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🎬 Female-Centric Movie Script - Title: SAAKSHI (The Witness)

Likho Script October 02, 2025

 

Saakshi — A Female‑centric Justice Thriller (roman Hindi Screenplay • 2

Title: SAAKSHI (The Witness)

Genre: Courtroom Thriller • Investigative Drama
Tone: Empowering, non‑exploitative, trauma‑informed
Language: Roman Hindi (dialogues) + concise English stage directions
Duration Target: ~150 minutes (~2.5 hours)

Logline

After a leaked MMS destroys a journalism student’s life, Saakshi Mehra turns the system on its head—using law, media, and cyber forensics—to expose a powerful culprit and force a landmark conviction that changes how India treats digital sexual crimes.

Content Note

This script avoids graphic depiction of sexual violence. The assault is never shown; only aftermath and fight for justice are portrayed with care and dignity.

Main Characters

  • Saakshi Mehra (22) — Journalism student; resilient, razor‑sharp observational skills, survivor.
  • Naina Joshi (22) — Saakshi’s best friend; media student, funny but fiercely loyal.
  • Adv. Ira Sethi (34) — Women’s rights lawyer; precise, empathic, relentless in court.
  • ACP Kabir Rathod (38) — Cyber Crime Cell; principled cop navigating red tape.
  • Rhea Dutta (40) — Editor & mentor; believes in ethical journalism.
  • Rajveer Khanna (27) — Antagonist; startup poster‑boy, minister’s son; entitled, manipulative.
  • Judge Meera Kulkarni (50s) — Sharp, fair, intolerant to courtroom theatrics.
  • Mr. & Mrs. Mehra (50s) — Saakshi’s parents; middle‑class dignity under pressure.
  • Samar Puri (28) — White‑hat hacker; awkward genius, helps with forensics.
  • Anita Khanna (45) — Rajveer’s mother; PR‑savvy, image obsessed.

Setting

Modern‑day Delhi: college campus, newsrooms, cyber police station, crowded courts, old Delhi lanes, high‑rise boardrooms.

Act Structure & Timings

Act I — Setup & Shock (0:00–0:45)

  • Normal world → Inciting Incident (MMS leak) → First police complaint stonewalled → Stakes rise.
    Act II — Fight & Fallout (0:45–1:50)
  • Building the case → Allies found → Public shaming → Intimidation → Reversal → Charges filed.
    Act III — Trial & Triumph (1:50–2:30)
  • Courtroom war → Key evidence admitted → Perjury trap → Verdict → Epilogue & impact.

Legal Backbone (for authenticity; non‑exhaustive)

  • IPC 354C (Voyeurism)
  • IT Act 66E (Violation of privacy), 67/67A (Publishing/transmitting obscene/sexually explicit material in electronic form)
  • CrPC provisions for FIR, witness protection, in‑camera proceedings.

Note: Used for realism in dialogue; not a legal brief.

Visual Motifs

  • Screens as mirrors: reflections on phone/laptop screens; faces half‑lit by notification glow.
  • Sound of ping → silence: digital noise vs. survivor’s inner stillness.
  • Red thread: Saakshi’s anklet thread; appears in moments of resolve.

Beat Sheet (Macro)

  1. Morning campus life; Saakshi top of her class.
  2. Inciting Incident: Anonymous MMS circulates; Saakshi collapses.
  3. Hostel chaos; slut‑shaming; she deletes social apps.
  4. Police station: Duty officer trivializes; “compromise karo.”
  5. Naina records the refusal; sends to Adv. Ira Sethi.
  6. Ira arrives; FIR forced; case to Cyber Cell.
  7. Rajveer hinted as source; powerful connections block access.
  8. Saakshi isolates; mother begs her to come home.
  9. Rhea offers internship; “Own your story, on your terms.”
  10. Samar traces metadata; leak originated from a spoofed router near Rajveer’s party.
  11. ACP Kabir raids a small agency; finds bot‑amplification.
  12. Rajveer’s team threatens Naina; tyre slashed, late‑night stalking.
  13. Saakshi holds a press statement: “Maine kuch galat nahi kiya.”
  14. Witness flips—then re‑flips after protection.
  15. Chargesheet filed; in‑camera trial approved.
  16. Courtroom duel: defence paints MMS as ‘consensual.’
  17. Ira dismantles ‘consent’ theory using timestamps & device logs.
  18. Perjury trap for fixer; he confesses money trail.
  19. Judge admits crucial server logs.
  20. Verdict: Rajveer convicted under IPC 354C & IT Act 66E/67A; landmark recommendations.
  21. Epilogue: College policy change; Saakshi reporting from Supreme Court steps.

