lantern steady. Rudra writes more.
INSERT — DIARY: “If fear is water,
truth must be fire.”
SOUND: A soft click — his door latch
nudges. Then another — from the window.
He rises slowly. Grips the tiny
torch in one hand; tulsi mala in the other.
The wall sound returns — khar...
khar... — but now rhythmic, like someone dragging fingertips slowly and
deliberately.
RUDRA (to the wall, steady)
Main Rudra. Kya tum mujhe sun sakti
ho?
A long, long beat.
Then: a single, breathy syllable, as
if spoken from inside stone —
FEMALE WHISPER (O.S.)
*Haan.*
He exhales shakily, tears spring
unbidden to his eyes.
RUDRA (hoarse)
Kaun ho...?
Silence.
A sudden squall hits the window; the
lantern gutters. Darkness rushes in.
In that split second of darkness, we
SEE — not fully, not steadily — the burnt outline of a FEMALE FACE on the wall,
like damp forming an image.
Lantern steadies back. The image is
gone. The wall is just wall.
RUDRA (whispered prayer)
Bhagwan...
He backs to the cot, sits, breath
fast.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA / PEIPAL – PRE-DAWN
(NEXT DAY)
Thin mist. Two men whisper under
their breaths as they pass. The square feels abandoned even with people in it.
Rudra stands alone, looking up into
the branches. A THREAD drifts loose and catches on a limb, hanging like a line
of blood.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Kal raat... kisi ne ‘haan’ kaha.
He looks at his wrist — the copper
charm. He touches it; it’s warm.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – EARLY MORNING
Rudra pours water over his head from
a lota; a shiver shakes through him. Nani hands him a towel.
NANI (soft)
Kabhi kabhi awaaz... apni hoti hai.
Par lagta hai kisi aur ki.
RUDRA (meets her eyes)
Aur kabhi kabhi... kisi aur ki hoti
hai.
Par lagta hai... apni.
They hold that quietly.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE EDGE / FIELD PATH –
MORNING
Rudra walks alone, thinking. Wind
combs the crops. He stops, kneels, presses his palm to the soil.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Mitti cheekhti hai. Koi to sunega.
He stands, turns back toward the
village.
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA / PEIPAL – LATE
MORNING
The Panch returns with two men. They
speak of sending word to the thana. Mukhiya watches from a distance, expression
unreadable.
Chintu joins Rudra.
CHINTU
Bhai... tu theek hai?
RUDRA (forces a smile)
Haan. Tum?
CHINTU (beat)
Aaj raat... ghar pe so lena. Bahar
mat nikalna.
RUDRA (nods)
Dekhenge.
They look up at the tree together.
WIDE on the PEIPAL — vast, unfazed,
ageless.
SLOW FADE TO BLACK.
OVER BLACK —
RUDRA (V.O.)
Wapas aate hi maut ne mera swagat
kiya.
Par yeh bas shuruat thi.
A faint, distant WHISPER bleeds in —
no words — only breath.
CUT TO TITLE:
KAALA PAANI: EK RAHASYA GAON —
EPISODE 1 END
—
POSTSCRIPT / PRODUCTION NOTES (for
direction & pacing)
Episode 2 — Cheekhti Deewar — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama, Roman
Hindi dialogues. Target length ~38 pages runtime equivalent.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. BHAROLA VILLAGE SKYLINE –
PRE-DAWN
The sky bruises purple. A rooster
crows once. The village is silent, unnaturally. Camera glides slowly down over
the PEIPAL TREE, then tracks toward NANI’S HOUSE.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – PRE-DAWN
RUDRA lies restless on his cot,
diary on his chest. Sweat beads. His eyes snap open.
SOUND: A faint khar-khar,
scraping from the wall again.
RUDRA (to himself)
Neend thi... ya haqeeqat?
He sits up, torch in hand. He shines
it: nothing.
He exhales. Lies back down — eyes
wide.
SMASH TO:
DREAM SEQUENCE — BLACK VOID
A WOMAN, face burnt and disfigured,
in a white sari. She walks into a wall surface as if melting into it.
WOMAN (whisper, distorted)
Rudra...
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 2
—
ACT I
EXT. VILLAGE LANES – MORNING
Rudra walks out, sleepless,
clutching diary. Sunlight harsh. A few villagers whisper and stare.
He spots GAFOOR CHACHA, hookah in hand.
RUDRA
Chacha... kal raat ki laash? Kya
pata chala?
GAFOOR (eyes narrowing)
Beta... yeh gaon chup hai. Par mitti
cheekhti hai.
School ki purani deewar se door
rehna.
RUDRA
Kya hai us deewar mein?
GAFOOR (lowering voice)
Vo... cheekhti hai. Raat mein.
Rudra unsettled. Writes a line in
diary.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Gaon ke har kone me awaaz hai... bas
log nahi sunte.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA – MIDDAY
Villagers mutter. A MAN gestures:
“Police bulaayein?” Mukhiya overhears; silences them with glare.
Rudra watches from distance. Jots in
diary.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – KITCHEN – NOON
Nani stirs pot. Rudra enters,
hesitant.
RUDRA
Nani... vo deewar?
NANI (without looking)
Jo usse chhoota hai... uski rooh
sunne lagti hai.
She places TULSI MALA in his hand.
NANI (CONT’D)
Raat ko gale me daal lena.
CUT TO:
ACT II
EXT. OLD SCHOOL PERIMETER – DUSK
Dilapidated structure. Creepers.
Faded chalk diagrams on wall.
Rudra circles slowly. His POV: A
crack-lined wall patch with faint, dried blood marks.
He approaches, ear against plaster.
SOUND: A faint, muffled Aaaaah.
A scream buried inside stone.
RUDRA (jumps back)
Kaun hai wahan?!
He shines torch. Wall texture
reveals five elongated shadow-like marks.
CLOSE ON: His breath visible in
sudden cold.
He scribbles furiously in diary.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Deewar cheekh rahi thi. Aur main sun
raha tha.
CUT TO:
INT. CHINTU’S HOUSE – EVENING
Rudra with CHINTU (19). Chintu
nervous.
CHINTU
Bhai... vo deewar ke paas jaane
wale... alag ho jaate hain.
RUDRA
Kaise alag?
CHINTU (shrugs)
Aankhon me neend nahi rehti. Zubaan
me chup aa jaati hai.
Rudra silent. Determined.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE WELL – EVENING
Women draw water. One drops bucket,
screams. The water looks darkened. Panic. Villagers disperse.
Rudra watches intently.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Paani bhi bol raha tha. Par log
sunna nahi chahte.
CUT TO:
ACT III
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – NIGHT
Rudra writes diary.
INSERT — “Wall screamed. She asked
for help. Who is she?”
SOUND: Khar-khar. Louder.
Continuous.
He grips tulsi mala.
RUDRA (to the wall)
Tum kaun ho? Mujhse kya chaahti ho?
SILENCE. Then — a THUD. The wall
trembles slightly.
CLOSE ON wall: A DAMP PATCH forms.
Shape of a woman’s face, burnt, weeping.
WOMAN (whisper)
Bachaa le mujhe... Yeh paani kaala
hai...
RUDRA (screams)
Tum kaun ho!
The lamp snuffs. Darkness.
FLASH: Her EYES glowing red in dark.
BLACKOUT.
SOUND: Rudra’s heartbeat. His gasp.
FADE IN:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE – PRE-DAWN
Wind howls unnaturally. A red thread
snaps, drifts. The tree seems to watch.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Us raat... maine uski cheekh suni.
Aur mera naam bhi.
WHISPER, faint but clear:
WOMAN (O.S.)
Rudra...
His eyes widen. Freeze frame.
FADE OUT.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 2
END
—
Episode 3 — Peepal Ke Neeche — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action and direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. BHAROLA – BLUE HOUR (PRE-DAWN)
A chill mist nestles in the gullies.
The PEIPAL TREE silhouettes against a bruised sky. Its threads hang limp like
veins.
SOUND: A low, hollow breeze. Distant
anklets — or just a chain clinking?
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – SAME
RUDRA sits upright, fully awake.
Diary open, pen hovering. The lantern glows low.
INSERT — DIARY: “Usne ‘haan’ kaha.
Wall breathed.”
He underlines a single word: SUNO.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Neend kam ho gayi. Sawal zyada.
Aaj ped ke neeche jana hai.
He pockets the diary, touches the
TULSI MALA at his neck.
CUT TO:
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – DAWN
NANI fills a lota, notices Rudra
lacing his shoes.
NANI
Kahan?
RUDRA (light)
Hawa lene. Chintu ke saath.
NANI (a beat, then)
Ped ke neeche “nam” lete rehna.
RUDRA (soft)
Kiska?
NANI
Jis par bharosa ho.
They share a look. He nods and
leaves.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL PERIMETER – EARLY
MORNING
CHINTU (19) hovers, jittery, as
Rudra arrives. Dew beads on the exposed roots.
CHINTU
Bhai, raat ka scene yaad hai? Aaj
din me hi dekh lete.
RUDRA
Teeno laash yahin mili. Teeno saal —
ek saal ka antar.
CHINTU (counts on fingers)
20XX, 20XX+1... 20XX+2 — pattern
hai.
Rudra crouches. Close to the soil;
inhales that cold-metal smell.
He brushes away loose dust. A CURVED
BRONZE EDGE peeks from the earth — barely.
RUDRA
Dekh. Koi dhatu.
CHINTU (hisses)
Hath mat laga!
RUDRA (gently)
Bas dekh raha hoon.
He doesn’t pull it. He takes photos;
sketches a quick outline in his diary.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Shaam ko lautenge.
They step back. The tree seems to
exhale — leaves flicker though the air is still.
CUT TO:
EXT. PANCHAYAT BHAVAN – MID-MORNING
A mud-walled hall with a low
verandah. A faded tricolor above the door. Voices inside.
INT. PANCHAYAT BHAVAN – CONTINUOUS
MUKHIYA (50s), two PANCH members, a
BUZURG (70s) with cataract clouded eyes. On the desk: A THICK REGISTER and a
cloth-wrapped OLD BOOK.
Rudra stands at the doorframe; Nani
behind him, quiet.
RUDRA
Record dekh sakta hoon? Teen saal ki
ghatnayein.
MUKHIYA (without looking)
Padhai likhai se sach badalta nahi.
BUZURG (raspy)
Par likha huwa... yaad rakhta hai.
Mukhiya eyes the old man; relents a
little, flips the register. Dates, hand-scratched notes: “Near Peipal.” “No
police.” “Panch inquiry.”
Rudra’s gaze falls to the
CLOTH-WRAPPED BOOK.
RUDRA
Yeh?
BUZURG (protective)
Raksha-vidhi. Bahut purana. Paani
aur ped ki rasm.
Mukhiya snaps the book shut before
Rudra can look.
MUKHIYA
Baat khatam.
RUDRA (calm, steady)
Paani kaala ho raha hai. Aap sabko
bhi dikh raha hai.
Mukhiya holds his stare; something
unsettled flashes, then a mocking smile.
MUKHIYA
Nadi kabhi-kabhi roothti hai.
BUZURG (low)
1964 me... naag-yantra sthapna kiya
tha kisi ne.
Everyone goes still. Mukhiya’s eyes
flash a warning.
MUKHIYA
Bas.
Rudra files the year in his head. He
turns to go. As he does, the old man whispers.
BUZURG (whisper)
Raat ko ped hawa nahi leta. Saans
leta hai.
Rudra absorbs that. Exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE – NOON
PANDIT (40s) wipes steps. Rudra
approaches with respect.
RUDRA
Naag-yantra ke baare me...
PANDIT (measured)
Raksha hoti hai ya bandhan — kisne
rakha, kaise rakha.
Kabhi kisi ko baandhne ke liye bhi
rakha jaata hai.
RUDRA
Kis ko?
PANDIT
Sach ko.
He lights camphor; the tiny flame
burns blue for a second.
PANDIT (CONT’D)
Ped zinda hota hai. Jisne uske
neeche satya chhupaya,
vo satya awaaz ban kar lautta hai.
Rudra looks down; clenches his fist
around the mala.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – AFTERNOON
Nani kneads dough. Rudra enters with
a notebook and a thin grin of discovery.
RUDRA
1964. Naag-yantra. Paani. Ped.
NANI (goes still)
Kahan suna?
RUDRA
Buzurg ne bola. Aap jaanti ho?
NANI (eyes flick to the old
portrait)
Beta... kuch kitabein khulengi to
rooh bhi khulegi.
RUDRA
Fir khol do.
Nani swallows. Busy-hands the dough,
deflects.
NANI
Shaam ko jaldi ghar aa jana.
Rudra sees the fear under her
briskness. He doesn’t push.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARKET STRIP – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra buys jute string, a few
incense sticks, a small brass bell.
CHINTU runs up with puffing breath.
CHINTU
Panchayat me hungama. Koi bol raha
police aayegi.
RUDRA
Aaj raat ek kaam karna hai.
Tu dar jayega to ruk jana.
CHINTU (grim smile)
Rukna hota to kal se pehle ruk jata.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL TREE – TWILIGHT
The last birds peel away. A hush
descends as if someone turned down the village volume.
Rudra and Chintu circle behind the
tree, out of habit, avoiding the public side.
Rudra places three incense sticks at
the root bend; lights them. Smoke tongues upward.
He sets his DIARY, opens to a blank
page, tears it neatly.
RUDRA (to the tree, low)
Tum bolo. Main sun raha hoon.
He lays the page at the foot of the
curved bronze edge glimpsed earlier — still half-buried.
He walks back five steps; both of
them wait.
SOUND: The feeblest of breaths. The
smoke tilts sideways, then down — as if drawn into the soil.
Chintu grips Rudra’s arm.
The soil quivers like skin under a
ripple.
Slowly — impossibly — a CHILD’S HAND
breaks the surface. Dry, dark, small — a boy’s — with a frayed red thread on
its wrist, long faded.
Chintu’s breath stutters. Rudra
steps forward, hand out — not touching.
RUDRA (barely a whisper)
Kaun...?
The child’s hand doesn’t claw. It rests
on the earth as if to steady itself. The fingers flex weakly.
A single bubble of black moisture
seeps around the knuckles and vanishes.
CHINTU (tearing up)
Bhai... yeh... zinda?
RUDRA (gentle, steady)
Nahi. Par yeh... rukha hua nahi hai.
A second passes that feels like a
minute.
The hand turns slightly, palm
tilting toward Rudra — like asking.
Rudra’s fingers hover above it; he
doesn’t touch. He bows his head instead — a small gesture of respect.
The hand trembles; a tiny sound — a
boy’s breath? — then it sinks back, leaving a faint imprint in the dampening
soil.
The diary page flutters; the edge
dips into a darkening patch and soaks, ink spidery.
SOUND: Far off, a conch shell blows
from the temple.
Chintu sobs once, clamps his mouth.
RUDRA (to the soil)
Main aaunga. Tumhara naam bata dena.
The wind returns. The incense tips
glow and die together — pfft.
Dark sets in fast.
CUT TO BLACK.
—
ACT II
FADE IN:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani rings the bell at the household
shrine. Rudra slips in, shaken but composed.
NANI (without turning)
Tumne pukara, usne suna.
RUDRA (startled)
Kaise—?
NANI (turning, eyes wet)
Raat ko awaaz tez hoti hai.
Teri saanson me mitti ki khushboo
badal gayi.
