The video camera is all set. Priya finishes adjusting her bindi and looks towards Rishabh.
Priya : Ho gaya?
Rishabh : Kab ka Bhabhi ! Dekho na, Bhai aap hi ko dekh rahe hain.
Priya looks at the laptop, sees a smiling
Ram and gets shocked !
Ram, shouts
: Rishabh, don't you understand
I'm looking for a very important file? I think it's probably
not in this room, tu study mein check karke aa.
Rishabh : Aur agar study mein nahin mila toh? Library
mein dekhu?
Ram : Haan haan, wahan bhi dekh lena'..ab
jaa.
Rishabh : Aur Bhai, agar library
mein bhi nahin hua, tok kitchen mein'
Ram has now totally
lost his patience
: Jahan marzi dhoond le, bas tu jaldi jaa'
Rishabh smiles
at Priya who is blushing
away listening to this conversation
and leaves the room.
Priya comes and sits down on the sofa in front of the laptop. She is too shy initially
to look up and see Ram.
Ram is also embarrassed
but cannot help looking at her.
Ram : Kal raat ko darr toh nahin laga?
Priya shakes
her head.
Ram : Kyon? Did you sleep well?
Priya : Nahin .. haan ' matlab I slept sitting
on this sofa all night.
Ram : Why !
Priya : Mujhe laga aap bhi raat bhar flight mein
baithe honge '.. then stops,
unable to continue.
Ram remembers
the mall scene again when Priya had sat beside
him all night,
to keep him company. And now this. He smiles.
Ram : Ab tum video chat seekh gaye ho na? Phir se Rishabh ko bulana toh nahin padega?
Priya gives a mischievous
smile and decides
to tease Ram a bit.
Priya : Phir se video chat ki kya zaroorat hai? Yahan toh file nahin hai ' aap ne dekh liya na?
Ram blushes
and looks here and there for some time.
Priya : Rishabh ko poochoon kitchen
mein file mila ya nahin?
Ram : Kitchen mein? File kitchen
mein kaisa ho sakta ha? Kaisi baat kar rahe ho Priya?
Priya : Aapne last mein usse kitchen mein dhoondne ke liye bhi bola.
Ram : Nahin, maine aisa kuch nahin bola. Tumne galat suna.
Priya : Bola tha ! Jab mein mirror
ke saamne thi, tab aap ne'
Ram pounces
on this remark,
it's his turn now.
Ram : Tum waise mirror ke saamne kya kar rahi thi?
Priya bites her lip : Nahin,
main toh bas'
Ram : Main toh kya?
Priya : Kuch nahin.
Ram : This is a very bad habit.
Kal raat ko bhi tumne sentence complete
nahin kiya aur ab bhi '.
Priya : Kal raat?
Ram : Haan, jab maine bola ki tum chahte ho main tumse door rahoon,
tumne kahan nahin '. tum chahte ho ki main hamesha tumhaare
'. phir? Bolo na. Aur ab ' mirror ke saamne kya?
Priya pretends
to get angry : Main laptop bandh kar rahi hoon. Mujhe aapse baat nahin karna.
Ram : Pakka? Baat nahin karna chahte ho na?
Again Priya is in a fix. How could she give answers to direct questions
like this?
Just then, Daadi and Rishabh enter the room.
Daadi : Priya puttar,
mujhe bhi na Golu se baat karni hai.Kal woh mere se mile bagair
chala gaya, mujhe bahut gussa aaya.
Priya : Aayie na Daadi. She gets up and makes Daadi sit on the sofa.
Ram has already heard Daadi and is ready : Sorry Daadi, kal main bahut jaldi mein tha.
Daadi : Aisi kya baat ho gayee Golu ki tujhe iss tarah America jaana padha?
Ram : Woh Ma ne bola ki yahan kuch distribution
problems hain. Par abhi yahan aake toh aisa koi problem sunne mein nahin aaya. Maine thodi der baad meeting
bulaya hai.
Rishabh also hears this and is puzzled. He remembers the scene the previous day morning when his mother
had tried to delay Ram's going to drop Priya to her coaching classes.
A little suspicion
enters his mind.
Daadi : Thik hai, puttar. Tu jaldi kaam khatam kar le aur wapas aa jaa. Dekh, meri Priya puttar ek hi din mein kaise sookh gayee hai.
Priya blushes
even harder hearing
this. Ram is also smiling.
He can see Priya standing
beside Dadai but cannot see her face.
Daadi : Chal puttar,
tu kaam kar le. Le Priya, yeh bandh kar de aur mere saath chal.
Rishabh helps to switch off the laptop.
Ram is sad that he couldn't see Priya once more but there's nothing
he can say to Daadi.
He gets back to work.
Priya follows Daadi and Rishabh
to Daadi's room. They spend a lot of time talking. Ram's
words about apparently
there being no problem in US puzzles
her too and like Rishabh,
her mind also starts going in a certain direction.
