Mother

Please give me four dozens of Britannia Tiger biscuits.

Rajan first get four dozens of Britannia Tiger biscuits.

Bring the biscuits here.

Good morning Britannia aunty!

A very good morning kids!

- And how are you this morning? - Fine thank you.

Good.

Aunty. What is the lesson for today?

Today's lesson... today's lesson is about respecting...

...your teachers and to help your mummy and daddy a lot...

...and to love them a lot. Okay.

- Thank you aunty. - Welcome!

- Bye! Have a nice day! Bye! Bye! - Bye Aunty.

Good morning Mrs. Britannia!

Good morning Mr. Shyam!

What is all this?

This is the silver jubilee function for the big hospital...

- ...that the Indians built in our town. - Oh! I see.

All the doctors, engineers and the architects who came here...

...25 years ago to build this hospital with a lot of hard...

...work, are all coming for this function.

What?

And our secretary has gone to your house to invite you for this.

Do you have the list of people who are coming here from India?

- Yes Madam. - Can I see it please?

- Sure. Sure. - Thank You.

Sunil Malik. Kumar Sinha. Amar Khanna.

WHISTLING

Mrs. Britannia seems tensed.

I'll just give her a pudding and make her all right.

- Maria! Maria! O God! Maria! -

- Coming Madam, coming. - Maria!

What happened Maria? I've been screaming for so long.

Some people had come to invite you for the hospital function.

Oh no, forget that. Was there a phone call from India?

No phone calls but there are three letters.

- Three letters! - Yes.

- From India. - Yes.

- Oh No! - Oh yes Madam!

'Dear Asha, it has been 19 years.'

'I have been seeing that pretty face only in my mind.'

'Soon I will be coming to Mauritius. I can't believe how...'

'...I have lived so many years without seeing my daughter Jiya.'

'Your Sunil Malik.'

'My dear Asha, many seasons, many springs, many...'

'...monsoons have gone by and we haven't met one another.'

'But the thrill of meeting now would be a great experience.'

'Now the memento of our love, Jiya is with you too.'

'I am coming to your town to meet you.'

'Your. Your. Your. Kumar.'

'Asha darling, I am restless about seeing you and...'

'...my daughter, Jiya. It is such a sweet name. Jiya.'

'My Mauritian daughter.'

Darling, I am coming. Your Amar Khanna.'

O God!

- What happened madam? - Over! Everything is over!

My name, fame, prestige, position!

Maria, just understand that all is lost.

What has happened madam?

Until yesterday no one knew a thing.

Today everyone will know everything.

What was a secret was kept a secret.

No one even suspected. Not even you Maria.

But now. Now everyone will know everything.

Because those three are coming from India.

Watch out! Walk carefully. The ground here is very slippery.

If you slip once, then you keep slipping.

What?

I mean I once slipped here and it still hurts.

You are always like that. You would slip anywhere.

Don't you want it too?

Here take this. Take care of the luggage.

Am I to take care of the kids or the luggage?

Kids can still be produced.

How can I produce luggage in a foreign land?

- I'll just be back... - Okay.

- Mummy! Mummy I need to go too. - Take him along.

- Come. - Papa! Papa! I too want to go.

Send the whole clan then. Why don't you come too?

- There? - Okay. Come on kids.

I have never seen so much joy on your face before today.

- Sapna, I am happy about seeing her. - Whom?

The result of the pranks I played here years ago.

- Pranks? - I am talking about the hospital I built here. Come!

I've taken care of you like my daughter for so many years.

Madam, won't you tell me too?

For God's sake say something.

Say something. Your heart will feel lighter on saying it.

You are right. O Maria! I have to tell you now.

Even if I don't tell you, you will find out.

'It is a 19 years old story. My father was very ill.'

You'll be fine Papa. Absolutely fine.

- Ms. Asha. - Yes Doctor?

- Please come along. - Yes.

- Yes. - Your father's reports are come.