Scene‑by‑Scene Outline (Condensed • ~65 scenes)

ACT I

  1. INT. COLLEGE NEWSROOM – DAY: Saakshi edits a campus story; banter with Naina.
  2. EXT. CANTEEN – DAY: Life is normal; ambition talks.
  3. INT. HOSTEL CORRIDOR – EVENING: Whispered gossip; first hints.
  4. INT. HOSTEL ROOM – NIGHT: Phone pings explode—MMS leak. She shakes; screen goes black.
  5. EXT. CAMPUS – MORNING: Stares. Admin urges ‘discretion.’
  6. INT. POLICE STATION – DAY: Duty officer gaslights; no FIR.
  7. EXT. POLICE STATION – DAY: Naina secretly records refusal.
  8. INT. LEGAL AID OFFICE – EVENING: Enter Adv. Ira Sethi; calm fire.
  9. INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT: FIR registered; case moves to Cyber Cell.
  10. INT. MEHRA HOUSE – NIGHT: Parents in shock; mother blames herself.
  11. INT. CYBER CELL – DAY: ACP Kabir assigned; professional, humane.
  12. INT. STARTUP PARTY (FLASHBACK) – NIGHT: Clue to Rajveer’s circle.
  13. EXT. CAMPUS – DAY: Saakshi faces slut‑shaming posters; tears them down.
  14. INT. RHEA’S OFFICE – DAY: Rhea recruits Saakshi; “Reclaim the mic.”
  15. INT. CYBER LAB – NIGHT: Samar joins as consultant; first leads.

ACT II
16) EXT. COFFEE SHOP – DAY: Strategy triangle—Ira, Kabir, Saakshi.
17) INT. DATA CENTER – NIGHT: Log files, IP hops, spoofed router.
18) EXT. MODEL TOWN LANE – NIGHT: Stakeout on reseller who spreads MMS.
19) INT. SMALL AGENCY – NIGHT: Raid; bot‑farms exposed.
20) INT. RAJVEER’S OFFICE – DAY: He laughs it off; plants ‘consent’ narrative.
21) EXT. NARROW STREET – NIGHT: Threat to Naina; deflated tyre; shadow follows.
22) INT. HOSTEL ROOM – NIGHT: Panic attack; Naina grounds Saakshi.
23) INT. PRESS ROOM – DAY: Saakshi’s statement; viral support.
24) INT. COURT – DAY: Mentioning; defence seeks quash—denied.
25) INT. CYBER LAB – NIGHT: Breakthrough—MAC address chain.
26) INT. HOTEL BASEMENT – NIGHT: Fixer meets Rajveer; envelope.
27) EXT. COURT STAIRS – DAY: Trolls heckle; women’s groups counter.
28) INT. MEHRA HOUSE – NIGHT: Parents waver; Saakshi steadies them.
29) INT. ACP OFFICE – DAY: Witness protection sanctioned.
30) INT. SAFE HOUSE – NIGHT: Weak witness flips back to truth.
31) INT. FORENSIC COURT – DAY: 65B certificate prep; data integrity.
32) INT. COURT – DAY: Charges framed; trial dates set.
33) INT. RAJVEER’S PENTHOUSE – NIGHT: He smashes phone; mother urges ‘settle.’
34) INT. MEDIA STUDIO – NIGHT: Rhea runs ethical coverage piece.
35) EXT. METRO PLATFORM – NIGHT: Saakshi & Naina—sisterhood vow.
36) INT. COURT (IN‑CAMERA) – DAY: Saakshi’s chief examination—measured, brave.
37) INT. COURT – DAY: Defence cross—suggests consent; Judge intervenes.
38) INT. COURT – DAY: Ira counters with timeline gaps, router logs.
39) INT. COURT – DAY: Fixer perjury trap set; he sweats.
40) EXT. SAFE HOUSE – NIGHT: Attack attempt foiled; ACP doubles security.
41) INT. COURT – DAY: Forensic expert explains hash values.
42) INT. COURT – DAY: Defence PR witness crumbles under questions.
43) INT. COURT – DAY: Rajveer’s accidental admission—hot mic.
44) INT. COURT – DAY: Final arguments; society vs. survivor shaming.

ACT III
45) INT. COURT – DAY: Judge admits server logs; precedent cited.
46) INT. COURT – DAY: Verdict—Conviction under IPC/IT Act.
47) EXT. COURT STAIRS – DAY: Media scrum; Saakshi thanks allies.
48) INT. COLLEGE HALL – DAY: Policy change workshop; consent & privacy.
49) EXT. OLD DELHI ROOFTOP – SUNSET: Saakshi breathes; anklet’s red thread in wind.
50) EXT. SUPREME COURT STEPS – DAY (EPILOGUE): Saakshi reporting on new privacy PILs.