Rudra hesitates. Then speaks.
RUDRA
Nani... ped ke neeche... ek bachhe
ka haath nikla.
Uske haath me... dhaga tha.
Nani holds his gaze. Resolute. She
goes to an old trunk.
She takes out a small album, opens
to a sepia photograph: A BOY (12), grinning, a red thread at wrist.
NANI (voice small)
Tere bade mamu ka beta. Sattu.
Chhup-chhup ke khelta tha ped ke
paas.
Ek din... gaayab.
Rudra sits, gut punched.
RUDRA (soft)
Mil gaya, Nani.
NANI (tears finally)
Tera dair se aana bhi shayad waqt pe
aana tha.
Silence. A dog barks far away.
NANI (CONT’D)
Agar kuchh mila... dhatu, muthi bhar
mitti —
Ganga-jal me dho dena. Par raat ko
mat khodna.
RUDRA
Raat ko kyun nahi?
NANI (a whisper)
Raat ped zinda hota hai.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE LANES – LATER NIGHT
Rudra and Chintu walk with a small
cloth bag, brass bell tucked in belt. Torches flick on doorways as they pass;
people watch but say nothing.
CHINTU
Bhai... us dhatu ko... aaj hi
nikalein? Thoda sa?
RUDRA (weighing)
Nahi. Aaj sirf dekhna. Samjhe bina
chedna paap hoga.
They arrive at the tree’s shadow
edge.
EXT. PEIPAL – CONTINUOUS
Rudra circles to the hidden side. He
kneels where the bronze edge was.
He brushes more soil with flat
fingers — careful. The CURVE reveals a pattern — serpent scales etched
shallowly.
RUDRA (whispers)
Naag-yantra.
CHINTU (awed)
Matlab kisi ne yahan...?
RUDRA (nods)
...Rakhav ki. Ya bandhan ki.
He doesn’t pry. Instead he takes out
a small cotton swab (from a matchbox), dabs the damp earth near the
etching, drops it into the cloth bag.
A DROP OF BLACK LIQUID seeps along a
root fissure — viscous, glinting.
CHINTU (backs up)
Paani...?
RUDRA
Paani nahi. Kahani.
He looks up. The canopy above is
unnervingly still now. A heat-less cold creeps along the ground.
SOUND: A far, low groan — like wood
under strain — but it’s the roots deep below.
Rudra makes a tiny pile of three
pebbles atop the revealed yantra curve — a non-intrusive marker.
RUDRA (CONT’D, to the root)
Main kal pandit se poochunga. Aaj...
bas suno.
A faint tink — the brass bell
at his waist taps itself once.
Chintu jumps. Rudra blinks.
CHINTU (thin)
Bhai... chal?
RUDRA (after a beat)
Haan.
They step back, never turning their
back to the trunk until a few paces away. Then they leave.
SLOW PUSH IN on the pebbles — the
top pebble rolls off by itself, lands in the damp patch, sinks a millimeter.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE NIGHT
Rudra drips a few drops of GANGA JAL
onto the cotton swab in a katori.
The water swirls, for a second inky
— then clears.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Paani sach ko chhupa bhi leta hai.
Dikhata bhi hai.
He seals the damp swab in a paper
fold, labels it in his diary pocket.
Nani watches from the doorway,
unseen by him, and exhales a prayer.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATER
He lies back. Eyes on the ceiling.
The room breathes. He does not sleep.
SOUND: The wall remains quiet
tonight.
FADE OUT.
—
ACT III
FADE IN:
EXT. RIVERBANK – MORNING
Sun on glinting water. Women slap
clothes on stones. Children splash at the edge.
Rudra crouches, pours a filament of
water between fingers. Nothing odd — yet.
PANDIT arrives, sits beside him.
PANDIT
Lustre badalne laga to paap ka
pratibimb hota hai.
RUDRA
Raat ko naag-yantra dekha. Scales
bane hue.
PANDIT (listening)
Yantra todta kaun? Jisko sach se
darr hota hai.
RUDRA
Aur jodta kaun?
PANDIT (measured)
Jisko sach dikhana hota hai.
Jodna mushkil hai. Todna asaan.
Rudra files the truth. Thanks him.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT – AFTERNOON
Rudra stands at the door. Mukhiya
inside with two men, hushed.
RUDRA
1964 me kya hua tha? Kaun tha jisne
yantra rakha?
Mukhiya ignores. The BUZURG raises a
trembling hand.
BUZURG
Ruk... (coughs) Rukmani.
A stunned silence. Rudra’s heart
stutters at the name.
MUKHIYA (cold)
Chup.
He advances two steps; the menace
quiet but hot.
MUKHIYA (CONT’D)
Naam lene se atma nahi aati.
Par samasya zaroor aati hai.
Rudra doesn’t flinch.
RUDRA
Atma ko nahi, insaaf ko bulana hai.
He leaves before it turns ugly.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra comes alone this time. The
pebble marker sits as he left, minus the top stone.
He kneels. The CURVE is slightly
more visible — as if soil caved a little.
He places the brass bell on the
ground. Rings it once. The note hangs, then dulls quickly — absorbed.
RUDRA (low)
Rukmani... kya tum ho?
Nothing. A far kite string hums.
He tears another diary page. Writes:
“Main RUDRA. Batao.” Places it.
He waits.
SOUND: A child’s anklets run by —
invisible — giggle; then a woman’s hush — chup — the anklets stop dead.
Rudra’s eyes fill. He closes them,
palms together briefly.
CUT TO:
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – SUNSET
Nani arranges plates. Rudra enters,
numb and live-wired.
NANI (gentle)
Naam suna?
RUDRA
Rukmani.
Nani’s hands stop. She exhales as if
a held breath escaped after years.
NANI (barely)
Toh vo aayegi.
RUDRA (startled)
Kaun?
NANI
Sach.
She ladles dal. Her eyes shine but
do not break.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – NIGHT
A different stillness. Not empty — alert.
Rudra and Chintu return with a small
hand-torch, a cloth bag, a chalk stub.
CHINTU
Aaj kya karna hai?
RUDRA
Sirf nishaan banana.
He chalk-circles the visible curve
to map how much shows above ground. Marks a date beside it.
He places a thin twig vertically in
the damp patch to measure seep.
CHINTU (peers)
Paani badh raha hai.
The twig darkens — a line climbing
like mercury.
A faint gurgle from deep below. A
bubble at the root crack pops and leaves a sooted ring.
RUDRA (quiet awe)
Zameen ro rahi hai.
He takes the brass bell, rings
thrice. The second and third ring distort — a metallic warble.
CHINTU (whisper)
Bhai...?
A SLIDE of soil near the chalk mark.
The chalk line wobbles, dissolves.
A HAIRLINE CRACK creeps across the
root — like a smile forming.
Rudra’s pupils widen. He grips
Chintu’s wrist and pulls him a step back.
RUDRA (firm, low)
Ab bas. Aaj ke liye.
They retreat, eyes on the ground.
WIDE on the peepal. The roots
glisten minutely. A minuscule rivulet of black water begins to stitch
itself along a groove — crawling toward the lane.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE NIGHT
Rudra draws a crude top-view map in
his diary — peepal roots, lane, well, slope.
INSERT — MAP: A thin arrow from the
root: “seep direction → well.”
RUDRA (V.O.)
Agar yeh sahi hai... kal subah tak
kuaan tak pahunch sakta.
He circles the word well
twice.
Nani enters with a tumbler.
NANI
Paani peele.
He stares at it for a microsecond
too long; then takes it, drinks. She notes the hesitation but says nothing.
NANI (CONT’D)
Kal subah mandir jana. Pandit se
kehna — jal abhishek.
RUDRA
Theek.
They sit together, the night hum
carrying on.
CUT TO:
EXT. LANE NEAR OLD SCHOOL – PRE-DAWN
A faint sheen crawls along the
gutter like oil. A dog sniffs, whines, backs away.
The sheen splits at a stone, one
branch toward the CHAURAHA, the other toward the WELL.
CUT TO BLACK.
OVER BLACK —
SOUND: A child’s single, clear laugh
— echoing — then the wall’s khar-khar begins softly under it, like a bow
on a string.
FADE UP:
EXT. WELL – SUN-UP
Women gather. A BUCKET ascends. The
water looks normal at first; then a slight darkness vignettes the rim.
A WOMAN gasps, steps back. Murmurs.
Rudra arrives on a run.
He looks at the water. His eyes
flick to his map in memory. He looks down the lane back toward the peepal.
The wind lifts the peepal threads.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Paani... kahani chhupa raha hai.
Shayad shraap bhi.
He turns to Chintu (who’s arrived,
panting).
RUDRA (low, urgent)
Aaj raat — phir ped ke paas. Aur is
baar... pandit ke saath.
Chintu nods, scared but steady.
A thin line of black water trails
past their feet, disappears in a crack.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – DAY (MACRO MONTAGE)
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT – DAY
The BUZURG stares out the door at
nothing. His lips move around a prayer.
Mukhiya signs a paper with a bold
flourish. He looks up — sees Rudra pass outside — a long, tense look.
MUKHIYA (under breath)
Zyada mat sun. Gaon behra hi theek.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE – LATE AFTERNOON
Pandit readies kalash, incense.
Rudra explains in rapid, hushed words.
PANDIT (nods, resolute)
Raat ko yantra ko chedna nahi. Sirf
jal aur mantra.
RUDRA (relieved)
Theek.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – NIGHT (RITUAL)
Rudra, Chintu, Pandit arrive. Pandit
sprinkles water, chants low. The brass bell chimes at measured intervals.
The black seep glistens —
listening.
PANDIT (chanting)
Om apavitrah pavitro va...
sarvavastham gato’pi va...
He pours a thin arc of water away
from the yantra, channeling it to form a clean moat line.
The seep edges toward it — touches
the clear water — curls back, as if repelled.
Rudra’s eyes light — hope.
A sudden GUST — the bell rings by
itself, wild. Pandit steadies it.
SOUND: The old wall khar-khar
far away — faint, joining the night.
PANDIT (low to Rudra)
Kisi ne jala tha. Jisne dekha, chup
raha. Bandhan tab se hai.
RUDRA (whisper)
Kaun?
PANDIT (after a beat)
Naam kal.
He continues chanting. The moat
holds.
Rudra places a fresh diary page by
the root, writes in bold: “SATTU?”
A breath on their faces — cold —
answers with a feather-light tap under the soil — like small knuckles.
Rudra swallows.
RUDRA (to the soil)
Sattu... hum aa gaye.
The bell, once, clear, true.
They step back. Leave the setup for
the night.
WIDE on the tree, the moat line a
fragile silver in moonlight.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATE NIGHT
Rudra cannot write. He just sits
with the diary open, pen uncapped. The page remains blank, as if words would
insult the quiet.
He looks at his wrist — the copper
charm warms under his fingers.
He blows out the lantern.
DARKNESS.
A soft whisper — woman’s voice — not
from the wall now, but from outside the window, mingled with leaves.
WOMAN (O.S., just breath)
...Rudra...
He does not move. A tear falls. He
lets it.
FADE OUT.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 3
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 4 — Purani Diary — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. BHAROLA – PRE-DAWN BLUE HOUR
The village holds its breath. The
PEIPAL TREE is a black lung against a bruised sky. Threads hang still. A single
bell chimes in the distance and dies.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / RUDRA’S ROOM –
PRE-DAWN
RUDRA sits on his cot, awake, diary
open. The TULSI MALA around his neck. The copper charm at his wrist.
INSERT — DIARY: “Rukmani. 1964.
Naag-yantra. Hand of a child.”
He underlines: RUKMANI.
A soft tak from the wall —
not a scrape. A knock, almost inquisitive. Rudra looks up.
RUDRA (whisper)
Aaj batao... tum kaun ho.
He closes his diary with resolve.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 4
—
ACT I
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – DAWN
NANI fills a lota at the handpump.
Rudra steps out with calm urgency.
NANI (reading him)
Aaj kahan?
RUDRA
Woh purani haveli. Jahan dadi rehti
thi.
She freezes. Water overflows her
lota.
NANI (low)
Wahan raaste bahar se band hain,
andar se khule.
RUDRA (soft)
Mujhe andar jaana hai, Nani.
She holds his gaze, then nods once —
an old permission.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / FRONT ROOM –
MORNING
Rudra stands before the DUSTY
PORTRAIT of the OLD WOMAN (SHANTA). He carefully lifts the frame away from the
wall. Behind: a shallow niche.
Inside the niche: a BUNDLE wrapped
in muslin cloth, tied with red thread.
He unties it. An old DIARY — leather
cracked, embossed faintly: “SHRINGAR, SHRAAP AUR SHABD — 1964.”
He opens.
INTERCUT — FLASHBACK IMAGERY (1964)
FLICKERING UNDERNEATH THE WORDS HE READS:
— A storm. — A young SHANTA (20s) at
a desk in a haveli, writing by lantern. — The Peipal swaying like a creature. —
A crowd with torches.
SHANTA (V.O., reading from diary)
“Aaj raat awaaz phir aayi. Zameen ke
neeche se.
Kisi ne pukara — ‘Suno’. Maine
darwaza bandh kar diya.”
Rudra swallows, turns the page.
SHANTA (V.O.)
“Ped ke neeche se dhuaan nikla.
Koi tha jise chhupaya gaya.
Maine dekha. Maine kuch nahi kiya.”
Rudra exhales; guilt etches through
the handwriting.
He sketches on a blank page: a
WOMAN, a SERPENT, a CHILD — the same rough shapes from Ep 3.
CUT TO:
EXT. RUINED HAVELI OUTSKIRTS – LATE
MORNING
A crumbling estate swallowed by
vines. Shattered jali windows. Crows rise on Rudra’s approach.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Dadi ne dekha.
Aur chup rahi.
Shraap tab se hai — ya sach tab se?
He steps inside.
INT. HAVELI / CENTRAL HALL –
CONTINUOUS
Dust motes in shafts of light. A
toppled mirror frame. Coals long dead in a corner fire pit.
Rudra runs fingers along a scorched
patch on a pillar. Soot transfers to his skin.
He hears a low ghungroo
jingle — not from here, from a memory in the walls.
He follows the sound.
INT. HAVELI / INNER ROOM –
CONTINUOUS
A small, windowless room. A wall
stained in a shape that could be smoke, could be a face.
An antique MIRROR leans against the
wall — greened over, cracking its own reflection into islands.
Rudra approaches. His reflection
breaks into fragments.
RUDRA (low)
Rukmani?
A whisper passes behind him; he
turns — nothing. Turns back to the mirror —
For a split second: a BURNT WOMAN’S
FACE replaces his reflection — eyes wet, accusing.
He reels back.
RUDRA (shaken, soft)
Tum kaun ho.
The mirror is ordinary again. His
face, pale in the green glass.
He steadies his breath.
He notices a FLOORBOARD slightly
raised. He kneels, pries it gently with a pocket blade.
Underneath: a small cloth pouch,
charred at the edges. He opens it.
Inside: a broken rudraksha mala
bead, a woman’s anklet ghungroo (blackened), and a curled-up leaf
manuscript fragment with faded script.
He pockets them carefully.
CUT TO:
EXT. HAVELI VERANDAH – MOMENTS LATER
Rudra scribbles notes. A shadow
crosses him.
GAFOOR CHACHA stands at the step,
wary.
GAFOOR
Itna andar mat jao.
Jo haveli ne gaya, vo haveli se
lauta nahi.