All right. Is everything okay?

He has cancer.

These medicines are needed urgently. They are quite expensive. Quickly get them.

Yes.

'Did you see the world. Your friends. Your relatives.'

'No one helps you at the hour of need.'

"'What are you sitting here and thinking about?"

'Will you allow your father to die in...

...suffering without medication?'

No! I will not let my dad die.

'But how will you save your dad?'

'You need thousands of rupees for the treatment.'

'He has cancer! Cancer!'

'Where will you get the money for the treatment?'

'Expensive medicines. Doctors bills. Hospital bills.'

'Impossible! Where will you get so much money from?'

'It is not within your reach to do this.'

'You can't save your father. Your father will die! He'll die!'

No!

No! I'll not let my dad die!

I'll give my life. I'll sell my body and soul.

I won't let my dad die! I won't let my dad die!

'My misfortune and my need took me to a beer bar.'

'There I met Amar Khanna. He wanted to spend a few...

...moments with me and was to return to India the same night.'

That's it! That's it!

- Ms. Asha! - Yes!

These are some other medicines to be brought. Fast.

Again!?

'I went back to the same beer bar.'

'Now I met Kumar Sinha. He too spent one night.

...and left for India the next day.'

His condition is getting worse, please get this injection fast.

Injections! Again!

'Dad's condition was deteriorating and I had...

...to go back to that beer bar. There I met Sunil Malik.'

'He too spent a little while with me and returned to India.'

No! No! Papa!!!

And see my misfortune Maria.

I couldn't save my father in spite of giving everything I had.

And that day...

That day I don't know what hit me...

...when the doctor told me...

...that I'm pregnant.

Oh my God!

There was darkness everywhere.

I didn't understand what to do? Where to go?

And at the same time...

...a great lady came here.

Mrs. Choudhary.

My dear sisters, in this world, we women, we should work in...

...such a way that we take pride in walking alongside men.

For this, we will have to be role models as a good daughter...

...a good sister, a good wife and a good mother.

And in order to be a success at playing all these...

...characters well, we require to have a good character.

A woman's character is clean like a white sheet which...

...if once stained, cannot be obliterated.

We have to endeavor that our character is never smeared.

Only then can a woman be a great individual.

- Hello. - Do you wish to say something?

Well, after listening to your views on women today...

...I have begun to hate myself.

Oh oh, what troubles you so my dear one?

I am in a hurry. Come, come with me.

We'll discuss it in the car.

- Me? - Come.

Look Asha, the manner in which destiny has messed...

...up your character can't be rectified.

If you give birth to a fatherless child, ...

...what will the world say?

The world will not let you live!

Leave the neighborhood where you live...

...and move to another neighborhood.

Where no one knows about you.

Get immersed in social work.

Become a good mother and strive to become...

...a role model for your child to come. A great mother!

Her words inspired me truly.

And I promised myself that if not anything, I will surely...

...try to be a good mother.

And with that intention, I left that neighborhood.

And came to this place.

After arriving here, I started feeling very lonely.

One day, after a lot of uncertainty...

...I called up Sunil in Bombay.

Even as I mentioned to him that I was to be a mother...

...he was exhilarated. He told me 'Don't worry darling...

...I will send you a cheque every month.

You take care of yourself and the child to come.'

Can you believe this?

Then I called up Kumar Sinha in Allahabad.

And Amar Khanna in Jalandhar and said that I'm pregnant.

They too were so happy.

And promised to send a cheque every month.

And till date they're sending cheques Maria.

Which means that for the past 19 years they have been...

...sending you cheques every month?

Yes Maria!

For 19 years, all three have been sending me cheques continuously.

All three!

Yes! It started with 500 every month, then 10, 15 and then reached 20,000.

But amongst the three who is Jiya baby's Dad?

Oh Maria, why are you adding salt to my wounds?

Three men turned up in my life in a matter of ten days and went away.