The Interview Room

Bright white overhead lights. Sterile room. Glass wall. One table. Three chairs.

OFFICER KABIR (37), ironed shirt, intense stare, pen tapping constantly, sits like he owns the room.

MURTAZA (28), neat haircut, nervous but composed, holds a folder tightly.

ADEEL (43), polished blazer, controlled smile, eyes never settling, sits with an interview checklist.

A beat.

Naam?

Murtaza, sir.

Good. Simple start.

KABIR taps his pen.

Simple start toh tab hota hai jab file simple ho.

Ye corporate interview hai, Kabir. Police station nahi.

Abhi tak.

Murtaza forces a polite smile.

Main resume doonga, sir.

He slides the folder forward.

Adeel opens it, scans.

Qualification strong hai. Experience bhi... interesting.

Interesting ka matlab?

Means adaptable.

Ya hidden.

Adeel ignores that.

Tell us about your last role.

Operations. Mostly documentation.

Kis company mein?

A company.

KABIR leans in.

A company ka naam hota hai, Murtaza.

Haan, sir. Bas... wahan sab log naam kam use karte the.

Adeel slides a water glass toward him.

Take your time.

Main hi de raha hoon usse time.

Kabir flips the resume.

Yahan date of birth same hai.

Aur photo bhi.

Photo to meri hi hai, sir.

ID card bhi hai?

Murtaza hesitates, then takes out an ID card from the folder.

Kabir takes it. Studies it.

Yeh naam tumhara nahi hai.

Silence.

Adeel’s smile stays on, but thinner now.

Clerical error.

Missing person ka clerical error?

Adeel’s eyes flick to Kabir, then away.

You’re bringing outside matters into a routine interview.

Routine?

Rehan Siddiqui.

Reported missing six months ago.

Murtaza swallows.

Main—

Tum kya?

Main bas... apna kaam karna chahta hoon.

Apne naam se?

Murtaza doesn’t answer.

Adeel taps the checklist with a polished finger.

Let’s not dramatize. People reinvent themselves all the time.

Reinvent?

Ya replace?

Adeel’s controlled smile finally twitches.

You’re over-reading a standard hiring process.

Then why does his file have a missing person case number?

Adeel freezes for half a second.

Murtaza looks between them.

Sir... mujhe bas bataya gaya tha interview hai.

Kaun bola?

Message aaya tha. Location, time, folder laana hai.

Aur naam?

Murtaza.

A beat.

Par ID par Rehan hai.

Murtaza looks down.

Pehle Rehan tha.

Adeel gently interjects.

Was.

KABIR turns sharply.

Was?

Transition.

Transition mein log gayab nahi hote.

They do, if the company needs continuity.

That lands.

Murtaza looks up.

Company needs continuity for what?

Adeel opens the checklist. The top line reads: REPLACEMENT SCREENING - CONFIDENTIAL.

Oh.

Finally.

Tum HR manager ho ya handler?

Same thing, different department.

Kabir stares at him.

Aur main?

Adeel smiles wider.

You were supposed to see if he could still remember his old life without breaking.

Murtaza stands a little, confused and alarmed.

Old life?

Tumhe sach mein nahi pata?

Murtaza opens the folder fully. Inside: a blank form, a fresh ID badge, and a signature line.

Yeh kya hai?

Your new name.

Kabir picks up the pen, stops tapping.

Aur agar woh sign na kare?

Adeel’s smile turns cold.

Then we interview the next man.

Murtaza looks at the blank form, then at Kabir, then at Adeel.

Main kaun hoon?

A long beat.

Kabir places the pen in front of him.

Jo bhi tumhe yaad hai... usse zyada useful.

Adeel nods once, like that’s the correct answer.

The white light hums overhead.

Murtaza slowly takes the pen.