(Additional transitional micro‑scenes, montages, and silent beats take total to ~65 scenes.)

Selected Fully‑Written Scenes (Key Beats)

Formatting: Scene headings ALL CAPS, actions in present tense, dialogues in Roman Hindi. Parentheticals sparingly.

1) INT. HOSTEL ROOM – NIGHT (INCITING INCIDENT)

Phone pings—pehle dheere, phir baar‑baar.
Saakshi editing notes. Naina ke text aate‑jaate.

SAAKSHI
(halke muskura ke)
Kal package cut ho jayega. Feature final.

Aur pings tez. Ek link. Thandi hawa.
Saakshi click karne se pehle rukti hai—phir tap.
Screen par apni hi footage ka chhota preview—awaz nahin.

Uske haath se phone phisalta hai.
Kamre ki roshni dheemi. Saans tez.

Naina (PHONE, TEXT)
Sakshi? Tum theek ho? Hostel group me kuch ganda chal raha hai.

Saakshi ka chehra blank.
Vo DELETE dabati hai, par notifications baraste rehte hain.

SAAKSHI
(fusfusate)
Mere saath… yeh…

Naina room me DAAKAL hoti hai, phone lapet kar.

NAINA
Darwaza kholo!

Darwaza khulta hai. Naina dekhti hai—samajh jaati hai.

NAINA
(haath thamte)
Yeh tumhari galti nahi hai. Abhi police chalte hain.

SAAKSHI
(hila kar)
Nahin. Mujhe saans…

CUT TO BLACK. Sirf phone pings. Phir SILENCE.

2) INT. POLICE STATION – DAY (FIRST REFUSAL)

Crowded thana. Duty Officer chai ke saath.

DUTY OFFICER
Aisi cheezein viral hoti rehti hain, madam. Samajhdari yeh hoti hai ki compromise kar lo.

NAINA
(andar hi andar record on)
Compromise kis baat ka, sir? Crime hua hai.

SAAKSHI
(steady)
Please FIR likhiye. IT Act, IPC 354C ke tahat. Case Cyber Cell ko forward kijiye.

DUTY OFFICER
(taana)
Badi lawyer ho?

Ek beat. Saakshi ka khud par roka hua aansu.

SAAKSHI
Bas ek citizen hoon. Aur kanoon mere saath hai.

Officer nazar hata deta hai. No FIR stamp ki taraf haath badhata—

VOICE (O.S.)
Advocate Ira Sethi.

Ira entry. Crisp file, calm aawaaz.

IRA
Good afternoon. Refusal to file FIR is contempt of standing orders. Abhi. Yahin.

Beat. FIR likhne ki ghanti si bajti hai.

3) INT. CYBER CELL – DAY (ALLY INTRO)

ACP Kabir Rathod file padhta hai.

KABIR
Ms. Mehra, main aapko promise nahi karunga—sirf process. Par process strong rakhenge.

SAAKSHI
Mujhe promises nahi chahiye, sir. Bas sach.

Kabir halka sa muskurata hai.

KABIR
Samar, router logs aur seed URLs ka map nikalo.

SAMAR
On it. MAC chain dekhte hain.

4) INT. RHEA’S OFFICE – DAY (RECLAIMING VOICE)

Rhea glass wall ke peechhe newsroom.

RHEA
Tumhara story sense sharp hai. Par ab tum khud story ho. Decide tum karogi—bolo, public statement dogi?

SAAKSHI
Dar lagta hai. Par sharm unhe aani chahiye, mujhe nahi.

RHEA
(soft)
Toh mic tumhara. Hum ethical rahenge.

5) INT. SMALL DIGITAL AGENCY – NIGHT (RAID)

Dark room; CPU fans ki awaz.
Kabir & team bust in. Screens par bots MMS ko push kar rahe.

KABIR
Systems seize karo. Backups bhi.

TECH COP
Sir, yeh wallet addresses—crypto trail hai.

KABIR
Fixer tak pahonchenge.

6) INT. PRESS ROOM – DAY (PUBLIC STATEMENT)

Cameras. Flash. Saakshi podium par.

SAAKSHI
Main yeh kahne aayi hoon—maine kuch galat nahi kiya. Galat unhone kiya jinhone meri privacy tod di. Mujhe chup karane ki koshish hui, par main chup nahi rahungi.

Room me ek beat ka sannata. Phir taaliyan.

7) INT. COURT (IN‑CAMERA) – DAY (CHIEF & CROSS)

Judge Kulkarni presiding. Limited media.

IRA
Saakshi, MMS pehli baar kaise dekha?

SAAKSHI
Hostel room me. Link aaya. Maine khola aur turant delete kar diya. Maine kisi ko forward nahi kiya.

IRA
Aapne complaint kab di?