RUDRA
Dadi yahin rehti thi?
GAFOOR (sighs)
Rehti thi. Phir ek raat... sab badal
gaya.
RUDRA
1964?
Gafoor nods, eyes on the trees, not
on Rudra.
GAFOOR (low)
Aag ko kisi ne dekh kar roka nahi.
He leaves with that.
Rudra tucks the pouch away, jaw set.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT BHAVAN – AFTERNOON
MUKHIYA at the desk. Two village
men. The BUZURG (70s) silent.
Rudra places SHANTA’S DIARY on the
table; opens to the written confession.
RUDRA
Dadi ne likha. Unhone dekha — aur
chup rahi.
Kya aap log bhi?
Mukhiya reads without reading,
columns of denial in his eyes.
MUKHIYA (even)
Buzurg aurat ki baat ko shastra mat
banao.
Shanta ne us raat... khud aag dekhi
nahi, lagayi.
Beat. That lands like a slap.
RUDRA (stunned)
Kya?
MUKHIYA (leans in)
Usne kisi ko jalte dekha hoga — par
pehle tel kisne dala?
Rudra searches faces. The Buzurg
looks shattered but says nothing.
RUDRA (controlled)
Aap keh rahe ho, meri dadi ne—
MUKHIYA (cuts)
Keh raha hoon, gaon ki yaad ka apna
sach hota hai.
Shehar ke bachche par hum apna sach
kyun saunpein?
A long, dangerous silence.
Rudra reclaims the diary, turns to
go.
MUKHIYA (calling after)
Haveli me jitna kam jaoge, utna kam
jhuth dikhega.
Rudra leaves without looking back.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE STEPS – SUNSET
Rudra sits with PANDIT. The leaf
fragment open between them.
PANDIT (examining)
Patr-lipi. Ayurvedi.
Yeh koi *mantavya* hai — kisi kriya
ko mukammal karne ka.
RUDRA
Kis kriya ka?
PANDIT
Jal-seva. Jal ko shaant karne ka.
Par bina samay ke ki gayi to aur
gussa badhata hai.
Rudra processes, glances at the
horizon — the peipal a dark note against the sky.
RUDRA (soft)
Kisne rok diya hoga isse?
PANDIT (cryptic)
Jisko sach se darr tha.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani chops coriander. Rudra places
the diary and the pouch on the table. Gently slides the items toward her.
RUDRA
Nani. Dadi ne kya kiya tha?
She stares at the pouch as if it
might start speaking. She touches the anklet — flinch. Tears threaten.
NANI (barely)
Kisi aurat ko — Rukmani ko —
jadugarni kaha gaya.
Gaon ka paani kala ho raha tha.
Logon ne faisla kiya.
Humne... dekha.
RUDRA (soft)
Aapne...?
NANI (guiltily)
Kisi ko bachaya nahi.
Hum sab... bandh gaye usi raat.
RUDRA (after a beat)
Dadi ne tel dala?
Nani looks away, agony.
NANI
Main... nahi keh sakti.
Par vo raat ke baad... Shanta bilkul
chup ho gayi.
Aur usne sab yahan rakh diya (taps
diary) — humare beech.
Rudra nods once, as if accepting a
sentence.
RUDRA (quiet fire)
Main chup nahi rahunga.
She closes her eyes, whisper-prayer.
CUT TO:
MONTAGE — “THE NIGHT OF FIRE”
(INTERCUT WITH PRESENT)
— Torches bob like angry fireflies
(1964). — RUKMANI, mid-20s, healer’s satchel, eyes fierce, stands her ground. —
Oil splashes. — Young SHANTA’s hands shake — a tin of kerosene tips in frame
but we never see who tips it. — Crowd roar. — Present-day Rudra flips pages
with trembling hands. — Flames chew up a white sari. — A small BOY’S EYES
(Sattu) watch from behind a wall, frozen. — Rukmani’s gaze finds Shanta through
flame. — Present Rudra’s tear falls on the diary page. — Rukmani’s mouth forms
a curse we cannot hear under the roar. — The Peipal thrashes in storm winds.
SMASH BACK TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATE NIGHT
Rudra sits before the mirror shard
he brought from the haveli (propped on a chair). The lantern burns low.
RUDRA (to his reflection)
Tum kaun ho?
Kyun peecha kar rahi ho?
A wind snakes in through the cracked
window. The flame bends.
The mirror clouds — then clears to
show not Rudra, but for a blink: RUKMANI — burnt, eyes full of storm.
RUKMANI (SOT, layered whisper)
*Mat roko sach ko...*
Rudra gasps. The image is gone.
He grabs the tulsi mala, presses it
to his lips.
CUT TO BLACK.
—
ACT II
FADE IN:
EXT. PEIPAL PERIMETER – DAWN
A clean chalk circle (from Ep 3
ritual) has smeared in the night. The black seep tightened its rope along a new
groove. Two dead insects float in a tiny puddle.
Rudra traces the flow path with his
eyes. Then looks toward the old school lane.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Bandhan tab se hai.
Par bandhne wale kaun?
CUT TO:
EXT. OLD SCHOOL LANE – MORNING
Villagers mutter as a faded poster
peels: “YAADGAAR MELA — 3 SAAL PEHLE.” Rudra photographs the wall, the stains,
the footprint (still faint).
Chintu arrives with two cups of
chai.
CHINTU
Pichhle teeno saal, ek mahine me ek
laash.
Teesra saal khatam ho gaya... ab?
RUDRA
Ab sach niklega.
CHINTU (nervous grin)
Aur agar sach nikla to?
RUDRA
Gaon ko paani pehchanna padega.
They sip in silence. A school bell
rings hollow.
CUT TO:
INT. TEMPLE – MIDDAY
Rudra shows Pandit the anklet bell (ghungroo)
from the pouch. Pandit’s eyes widen — sacred and profane braided.
PANDIT
Kisi ki aatma ko baandhne me
kabhi-kabhi uska
shareer ka hissa istemal hota hai.
RUDRA
Jise jala diya gaya tha...
PANDIT (nods)
...uski cheezein bandhan me daali
gayin.
Taki sach pechhe, shraap aage.
RUDRA (hard)
Kaun karta hai yeh?
PANDIT (soft)
Jo darta hai — jo sharminda hai — ya
jo sharminda hona
nahi chahta.
Rudra closes his fist around the
ghungroo until it bites into his skin.
CUT TO:
EXT. HAVELI / SIDE COURTYARD –
AFTERNOON
Rudra returns to the inner room. He
sets the anklet, rudraksha bead, and leaf fragment on the floor in a triangle.
He rings the tiny anklet once — a
sad little chime.
RUDRA (to the air)
Agar tum ho... tum bolo.
The air thickens. The mirror fogs.
A single word, not heard with ears —
inside the head —
FEMALE VOICE (INT)
*Suno.*
Rudra stands very still. He breathes
like a student before a truth.
RUDRA (eyes closed)
Main sun raha hoon.
FLASH IMAGES — RUKMANI’S HANDS
grinding herbs; a fevered child; a man shouting “jaadu-tona”; a slap.
FEMALE VOICE (INT)
*Sach ko darya me daal dena tha...
kisi ne roka.*
RUDRA
Kidhar?
No answer. The mirror clears.
He gathers the items carefully, bows
to the room like a shrine, and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT – LATE AFTERNOON
Mukhiya and two men review a paper.
Rudra walks in, sets the anklet and rudraksha bead on the table — a challenge
and an offering.
RUDRA
Bandhan ki cheezein mil rahi hain.
Agar police aayi to—
MUKHIYA (icy)
Police ko tum bulaoge?
Kaun si kahani sunane wale ho?
RUDRA
Wahi jo paani sunata hai.
Mukhiya leans forward, the room
tilting around his power.
MUKHIYA
Paani me jo dikh raha, sabko dikhne
do?
Mandir me pooja hogi. Bas.
RUDRA (unblinking)
Pooja bandhan ko kholta nahi.
MUKHIYA (a mirthless smile)
Shehar wale — sabko kholne chale
aate hain.
The BUZURG looks at Rudra with
apology he doesn’t speak.
Rudra picks up the items and exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – SUNSET
Rudra sits under a safe margin of
the canopy, diary in lap. He writes.
INSERT — DIARY: “Healer. Wronged.
Bandhan items = ghungroo + rudraksha + patr. ‘Darya me daalna tha.’ Someone
stopped it.”
He underlines DARYA three
times.
The wind sucks in — a hush.
RUDRA (to the roots)
Raat ko aunga.
Aur kal subah — nadi.
A thread falls from above, lands
across his wrist — red on copper.
He ties it there without thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani serves. Rudra eats
distractedly.
NANI
Haveli gayi na?
RUDRA
Haan. Aur laut aya.
NANI (half-smile)
Har koi nahi lautta.
He slides the anklet bell across.
RUDRA
Raat ko agar awaaz aaye to... jawab
dena chahiye?
NANI
Agar awaaz sach ho, toh darwana nahi
hota.
Jo darwata hai, vo jhooth hota hai.
They share a quiet. The house is a
raft.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATE NIGHT
The mirror shard sits propped. The
lantern low.
Rudra ties the red thread properly
on his wrist. The copper charm catches it like a cousin.
SOUND: The wall khar-khar
begins — slow, steady — then stops.
Silence. A long, long one.
Then — a voice. Clearer than ever
from the mirror.
RUKMANI (O.S., calm, close)
*Sach ko roka gaya.*
RUDRA (barely)
Kisne...?
The mirror does not answer. Instead,
an image bleeds into being — Shanta’s young face — then overlaying Rukmani’s
burnt face — then Rudra’s own. A triple exposure of guilt, victim, and heir.
RUKMANI (O.S., a breath)
*Tere khoon me usi ka hissa hai...
jisne mujhe jalaya.*
The line ricochets in Rudra’s skull.
He steps back as if struck.
RUDRA (shattered whisper)
Nahi... main—
The lantern flares, then snuffs to
black.
SMASH TO BLACK.
—
ACT III
FADE IN:
EXT. BHAROLA – DAWN AFTER THE
BLACKOUT
A hissing rain curtain. The first
rain after brutal heat — cathartic, but short. The peipal drinks greedily. The
black seep thins under wash, but doesn’t disappear — it redistributes, subtle.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Rudra sits blank at the table. Nani
places tea.
NANI (soft)
Kya dekha?
RUDRA (after a long beat)
Mujhe bola gaya... mere khoon me—
He can’t finish.
NANI (firm, kind)
Khoon sach ko rokta nahi.
Jhooth rokta hai.
Tu sach ke saath reh.
He nods, childlike. Breath returns.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVERBANK – LATE MORNING
Rudra and Pandit walk the
embankment. The river looks almost normal after the wash; then the light shifts
— a faint darkness under the surface.
RUDRA
Patr ko darya me daala jaata — kyon?
PANDIT
Jal sakshi hota hai.
Lekin samay par.
Der hui to jal gussa ban jata hai.
RUDRA
Koi rok gaya.
PANDIT (nods)
Haan.
Ya kisi ne galat samay thama diya.
They watch a leaf swirl into a small
eddy and vanish.
CUT TO:
INT. HAVELI / INNER ROOM – AFTERNOON
Rudra returns. Places leaf fragment
on the floor; beside it, the rudraksha bead; then a small diya.
He lights the diya. The flame leans
toward the mirror as if there’s a draft — there isn’t.
RUDRA (to the air)
Rukmani... agar tum ho — mujhe sahi
rasta dikha do.
For a moment, nothing. Then the
mirror shows an angle of the room that isn’t the room: a quick, ghostly
composition —
— A path from peipal roots to the
well sketched in light. — A hand releasing a leaf into water. — A copper seal
stamped with serpent scales.
The image fades.
Rudra exhales, near tears of
gratitude to a logic that isn’t his.
RUDRA (soft, sure)
Theek hai.
He collects the items, blows out the
diya, bows, exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. PANCHAYAT – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra confronts Mukhiya at the
verandah.
RUDRA
Kal subah, nadi pe hum ek rasm
karenge.
Patr ko pohunchana hai jahan chhoda
gaya tha.
MUKHIYA (amused menace)
Tum puja karoge?
Shehar wale ke haath me rasm achi
lagti hai?
RUDRA
Shanti ke liye.
Gaon ke liye.
Mukhiya steps close, smiles that
chilling, political smile.
MUKHIYA (low)
Gaon ko shanti tab milti hai,
jab sab chup rahte hain.
RUDRA (measured)
Shanti chup nahi. Sahi hoti hai.
A few villagers watching exchange
glances — tiny cracks in fear.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – SUNSET
Rudra and Chintu draw a chalk line
from root toward the lane (a symbolic mapping). Chintu sets three small diyas;
lights them.
CHINTU
Bhai... kal subah se pehle kuch ho
gaya to?
RUDRA (steady)
Tab bhi hum wahi karenge jo sahi
hai.
A wind snuffs one diya; the other
two flare brighter.
They watch the tree, as if it might
answer.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani ties a protective thread on
Rudra’s wrist, right over the red thread.
NANI
Kal jo karein — sach ke liye karein.
Insaan ke liye.
Atma to udti rahegi.
RUDRA (smiles, a little)
Theek hai.
She cups his face — that old,
infinite gesture.
CUT TO:
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – LATE NIGHT
The mirror shard on the chair. The
room dim.
Rudra sits cross-legged. He places
the leaf fragment and rudraksha before the mirror; the anklet bell between
them.
RUDRA (calm)
Kal subah — main jaunga.
Jo rasta tumne dikhaya.
A silence like consent.
The mirror shows his reflection...
then overlays the BURNT WOMAN for a long blink... then his reflection again —
altered by resolve.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Agar dadi ne chup dekh liya tha —
main nahi dekhoonga.
He lies down on the cot. The lantern
lowers to a breath.
SOUND: No scrape. No whisper. Only
the house breathing with him.
FADE OUT.
—
TAG / CLIFFHANGER
EXT. RIVERBANK – PRE-DAWN
Water black as ink under a violet
sky. Pandit prepares a small rasm plate. Chintu holds a lantern.
Rudra stands still, the anklet bell
in his palm, the leaf fragment on his other hand.
From behind them, far away, a low
drum begins — a village death drum or a monsoon barrel? Can’t tell.
Rudra steps toward the water’s edge.
A SHADOW — human? Not human? —
appears at the far bank for a heartbeat and vanishes.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Kal se nahi — abhi se.
He inhales to begin —
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 4
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 5 — Shraap — Full Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. RIVERBANK – PRE-DAWN
(CONTINUATION)
Dark water under a bruised sky. PANDIT
arranges a small rasm plate (diya, rice, flowers). CHINTU holds a lantern.
RUDRA stands, leaf fragment and anklet bell in palms.
A distant drumbeat thrums. Wind
presses reeds flat.
PANDIT (low)
Shant reh. Isse jal sakshi banega.
Rudra nods, breathes.
RUDRA (to water)
Jise roka gaya tha... aaj poora kar
raha hoon.
He lowers the leaf fragment to the
water.
SOUND: A thin hiss — water accepts
the leaf, pulls it under — then SURGES BACK with a cold breath. The diya flame
gutters then steadies.
A SHADOW ripples across the surface
— a woman’s outline — then gone.
PANDIT (a whisper)
Grahan jaisa samay hai. Jal-shanti
jaldi karte hain.
They chant softly. The river settles
to a wary calm.
