Mango Souffl , livre ebook

Mahesh Dattani
Mango Souffl A Screenplay

PENGUIN BOOKS
Contents
About the Author
Mango Souffl A Screenplay
Copyright
PENGUIN BOOKS
COLLECTED PLAYS VOLUME TWO
Mahesh Dattani, born in Bangalore on 7 August 1958 studied in Baldwin s High School and St. Joseph s College of Arts and Science, Bangalore.
He has worked as a copywriter in an advertising firm and subsequently with his father in the family business. His theatre group Playpen was formed in 1984, and he has directed several plays for them, ranging from classical Greek to contemporary works. In 1986, he wrote his first full-length play, Where There s a Will , and from 1995, he has been working full-time in theatre. In 1998, he set up his own theatre studio dedicated to training and showcasing new talents in acting, directing and stage writing, the first in the country to specifically focus on new works.
Dattani is also a film-maker and his films have been screened in India and abroad to critical and public acclaim. His film Dance Like a Man has won the award for the Best Picture in English awarded by the National Panorama.
In 1998, Dattani won the Sahitya Akademi award for his book of plays Final Solutions and Other Plays , published by East-West Books Chennai, thus becoming the first English language playwright to win the award.
Dattani teaches theatre courses at the summer sessions programme of Portland State University, Oregon, USA, and conducts workshops regularly at his studio and elsewhere. He also writes plays for BBC Radio 4.
He lives in Bangalore.
Mango Souffl
A Screenplay

