1 frame at a time: 2010

Story
This story is about a woman whose husband has gone for a Secret Naval mission. The woman belongs to middle upper class and lives alone in a metropolitan city apartment. While the husband is away on the mission she waits for him in solitude.
Meera is 23 and she has many yearnings like any other woman of her age. But now since her husband is not around she has given up all hopes from life. The wait becomes too long for her to handle. There is social pressure on her to start a new life which she is not ready for. She goes through mental conflicts and finally becomes so loose that her decision making changes her course of life.
The story revolves around three phone calls, one from her husband saying he is leaving for the mission, other from the navy HQ saying his ship is missing and the search is going on and the last one from her mother who brutally tells her that there is no hope for her and she should start a new life looking ahead of him. Before the mother calls her she also receives a mail from her where she shows her concern and says the same thing.
Meera dreams that her husband has returned back. There is a conflict in her head while she gets caught deeper and deeper in her thoughts. She strongly believed that her husband will return but somewhere at the back of her head she knew that he won’t.
Cinematically the film runs in loops, a shot of her dancing under the fan repeats and the twist is revealed at the end when she is hanging from the same fan. Metaphorically the fan represents her life revolving at the same place at different paces.
After the call from her mother, Meera feels very scrawny and on receiving the letter from the Navy HQ, she decides not to open it. She senses it will be a bad news, so she gives up her life before knowing what’s in the letter.

Screenplay

We hear someone switch on the fan; black screen slowly fades out from the centre of the fan and the title of the film appears in the centre.
From the black screen the scene opens to a clock and the camera slowly zooms out. The calendar is hanging right next to the clock. As the camera zooms out we see a woman standing at the window looking at the hustle bustle of the street. We hear the street sounds which slowly soften.
Cut to photographs of the couple’s marriage. The camera slowly zooms out and the still shot of the woman standing at the window.
Cut to the phone on the table. Cut to her turning around and picking up the phone.
Back ground of the Mission the husband has left for - One of ONGC’s oil rigs have been captured by terrorists and they have taken all the employees of the oilrig as hostage and have asked for the release of their head in return for the hostages. The company has asked the government for help and the government is sending a special task force to the rig to free the hostages from the terrorists.
Husband- hey honey! I have some news.
Wife- what happened?
Husband- I am sure you have been listening to the news about the hijack of the ONGC oil rig and the hostages.
Wife: haan toh? (Yes ... what about it?)
Husband: I have been assigned as the officer in charge of a special task force to go get the hostages free. I will be leaving on the mission tonight. I love u honey! See you soon.
Byee.
Cut to her slowly keeping down the phone and then looking up at the fan.
Cut to a top shot of the woman dancing under the fan and smiling at the camera. The fan sound becomes louder as the camera zooms in the centre of the fan. The scene merges to flashbacks of her dancing merrily with her husband at the same place.
Cut to the clock moving fast and zooms out as the dates on the calendar also change rapidly.
The fan is suddenly switched off as the phone rings again (Audio). Meera is sitting in the other room. She hurriedly picks up her cell.

Navy officer: Hello Mrs Verma
Wife: yes.
N o: Hi! This is officer Shekhar calling from Navy HQ. I have some bad news. The ship your husband was on has gone missing since last night and since then we haven’t had any communication with them. A rescue ship has been sent. We will get back to you as soon as we get any further news. Take care. Jai Hind.
On hearing this Meera just stares at the camera for few moments and then falls back on her bed. Top shot of her staring at the fan as her tears flow. The camera then zooms into her eyes. The door bell rings and to her excitement it’s her husband on the door. She is so thrilled. She hugs him and that fades to the top shot of her going round and round under the fan and looking up at the camera. Slowly increases her pace. As soon as she stops and looks back at the door there is no one. She falls back on the floor and screams. The screen goes black..
Fade to- She wakes up only to realize her husband is not beside her. She turns around and spreads her hands on the other side of the bed. Slowly tears flow from her eyes.
Cut to flash backs of happy times with her husband. They are in the car, giggling and talking while driving.
Cut to the woman sitting and holding her head as she opens her eyes. she is in front of the computer. She is sweating and is breathless. Her hand reaches the switch as puts it on and then she moves the regulator to increase the speed. Cut to the fan going faster. Her face expression changes, she feels better. She receives a mail from her mother who shows concern and sounds worried.
Mail read as voice over – hey Meera! I haven’t been able to speak to you for so many days. Your brother had been taking me around America. Beta , its such a nice place. You should also come here. You ll feel better with all of us around. Each day I think of you and feel bad that my daughter is all alone, far from us.
Beta! I shouldn’t say this but have you thought what will you do if he doesn’t return? It’s been long now. You just can’t live like this. You have to move on. You are a young girl. I can only suggest you; rest is in your hands. We all are really worried about you here. Love you!
As she finishes reading, she breaths hard and then suddenly gets aggressive and throws the pillow to the camera.
Cut to the clock and the calendar. Then the camera slowly pans over their showcased photographs which is so dusty.
Cut to the phone ringing again.
Brother- hello Meera.
Meera- haan bhai!
Brother- how are u ? Any news about Vinod?
Meera- No
Brother- Meera, am telling you the government isn’t doing anything about it. It’s been two years now. You are just wasting your life waiting for him. The sooner you understand, the faster you ll get out of your miserable existence. You need to move on Meera. Vinod is gone… get it! He isn’t coming back.
(We all met Jc yesterday. You should talk to him. He is a nice guy. Well settled businessman and he always admired you.) Sound fades suddenly when the bell rings. She throws the phone on the sofa and gets up.
Cut to her feet walking towards the door.
Cut to the door. The door opens and she stretches out her hand to receive an envelope.
The camera focuses on the envelope which says it’s from the Navy department. Cut to a mid shot of her holding it and just blankly staring at it, eyes blood shot red.
Fade from the eyes to the black screen. We hear the fan sound going louder.
We see the woman hanging from the fan. She is dead. The room is silent. Everything is still, only the woman is rotating from the fan.
Black screen
The scene opens up with a long shot of the room and zooms in to the unopened letter lying on the floor beneath her.