After much deliberation,
Priya decides to let know Daadi about her meeting
with Krishnaji and Apeksha. She knew Daadi adored Ram and if Ram was angry, Daadi might be angry with her too. But Priya needed to know certain
answers. She opens up totally
and shares all details with Daadi, about meeting Apeksha
in Australia, and Krishnaji in Mumbai . She reveals
all, including her last fight with Ram in Australia.
She keeps on looking at Daadi's face trying to read her expression but Daadi's face is deliberately
blank. Finally she finishes talking.
Daadi : Shukar
hai puttar, tune mujhe yeh sab bataya.
Tujhe ek baat batau?
Priya : Haan Daadi
Daadi : Main chahti thi ki tu Krishna se mile, isi liye maine tum dono ko Australia
bheja tha.
Priya is zapped
: Daadi, aapko pata tha ki woh log Australia
mein rehte hain? Aapke saath unka contact
hai?
Daadi : Haan Priya. Par tu yeh baat na, Golu ko mat batana.
Woh na bahut gussa karega.
After Priya questions
her, Daadi reveals
all details. She describes Krishna
as an upfront,
dignified and loving
woman. She has no clue as to what exactly
happened and no one, not her son or grandson
or daughter in law had told her anything at the time of the breakup. She still spoke to Krishna
around once in a month and kept her updated
on Ram.
Priya explains what Krishnaji had said about people surrounding
Ram at all times and misleading him. At that, Daadi clams up and like Krishnaji
refuses to discuss
it.
Daadi : Priya,
tu mera Golu se pyaar karti hai na?
Priya blushes and doesn't reply.
Daadi : Tujhe kuch bolne ki zaroorat
nahin puttar. Mujhe sab pata hai. Aur mujhe yeh bhi pata hai ki mera Golu bhi tere se bahut pyaar karta hain. Par woh yeh baat khud nahin samajhta.
Tears fall down Daadi's face and she continues : Priya, usne bahut himmat
se yeh pichle
30 saal akele jiyaa hai. Uske kisi baat pe bura mat maan na beti, nahi gussa karna.
Mera Golu dil ka bahut accha hai.
Priya hugs Daadi and makes her stop crying : Aap chinta
mat karna Daadi.
Hum sab hain na. Aap hain, Rishabh
hai, main hoon.
Daadi then amazingly
repeats the same thing that Krishnaji had said. That a time would come when Ram would trust Priya and only Priya in his whole life. Then it would be time for her to discover the truth herself
and also acquaint
Ram with the truth.
Daadi also adds that inspite
of Priya being an ideal wife and companion, a mother's essence
could never be substituted by anyone else in the whole world.
Ram would need to get his real mother back into his life to be able to completely
get out of his shell and live a normal
life.
Priya : Haan, Daadi. Par aap hume help karenge
na? Aap kabhi hume chodke
Amritsar toh nahin chale jayenge?
Daadi : Main kahan jayoongi?
Main Golu ke bachche dekh kar hi chain se jee sakti hoon' Aur Priya, tujhe pehle batana
chahiye tha ki tera honeymoon
ladai jhagde mein khatam hua.
Tu phir kahin jaana chahti
hai ? Main Golu se baat karoo?
Priya : Nahin Daadi ' bahut kaam hai unke paas .. aur mere bhi classes
hai..
Daadi : Thik hai' kabhi jaana hoga aur Golu tera baat na mane, toh mujhe batana.
Priya smiles, nods her head and goes back to her room.
Her phone is lying on the bed. She picks up the phone and sees one unread message.
From Ram.
Message : Pink mera favourite
color hain.
She blushes and smiles and looks at the photo frame on the bedside
table. Ram seemed
to smile at her from his snap.
New
York
Ram finishes all his meetings
and is ready to go back to the hotel.
Just then his phone rings.
Its Vikram.
Ram : Haan Vikram. Bol.
Vikram : Kya ho raha hai? Kya problem hua tha?
Ram : I don't know Vikram. Apparently,
there does not seem to be any problems in the distribution
schedule. Haan, in a way its good that I've come' there were a few things
I wanted to put in place here but '
Vikram : Tune Niharikaji se poocha? Who had called
her up and everything?
Ram : Nahin,
maine baat nahin ki. Woh main wapas aake baat kar loonga.
Vikram : Kab aayege?
Ram : I was thinking
' since I'm here, I might as well spend a week and go over everything
in detail.
Vikram : That someone else can also do, Ram. Monitor everything
and give you a detailed
report.
Ram :: Haan, par '. Anyways, yeh bata ' Neha gayee thi Priya ke saath?
Woh doctor ke paas?
Vikram : Haan, par Neha keh rahee thi ki doctor kahin conference ke liye bahaar
gaye hain, so that is postponed for one week. But how come you don't know? Didn't you speak to Priya?
Ram : Haan, ek baar baat hui thi par .. woh Daadi aa gayee thi aur woh Daadi se baat karke video chat bandh ho gaya.
Vikram : Toh ab tu Priya se phone pe baat nahin kar sakta?