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 5
“SHRAAP”
—
ACT I
EXT. BHAROLA – MORNING AFTER
The village stirs. The PEIPAL TREE
shivers even with no wind. Threads clack like dry bones.
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – BREAKFAST
NANI serves. Rudra’s eyes are far.
NANI
Raat ko jo kiya... sahi kiya.
RUDRA (nods)
Par shraap abhi tala nahi.
NANI (soft)
Shraap tab tak rehta hai jab tak
paap chup rehta hai.
He absorbs that, stands.
CUT TO:
EXT. OLD SCHOOL LANE – LATE MORNING
Rudra photographs the footprint
(fainter now), the wall stains. Children play at a distance, avoiding the wall.
GAFOOR CHACHA arrives, gaze fixed on
Rudra.
GAFOOR
Beta... kuchh cheezen poochhni nahi
hoti.
Bas kabool karni hoti.
RUDRA
Kis cheez ki baat kar rahe ho?
GAFOOR (eyes to wall)
Us raat — jab gaon ne faisla kiya.
Jis faisle me awaaz kam thi, aag
zyada.
He leaves. Rudra stares at the wall:
a faint face-like damp patch breathes, then stills.
CUT TO:
INT. TEMPLE – NOON
Pandit scrubs a copper kalash. Rudra
shows him the anklet bell again.
RUDRA
Bandhan ki cheezein mil rahi hain.
Agar unhe jal me chhod dein?
PANDIT
Jo bandhan se bandha, use jal hi
khol sakta hai.
Par dhyan — samay galat hua to jal
gussa banega.
RUDRA
Samay kaun batayega?
PANDIT (looks up)
Vo jo bandhi — ya vo jisko dekha
gaya.
Rudra nods, conflicted.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT – AFTERNOON
MUKHIYA presides. BUZURG sits with
faraway eyes. Villagers murmur.
VILLAGER 1
Kuan ka paani kal se mahka hua hai.
VILLAGER 2
Chhote bachche ke pet dukh rahe.
MUKHIYA (authoritative)
Mandir me mahamrityunjay path hoga.
Bas.
Rudra steps in, sets leaf drawing
and a hand-sketched map on table.
RUDRA
Jal me jo ho raha, ped se judi hui
kahani hai.
1964 — Rukmani — naag-yantra.
A ripple of fear at the name.
MUKHIYA (cold)
Naam lene se badnam hota hai.
Gaon ko badnam mat karo.
RUDRA (steady)
Gaon ko badnam jhooth karta hai.
Mukhiya leans closer.
MUKHIYA
Shehar waale — sach ko drama bana
dete hain.
Rudra collects the papers. Leaves
without more words.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra and Chintu arrive. The pebble
marker (Ep 3) is dislodged. The chalk line is blurred by a new, darker seep.
CHINTU (whisper)
Yeh raat se badh gaya.
Rudra crouches. Dips a cotton swab;
the liquid clings, threads crimson in light.
RUDRA (under breath)
Khoon...?
He sniffs — metallic. He and Chintu
exchange a look.
CHINTU
Bhai, yeh paani nahi raha.
Rudra pockets the swab, jaw firm.
CUT TO:
MONTAGE — “RUMOURS & RIPPLES”
END MONTAGE.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – EVENING
Nani counts prayer beads. Rudra
enters in a hurry.
RUDRA
Paani ganda nahi — kala ho raha.
NANI (without surprise)
Shraap hila diya gaya. Par todna
baaki hai.
RUDRA
Kaise?
NANI (measured)
Jise roka gaya tha — usse poora
karke.
Aur jo chupaya gaya — usse bolkar.
He processes, breathes deep.
—
ACT II
EXT. SCHOOL RECORD ROOM – NIGHT
A dusty, padlocked room at the old
school. Chintu pries the latch carefully. They enter with a lantern.
Stacks of fading registers. Moth
powder smell.
Rudra flips through “HEALTH RECORDS
/ 1963–1965.”
CLOSE ON entries: High fevers.
River-belly. A child death: “MUKHIYA’S SON — 12 — expired.” Notation: “vaidya
rukmani tried decoction.”
CHINTU (reading)
Vaidya.
RUDRA (grim)
Doctor nahi, jadugarni ban gayi gaon
me.
He turns a page — a torn corner with
the name “RUK—”
INSERT — A marginal pencil note:
“Shaam — koot (beating) — crowd.”
Rudra’s throat tightens.
SOUND: A faint khar-khar from
the far wall of the classroom. The lantern flickers.
CHINTU (backing)
Bhai... chalo.
RUDRA (firm)
Thodi der.
He photographs pages with his phone.
The wall gives a soft, airless sigh
— like a lung trying to start.
They exit quickly.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE COURTYARD – LATE NIGHT
Pandit studies the photos on Rudra’s
phone.
PANDIT
Bimari, maut, gussa.
Insaan gusse ko devta bana deta hai
— phir bali mangta hai.
RUDRA
Rukmani ki bali li gayi.
PANDIT (pained)
Shayad.
Shayad sach ki.
He hands the phone back.
PANDIT (CONT’D)
Agar jal ko shaant karna hai, to —
jo patr tum laaye, use usi dhara me
chodna padega jahan se
usne chalna tha.
Aur naam lena padega.
RUDRA
Kaunsa?
PANDIT
Jiska paap aur jiska paap-dar dono
bandhe hain.
Rudra understands: the victim and
the witness.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUKHIYA’S COURTYARD – SAME
NIGHT
Mukhiya meets TANTRIK TILAKNATH
(50s), ash-marked brow, steel eyes.
TANTRIK
Jal me gussa hai. Gussa ko gusse se
hi thanda karte hain.
MUKHIYA (tight)
Shehar ka launda badh raha hai. Usko
rokna hai.
TANTRIK (measuring)
Uska lahu saadharan nahi.
Isme kisi ka shraap ghooma hua hai.
Mukhiya glances away.
MUKHIYA
Kar paoge?
TANTRIK (thin smile)
Bali ke bina mushkil.
Par dar ke bina asambhav.
They share a look. A plan starts.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE NIGHT
Rudra spreads the old diary, photos,
the anklet bell, rudraksha bead, leaf fragment — a war table.
RUDRA (to himself)
Naam lene padenge... dono.
Nani watches from the shadows.
NANI (quiet)
Kiska?
RUDRA (turns)
Rukmani ka.
Aur jisne dekha par bola nahi...
Shanta ka.
Nani absorbs the blow of her dead
sister’s name in this context. She nods like someone accepting a fast.
NANI
Kal. Mandir me. Aur nadi pe.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE WELL – PRE-DAWN
A faint line of blackness circles
the well’s inner rim. Women whisper, cross themselves with their pallu.
Rudra arrives with Pandit. Chintu
follows with a kalash.
PANDIT (to gathered)
Aaj jal abhishek aur satya-uchcharan
hoga.
Jo darte hain, ghar ja sakte hain.
Half the crowd leaves. Half stays —
equals courage.
Pandit begins mantras. Rudra ties
the red thread tighter on his wrist.
RUDRA (low)
Rukmani... Shanta.
A wind swirls the well. A moan
inside its echo.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – SUNRISE
Rudra sets the anklet and bead near
the roots, the leaf fragment on his palm.
RUDRA (to the tree)
Jise jal ko de dena tha — de raha
hoon.
He turns to leave for the river. The
bell on the anklet tinkles once — like a blessing.
—
ACT III
EXT. RIVERBANK – MORNING
The river glints false calm. A thin
slick under the surface tracks toward the village intake.
Pandit draws a small circle with
rice. Rudra stands in it with the leaf fragment.
PANDIT
Naam bolo.
RUDRA (steady)
Rukmani.
Aur — Shanta.
The air tenses. The water’s skin
tightens.
PANDIT (chanting)
Om apavitrah pavitro va...
Rudra lowers the leaf fragment. It
floats, then starts to sink — as if finally allowed.
A SHAPE under the surface — a
woman’s outline — reaches, gently, takes the fragment. A current sighs.
The surface clears momentarily.
Chintu exhales, laughs-crying.
Villagers murmur in relief.
Then — a ROAR of wind against the
reeds. Ash-laced dust lifts.
On the opposite bank, TANTRIK
TILAKNATH steps into view, daubed skull-ash, staff in hand.
TANTRIK (calling)
Shraap ko shanti se nahi, bhay se
roka jaata hai!
He begins a counter-chant —
guttural, tearing.
The water immediately GREYS — oily
veins threading back toward the village.
Pandit raises his voice, meets the
chant with mantra. Rudra grips the anklet bell, rings it — clear, defiant.
RUDRA (shouting)
Rukmani! Hum sach bol rahe hain!
Shanta ne dekha — main maanta hoon!
A sudden WHIRLWIND forms in
front of Rudra — water rising in a spine — faces in spray.
For a second — RUKMANI’S BURNT FACE
forms in the pillar — but the eyes now softer, in pain not rage.
RUKMANI (SOT, layered)
*Sach ko maanana... pehla paani
hai.*
The pillar COLLAPSES outward in a
sheet, drenching Rudra, Pandit, Chintu. The river calms a notch — not full.
Tilaknath snarls; hurls ash into the
current. The ash spreads like ink — the water BLACKENS darker than before.
Villagers panic. Some run. Others
freeze.
PANDIT (to Rudra)
Ped ke paas! Bandhan wahan hai!
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – LATE MORNING (STORM
GUSTS)
The tree groans. The seep scar has
widened, now oozing. The pebble marker has sunk.
Rudra places the anklet and bead
directly onto the visible curve of the naag-yantra.
RUDRA (urgent prayer)
Jise jal me jaana tha... jise sach
me bolna tha...
Aaj khol do.
SOUND: A DEEP, EARTHEN NOTE — like a
drum struck under the ground.
The etched scales flare
briefly (just a perception) and the seep retracts a hair.
Then — the cheekh. The wall’s
voice, from the school lane, bleeds into this space — a sustained, mournful
scream. It carries across the village.
Nani clasps her ears at home;
children cry; goats kick.
Rudra doesn’t flinch.
RUDRA (to the unseen)
Agar shraap sach ko dhoondh raha —
to main yahin hoon.
A sudden APPARITION bursts at
the trunk edge — RUKMANI’S TORSO in flame-limned smoke, eyes like molten wells.
RUKMANI (roar and grief)
*Tere khoon me paap hai!*
*Tu meri aag se janma hai!*
The air SHUDDERS. Chintu falls to
knees. Rudra staggers but holds ground.
RUDRA (shouting over wind)
Agar paap mere khoon me — to nyay
bhi mere haath me!
Kaise! Batao!
A beat — the face flickers between
fury and release.
RUKMANI (lower, aching)
*Sach ko darya me daalna tha... kisi
ne roka.
Raat ko — ped ke neeche — bandhan ke
andar.*
The apparition collapses into smoke;
a charred smell lingers.
The seep PAUSES — then pushes
forward again, angrier.
Mukhiya appears with men, sees Rudra
at the root.
MUKHIYA (yelling)
Dharm-virodhi! Bandhan tod raha!
Pakro ise!
Goons rush. Chintu scrambles to
block.
Rudra snatches the anklet — rings it
hard. A piercing pure tone slices the moment; the men falter.
Pandit arrives, drenched, grabs
Rudra’s wrist.
PANDIT (urgent)
Raat ko — jo bandhan ke andar roka
gaya —
usi rasm ko poora karenge.
Abhi hatt jao!
Rudra nods, eyes blazing. They
retreat under pelting dust.
Mukhiya seethes; Tilaknath appears
behind him like a shadow.
TANTRIK (to Mukhiya, low)
Raat me... bali ka rasta khol dena
hoga.
Mukhiya’s jaw sets.
—
TAG / CLIFFHANGER
INT. RUDRA’S ROOM – NIGHT (BLACKOUTS
OUTSIDE)
A storm-lulled hush. The mirror
shard stands. The diary open.
Rudra, soaked and shaking, writes
with hard strokes.
INSERT — DIARY: “She said: ‘Tere
khoon me paap hai. Tu meri aag se janma hai.’ — I will carry both: paap and
nyay.”
A soft breath behind him. He turns
to the window — leaves whisper.
RUKMANI (O.S., now close, almost
human)
*Aaj raat... sahi waqt hoga.*
Rudra’s fear turns to resolve.
RUDRA (to the dark)
Phir — aaj raat.
A distant drum starts again —
faster. From the jungle, not the village. A ritual drum.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 5
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 6 — Khoon Ki Nadi — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
COLD OPEN
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / RUDRA’S ROOM –
NIGHT
Close on a GLASS OF WATER on Rudra’s
table. The lantern flame licks low.
A subtle change: the water inside blushes,
threads of red rising from below like nerves waking.
RUDRA (20) watches, held by dread
and fascination.
RUDRA (barely)
Ye... kya...
The red thickens. A faint, feminine
SIGH trembles the surface.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 6
“KHOON KI NADI”
—
ACT I
EXT. RIVERBANK – DAWN
Mist clings to the water. Villagers
cluster, whispering. A body lies half out of the shallows, sheet-draped. The
face is covered.
CHINTU (19) meets Rudra at a run.
CHINTU (breathless)
Bhai — nadi ne lauta diya. Aankhon
se khoon...
Rudra kneels by the body. He steels
himself, lifts the sheet a fraction.
CLOSE ON: The victim’s eyes — open,
the sclera smeared with blood like burst capillaries.
Rudra flinches, covers again.
RUDRA (under breath)
Kaun tha?
VILLAGER WOMAN (trembling)
Gosain tola ki Rani.
Pandit arrives, grave.
PANDIT
Jal gussa me hai. Ab yeh sirf atma
ka rosh nahi —
jal-roopi yuddh ho raha.
Rudra looks up, jaw set.
RUDRA
Iska mool kaha?
Pandit holds his gaze.
PANDIT
Jis ghar me sabse pehla khamosh
khoon chhupa tha.
Rudra processes; the line hits like
a bell. He turns toward his lane.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Rudra and NANI (65) face each other
over the small table. The glass of red-tinged water sits between them.
RUDRA
Nani... hamare ghar me kya chhupa
hai?
NANI (measured)
Jo chhupa tha, uski awaaz ab nikal
rahi.
She stands, retrieves an iron box
key from her blouse knot. Hands it to him.
NANI (CONT’D)
Tehkhane ka taala purani daal me.
Aaj khol de.
Rudra nods; resolve floods in.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / BACK ROOM – DAY
A low shelf. Rudra pulls aside
sacks. A rusted RING rises from the floor — a concealed HATCH. He pries it up.
A staircase descends into black.
He lights a hurricane lamp. Breath
fogs. He goes down.
INT. BASEMENT / SURANG – CONTINUOUS
A narrow earthen tunnel. Walls
stained with old seep. In places, dark HANDPRINTS. The floor slopes gently
toward the river’s direction.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Mitti, paani, khoon — teesra raasta
yahin tha.
He walks, lamp swinging. The tunnel
ends at a small chamber.
INT. BASEMENT CHAMBER – CONTINUOUS
Against one wall: a low stone shelf.
On it, a wooden SANDOOK (box), old, with serpent scale carvings.
Rudra feels the lid; it yields with
a tired creak.
INSIDE: — A rolled LEAF MANUSCRIPT
secured with thread. — A RUDRAKSHA MALA, intact. — A small GLASS PHIAL — dried,
dark residue clinging inside like rusted blood.
Rudra’s breath catches.
