Film starts with the first shot of an old Muslim locality. Afternoon time, Poor streets with garbage strewn, old houses with cheap paint eroding and old bricks standing out which look almost bro- ken. It is a narrow lane with no people walking and the houses are on both sides.
The sound of azaan is playing in the background.
Cut to a dilapidated entrance area of a garage with a man- Zubaid standing there. Zubaid is in his early thirties and is wearing a grey pathaani and is a little well built. He looks unkempt and lower middle class. He suddenly whistles in a way that he is calling for someone.
Zubaid- Whistle whistle....
A younger guy aged about 25-26 comes running out of the garage. He is wearing a vest and jeans. The vest is quite dirty and has dust, paint and engine oils all over it. His jeans too look old and un- washed and are wearing out. He too looks unkempt and has a street side look. He is thin. This is mechanic Karim.
Zubaid(in a serious, stern voice)- Guru tapak gaya!
Karim (looking shocked)- Kya baat kar raha hai. Kab?
Zubaid- Ghanta bhar pehle
Karim (looking around confused and shocked) - Toh...ab?
Zubaid- Tu bol...ab? (Zubaid says ab in a sarcastic questioning manner)
Karim walking few steps away trying hard to think and then quickly coming back to Zubaid. Karim- Zubaid bhai...maiyaat ka intezaam karnaaich padega. Langde ko kaam pe lagaayein? Zubaid- Wohich bitthaake aaya hoon. Usko aur Sallu ko.
Hearing this Karim gets upset and shouts loudly at Zubaid. Karim- Abbey saale tu...
Zubaid gives him a very stern look this time which hints that he is the stronger one, the elder one and Karim should not cross the line. Karim realises and mellows a bit. Then says...
Karim- Tu do choro ko wahaan chod aaya? Ab tak dono ne saara ghar khod daala hoga! Zubaid giving him the street smart ‘I am the boss look’ says-
Zubaid- Guru ka trunk , kanaster, maine khud chhaan maara!
Karim gets even more shocked.
Karim- Tu bhi?
Zubaid- Abey Haraami...tu kaunsa doodh ka dhula hai? (taking a pause) then continuing
Zubaid- Khair...mile thode paise...kaam aayenge...maiyat mein.
Karim then looking a little convinced asks Zubaid who starts walking. Karim follows him.
Karim- Sun...tu kisi ke janaaze mein gaya hai aaj tak?
Zubaid- Tujhe pahunchaane ka mood hota hai...lekin...nahi! tu gaya?
Karim now replying in the same sarcastic tone.
Karim- Tere janaaze mein zaroor jaata. Tune mouka nahi diya.
Zubaid looks at him. There is a strange undercurrent between them which is funny. Like Jai- Veeru.
They reach Karim’s jeep.
Zubaid- Toh phir maiyat ka kya karein? Gaon mein koi saath nahi dega.
Karim smiles and has a slight emotional moment remembering Guru. Then replies.
Karim- Haan pure gaaon mein apna bole toh...ek hi tha...
Zubaid- Haan...maan na maan, main tera mehmaan waala rishta
They both look emotional and slightly sad.
Karim- Main kuch karta hoon. Yeh le pachaas rupaye. Phool agarbatti leke aajaa. Main pahunchta hoon thodi der mein.
Starting his jeep Karim says
Karim- Jaldi lekar aaja...warna laash se baas aayegi.
Next shot, its getting darker and a man is walking ahead quickly towards to guys who are standing outside a dilapidated house looking at its entrance together. We cannot see the man but with the camera moving ahead we know he’s walking fast ahead towards the two guys. One has a bent in his leg. He is about 16-17 years old wearing a basic t shirt and pants that look old and ready to be disposed. He is quite short, about 5 feet 4 inches. He is Langda.
The second boy is bald, muscular, well built and wearing a tight t shirt and jeans. He is not very tall and must be about 25 years old. He is Sallu.
We see the hand of the person who is walking towards them grab Langda by the collar and slap him. As Langda falls, Zubaid (who we now see was the man approaching them angrily growls at them.)
Zubaid- Kambakhton...Guru ke paas nahi baith sakte. Chalo andar!
Langda getting up sheepishly says
Langda- Allah bachaaye...Jaate jaate bhi lecture deke jaayega. Phir kitaab pakda dega.
Sallu while they are proceeding inside.
Sallu- Mereko bhi darr lagta hai Zubaid bhai. Mujhe toh do baar maara bhi tha. Ab zinda ki maar aur murde ki maar mein...phark hota hai. Nahi?
Zubaid pushes them both inside and they all three look at the charpoy with an old man in his eightees lying on it. The old man has a beard, has an old light coloured blanket covering him. He is dead. This is Guru. Also the house from inside is poor, the walls are corroded, the paint and ce- ment is chipping off. There isn't really much in the house to look at. No symbol of community is visible.
As they are all looking at Guru, Karim comes from behind with the flowers and stops for a moment with the rest of them and also looks at Guru.