Matlab bina dekhe'.?
Hmmm..
Ram : Tu phir shuru ho gaya?
Vikram : Ram, sach mein ek baat bata. Tu Priya se door jaake dukhi nahin hain? You're
not missing her?
Ram : Arre yaar, she's my friend.
Of course I miss her.
Vikram : I am also your friend
Ram. I don't remember you asking me to come on a video chat with you even once in so many years?
Ram : Tu kehna kya chahta hai?
Vikram : Ram, ab baat ko samajh
ne koshish kar. Try and analyse what's
going on inside
you. Tere ko har waqt Priya ki yaad aati hai na?
Ram, after some time : Haan.
Vikram : You see her everywhere around
you, feel her presence all around you, don't you?
Ram, again after some time, softly : Haan.
Vikram : Aisa kyon hota hai tere saath? Tujhe kya lagta hai?
Ram : Maybe because she's my friend?
Haan thik hai, tu bhi mera friend
hai, par tera apna bhi ek life hai. Par Priya has no one other than me and I also have no one other than...
He stops.
He cannot say anything more than this. Slowly the essence of what he's saying gains clarity in his mind. Slowly the dark mass of cobwebs
seem to be clearing. There's
a glimmer of light somewhere.
A few things
makes sense. Why both he and Priya get embarrassed
by certain things
they say to each other.
Why they blush at certain
times. But ' was it possible? To fall in love? At this age?
Vikram : Dekh Ram. I'll just explain
one thing to you. Yes, love does happen between
people after they're
married. Hote hote pyaar ho hi jaata hai. Par, tere aur Priya ke case mein, yeh "pyaar
ho hi jaata hai" wala sentence applicable
nahin hai. From the first time I met Priya,
I realized what a special
person she is and how similar she is to you. Both of you have the same set of principles,
same set of values and the same loneliness in your lives for the same reason.
Ram, if you had got married at this age to anyone
other than Priya,
you would still have accepted
that person, made her comfortable
and done your duty to her. Like you do your duty to everyone
around me. Par Priya ke case mein, there's something
different Ram. You explain to me why and how in half an hour you were all right and ready to be discharged from the hospital
on the mehendi
night after Priya came and sat with you? Ram, she's been special to you from the very beginning. Samajh
iss baat ko. Close your eyes. Relax.
And think. Why did I hear that special "Helllooo"
when you were in Australia?
Why do you want to see her face and chat when you just left her one day back? Why did you try to fulfill all her wishes,
as weird as they may be? Why do you want to make her happy? Why does her happiness bring you happiness?
Why did you not take a medicine
even when you were in great pain just because
you didn't want to break your promise
to her? Why Ram? Why did the thought of losing her during the cancer scare terrify you so much?
Close your eyes Ram. And like we close our eyes and remember God, close your eyes and pray to God to help you see the image of the person
who's such an integral part of you. Close your eyes with the same intensity as when you pray. Ram, your relationship
with her as pure, as beautiful, as meaningful as the relationship
one has with God. Understand
it, Analyse it. You have surrendered yourself
totally to her. Feel it.
Ram remembers Priya's
words at the Maharshtra Gujarat
border when she had said that she was experiencing
a sensation' "jaise
pyaar mein hota hai, jaise ibaadat mein hota hai".
Ram disconnects the call. Yes, he thinks
' some of the things'
no rather most of the things Vikram
said made a lot of sense. At the airport,
he seemed to see Priya all around.
Sitting on that chair ... over there ' and when he went close .. Poof! Vanished. There
she was ! and there ! and on the flight ! He remembered
with embarrassment that he had even called
his secretary "Priya"
a number of times in the past month. And yes, it was true. Now Priya's
happiness meant much more to him than anything else in the world. His business empire
which he had built over so many years and devoted his life to, was meaningless
in front of the cancer
scare in the last week. That thought
still terrified him, made him shudder. He knew he had surrendered
everything of his. To her. There was a knot in his stomach, a pain in his heart at this realization. Was it true? Could this be love?
He closes his eyes and concentrates. Vikram
had told him a theory
many years ago when Vikram
had fallen in love with Neha and not realized
it. He had closed his eyes one day and Neha's image had kept on coming
back to his mind. To haunt him. At all times of the day. Would that happen to Ram too?
A minute passed
by. Ram relaxes
back on his chair. Nothing
happened. He knew now deep in his heart that yes, Cupid had struck
him too. There was a sense of fulfillment, a sense of peace. This theory of Vikram's did not work but Vikram
was right in everything else. He was just going to open his eyes when something
pink flashed though
his mind. A pink dupatta.
Ram sat up a bit straight. Slowly,
he could make out the outlines of a face behind the dupatta. Slowly,
the dupatta moved away from sight. And he could see Priya.
Smiling at him. The love of his life. Not only love, Ram realised.
She ' WAS '. his life.The reason
for his existence.
It was time to make another video call. Ram smiles, love overflowing in his heart.