RUDRA (soft)
Rukmani...
He gathers the items reverently into
his bag.
A faint tremor runs through the
earth. A trickle of inky water enters the chamber from a crack, stops at
his boots as if sniffing him, withdraws.
He looks up at the ceiling — hears a
dull thud of footsteps overhead: someone in the courtyard.
CUT TO:
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – SAME
Mukhiya’s MAN peers over the back
wall, curious. Nani steps out, sees him.
NANI (stern)
Kya chahiye?
The man looks away, slinks off.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. BASEMENT CHAMBER – CONTINUOUS
Rudra ties the bag, holds the lamp
steady.
RUDRA (to the dark)
Jise darya me jana tha... main lekar
jaaunga.
He climbs back.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – AFTERNOON
The leaf manuscript unrolled on the
table; Pandit examines the faded script.
PANDIT (reading)
“Jal shant karan vidhi — patr ko jal
dhara me
praveshit karna. Mala ka sparsh,
lahu ki bindu —
vrana ko pehchan, astitva ko mukti.”
RUDRA
Lahu ki... bindu?
Pandit gestures to the phial.
PANDIT
Lahu — sakshi. Jis kaam me khoon
gira tha,
usi ka ek ansh jal ko sach batata
hai.
Nani clenches her sari pallu.
NANI (quiet)
Aur agar galat haath se hua?
PANDIT
To jal aur kaala ho jayega.
A beat as that sinks in.
RUDRA (deciding)
Sahi haath — kal nahi, aaj.
CUT TO:
EXT. PANCHAYAT – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra stands at the threshold with
the mala, patr, phial in a cloth. Mukhiya sits inside with two men.
RUDRA
Aaj raat nadi par — vidhi.
Gaon se jo aana chahe, aa sakta hai.
MUKHIYA (amused)
Shehar ka bacha ab pujari ban gaya?
RUDRA (even)
Shehar ka bacha bas sach ko jal tak
pahucha raha.
Mukhiya’s smile fades a notch.
MUKHIYA (low)
Raat ko jungle me hawa tez chalti
hai.
Sambhal ke.
Rudra meets the threat with silence.
Leaves.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – SUNSET
Rudra stands beneath, looking up at
the canopy. Threads whisper. He raises the mala.
RUDRA (to the roots)
Aaj raat — shanti ke liye.
A thread detaches and lands on the
mala, as if accepting. He wraps the thread around the beads.
—
ACT II
EXT. RIVERBANK – NIGHT (RITUAL
SETUP)
Wind. Torches. A small gathering —
Nani, Chintu, a handful of villagers with scared eyes. Pandit prepares a square
with rice and flowers.
Tilaknath is nowhere to be seen. But
the sense of being watched crawls.
PANDIT (to all)
Dar ke saath mat khade raho. Ya aao,
ya jao.
Half leave. Half stay.
Rudra kneels within the square. He
places the patr at the water’s edge, malas on his palm.
PANDIT (chanting)
Om apavitrah pavitro va...
sarvavastham gato’pi va...
The chant threads through wind. The
river’s skin tightens.
RUDRA (low)
Rukmani... agar tum sun rahi ho —
aaj sach ko jal tak pahuchaane de.
He uncorks the phial. A dry scab of
blood clings inside, unmoving.
CHINTU (nervous joke)
Ye to sukha hua lagta —
The wind CUTS him off. The scab
softens as if remembering liquid, loosens, becomes a single dark drop.
Rudra lets the drop fall on the mala
beads. The beads drink it like thirsty seeds.
The river exhales — a cold breath
across their faces.
PANDIT (to Rudra)
Patr ko jal me.
Rudra slides the leaf manuscript
gently into the water. It floats, slow.
He dips the mala just enough to wet
it, then lifts it. Water runs off like a thin red thread.
SOUND: A woman’s SOB woven into the
current.
The manuscript starts to sink.
RUDRA (soft, to water)
Shanti.
A SHAPE gathers under the surface —
feminine, burnt edges, calmer now.
RUKMANI (SOT, within water)
*Sakshi mil gayi.*
The surface clears. The torches
steady. The wind subsides to a listening hush.
A child’s far giggle — not mocking
now, relieved.
Nani exhales a prayer that’s part
sob.
CUT WIDE: The river stretches,
lighter in tone; the oily slick retracts in thin threads.
A beat of grace.
Then — a STONE splashes near the
ritual square. Startle.
Across the dark, shadowy figures
flicker between trees — watching.
CHINTU (hushed)
Mukhiya ke log.
Pandit gestures to keep focus.
PANDIT (firm)
Nazar ki pooja nahi. Jal ki pooja.
They resume, eyes forward.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE LANES – SAME NIGHT
Mukhiya walks with two men.
Tilaknath materializes from shadow.
MUKHIYA (curt)
Aaj jal shaant ho gaya to kal gaon
sawal poochega.
TANTRIK (thin smile)
Shaant ki paribhasha badal do — sab
shaant.
MUKHIYA
Kaise?
TANTRIK
Bhay.
The word rots the air.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. RIVERBANK – RITUAL – LATER
Pandit completes the last mantra.
Rudra ties the mala to a low branch overhanging the river.
PANDIT
Abhi ke liye — shanti.
RUDRA (hope, caution)
Kab tak?
PANDIT
Jab tak jhooth ka matlab yaad rahe.
They gather the small items.
Villagers begin to smile uncertainly.
A woman kneels, touches the water,
lifts it to her head. It’s clear.
Murmurs rise — gratitude, disbelief.
CUT TO:
MONTAGE — “THE CLEARING”
END MONTAGE.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE NIGHT
Rudra places the empty phial, now
rinsed, beside the diary. He sits, exhausted but awake.
Nani enters with a towel; dries his
hair like he is small again. They share a silence that says everything.
NANI (soft)
Aaj kisi ko nyay mila.
RUDRA
Ab bas ek sach baaki.
Nani’s eyes flit to the portrait of
Shanta (Dadi).
—
ACT III
EXT. TEMPLE / VILLAGE SQUARE –
MORNING
A sense of relief hums. People
gather, less afraid. Pandit rings a clear bell.
Mukhiya steps up to speak, smile too
wide.
MUKHIYA (public tone)
Aap sab ne dekha — bhakti se shanti
aati hai.
Rasm hogi har amavasya.
Rudra watches, jaw tight.
RUDRA (under breath)
Bhakti se nahi. Sach se.
The BUZURG catches his eye, gives
the tiniest nod.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL RECORD ROOM – LATE
MORNING
Rudra and Chintu re-enter with calm
purpose. They photograph more registers. Cross-reference deaths, river levels,
panics, gossip.
CHINTU (pointing)
Yeh dekho — teen saal, teeno mahine
me—
RUDRA
—Ped ke neeche.
He traces with finger. The pattern
is undeniable.
SOUND: The wall’s khar-khar
is absent. Peace.
CHINTU (relieved)
Aaj raat so paayega, bhai.
RUDRA (not fully smiling)
Haan. Par kal subah sawal aur bade
honge.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – AFTERNOON
Rudra returns alone. The seep has
dried to a memory. The chalk line remains like a healed scar.
He sits with his diary. Writes.
INSERT — DIARY: “Jal shaant. Shraap
kam. Par sach? — Adhoora.”
He underlines Adhoora.
RUDRA (to the roots)
Shukriya. Par main rukunga nahi.
The threads above barely stir in a
friendly wind.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – EVENING
Nani fries chillies. The house feels
normal. Rudra grins at the sting in the air.
RUDRA (light)
Aaj to khushboo bhi zinda hai.
NANI (fond)
Aaj tu zinda dikhta hai.
They eat. Laughter surprises them.
For a minute, they are just family.
The mirror shard on a side table
catches light.
It clouds.
Rudra notices, stands slowly,
approaches.
The mirror clears — RUKMANI’S FACE
appears, not burnt now — or rather, the burn softened — eyes wet, not with
rage, but with relief.
RUKMANI (SOT, soft)
*Ab mera shraap nahi... sirf
shaanti.*
Rudra’s eyes flood. He nods, a tiny
bow.
RUDRA (whisper)
Shukriya.
The image fades. The shard shows
only their room.
Nani wipes her eyes without comment,
like a prayer finished.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVERBANK – NIGHT (EPILOGUE)
The river glows silver under a clean
moon. The mala Rudra tied sways lightly from the overhanging branch, beads dark
and quiet.
A last oily thread far downstream
dissolves into nothing.
Silence — good silence.
THEN — from far away, a DRUMBEAT.
Not the tantrik’s — a festive beat from another village.
Rudra smiles at the sound; hope
touches him.
He turns to walk back — stops. The
SOUND drops out. A different breath passes.
From the tree line, a LOW VOICE
(male) slips into the night, almost a growl.
UNKNOWN MALE (O.S.)
Chup rehna seekh le, launde.
Rudra goes still. He scans the dark.
Nothing moves.
He breathes in. Out.
RUDRA (to the dark)
Main chup nahi rahunga.
He walks on.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 6
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 7 — Andheron Ka Sach — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
EXT. BHAROLA – DAWN AFTER THE RITUALS
A rare clean light. The river
glints. The PEIPAL TREE is quiet, almost benign. Villagers step out cautiously;
a bell rings once, clear.
SOUND: Morning birdsong returns to
the soundscape — the first time in episodes.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – KITCHEN – MORNING
NANI kneads dough. RUDRA (20) enters
with damp hair, calmer but wired inside.
NANI (soft)
Aaj hawa me dard kam hai.
RUDRA (half-smile)
Bahar me. Andar me nahi.
He sips water; glances at the old
PORTRAIT (Shanta/Dadi). A decision builds.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Nani... sach ko bolna padega. Jisse
bandhan laga —
jisse bandhan dekha.
Nani’s hands pause — she reaches to
the top shelf, pulls a thin, cloth-wrapped envelope.
NANI
Ye padh le. Phir bolna.
She sets it between them.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 7
“ANDHERON KA SACH”
—
ACT I
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – FRONT ROOM –
CONTINUOUS
Rudra unwraps the envelope. Inside:
a FADED BIRTH CERTIFICATE. He reads.
His breath shortens. He looks to
Nani.
RUDRA (barely)
Ye... kab se aapke paas?
NANI (steady)
Jab se tujhe ghar laye.
Raat me rukmani ne tujhe chhoda...
aur apne aap ko
thane me de diya. Subah tak...
‘accident’ ho gaya.
Rudra reels. Nani places a palm on
the paper — anchoring both of them.
NANI (CONT’D)
Sach chupaya gaya... tere liye.
Par ab shayad sach teri wajah se hi
zinda hoga.
He nods, tears unshed.
CUT TO:
DREAM FLASH — EXT. JUNGLE EDGE –
NIGHT (20 YEARS AGO)
RUKMANI (mid-20s, burnt sari edges,
fierce and broken) sets a bundled INFANT against a tree root. Footsteps and
lanterns approach from far.
RUKMANI (to baby, whisper)
Tu jeeyega... tu sach banega.
She kisses the bundle. Disappears
into the dark toward the footsteps — surrender.
SMASH BACK TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Rudra wipes his eyes. Nani pours
water on his hands — a ritual for steadiness.
NANI
Agar bolega, poore gaon ko bole.
Adhe sach se andhera badhta hai.
RUDRA (resolute)
Poora sach.
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOL – RECORD ROOM – LATE
MORNING
The dusty room again. CHINTU (19)
pries the latch. They enter with a graphite pencil and tracing paper.
CHINTU
Aaj kya dhoondhna?
RUDRA
Janam register. Aur kuch rubbings.
They flip brittle ledgers. Rudra
finds “BIRTHS — 20 YEARS AGO.” An entry: “RUD—” overwritten with “—NA
(unclear)”.
RUDRA (grim)
Kisi ne naam dabaya.
He places tracing paper, rubs
graphite gently — the under-layer letters emerge ghostly.
INSERT — RUBBING: “RUDRAKSH —
Mother: RUKMANI.”
CHINTU (whistles low)
Bhai... sach to kagaz me fasa hua
tha.
Rudra photographs the rubbing and
the page.
SOUND: A faint tap-tap from
the far wall — not khar-khar — like a heartbeat.
RUDRA (to the room)
Shukriya.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE COURTYARD – AFTERNOON
Rudra shows the certificate and
rubbing to PANDIT.
PANDIT (reads, then looks up)
Jal shaant ho gaya isliye log
sochenge sab theek.
Par sach ko abhi bhi awaaz chahiye.
RUDRA
Aaj shaam chowk me. Mandir ka
loudspeaker de doge?
PANDIT (nods)
Aaj awaaz me paap nahi, nyay hoga.
CUT TO:
EXT. PANCHAYAT VERANDAH – SAME
MUKHIYA (50s) watches Rudra cross
the square from afar, face unreadable. BUZURG (70s) sits with a slow, sad
awareness.
MUKHIYA (to his man)
Aaj raat khushi ka jashn nahi — pani
ki pooja.
Sab bulana.
MAN (confused)
Pooja... ya sabha?
MUKHIYA (thin smile)
Dono.
He flicks a glance to a shadowed
corner where TANTRIK TILAKNATH lingers, listening.
TANTRIK (low)
Awaaz badhegi to... balki lahu bhi.
Mukhiya says nothing, but something
dark knots behind his calm.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE AFTERNOON
Nani ties a red thread over Rudra’s
copper charm.
NANI
Jo bolega, sambhal ke bolega.
Gussa sach ko sasta bana deta hai.
RUDRA (soft smile)
Aaj gussa nahi. Aaj awaaz.
She kisses his forehead. He leaves.
—
ACT II
EXT. CHAURAHA / TEMPORARY STAGE –
SUNSET
A wooden platform hastily built.
Temple loudspeaker on a pole. Villagers gather in nervous clusters. Children
peek from behind hips.
Pandit stands near the mic. Rudra
and Chintu arrange papers.
CHINTU (quiet)
Agar log palat gaye to?
RUDRA (steady)
Sahi cheez palatne me time le — par
palatti zaroor hai.
Pandit taps the mic; a squeal. The
murmurs hush.
PANDIT (amplified)
Aaj hum jal ki shanti ke baad, ek
aur shanti ki baat
sunenge — sach ki.
He steps back. Hands the mic to
Rudra.
CLOSE ON Rudra’s fingers — not
shaking.
RUDRA (into mic)
Mera naam Rudra hai.
Janam par — kagaz pe mera naam
Rudraksh tha.
Maa ka naam — Rukmani.
A shockwave through the crowd. Heads
turn. Whispers like locusts.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Rukmani — jise humne jadugarni kaha.
Jisne ilaaj kiya... jiski bali li
gayi.
Vo meri maa thi.
Pandit stands behind, eyes closed in
prayer; Nani at the edge, spine straight. Chintu scans for trouble.
VILLAGER WOMAN (calling)
Jhooth! Koi saboot?
Rudra lifts the faded certificate;
holds it to the crowd; then hands it to Gafoor, who stands nearest.
RUDRA
Gafoor chacha — padhein.
Gafoor squints, reads aloud
haltingly. Murmurs turn to a low moan.
GAFOOR (soft)
Rudraksh... Maa — Rukmani.
Rudra raises the rubbing paper.
RUDRA
School ka register — jis par likha
mita diya gaya tha.
Par kagaz bhi yaad rakhta hai.
He clips the rubbing to the stage
front with a clothespin — public evidence.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Nadi saf ho sakti hai.