SAAKSHI
Agle din subah. Pehle refuse hua, phir FIR register hui.

DEFENCE COUNSEL
(taana, smooth)
Kya yeh ‘consensual sharing’ nahi tha? Relationship ka hissa?

JUDGE
Counsel, victim‑blaming par rok.

IRA
(for record)
My Lady, prosecution Exhibits P‑3 to P‑9—timestamps, hash values—prove unauthorized capture & transmission. Consent narrative is false.

8) INT. COURT – DAY (FORENSIC EXPLANATION)

Samar witness box me.

IRA
Simplify karke batayein, hash value kya hoti hai?

SAMAR
Jaise digital fingerprint. File me chhota bhi badlav ho, fingerprint badal jata. Jo MMS viral hua, uska hash logs me same hai—origin spoofed router se mapped.

IRA
Aur yeh router?

SAMAR
Rajveer ke event wale venue ke paas ek portable router set hua tha—MAC chain se link hai.

DEFENCE
Objection—assumption!

JUDGE
Overruled—foundation laid.

9) INT. HOTEL BASEMENT – NIGHT (PERJURY TRAP)

Fixer aur Rajveer ki chhupi meeting. Hidden cam.

RAJVEER
Khatam karo unko. Court me palat jao.

FIXER
Paise?

RAJVEER
(throwing envelope)
Bohot milenge.

Cut to: ACP team next room, live feed record.

10) INT. COURT – DAY (FINAL ARGUMENTS)

IRA
My Lady, yeh case sirf ek MMS ka nahi hai. Yeh message hai ki digital duniya me izzat todna bhi jurm hai—aur saboot se pakda ja sakta hai. Consent ko shield bana kar crime ko whitewash nahi kiya ja sakta.

DEFENCE
Public domain me aane ke baad…

IRA
(interrupt)
Exactly. Public domain is not public consent.

JUDGE
Bohot spasht.

11) INT. COURT – DAY (VERDICT)

JUDGE
Adalat paati hai ki aaropi Rajveer Khanna ne IPC 354C, IT Act 66E aur 67A ka ulanghan kiya hai. Court convicts. Sentencing—three years RI under 67A with fines; allied sentences to run consecutively. Court further recommends survivor‑centric protocols to Delhi Police & universities.

Saakshi aankhen band kar ke saans chhodti hai. Naina uska haath pakadti hai. Ira halka sa nod karti hai.

12) EXT. COURT STAIRS – DAY (VICTORY WITHOUT VENGEANCE)

Media rush.

REPORTER
Saakshi, aap kya kahengi?

SAAKSHI
Bas itna—humari awaaz saboot ban sakti hai. Main akeli nahi hoon.

13) INT. COLLEGE HALL – DAY (CHANGE INSTITUTIONAL)

Projection pe “Digital Consent & Privacy” workshop.

RHEA
Yeh policy colleges me mandatory ho. Har complaint ko dignity mile.

Students listen—boys too.

14) EXT. OLD DELHI ROOFTOP – SUNSET (CLOSURE)

Hawa, shehar ki aawazein.
Saakshi ke paon me laal dhaaga.
Vo phone ko band karti hai—khud ko nahi.
Muskurahat ka halka beej.

Montages & Transitions (Suggestions)

  • Silence Montage: Notifications mute hoti jaati; Saakshi ki breathing steady.
  • Data Trail Montage: IP hops, MAC addresses, hash values → sticky notes/strings.
  • Public Discourse Montage: Troll tweets blur; supportive messages zoom in.

Music Cues (Original Songs/Score)

  1. “Saans” — minimalist piano + strings during Inciting Incident aftermath.
  2. “Awaz” — spoken‑word over beats for press statement.
  3. “Nahin Chup” — end‑credits anthem by female indie vocalist.

Production Notes

  • Assault never visualized; ethics supervisor on set.
  • Survivors’ rights consultant engaged.
  • In‑camera courtroom sequences for realism.
  • End card: Helplines + legal rights info.

Expansion Pointers (to reach 150 minutes)

  • Add 10–12 micro‑scenes of intimidation → resilience.
  • Deepen parents’ arc (conflict → acceptance).
  • Parallel case reference by Ira to set legal precedent stakes.
  • Media ethics subplot with Rhea vs. TRP‑hungry anchor.

One‑Sheet (Pitch)

“SAAKSHI” is a sharp, socially urgent, star‑driven courtroom thriller that turns the gaze back on power. A survivor refuses to be content; she becomes evidence.

I’ve created a full draft—title, logline, beat sheet, a 65-scene outline, and key scenes fully written in Roman Hindi—on the canvas for you. It’s called “SAAKSHI — A Female-Centric Justice Thriller (Roman Hindi Screenplay • 2.5 hr Draft v1)”.

 

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