Karim- Yaad hai...kitne ehsaan hai iske hum par.
Sallu- Haan baap se pitkar, ghar se bhaag kar...kitni raatein yahaan bitaai hai.
Langda takes the flowers from Karim and puts them near Guru.
Langda- Koi aur hota na, toh seedha sahi aadmi ban jaata iske saath. Lekin apni toh chaal hi paidaayshi tedhi hai.
Sallu then lighting the agarbattis and putting them next to the closed window near the charpoy where Guru is lying says.
Sallu- Chai banaaoo kya? Doodh, cheeni, chai patti...saala apne liye poora intezaam kar ke tapka. Zubaid then finally speaks.
Zubaid- Jab bhi chai peene baitththe the, ek dialogue maarta tha yeh. Khoob jamega rang jab mil baitthenge teen yaar
Guru, uske naalaayak, aur ucch vichaar
Karim puts his hand around Zubaid and signals Sallu to not make tea. Suddenly Langda looks at his phone and realises the time.
Langda- Kya plan hai? Dekho main woh bolte hai nai philmon mein...guest appearance hoon. Saath chaloonga. Jo director bolega karoonga.
Sallu also starts to talk.
Sallu- Aree life mein pehli baar dead body dekha main..Apna experience jeero (zero)...
Karim and Zubaid look at each other and then Karim signals them all to come outside the house. Karim- Chalo baahar. Kuch dikhaana hai.
Next shot
A jeep (the one shown previously) is parked outside. Karim is walking ahead with Zubaid, Langda and Sallu behind him and he is directing them towards the jeep with a lot of confidence. Which is shortlived.
As they all look inside the jeep, they are dumbfounded. The jeep is empty and what is left on the seat is a red bag.
Zubaid runs towards the road and Karim checks in the car. Langda and Sallu look completely clue- less and finally ask Karim who looks very irritated.
Langda- Kuch dhoondh rahe ho bhai?
Karim doesn’t answer and continues to search.
Zubaid comes back tired and panting.
Zubaid- Bhaag gaya.
Karim- Budhaaoo tha dikhne mein single pasli lekin nikla poora Khali! Itni moti rassi katke bhaaga hai.
Zubaid angrily tells Karim.
Zubaid- Bola tha tujhe...Life mein har time Mogambo mat ban. Gaayab hua na Mr. India! Sallu again asks pointing at the bag.
Sallu- Yeh bag kiska hai?
Karim then tells him.
Karim- Guru ki maiyaat ke liye laaya tha usko.
Zubaid- Laaya kahaan se?
Karim- Aree Aslam bhai ko phone lagaya mein. Bola agle gaao mein milega. Ek shaadi se utthaake laya usko.
Sallu starts laughing.
Sallu- Waah bhai...Shaadiwaale ko seedha shamshaan pahunchaa rahe the aap. Langda also joins in the banter with Sallu.
Karim and Zubaid then look at each other with some worry and thinking. Zubaid- Ab?
Zubaid is expressionless for a moment and then realizes that he has that bag in his hand and opens it. Then looks at Karim who after a moment realizes what Zubaid is thinking and then Langda and Sallu also stop laughing and look at Zubaid, slowly understand the plan and give each other an approval look. Karim then slightly smiles at all of them with some relief and then says.
Karim- Ab!
Next shot. A long shot of the road near a river. It is pitch dark.
Four guys- Zubaid, Karim, Langda and Sallu wearing skull caps (to denote they are Muslim) are car- rying the charpoy with Guru lying on it on their shoulders, the way Hindus do the last journey for cremation. They are reciting the words - ‘Ram Naam satya hai’
The next shots happen without any dialogues. Now with rituals it is clear that Guru was actually a Hindu and these four Muslim boys who he had given shelter to, were planning a Hindu cremation for him. The village was ofcourse a 100% Muslim belt and it was highly impossible to receive help from the villagers. Hence they had caught a Pandit from a nearby village to help in the last rites, but out of sheer fear he had escaped. Hence at the end, with no choice left, keeping humanity in the forefront, these four boys decide to do the Hindu cremation rites themselves.
Final shot
The audience can see the banks of a lake on which the pyre is being prepared.
The chorus of Ram Naam satya hai is playing in the background. The boys are preparing the pyre, sprinkling ganga water from a bottle in the bag on Guru, reading some instructions and finally put- ting Guru on the pyre and together lighting it. As they do so, they all have tears in their eyes.
In the end, while the pyre continues to burn, and all the guys are sitting at different positions around it, Langda is sitting at the corner and reading from the Geeta the funeral prayer with great difficulty due to his limited education-
Langda- “Aatma amar hai. Ise koi nai maar sakta. Ise shastra nahi kaat sakta. Aag jala nahi sakti. Paani geela nahi kar sakti. Hawa sukha nahi sakti. Sharir marta hai. Aatma nahi mar sakti. Chola badalti hai.
Film ends