Par jab tak hum apni zubaan se safai
nahi dete —
gaon me andhera rahega.
A stone CLATTERS near the stage.
Rudra pauses. Finds the thrower — a teen boy — who looks away, ashamed.
RUDRA (gentle, to the boy)
Tu dar gaya? Theek.
Par sach ko maarne se dar khatam
nahi hota.
He returns to mic. A strange bravery
spreads.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
1964 me — naag-yantra rakha gaya
tha.
Kisi ko bachane ke liye? Ya bandhne
ke liye?
Mujhe poora sach abhi nahi pata.
Par main chup nahi rahunga.
Mukhiya steps forward, applauds
twice — the sound wrong.
MUKHIYA (amplified, silky)
Wah! Shehar wale bachche — drama
bahut accha karte hain.
Gaon ka dukh unke liye kahani hai.
A ripple of laughter —
uncomfortable.
MUKHIYA (CONT’D)
Rukmani ne agar ilaaj kiya,
to mere bete ki maut kyon hui? (a
grenade)
Silence slams down.
RUDRA (even)
Maut ka sabab doctor hota to shehar
ke sab doctor
chor hote.
Gussa aasan hota hai. Nyay mushkil.
Mukhiya’s eyes flash; he smiles a
knife.
MUKHIYA
Aur tumhara janam? Bina baap ke?
Gaon ke beech me apni maa ka naam
leke — sharm aayi?
A collective hiss. Nani steps
forward, not on stage — beside it, voice steel.
NANI (clear, not on mic)
Sharm unhe aani chahiye jo sach ke
samne pathar phekte.
Maa ka naam lene me sharm nahi hoti.
A beat. The women in the crowd
straighten.
VILLAGER WOMAN #2 (calls)
Humne bhi bachche bina kagaz ke
paida kiye.
Kagaz sach nahi — insaan hai.
Small laughs — relief. Mukhiya
recalibrates.
MUKHIYA (cold)
Police ko bulaun? Jhooth-sach ka
faisla woh karein?
RUDRA (measured)
Police ko bulao. Main bhi bulaunga.
Par aaj — hum sab apne saamne sach
dekh rahe.
He lowers the mic a fraction —
softer, more human.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Main Rukmani ka beta hoon.
Main kisi ka shraap nahi, kisi ka
nyay hoon.
The line lands. The square holds its
breath.
Some clap — tentative. Some glower.
A boy smiles through tears.
An unseen hand cuts the loudspeaker
power — thump. Feedback — silence.
The crowd rustles. Rudra doesn’t
move — he raises his voice without the mic.
RUDRA (loud)
Aaj se — main chup nahi rahunga.
His words carry anyway.
CUT TO:
EXT. OFF-STAGE LANE – DUSK
Chintu winds the cable. Rudra joins
him. A figure lurks — slinks away when seen. The air has thinned; the evening
is sharp.
CHINTU
Aaj kaam ho gaya, bhai.
RUDRA (exhale)
Aaj shuru hua.
They exchange a tired grin.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT BACK ROOM – NIGHT
Mukhiya with two men; TANTRIK stands
half in shadow.
MUKHIYA (ice)
Aaj awaaz bani. Kal tak — khamoshi.
TANTRIK (studying Rudra’s photo)
Iske lahu me chingari hai.
Chingari se aag nikalti hai. Aag se
bali.
MUKHIYA
Bali ki baat baad me. Pehle dar.
Tantrik smiles without teeth.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Nani serves food. Rudra eats in
silence; their strength is routine.
NANI
Aaj maine tere baare me nahi — apne
baare me socha.
Main bhi chup rahi thi.
RUDRA (gentle)
Aaj nahi rahi.
She smiles, breaks a roti piece into
his plate — mothering.
A thud at the door makes them jump.
Chintu enters, breathless.
CHINTU
Bahar log jamaa ho rahe. Koi bole —
pooja.
Koi bole — dand.
NANI (calm)
Jo bole, bolne do. Hum roti
khayenge. Phir sochenge.
They eat, slower now.
—
ACT III
INT. SCHOOL – LIBRARY ROOM – NIGHT
Rudra sneaks back in alone. He
checks the rubbing, pockets the ledger’s page numbers, returns the book —
methodical.
He turns to leave — stops. On the
teacher’s desk: a small, folded NOTE.
He opens it.
INSERT — NOTE: “DAR MAT. SACH HUM
BHI JAANTE. — S.”
He looks around — empty. He folds
the note into his pocket. A spark of solidarity.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVERBANK – LATE NIGHT
The river is calm. The mala tied to
the branch glints. Rudra stands below it, looking at the water’s skin.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Paani ne sach ko sun liya.
Ab logon ki baari.
A pebble skips near him — playful,
not hostile. He turns — two kids run away giggling. He smiles, waves.
SOUND: A distant drum — festive, not
ritual. The village exhales.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE / RUDRA’S ROOM –
LATER
The mirror shard sits. The lantern
is low. Rudra writes.
INSERT — DIARY: “Aaj maine apna naam
bola. Maa ka naam bola. Sach halka nahi lagta — bhari lagta hai. Par sahi.”
He underlines: Sahi.
The mirror fogs lightly. An image
blooms — RUKMANI, less burnt than ever, eyes warm. She does not speak. She nods.
RUDRA (whisper)
Main taiyar hoon.
The image dissolves.
A stone hits the exterior wall — thak.
Rudra stiffens. Another — thak-thak.
NANI (O.S.)
Andar hi reh.
He closes the diary calmly, sits on
the cot, breathes.
A SHADOW crosses the window slit.
Then silence.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA – SAME
A small group of MEN with covered
faces whisper. One holds a kerosene bottle.
MAN #1 (hushed)
Aaj nahi. Sab jagte hain. Kal.
They disperse into lanes.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – PRE-DAWN
Nani prays. Rudra packs a small bag:
certificate copy, rubbing, diary, camera phone, thread, copper charm.
NANI (without turning)
Aaj kya karega?
RUDRA
Jo kal bola — uska saboot aur.
She finishes prayer, turns, ties
another thread to his wrist.
NANI
Andhera sach ka dushman nahi.
Andhera bas roshni ka intzaar karta
hai.
He smiles, kisses her hand.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA – MORNING
Rudra pins copies of the rubbing and
certificate on the notice board. Children gather; women read; murmurs grow —
this time not fearful, curious.
Mukhiya arrives, sees the papers. He
tears one — stops; the crowd watches. He re-pins it himself, smiling like a
host.
MUKHIYA (loud)
Koi sawaal ho to Panchayat me
aayein.
Gaon ka ghar sabka.
He walks away. The crowd looks at
Rudra — some nodding.
CUT TO:
EXT. GAFOOR’S BAITHAK – MIDDAY
Gafoor calls Rudra with a finger. He
hands a small, wrapped old letter.
GAFOOR (low)
Yeh kisi ne diya tha saalon pehle.
Bola — sahi haath me dena. Shayad ab
sahi haath.
Rudra opens it.
INSERT — OLD LETTER (faded): “Agar
main na aaun, patr ko darya tak le jana. — R.” (smudged thumbprint like blood)
Rudra inhales, reverent.
RUDRA
Shukriya, chacha.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE – AFTERNOON
Pandit and Rudra plan a community jal-seva
(public cleaning of small channels). Women volunteer. Teen boys step up. The
village starts to move differently.
MONTAGE — “SMALL LIGHTS”
END MONTAGE.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUKHIYA’S INNER COURTYARD –
DUSK
The warmth is not in here. Mukhiya,
alone, stares at an old photograph of his dead son. Tilaknath steps out of
shadow.
TANTRIK
Aaj awaaz bani. Kal aag.
Aag ka rasta taiyar kar diya hai.
MUKHIYA (without looking)
Kaun si aag?
TANTRIK (smiles)
Andhere ki. Jo roshni ko kha jaati
hai.
He sets a small kaala patra
(black palm-leaf) on the floor — sigils scratched. A faint thrum hums.
Mukhiya looks, jaw locking shut.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – NIGHT
Rudra stands under the branches. The
air is neutral — neither friend nor foe.
RUDRA (to the roots)
Aaj maine andhere me sach bola.
Kal roshni me bhi bolunga.
A red thread loosens, lands on his
shoulder. He smiles, pockets it like a talisman.
He turns to leave.
TAG / CLIFFHANGER
As he steps away, a faint,
disembodied WOMAN’S VOICE follows — not from the wall, not from the tree — from
within him.
RUKMANI (V.O., inside him)
*Tu mera lahu hai... tu mera shakt.*
He stops, lets the words settle —
not haunted, claimed.
From the far lane, a CRY — someone
hit. Rudra runs toward it.
SMASH TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 7
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 8 — Khoon Ka Waaris — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
COLD OPEN
EXT. BHAROLA – DAWN
A fragile calm. The river looks
clear. The PEIPAL TREE stands watchful. Two camps in the village square — one
around RUDRA (20) and PANDIT (40s), another around MUKHIYA (50s). A physical
line in dust divides both groups.
SOUND: Two bells — temple’s clear
chime vs. a dull clangor from Mukhiya’s side.
Rudra and CHINTU (19) hand out
buckets for jal-seva.
Across, Mukhiya whispers to a MAN,
who nods and vanishes toward the jungle.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 8
“KHOON KA WAARIS”
—
ACT I
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – MORNING
Warm, tense. NANI (65) unknots a
wrapped cloth from the trunk. Inside: a short IRON TALWAR (blade) with simple
hilt; and RUKMANI’S MALA (now re-threaded with the red thread Rudra had tied).
NANI (quiet steel)
Yeh teri maa ki thi.
Talwar — bachav ke liye, nahi khoon
ke liye.
Aur yeh mala — yaad dilane ke liye
ki tu kaun hai.
She hands both to Rudra.
RUDRA (soft)
Main maarne nahi aaya is gaon me.
NANI (firm)
Isliye diya hai. Taaki kisi ko marna
na pade.
Rudra nods; straps blade inside his
shawl, mala to his neck.
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOL LANE – DAY
Rudra chalks a clean square over the
scar patch on the wall — chooses honesty over erasure. Kids watch.
RUDRA (to kids)
Yeh nishaan rehega. Taaki hum bhool
na jaayein.
A teen throws a small stone —
misses. Rudra looks at him kindly — the boy drops his gaze and slinks off.
CUT TO:
EXT. PANCHAYAT VERANDAH – DAY
Mukhiya addresses a small group;
TANTRIK TILAKNATH (50s) lurks in shadow.
MUKHIYA (measured poison)
Gaon do hisso me baat gaya.
Jitni awaaz, utna afra-tafri.
Raat ko jungle me ek *vishuddhi*
rasm hogi — shanti ke liye.
VILLAGER
Rasm... ya bali?
Mukhiya’s smile doesn’t reach his
eyes.
MUKHIYA
Jo bhi ho, kal subah shanti hogi.
Tilaknath’s glance says the quiet
part: Bali.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVER GHAT – AFTERNOON
Rudra and Pandit organize jal-seva.
Women scrub channels. The mala tied to the branch sways.
A MAN stumbles in, fake-panic.
MAN (panting)
Chintu! Teri behen jungle kinare be-
hosh mili — jaldi aa!
Chintu blanches. Rudra clocks the
man’s shifty eyes.
RUDRA (to Chintu, low)
Ye ghaat-chala jaisa lag raha. Par
chal — saath.
They grab a lantern and run.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE EDGE – LATE AFTERNOON
Handheld. Sunlight stutters through
sal trees. The MAN leads them deeper.
RUDRA (calling)
Meera!
A muffled sob. They rush —
A CLEARING: Empty, except for a scarf
hooked on a thorn. A perfect bait.
CHINTU (realizing)
Bhai —
MEN step out of brush — Mukhiya’s
goons. Circling.
GOON LEAD
Bahadur ban gaya? Aaj raat ka hero?
Chal — mukhiya ji bulaate.
Rudra pushes Chintu behind him.
RUDRA (calm)
Kisi ko chot nahi lagegi. Peeche hat
jao.
GOON LEAD (laughs)
Talwar chhupayi hogi. Nikaal le.
Rudra doesn’t. He raises empty
hands.
RUDRA
Shant raho.
A goon lunges. Rudra sidesteps,
traps wrist, disarms with minimal force; the stick clatters. Another
swings — Rudra ducks, sweeps a leg — the man falls but isn’t hurt bad.
Short, efficient choreography —
defensive, nonlethal. Chintu, emboldened, throws sand in one man’s eyes — they
flee cursing.
A last goon rushes with a knife.
Rudra reveals the TALWAR a few inches — a glint — enough to make the man
freeze.
RUDRA (level)
Yeh talwar raksha ke liye hai.
Tumhari jaan bhi isme.
The man recoils. The group scatters.
Chintu shakes, then laughs in
disbelief.
CHINTU
Bhai... tu sach me hero ban gaya.
RUDRA (half-smile)
Nahi. Bas dar ki zid todi.
Wind hushes the trees as if
approving.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEMPLE – SUNSET
Pandit binds a gauze on a scraped
knuckle. Rudra updates him, tense.
PANDIT
Raat ko ye log kuchh karenge.
Bheed me nahi — jungle me.
Hum bhi wahan honge... par apne
tareeke se.
RUDRA
Havan ped ke paas?
PANDIT
Raksha-vidhi.
Bali ka jawaab bali se nahi —
maryada se.
They exchange a look: plan made.
—
ACT II
EXT. PEIPAL – NIGHT (Havan)
A small, controlled ritual. Pandit,
Rudra, Nani, Chintu, a handful of villagers. A protective rekha drawn in
rice around the exposed naag-yantra curve. The anklet bell and rudraksha bead
placed at the edge.
PANDIT (chanting low)
Om tryambakam yajamahe...
NANI (to Rudra, low)
Yaad — talwar ko uthane se pehle
zubaan uthani.
Rudra nods. He rings the anklet bell
once — a clear, sweet note. The seep holds back, as if listening.
Across the field, in negative
space, torchlights flicker — another ritual assembling: Mukhiya +
Tilaknath.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE TEMPLE RUINS – NIGHT
(Counter-Ritual)
Tilaknath chalks a black sigil. A
goat bleats in panic, tied. Mukhiya watches, jaw clenched.
MUKHIYA (low)
Bali ke bina hoga?
TANTRIK
Bali se asaan kuch nahi. Par dar se
bada kuch nahi.
He smears ash across the black
patra. The air hums wrong.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – NIGHT
Pandit draws water arc. Rudra speaks
to the roots.
RUDRA
Maa... (a beat) Rukmani...
Agar main tera lahu hoon — to meri
zimmedari bhi meri.
SOUND: A low female sigh through
leaves. The mala at Rudra’s neck warms.
WIDE: The two rituals across the
fields, like chess.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE RUINS – SAME
Tilaknath knife over goat —
TANTRIK (roars)
Swaha!
The goat jerks. But before strike —
SOUND: A bell from the peipal side —
that pure tone threads the air. The goat calms, as if drugged. Tilaknath
falters, furious.
TANTRIK (snarls)
Bell band karo.
Mukhiya signals a man. He runs
toward the peipal.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – SAME
A goon charges in. The villagers
flinch.
Rudra steps forward, talwar still
sheathed.
RUDRA (firm)
Rekha ke andar ek kadam bhi — toh
chot lagegi.
Bahar raho, baat karo.
The man spits; tries to step. The rice
line fizzes — a small spark snakes up his ankle. He yelps and jumps
back, terrified of things he can’t name.
