1 Male + 1 Female (M + F) 5 - 8 Minutes Emotional Drama
The Quiet Room
Full Shooting Script in Industry Courier Monospace Format
INT. THERAPY OFFICE - EVENING
Soft lamp light. Muted pastel walls. Bookshelves. A couch. Rain taps gently against the window. A tissue box sits on the table.
DR. ARVIND (50), soft sweater, spectacles, tired but calm, sits in an armchair. ZOYA (24), hoodie, loose trousers, curled up on the couch with a notebook, trembles slightly.
A beat of silence.
DR. ARVIND
(softly)
Aaj hum panic attacks se start karte hain. Kab aate hain? Kya trigger hota hai?
ZOYA
(staring at notebook)
Aap har patient se same line bolte ho?
DR. ARVIND
Mera kaam hai samajhna.
ZOYA
Haan. Aur mera kaam?
DR. ARVIND
Aap batayengi.
ZOYA looks up. A small, unreadable smile.
ZOYA
Aap khud hamesha itne calm kaise rehte ho, Doctor?
DR. ARVIND
Main calm nahi hoon. Main trained hoon.
ZOYA
Trained log bhi thakte hain.
Arvind notices she’s steering away from herself.
DR. ARVIND
Zoya, yeh session aapka hai.
ZOYA
Notebook mein likha hai.
(beat)
Par aaj mujhe lagta hai aapka bhi ho sakta hai.
Arvind leans back slightly.
DR. ARVIND
Aap mujhe jaan-ne ki koshish kar rahi hain?
ZOYA
Main observe kar rahi hoon.
She flips open the notebook. A page filled with dates, notes, and one name.
Arvind’s eyes catch the name.
A beat.
DR. ARVIND
(low)
Yeh naam...
ZOYA
Haan.
Silence deepens.
ZOYA
Mere father ka tha.
Arvind freezes.
DR. ARVIND
Tum... unki beti ho?
ZOYA nods once.
ZOYA
Main panic attacks ke liye aayi thi.
(beat)
Par sach bolun? Main aapke liye bhi aayi thi.
DR. ARVIND
Samajh nahi aaya.
ZOYA
Meri maa ne file rakhi thi. Purani reports. Aapka naam. Sab.
She closes the notebook with a soft thud.
ZOYA (CONT'D)
Woh bolti thi—"Is aadmi se poochhna, sorry kyun nahi bola."
Arvind absorbs this. His jaw tightens, then softens.
DR. ARVIND
Main tumhare father ko yaad karta hoon.
ZOYA
Yaad karke kya fayda hua?
DR. ARVIND
Kaafi galtiyan hui thi.
ZOYA
Galti?
(laughs once, bitter)
Mere ghar mein uske baad silence hua. Mummy ka silence. Mera silence. Aur phir panic.
She grips the couch cushion.
ZOYA (CONT'D)
Main jab bhi saans nahi le paati, lagta hai body bol rahi hai—"kuch theek nahi tha."
Arvind’s spectacles slip a little. He pushes them up, visibly shaken.
DR. ARVIND
Zoya... agar maine tumhare family ko dard diya, mujhe afsos hai.
ZOYA
(eyes wet)
Afsos?
DR. ARVIND
Haan.
(beat)
Aur maafi bhi. Bina excuse ke.
Zoya looks at him for a long moment. Her trembling knee stills.
ZOYA
Mujhe treatment nahi chahiye tha aaj.
DR. ARVIND
Phir?
ZOYA
Bas yeh sunna tha ki kisi ko yaad hai.
(voice breaks)
Ki kisi ko sach mein afsos hai.
Arvind reaches for the tissue box and slides it toward her.
ZOYA takes a tissue. Her first real tear falls.
DR. ARVIND
Main yaad rakhta hoon.
ZOYA
Mujhe laga tha aap nahi rakhenge.
DR. ARVIND
Kuch cheezein bhoolna possible nahi hota.
Zoya nods, wiping her face. She opens the notebook again, then gently closes it.
The rain continues. The room remains quiet, but the silence has changed.
FADE OUT.
---