A Note on the Screenplay
Mango Souffl is a product of two intense desires-my desire to make a film and Mahesh s to direct one.
The journey began when I approached Mahesh to write a script around an idea I had. He did. I lost interest in the idea and it was back to square one.
I asked Mahesh to suggest a modern and witty story that we could adapt for our film. After looking at some possibilities, his play On a Muggy Night in Mumbai struck a chord. It was modern, witty, limited in location (to suit our budget) belonged to Mahesh, and conveyed the virtue of being oneself regardless of consequences.
We made a gentlemen s agreement. Mahesh would write and direct the film. I would produce it.
With a script in hand, a director and finances, we were ready to roll after months of drifting.
Mahesh and I had several discussions on the script as he agonized to make the play more cinematic. The clincher was changing the setting of a muggy night in a Mumbai apartment into a summer day in Bangalore at a sprawling farmhouse (where I incidentally lived). This opened up many cinematic possibilities and suited our budget.
The process of casting, shooting and post-production was a marathon affair involving a large team, and large sums of money. After six months of hard work, particularly on the part of Mahesh and my wife Seema (who was art director), Mango Souffl was created.
It was a labour of love and an enriching experience for all of us. The process of seeing the play becoming a screenplay was perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this whole endeavour for me, personally.
Having had the pleasure to work closely with Mahesh, I can say in my own voice that he is a gifted and hardworking writer. We are fortunate to be able to read his writings.
Sanjeev Shah (Sanjeev Shah is the producer of Dattani s film Mango Souffl .)
The film was released in India on February 2002. It won the best motion picture award at the Barcelona Film Festival the same year.
Principal cast: KAMLESH Ankur Vikal KIRAN Rinke Khanna ED Atul Kulkarni DEEPALI Heeba Shah SHARAD Faredoon Dodo Bhujwala RANJIT Denzil Smith MAQSOOD Mahmood Farooqui BUNNY Sanjit Bedi
The film was directed by the author. The screenplay is based on his play On a Muggy Night in Mumbai . Producer Sanjeev Shah Director of Photography Sunny Joseph Music Amit Heri Production Design Seema Shah Costumes Nirmal and Sarita Mandoth (Ms Khanna s costumes designed by Ashley Rebello) Editor Harsha Publicity Design Deepa Shah
Interior. Day. Kamlesh and Kiran s parent s home.
A plain looking Kiran sits nervously in a single seater. Her father-on the phone-hangs up. He speaks to his wife .
KIRAN S FATHER . They-don t want our daughter.
Kamlesh goes to his sister and puts his hand on her shoulder. Kiran fights her tears of humiliation and smiles at Kamlesh to say it is okay, when it is clearly not okay. Kiran leaves the room. Their parents look at Kamlesh .
Cut to:
Montage. All at Kamlesh s studio. Day/night .
Music. Kamlesh tries out different clothes on a reluctant Kiran. He changes her hairstyle. Deepali helps her with her make-up. End of music .
Kamlesh takes a picture of his creation. Flash .
White out .
Interior. Party.
A remix of some popular seventies tune. Chatter. We see people grouped informally, fashionably dressed .
Kamlesh walks in with Kiran. Ed, who has his back on them, notices that the person he is talking to is looking over his shoulder. He turns around . . . Kiran and Kamlesh get to a corner. Kamlesh offers to get her a drink. Ed walks to Kiran. He asks her for a dance. Kamlesh comes back with a soft drink for Kiran. He smiles at Ed. Ed offers his arm to Kiran and leads her on to the dance area. Kamlesh s smile stays on his face, but leaves his eyes .
Cut to:
Dance sequence. Credits .
We see Ed dancing with Kiran. Kiran is a little clumsy at first but soon they are dancing very well. We see that they are conversing but the music drowns their conversation .
Cut to:
Exterior. Day. Car. Moving. Credits.
Outside Kamlesh s parents home, a concerned father and mother wave goodbye as Kamlesh drives off .
We see Kamlesh driving through the busy streets of Bangalore, till he comes to a quieter road, though a lot more bumpy .
He arrives at the family farmhouse. We see a sign Mango Grove on the gate .
The watchman does a salaam and lets him in. The watchman (Maqsood) looks at the car going up the driveway. End credit .
Black out. Six months later .
Exterior. Day. The mango grove.
The watchman is necking his girlfriend in the mango grove. We see the fruit on the trees. She bites his neck and laughs at the effect. She looks away. We follow her gaze .
Exterior. Day. Outside the farmhouse.
Kamlesh is standing at the door bare torso and batik sarong, looking towards the mango grove for the watchman .
KAMLESH (calling) . Maqsood!
Maqsood comes running out towards the house quickly buttoning up his shirt. Kamlesh goes in .
Cut to:
Interior. Bedroom. Day.
Kamlesh is taking out his wallet from his drawer. Maqsood enters .
KAMLESH . Suno.
MAQSOOD (tucking the baton in his belt) . Ji.
KAMLESH (taking out some more money from his wallet). Mere kuch dost ane wale hain. Tum unko aane dena. Tum to pehchante ho sub ko . (I am expecting a few friends. Let them in. You know them all.)
MAQSOOD (knowingly, after a pause) . Ji. Sir.
Kamlesh looks at him sharply .
KAMLESH (giving him the money). Do bottle Peter Scot. Ek Peach Schnappes- woh safed bautal wala, malum hain ? (Two bottles of RC, one Old Monk and some Cola. Will that do?)
MAQSOOD . Hahn, saab .
KAMLESH . Aurr . . . ek crate soda aur Thums Up. Baaki sab to hain. Ho jaayega na ? (And . . . Another crate of soda and Thums Up. Will this do?)
MAQSOOD (counting the money quickly). Chalega . (It should do.)
KAMLESH . Jaldi aana . (Come soon.)
Kamlesh goes into the bathroom and slams the door .
Cut to:
Exterior. Day. Outside the farmhouse.
Sharad opens the door of his car. Sharad walks to the locked gate and peeps in .
SHARAD (calling) . Yoohoo! Maqsood! . . . Let me in you wanker!
The gates creak open by themselves. Sharad opens the gates and gets back near the car to find two boys staring at him .
Sharad smiles and waves at them to go away. They stare at him .
(Waving.) Shoo.
They continue to stare at him. Sharad makes a face. The two boys grin and move out of his way. Sharad gets in his car .
(Slamming his car door.) Infamy! Infamy! They ve all got it in fo me.
He drives in, leaving the two boys to stare at the farmhouse, looking to see who else is in there .
Fade out .
Interior. Day. Farmhouse kitchen and living room.
Close-up of stereo playing an FM station .
Kamlesh is in the kitchen, taking the place mats and runner and crockery. Sharad looks at Kamlesh s sketch book lying near the music system. He flips through it and finds a sketch of a bride and groom .
SHARAD . Oh my Gawd! Somebody s getting married in your frocks!
KAMLESH (while passing him on the way out to the table) . Please don t mess around with my designs.
Kamlesh exits frame .
SHARAD (placing it on the sofa) . I love your cool kitsch gold work. So who is the rich cow who will end up wearing it?
KAMLESH (re-entering) . My sister, Kiran.
SHARAD . Oops. And who is the lucky guy?
KAMLESH (moving back to kitchen) . Someone she is in love with . . .
SHARAD . Is he a prince or a frog?
KAMLESH . His name is Ed.
SHARAD . Ed? That s it? Your sister fell in love with an Ed? Is he sexy or just husband material?
KAMLESH . Why don t you go home and watch a blue film or something?
Kamlesh exits to dining table. Sharad wanders out .
SHARAD . Blue films are so boring-after six or seven hours. (Going to him.) So what s all this about?
KAMLESH . What do you mean?
SHARAD . You know-this sudden inviting people over. Especially me.
Kamlesh continues to lay the table .
Is it good news or bad news?
KAMLESH . I don t know.
SHARAD (helping him) . Well, is it to do with your sister?
KAMLESH . No.
SHARAD . Prakash, then?
Kamlesh looks at him .
SHARAD . I didn t. It just . . . (Waving his arm in the air.) You know, it just-came up.
As Kamlesh is going back in, Sharad stops him .
You know I still love you.
Kamlesh goes back in .
Exterior. Day. Outside the farmhouse.
Deepali drives to the s