CHINTU (awed, to Nani)
Ye kaise hua?
NANI (calm)
Vishwas bhi yantra hota hai.
The goon retreats.
Pandit continues. The havan smoke
rises straight — no wind.
CUT TO:
MONTAGE — “DUEL OF RITUALS”
(INTERCUT)
END MONTAGE.
Sudden GUST. Both fires lean —
toward each other — as if the air itself is choosing.
At the peipal, a shape forms
in smoke — RUKMANI’S FACE, calmer, crowned in soot.
RUKMANI (SOT, low)
*Tu mera lahu hai... tu mera shakt.*
Rudra’s spine straightens. He lifts
the talwar — hilt to forehead in namaskar. Not to fight — to vow.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE RUINS – LATER
Tilaknath, enraged, changes tactic.
He pricks his thumb, lets blood drip on black patra.
TANTRIK
Jis ka lahu jale, uska lahu bulao.
A wind snakes toward the peipal.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – CONTINUOUS
That wind hits the rekha — splits
into harmless eddies.
Rudra steps outside the rekha
voluntarily, faces the wind.
RUDRA (to the dark)
Lahu chahiye? Mera le — par sach ke
bina nahi.
He draws the talwar an inch, pricks
his own palm — one drop falls on the root.
SOUND: A low, deep note from
inside the earth — welcoming, not hungry.
The wind dies. The bell rings
by itself — like gratitude.
Nani watches, proud and scared.
NANI (under breath)
Mere bacche...
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE RUINS – SAME
Tilaknath gasps, as if struck. He
looks to Mukhiya.
TANTRIK (hoarse)
Iska lahu... raksha me bandha hai.
Bali nahi banega.
Mukhiya’s mask cracks — rage.
MUKHIYA (spits)
Toh uske doston ki bali.
He signals men.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – MOMENTS LATER
Two goons snatch CHINTU from the
edge. Chaos. Nani yells. Rudra runs —
FOREST PATH CHASE — handheld,
breathy, branches slapping.
EXT. ROCKY GULLY – CONTINUOUS
Goon holds a knife to Chintu’s
throat.
GOON
Talwar daal de. Nahi to—
Rudra slows, lowers talwar to
ground. Hands up.
RUDRA (steady)
Usse chhod do. Main aaya.
A third man from behind lunges to
tackle Rudra —
Rudra pivots, uses the lunging
man to smash the knife-holder — fast, efficient. Chintu drops; scrambles
away.
Rudra doesn’t pick the talwar. He
kicks it backward to Chintu.
RUDRA (to Chintu)
Rekha ke andar rakh de — ped ke
paas.
Chintu sprints with the blade
sheathed under shirt.
Rudra faces the remaining men
barehanded.
Short brutal nonlethal brawl
— elbows, grapples, throws into soft bush, wrists locked until knives drop. No
killing. The men flee, rattled by a man not fighting to destroy.
Rudra breathes, shakes, then smiles
in relief. He heads back.
CUT TO:
EXT. PEIPAL – LATER NIGHT
The havan ends. Calm. The mala on
Rudra’s neck is warm; the anklet bell lies quiet.
Pandit closes with a final mantra.
PANDIT
Aaj raat — bali nahi hui.
Iska matlab kal — zor lagega.
RUDRA (nodding)
Hum bhi lagenge.
They douse the fire carefully; leave
diya by the root.
—
ACT III
INT. MUKHIYA’S HAVELI – NIGHT
Mukhiya alone with a photo of his
dead son. He drinks. The house is a tomb of pride.
Tilaknath enters unannounced.
TANTRIK (quiet)
Aaj tum hara nahi — roke gaye ho.
Kal raat — amavasya.
Bali ke bina nahi chalega.
MUKHIYA (dead voice)
Kiski?
TANTRIK
Jis ka lahu sabse meetha — lahu
jisme dono vansh ka bojh.
Rukmani ka — aur Shanta ke ghar ka.
Mukhiya understands: Rudra.
He nods once. A decision that steals
what is left of him.
CUT TO:
INT. NANI’S HOUSE – LATE NIGHT
Rudra, Nani, Chintu. The room small,
resolute.
RUDRA
Kal woh mujhe lenge.
Lekin main apni marzi se aaunga —
sharton par.
NANI (sharp)
Shart?
RUDRA
Bali ki jagah — nyay ki jagah.
Sab ke saamne.
Agar meri bali chahiye, to pehle
sach ki bali khatam.
CHINTU (scared, loyal)
Main saath.
NANI (holds both their hands)
Kal amavasya hai.
Ya to andhera sab kha jayega — ya
roshni.
They sit in a small triangle of
hands — vow.
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE – PRE-DAWN (TAG
/ CLIFFHANGER)
Fog. Silence. A drum — distant,
measured.
Rudra steps into the square, alone,
talwar sheathed, mala out, head high.
Across the fog, silhouettes gather —
Mukhiya’s men, Tilaknath at center, goat again, black patra glinting.
Between them, villagers emerge from
alleys — not many, but enough — Pandit, Nani, Gafoor, the BUZURG, a scattering
of women.
Two processions face each other
across fog — Bali vs. Nyay.
RUDRA (calling clear)
Aaj — ya to bali hogi, ya sach.
Dono saath nahi chalenge.
Silence like a drawn bow.
A wind lifts. The peipal threads
tremble.
RUKMANI (V.O., almost within him)
*Tu mera lahu hai... tu mera
shakt... tu mera waaris.*
Rudra lifts his chin, steps forward.
SMASH TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 8
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 9 — Bali Kaand — Full
Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
COLD OPEN
EXT. JUNGLE EDGE / BALI STHAL
APPROACH – NIGHT (AMAVASYA)
Black sky, no moon. Drums pulse from
deep within the jungle. Torches snake like fire-veins.
CLOSE ON: A kaala patra
(black palm-leaf) with ash-sigils. A drop of goat blood falls on it — sizzles.
TILT UP to reveal TANTRIK TILAKNATH
(50s), eyes glazed. He inhales the smoke like a predator.
WIDE: A makeshift bali manch
(sacrificial dais) ringed with trishuls, skull garlands, and red cloth. MUKHIYA
(50s) watches, knuckles white.
SOUND: Distant temple bell tries to
cut through; swallowed by drums.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 9
“BALI KAAND”
—
ACT I
EXT. BHAROLA CHOWK – NIGHT
Fog hugging the ground. Two
processions face off: VILLAGERS with Pandit and Nani on one side; Mukhiya’s MEN
with covered faces on the other. Rudra steps into the gap — alone, talwar
sheathed, mala visible.
RUDRA (clear)
Aaj ya to bali hogi, ya sach. Dono
saath nahi chalenge.
A hush. A crow flaps away.
MUKHIYA (silky)
Shanti ke liye rasm — tum samajh
nahi paoge.
RUDRA
Shanti jhooth se nahi, nyay se hoti.
Tilaknath glides into view, staff
knocking dirt.
TANTRIK (measured)
Jis lahu ne shraap jagaya, usi lahu
se shanti milegi.
RUDRA (steps forward)
Agar mere lahu se shanti — to shart
meri.
Sab ke saamne — bina chhupaye.
Aur pehle — sach bola jayega.
Murmurs. Some of Mukhiya’s men
exchange uneasy looks.
MUKHIYA (hard)
Rasm jungle me hoti hai. Aao.
Rudra looks at Nani, Pandit. Nani
nods — iron and blessing. Pandit presses rudraksha into Rudra’s palm.
PANDIT (low)
Zubaan pe dhyan. Talwar pe nahi.
Rudra turns to the crowd.
RUDRA (to villagers)
Jo darte nahi, sakshi banne aa
sakte.
Jo darte hain, ghar me diya jala
dena.
A handful of villagers step out —
CHINTU, GAFOOR, the BUZURG, two women — courage coalesces.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE PATH – PROCESSION –
NIGHT
Handheld. Torches sway. Drums nearer
now. Shadows in trees twitch.
Nani, Pandit, Chintu, a few
villagers follow at a distance. Rudra walks between two goons; not bound, but
surrounded.
SOUND: Leaves hiss like whispering
witnesses.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING / BALI STHAL –
NIGHT
The clearing opens like a wound. The
bali manch awaits — trident posts, blood bowls, tethered goat. The kaala
patra on a pedestal.
Tilaknath stands in the center, arms
raised.
TANTRIK (chanting)
Kaale jal, kaale raat — lahu se lahu
ko shaant...
Mukhiya steps beside him — public
mask on, private fear tight.
Rudra takes in the grim theater,
then steps onto the clearing’s edge.
RUDRA (firm)
Rasm ke pehle — sach.
Rukmani ki kahani poori.
Tilaknath’s eyes gleam — amused.
TANTRIK
Kahani baad me. Aaj kriya.
RUDRA
Kriya bina sach ke — khoon hota hai.
Aaj ya to awaaz hogi, ya lahu.
A beat. Mukhiya nods as if
indulging.
MUKHIYA
Bol.
Rudra faces the assembled — includes
some villagers called as onlookers by Mukhiya, expecting spectacle.
RUDRA (projecting)
1964 — gaon ke bachhe bimar pade.
Vaidya Rukmani ne ilaaj kiya.
Kisi ka beta — (looks at Mukhiya) —
bach nahi paya.
Gussa badla. Sach daba.
Naag-yantra rakha — raksha ke naam
par bandhan.
Whispers. The BUZURG looks like he
might faint.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Raat ko kisi ne tel dala. Kisne? (to
crowd)
Shayad meri dadi Shanta — ya koi
aur.
Par sab ne dekha. Koi bola nahi.
He steps onto the manch stairs —
still outside the inner circle.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Aaj main bol raha.
Meri maa Rukmani — jadugarni nahi
thi.
Ek maa thi. Ek vaidya.
Usne mujhe bachaya — apne aap ko
diya.
Tilaknath claps once — a dead sound.
TANTRIK
Geet khatam? Lahu.
He signals. Drums surge. Two men
move to seize Rudra. Rudra raises his empty hands.
RUDRA (loud)
Agar meri bali — to pehle tum sach ki
bali band karo.
Kaala patra hatao.
Gaon ke saamne bolo — Rukmani ko
jalaaya gaya.
A hush vacuum-sucks the clearing.
All eyes to Mukhiya.
Mukhiya’s jaw muscles jump.
MUKHIYA (slow)
Rukmani ko jalaaya gaya.
Par kyun? (spins it)
Gaon ko bachane ke liye.
Murmurs — divided.
RUDRA (cuts)
Gaon ko jhooth se kabhi nahi bachaya
jaata.
He turns to BUSZURG.
RUDRA (soft)
Aapne dekha tha.
The old man trembles, tears pooling.
BUZURG (broken)
Maine dekha.
Main chup raha.
A crack of collective breath.
Tilaknath hisses.
TANTRIK
Bas!
Bandhan todne se pehle bali — warna
jal lahu banega.
He lifts the ritual knife. Goat
bleats.
Rudra steps onto the inner circle —
a shocking move. Gasps.
RUDRA (to Tilaknath)
Lahu chahiye? Mera le.
Par bina jhooth ke.
He pricks his palm with his own
talwar tip — one drop falls on the black earth.
SOUND: A low thunder rumble without
lightning. Leaves shiver.
Tilaknath smiles, head tilting — interested.
TANTRIK
Achha.
Ab bandho ise.
Men grab Rudra’s arms. He doesn’t
resist — surrenders strategically. Nani and Chintu gasp; Pandit tenses.
PANDIT (to villagers, low)
Nazar rakho. Aaj sakshi hum hain.
—
ACT II
EXT. BALI STHAL – CONTINUOUS
Rudra is fastened to the low
chabootra with cloth ties (not brutal chains). Tilaknath circles, chanting.
Mukhiya stands at a vantage, drinking power like air.
TANTRIK (chanting, rising)
Agni dev, jal dev, pret-shakti —
lahu le, rosh uda...
Rudra shuts his eyes. Breath slows —
almost meditative. He whispers.
RUDRA (under breath)
Maa... main yahan hoon.
SOUND: The anklet bell in his pocket
tinkles once — not possible.
The torches gutter inward — flames
lean toward Rudra.
Nani steps forward — stopped by
Mukhiya’s men.
NANI (calling)
Talwar nahi — naam le!
Naam! (to Rudra)
Rudra understands. He speaks louder,
over the chant.
RUDRA
Rukmani! Shanta! Sattu!
Jo jo bandhe, jo jo bandhe wale —
sab ke naam suno!
The air changes. The chant
stumbles; Tilaknath snarls and doubles down.
TANTRIK (roars)
Chup!
He raises the knife over the goat —
fake-out — then angles it toward Rudra’s forearm — a ritual nick, not
killing.
The blade descends —
A GUST explodes from the
treeline. Torches blow horizontal. The knife misses, slices rope instead.
Rudra’s right hand snaps free.
Gasps. Tilaknath reels.
In the blast — a WHITE SMOKE FORM
rises from the manch floor — RUKMANI, half-burnt, half-beautiful, eyes
incandescent with justice.
RUKMANI (layered voice)
*Mera beta bali nahi.*
Everything stills as if time obeys
her.
She turns her face — not to Rudra — to
Mukhiya.
RUKMANI (CONT’D)
*Jisne dekha — jhooth bola.
Jisne maara — chup raha.
Aaj dono ka bandhan khulega.*
Mukhiya flinches, just once — a
crack in the statue.
MUKHIYA (shouts)
Jhooth! Bhatakti atma!
RUKMANI (soft wrath)
*Bhatakta jhooth hoon — ya tum?*
Tilaknath lunges to reassert
control, chanting brutally. He flings ash from the kaala patra at the
apparition.
The ash hits her — blows back
into his face. He coughs, chokes.
Rudra tears the remaining tie,
stands — does not attack. He holds his ground, palms out to calm the
villagers.
RUDRA (calling)
Koi pathar nahi! Koi chillana nahi!
Dekho. Sakshi bano.
The crowd restrains itself — a
controlled revolution.
TANTRIK (hoarse rage)
Lahu! Lahu!
He slices his own palm, splashes
blood on the patra. The sigils flare dull red.
The ground HUMS — a low, subterranean
note. The goat stills — eyes rolling.
PANDIT (to Rudra)
Jal chahiye.
Rudra nods at Chintu, who sprints to
a pot, throws a clean arc of water across the patra.
HISS — steam — the red dims to
sullen black.
Tilaknath SHRIEKS, eyes wild, hair
lifting as if in a storm only he feels.
RUKMANI (to Tilaknath)
*Bali ke bina bhi shanti hoti hai.
Tumhe pata nahi — tumhe pasand
nahi.*
He charges at the apparition with
the knife — the blade shatters mid-air, pieces falling like dead birds.
The drums falter; some of Mukhiya’s
men back away.
RUDRA (to Mukhiya, steady)
Bas karo.
Tumhara beta mar gaya — par nyay
zinda ho sakta hai.
Mukhiya trembles — grief flares
behind fury.
MUKHIYA (raw)
Mere bache ka kya!
Kisi ne zimmedari li?
RUDRA (soft)
Main leta hoon.
Par kisi ki jaan ke badle nahi.
Sach ke badle.
A silence that means possible.
Tilaknath sees his leverage
dissolving. He turns on Mukhiya.
TANTRIK (venom)
Yeh launda tumse bada ho gaya.
Gaon tumse nikal raha.
He grabs the kaala patra, chants
desperate, smears more ash.
