Rahul weds Anjali : Next morning, Rahul needs more women.

[ashuezy2]

Scene 4: The Cold Negotiation

Setting: The same room. The air is thick. Mr. Sharma has been released by Mr. Ahuja and has stumbled back, looking winded and ten years older. Rahul is leaning casually against the far wall, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with an unnerving detachment. He has zipped his pants back up.

---

The silence stretches for a full ten seconds, punctuated only by Mrs. Sharma's quiet, hiccuping sobs as she strokes Anjali's hair.

Mr. Ahuja smooths down his polo shirt, takes a deep breath, and assumes the role of chairman of this disastrous meeting. He looks directly at a defeated Mr. Sharma.

Mr. Ahuja: "Ab kya karna hai?" What is to be done now?

Mr. Sharma: He looks up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a despair that has replaced his anger. "Karna hai? Tum mujhse pooch rahe ho karna kya hai? Tumhare bete ne meri beti ki zindagi shuru hone se pehle hi barbad kar di, aur tum pooch rahe ho karna kya hai?"
To be done? You're asking me what is to be done? Your son has destroyed my daughter's life before it even began, and you're asking what is to be done?

Mrs. Sharma: She stands up, pulling a dazed Anjali with her. Her voice is fierce with a mother's protective instinct. "Hum Anjali ko apne saath ghar le jaa rahe hain. Yahan ek pal aur nahi."
We are taking Anjali home with us. Not one more moment here.

For the first time, Anjali lifts her head. Her makeup is ruined, her face is pale and puffy, but a tiny spark of defiance glows in her eyes. She looks at her father.

Anjali: Her voice is hoarse, but steady. "Mummy sahi keh rahi hain. Mujhe yahan nahi rehna."
Mummy is right. I don't want to stay here.

Mrs. Ahuja (Reena): She lets out a short, condescending laugh. It's a sound like ice cubes clinking in a glass. "Ghar? Aur uske baad kya? What will you tell society? That the marriage broke on the first night? Don't be childish, Poonam. Taking her home is not a solution."

Mr. Sharma: "Toh kya hai solution, Reena-ji? That my daughter accepts this... this filth?" Then what is the solution, Reena-ji?

Mrs. Ahuja: She glances at her son, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, before turning back to the Sharmas. Her voice is cold and pragmatic. "The solution is to find an... arrangement. A practical way forward. Rahul has been honest about his needs. Now we must all be adults and accommodate them."

The word "accommodate" hangs in the air, a final, chilling insult. The Ahujas are not apologizing. They are dictating terms. The Sharmas are faced with a terrible choice: public disgrace or private hell for their daughter.