Mere Apne (मेरे अपने)

Gopala Krishna, Krishna Gopala..

Gopala Govinda, redeem all..

Gopala Krishna, Krishna Gopala..

Gopala Govinda, redeem all..

Gopala Krishna, Krishna Gopala..

Gopala Govinda, redeem all..

Brother, listen. There is some Anandi Devi in this village.

Can you tell me her address?

Which Anandi Devi? The one near the garden..

..or the one from Dhaulpur?

The one from the garden or from Dhaulpur?

Is she a widow?

Is she? Yes. She is a widow.

Then you do like this. You go straight ahead and ask..

..anyone where the old lady of the garden stays.

Old lady of the garden?

She has a mango grove. So all call her old lady of the garden.

The old lady of the garden.

Ask anyone as Anandi Devi of the garden. - Okay.

I am going, aunty.

Okay.

One slipper is on the other, aunty. It is said..

..this happens when there is a journey to be made.

Now daughter, only one journey is left for me.

Four people will carry me away to the graveyard.

Aunty, let your enemies die!

Who?

Aunty.. I touch your feet, aunty.

Live long, live long. Who are you, son?

I did not recognise you.

How will you recognise me, aunty? I was very young then.

Your husband Niranjan babu was the uncle of my father..

..Girdhari babu. I am his son.

Girdhari! The one from Mutthiganj?

Yes. I am his son, Arun.

Okay. So you are Girdhari's son. Come, son, sit

Take the cot this side. - Okay.

... Is everything well at home?

Everything is well by your blessings. I work in the city.

I am an insurance agent.

How is Girdhari Lal?

My father has expired, it is three years.

You did not inform me.

How could we? We didn't even know that till now you were..

..that you were living here till now.

I too did not inform anyone else. I spent many years here.

I had forgotten that there is a life outside this place also.

How is your mother?

She expired one year prior to father.

Everyone has gone one by one. Only I am still..

..bound with this soil.

I have come here for that reason only, aunty..

..so that I may take you with me to the city.

I came to know that you were living alone here..

..Iike this in the village. I felt very bad.

Lata got so scared. I mean, your daughter-in-law.

She said it does not look nice if you remain in the village..

..Iike this when we are alive.

Long live, my son. I seems very nice to hear..

..that I too have some relative who has come to fetch me.

Take this, have some tea.

Oh, oh, I say..

It is hot.

I say get ready. Let us go by the evening train itself.

The train is at 4 o'clock. We shall reach the city by evening.

Now where will I go out of this threshold in this age, my son..

..I am habituated to this place. So what if it is ramshackle?

It is still a house. I have a small mango grove here.

I think it bears fruit still just for me.

I am not telling you to leave all this, aunty.

When you feel like, come and see.

How far is the city from here? Just a couple of hours away.

If you are getting some money out of this holding..

..then why should you leave it?

No, no, son. I do not think of money. Think that..

..this all has become my family. When I sit alone..

..in the courtyard, then this mud walls speak to me.

These windows, these doors, all talk with me.

Talks of old times. There used to be a crowd of people here.

There used to be excitement here always.

On this courtyard, my mother-in-law had put some paddy.

She had put oil on it.

That was the first time I came as a bride.

The fellow gets married!

All right, all right.

Come on, the procession has come..

Is there something stolen here that you are peeping thus?

Run away from here. Go.

I performed all the seven rounds to bring you here.

I did not bring you just like that from someone's house.

You were quite impatient to get married.

I had heard your name is Anandi.

I cannot see any joy on your face though.

Why are you so stiff? Have they starched and sent you?

She moves like a guard's flag.

Come here.

Did you not hear? Come here.

Come here or I shall slap you and break your teeth.

The donkey of a launderer.

The tears have welled up in the eyes.

Take this handkerchief. Wipe the tears. Wipe the tears..

Wipe them off. I'll leave you today, but if you shed these..

..tears again, I shall cover these eyes.

Turn around and look at me.

Mother was telling she has got me a fairy..

..there's nothing like that.

How much have you studied? How much have you studied?

I have studied Hindi till fourth grade.

Were you going to a school?

No! My father used to teach me at home.

Thanks that you spoke at least.

I thought mother got some dumb girl for me.

Sit here. Sit here.

Till when will you stand here hurting your feet?

Now let me tell you some important things.

There is a drama company in this village..

..where I have to go everyday. Hence I shall be late at night.

I cannot tell you how late you will be.

Yes. I shall sometimes return drunk on toddy.

Do you know what toddy means? Alcohol.

All the celebrated poets and artistes used to drink.

From Khayyam to Ghalib and from Ghalib to Niranjan.

See, if I tell you something untoward after getting drunk..

..then forgive me. If you try to fight, I shall beat you up.

It must be fifty years ago. But that booming voice..

..of that night is still etched on my ears.

It seems as if it were just yesterday.

But he was very short-tempered. He would say..

..any nonsense for trivial things.

But he had a good heart. He was very charitable.

Kindness to people, service to the village.

Those days there was a flood in the river, when..

..so many villages were destroyed.

He ran from pillar to post in the village.

Is there a need to go purposefully into danger?

You know what a big epidemic is spread there.

If there is an epidemic there, shall I sit here by your feet?

I should help them. Shanker, Shibu, Dinu, all are going.

I am not going alone.

Shanker, lift this bundle of clothes. I will take the grain.

Take a sack more if you have. We'll ask some grain and..

..Ientils on the way.

Is there anything in the brain

or has an eagle taken it away?

Those who will give grain, won't they give a sack also?

Let it be, brother. I'll carry it.

Listen..

Will you return by evening?

I do not know.

Look! If you do not return by evening, you'll see me dead.

That was the last time I saw him.

What an inauspicious moment that was..

..when I gave him that promise.

I could not even see his face. I could not even see him..

..for the last time.

Why? What had happened?

He had gone to some far-off place to distribute charity.

There only he attracted some epidemic..

..and died struggling against it.

Since then, I am passing my days remembering those old days.

Hence I have come to take you, aunty.

After all, I too have some responsibility towards you.

You are right, son. I too am fearful of living alone now.

Can't say when my limbs will fail and..

..when I shall have to remain helpless in a corner.

If I had someone to call my own..

..they would have performed my last rites.

I don't know who all will touch this body.

No aunty, now you will not have to live alone.

Live with us as our mother. Come on.

Stop here, carriage driver.

Come, aunty.

Careful.

Take this, driver.

Aunty.. - Yes, Lata.

I touch your feet. - Long live, daughter.

See this. We are here and you are living alone in the village.

Does anyone do this? We don't have a mother.

It will be so good if you stay with us as our mother.

And then.. I am doubly related to you.

Yes.. one on Arun's side and another on my mother's side.

Arun.. - Yes?

Your wife speaks very well..

She has learnt in a Madras isn't it?

Yes. I did my BA anyhow.

All girls have to marry, girl.

Not marriage, aunty.. B..

That is a very big degree, aunty. She has done BA..

..in economics. Lots of brains are needed for economics.

One doesn't praise like this in front of elders.

Daughter-in-law, what is this? - What?

Come here.

Why did you cut your hair? How short you have made..

..your like just like the boys. Don't you braid them?

No, aunty. That takes a lot of time.

Who can take care of such long hair?

It was not like that in our time. A girl was said to be..

..more beautiful if she had longer hair.

But in that age, only hair were beautiful, aunty, not girls.

Do not tell like this, son. Now I have grown old.