The patra CRACKS — a hairline
first, then a web — a backfire of his own ritual.
A recoil hits Tilaknath in
the chest. He gasps, stumbles into a trishul, collapsing. Not dead — but consumed
by his hubris — breath ragged, eyes terrified by unseen shapes.
GAFOOR (whisper)
Jisne jalaaya, vo khud jal gaya.
Rukmani’s form softens, edges losing
flame. She turns to Rudra.
RUKMANI (tender)
*Tu mera lahu... tu mera nyay.*
She reaches — not touch — blesses
the air around his head. The anklet bell tinkles once.
She thins, disperses into the dark —
not banished, released.
—
ACT III
EXT. BALI STHAL – LATER NIGHT
(AFTERMATH)
Smoke clears. The goat rests
quietly, untethered by a boy. Villagers unmask faces — humans again.
Rudra stands facing Mukhiya —
neither attacks.
RUDRA (quiet)
Aaj koi mara nahi. Kal kisi ko marna
nahi pade.
Mukhiya looks at his trembling hands
— sees the photo of his dead son in his mind.
MUKHIYA (hoarse)
Maine apna bacha khona.
Aur uske baad bas jhooth pakda — par
jhooth ne mujhe pakda.
He sinks onto the manch steps — not
defeated, depleted.
Pandit approaches, sets the broken
knife pieces in a cloth.
PANDIT (to all)
Rasm khatam. Ab gaon me rasm hogi —
sach ki.
Nani hugs Rudra tight, then holds
his face.
NANI (tear-stern)
Tu jaan de ke aaya — par akal se.
Aise hi rehna.
Chintu slaps Rudra’s shoulder —
giddy relief.
CHINTU
Bhai, ek baar to sach ne hi dhamaka
kiya.
Rudra half-smiles, glances to where
Rukmani vanished — a clean patch of night.
CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE PATH – PROCESSION BACK –
PRE-DAWN
Quieter. Torches low. Some men
support the shaken tantrik. Others walk apart from Mukhiya now, thinking.
Rudra walks with villagers. A small,
new dignity.
BUZURG (to Rudra, broken prayer)
Maaf kar de.
Main sakshi ban ke bhi chup raha.
RUDRA (taking his hand)
Aaj aap bole. Bas ab chup mat rehna.
They emerge from trees. The peipal
threads lift in a small breeze — not ominous.
The village ahead — waiting for a
verdict it has already felt.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA – SUNRISE
Rudra steps onto the square, turns
to the assembled.
RUDRA (to crowd)
Aaj se — koi bali nahi.
Agar koi marna chahe — jhooth
marega.
A rumble of assent. Women nod hard.
Children exhale.
Mukhiya arrives, face ravaged but
controlled. He raises a hand — not to strike — to surrender something.
MUKHIYA (loud enough)
Panchayat me baithak hogi.
Rukmani ke baare me jo register me
dabaya...
vo khulega.
Main khulwaunga.
Gasps. Relief. Suspicion. But a door
opens.
Rudra nods — no gloating.
RUDRA (simple)
Theek.
Police siren — faint — approaches
from the highway. Heads turn.
PANDIT (aside)
Kanoon aaye to sach ko dikhana.
Par pehle hum dikhayein.
Rudra looks at Nani. She nods. He
looks at the peipal; the roots look rested.
—
TAG / CLIFFHANGER
EXT. RIVERBANK – LATER MORNING
The river gleams. Rudra stands where
the mala hangs from the branch. He touches the beads — now dry, dark, peaceful.
A ripple forms without wind. He
kneels — hand to water.
REFLECTION: Rukmani’s face, unburnt,
serene — just for a heartbeat — then surface again shows sky.
RUDRA (whisper)
Shukriya, Maa.
Behind him — a SHADOW stops. He
turns — POLICE OFFICERS approach with local constables.
OFFICER (formal)
Tum Rudra ho? Statement dena hoga.
Mukhiya ne kuch maan liya hai.
Par kuch sawal baaki hain.
Rudra stands, ready.
RUDRA
Sawal mere paas bhi hain.
He takes a breath — steps toward the
officers.
WIDE: The village, the river, the
peipal — all in frame.
FADE TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 9
END
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
Episode 10 — Punarjanm (rebirth) —
Full Screenplay
FORMAT NOTE: One-hour drama. Roman
Hindi dialogues; action/direction in English. Target runtime ~36–40 mins.
—
FADE IN:
COLD OPEN
EXT. RIVERBANK – BLUE HOUR
(PRE-DAWN)
WS: The river, finally glass-still.
Peipal threads rest like quiet veins. A lone diya floats and does not sputter.
SOUND: Morning insects, far temple
bell. No khar-khar. No whispers.
CU: Mala beads (the ones from the
branch) sway gently.
RUDRA (20) steps into frame,
silhouette against silver water. He crouches, fingertips skimming the surface
like greeting an old friend.
RUDRA (V.O.)
Jab paani sach ko pehchanta hai, to
gaon ko apna chehra
dekhna padta hai.
He stands as a POLICE JEEP pulls up
on the dirt track.
SMASH CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — EPISODE 10
“PUNARJANM”
—
ACT I
EXT. CHAURAHA – DAWN
WS: Villagers gather. Police line
the edge. MUKHIYA (50s) is presented to an OFFICER (40s). PANCHAYAT ledgers on
a table.
OFFICER flips a register; BUZURG
(70s) points, trembling, but speaking.
BUZURG (audible, steady)
Yahan... yahan se naam mitaaya gaya
tha.
OFFICER (to Mukhiya)
Record tamper karna — aur bali ki
sajish.
Aapke khilaf gawahi mil rahi.
Mukhiya looks at the crowd — grief
and pride melted to resignation.
MUKHIYA (to crowd, raw)
Main galat tha.
Mera bacha gaya — par main kisi aur
ka bacha cheen na
chahata. Jhooth ne mujhe chuna.
He puts his hands forward. A
constable cuffs him. No spectacle — quiet accountability.
NANI (65) exhales, a prayer.
OFFICER (to Rudra)
Tumhara statement.
EXT. PANCHAYAT VERANDAH – CONTINUOUS
Rudra signs a statement. The Officer
watches him — not hostile, curious.
OFFICER
Gaon me sach bolna bada kaam. Kanoon
ko madad mil gayi.
RUDRA (simple)
Kanoon ko jal jaisa hona chahiye —
shant, saaf.
The Officer almost smiles; nods.
CUT TO:
INT. PANCHAYAT HALL – MORNING
Tables dragged into a circle. A GRAM
SABHA-style truth meeting. Men and women, equal halves. Pandit facilitates,
not dominates.
On the wall: pinned copies of the
rubbing, the birth certificate, photos of the naag-yantra, a charcoal sketch of
Rukmani (by a teen girl).
PANDIT (moderating)
Aaj se — hum sab sach gend ke jaise
paas karenge,
na ke pathar ke jaise.
WS: Hands rise. Testimonies begin.
MONTAGE — “TRUTH CIRCLE”
END MONTAGE.
Rudra stands, emotion bridled.
RUDRA
Aaj se — hum havan se zyada halka kaam
karenge.
Pathshala. Seva.
Aur pehle — ek antim vidhi.
CUT TO:
EXT. NANI’S COURTYARD – MIDDAY
Nani brings out a small kalash
wrapped in white cloth — Rukmani ki asthiyan. Beside it: the IRON TALWAR
(wrapped), the anklet bell.
NANI (hands trembling but firm)
Ab adhura kuch nahi.
Rudra takes the kalash and bell. He
looks at the talwar.
NANI (CONT’D)
Isne raksha ki. Ab isko bhi jal me
wapas.
Rudra nods — closure in his palm.
—
ACT II
EXT. RIVERBANK – AFTERNOON (THE LAST
RITE)
A modest crowd gathers — not spectacle,
not hidden. Pandit prepares a simple, gentle rasm plate (flowers, rice,
ghee).
WS: The river gleams honest.
Rudra kneels at the edge with Nani
and Chintu. He places the anklet bell and the wrapped talwar beside the kalash.
PANDIT (soft, not theatrical)
Jo jal sakshi, vo jal shanti.
Aaj hum ash ko, aur yudh ke auzar
ko, jal me rakh kar
apni zubaan ko pakka karenge — aage
sirf seva.
Rudra looks at Nani. She nods. He
loosens the cloth, revealing the talwar hilt one last time.
CU: The metal catches sun; instead
of menace, it looks tired.
RUDRA (to blade, a whisper)
Shukriya. Ab tu bhi aaram.
He slides the talwar gently into the
water; it sinks with a soft plunk, swallowed without ripple.
He taps the anklet bell; its last
clear note hangs, then he lets it go. It drops, twirling, disappears.
Finally, he opens the kalash; ash
swirls into the current like mist returning to sky.
SOUND: A woman’s breath — RUKMANI
— but now without pain.
WS: A thin silver path appears just
beneath the surface — as if guiding something home.
RUDRA (tears finally free)
Maa... ab tu shant.
Nani lays a hand on his head. Chintu
averts moist eyes.
The diya is set afloat. It glides,
steady.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHAURAHA – LATE AFTERNOON
A rough wooden FRAME rises. Rudra,
Chintu, teen boys and girls lift beams; women pass nails and rope; Pandit hands
out lemon water; Gafoor hammers slowly, stubbornly.
A hand-painted board is unveiled: “RUKMANI
GURUKUL”.
Applause ripples — not loud, warm.
CHINTU (grinning)
Bhai, ab tu Masterji bhi hai.
RUDRA (laughs)
Master bhi, aur student bhi.
EXT. OLD DISPENSARY ROOM – EVENING
An abandoned room is cleaned.
Shelves wiped. Herb jars labelled. A hand-lettered sign hung outside: “RUKMANI
SEVA KENDRA (CLINIC)”.
A midwife (50s) ties her hair, steps
in like returning to a calling.
MIDWIFE (to Rudra)
Kaam asan nahi hoga. Par shuru sahi
jagah se ho raha.
He nods. Laughter and thrum of
hammers in bg.
MONTAGE — “REBUILD”
END MONTAGE.
EXT. PEIPAL – SUNSET
Rudra stands under the tree, now
just a tree — sacred by memory, not fear.
He ties a fresh red thread. A child
imitates, tying a blue one.
CHILD (honest)
Ab yeh daraata nahi?
RUDRA (smiles)
Ab yeh sunta hai.
They listen — the tree says nothing.
Good silence.
—
ACT III
EXT. RUKMANI GURUKUL – MORNING (ONE
YEAR LATER) — FLASHFORWARD
TITLE OVERLAY: “1 SAAL BAAD”
A tidy courtyard. A bell rings.
Children in mismatched uniforms giggle.
Rudra (cleaner hair, calmer eyes)
writes on a slate: SACH / JHOOTH.
RUDRA (to class)
Sach kya hota hai?
Small hands shoot up.
GIRL
Jo dard bhi deta aur dawa bhi.
BOY
Jo paani ko kala na kare.
Laughter. Rudra delighted, proud.
He notices a new plaque: “Established
in memory of Vaidya Rukmani”. He swallows emotion.
EXT. RUKMANI SEVA KENDRA – DAY
Nani dispenses herbal decoction to a
mother. A framed certificate from the district health office hangs crooked;
Chintu straightens it.
CHINTU (mock-official)
Ab to hum sarkari ho gaye.
NANI (deadpan)
Ab zimedari double.
They grin.
EXT. CHAURAHA – DAY
A festival — no idols of fear, only
hand drums and folk songs. Pandit conducts a small “jal-aur-sach” oath with the
children.
OFF TO THE SIDE: A sober scene —
POLICE VAN. Mukhiya steps out in handcuffs for a hearing at Panchayat (on
temporary bail for proceedings). The crowd does not jeer.
Rudra walks up, meets his eyes.
RUDRA (even)
Aaj aap bol sakte ho — sach.
MUKHIYA (after a beat)
Main apne bete ka naam leke jhooth
pe khada tha.
Aaj uska naam leke hi sach bolunga.
Maaf nahi maang raha — par bandhan
tod raha.
He walks on, flanked by officers —
smaller, but straighter.
EXT. SCHOOL STAGE – LATE AFTERNOON
Rudra stands with mic — same stage
where he declared his identity.
Behind him: kids’ sketches of the
river, of a woman healer, of a boy with a mala.
RUDRA
Ek saal pehle humne paani ko saaf
dekha.
Phir humne apne aap ko.
Aaj — hum dono ko saaf rakhenge.
Applause — open, certain.
He gestures to a teenage girl.
RUDRA (CONT’D)
Aaj se Gurukul me pehla path —
**Zubaan ka Nyay**.
She rings a new anklet bell
that hangs at the stage edge. Its tone is bright, childlike.
EXT. RIVERBANK – GOLDEN HOUR
Rudra walks alone. He carries a
small sapling in one hand, a spade in the other.
He plants it a few feet from the
original peipal’s dripline — not under it; respecting roots.
RUDRA (to sapling)
Tu gawah ban — ki humne andhere ko
paani me duboya nahi;
andhere ko roshni me rakha.
He pats soil, smiles.
SOUND: A faint anklet in the breeze
— playful.
He looks up. The river flashes light
like laughter.
—
FINAL MOVEMENT
EXT. RIVERBANK – BLUE NIGHT (NO CGI
MOON; LANTERN LIGHT)
Rudra, alone, brings a small wooden
box. He opens it: inside — the mirror shard from the haveli.
He sets it against a rock, facing
the river.
RUDRA (soft)
Aaj aakhri baar.
He lights a diya, places it beside
the shard.
The glass fogs. For the first time,
the reflection is whole: Rukmani’s face, unburnt, smiling, and Shanta’s
young face beside hers; then Nani behind them; then Rudra in
the same frame — not layered, together.
RUKMANI (SOT, a breath)
*Mera kaam poora. Ab tera.*
SHANTA (SOT, a whisper)
*Maine jo nahi kiya, tu kar.*
NANI (O.S., fond)
*Karta hi raha hai.*
Rudra laughs-crying, nodding.
He picks up the shard, kisses it,
and gently lowers it into the river. The water accepts; a halo of tiny
ripples; then clear.
SOUND: The anklet bell — once —
crystalline.
Rudra bows — not to a ghost, to a
memory — and turns.
He walks back along the bank. The
camera holds on the water.
Under the surface, a last silver
thread flows — then disappears as the current folds over it.
—
EPILOGUE / CODA
EXT. RUKMANI GURUKUL – MORNING
(ANOTHER DAY)
WS: Morning assembly. Kids recite a
new pledge.
CHILDREN (in chorus)
Hum paani ki raksha karenge.
Hum jhooth ko chupne nahi denge.
Hum kisi bali ko hone nahi denge.
Rudra smiles; behind him, a mural:
the river as a blue sari held by a woman with healer’s hands.
A boy raises a hand.
BOY
Sir, kya atma sach me wapas aati
hai?
RUDRA (after a warm beat)
Jab insaan sach se jeeta —
har saccha insaan kisi roop me laut
aata.
Kabhi awaaz ban kar... kabhi paani...
kabhi hum.
The bell rings. Children burst into
chatter. Life resumes.
WIDE: The peipal, the new sapling,
the river, the school, the clinic — a stitched landscape of repair.
FADE OUT.
TITLE CARD: KAALA PAANI — SERIES
FINALE
ROLL CREDITS OVER STILLS:
—
PRODUCTION NOTES / DIRECTION
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