The Interview Room

Harsh tube light. Spinning ceiling fan. Metal table. Two chairs on one side, one on the other. Sparse, echoey room.

A tape recorder sits near a CASE FILE, a PEN, a METAL CUP, and an EVIDENCE BAG.

INSPECTOR FARHAN (44), plain shirt, weary eyes, opens the file.

He presses RECORD.

Naam?

Aapko file mein likha hoga, Inspector.

Farhan looks up. Zoya, hoodie on, restless, sits across from him.

File mein bohot kuch likha hota hai.

Sach kam.

Zoya smirks.

Toh aaj kaun sa version chahiye?

Farhan ignores the jab.

Raat ke 9:10 par tum kahan thi?

Corridor mein. Back side. Event ka noise

itna tha ki apni soch bhi sunai nahi de rahi thi.

Aur Arjun Malhotra ka wallet?

Mere haath mein nahi tha.

Beat.

Waise bhi, aap mujhe witness bula rahe ho ya

suspect decide kar chuke ho?

Farhan writes. Calm.

Meenal ko dekha tha?

Haan. Office ke paas.

Formal wear. Perfect hair. Perfect lies.

Farhan looks at the door.

The door opens.

MEENAL (39), elegant, composed, formal wear, enters. A small scar on her hand.

She sits without asking.

Aapne mujhe bulaaya aur yeh already

mujhe frame kar chuki hai?

Frame? Tumne hi frame kiya tha.

Tumne.

Ek-ek karke.

Farhan clicks the tape recorder.

Raat ke 9:10 se shuru.

Phir 9:25. Dono same night.

Dono same event.

Aur dono ek dusre ko jhootha bol rahi ho.

Kyunki woh jhooth bol rahi hai.

Kyunki woh jhooth bol rahi hai.

Farhan leans back.

Interesting.

9:10 par lights flicker hui thi.

Maine Arjun ko phone par kisi se bahas karte suna.

Phir Meenal ko office door ke paas dekha.

Nahi.

9:10 par main basement corridor mein thi.

9:25 par main office gayi.

Tab drawer khula tha.

Wallet gayab.

Basement corridor? झूठ.

9:25? Tum panic mein thi, Zoya.

Main tumhe dekh chuki thi.

Farhan’s pen stops.

Tum dono ek hi cheez dekh rahi ho?

Kya?

Kya?

Nahi.

Tum dono alag time dekh rahi ho.

Silence.

Fan creaks.

Phir se bolo.

Exactly.

Zoya and Meenal exchange a look. Now the fight shifts into something colder.

9:10 par main corridor mein thi.

Arjun ki awaaz suni.

Phir ek shadow dekhi.

9:25 par main office mein thi.

Drawer khula tha.

Table par receipt thi.

Aur floor pe... kuch tha.

Kya?

Blood.

Zoya goes still.

Arjun missing hai.

Aur wallet sirf cover story thi.

Farhan opens the EVIDENCE BAG.

Inside: a WATCH, a CRUMPLED RECEIPT, and a RECORDING SLIP.

Zoya sees the slip first.

Yeh... aapka handwriting hai.

Meenal notices the initials on the receipt.

Inspector Farhan.

Farhan’s face remains calm.

Evidence bag mein kya hai, woh main decide karta hoon.

Nahi.

Aap decide karte the.

Farhan hits PLAY on the tape recorder.

His own voice comes through.

FARHAN (V.O.)

Case note. Time discrepancy observed.

Witness statements unreliable.

Body to be recovered later.

Zoya stares.

Meenal’s jaw tightens.

FARHAN (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Wallet recovered from evidence bag.

Not entered in log.

The room goes dead silent.

Aapne wallet... chupaya?

Aur notes mein timeline edit ki?

Farhan slowly takes the recorder in his hand.

Tum dono ko lagta hai tum sach bol rahi ho.

Tum sach bol rahi thi.

Bas mere notes ne tumhara sach tod diya.

Arjun?

Farhan looks at the evidence bag.

Dead.

Beat.

Murder cover kar rahe the aap.

Farhan stands.

Chair scrapes loud.

Missing wallet ka case tha.

Murder ka nahi.

Tum logon ne khud confuse kiya.

Nahi.

Aapne.

Farhan’s expression hardens.

He realizes.

The recorder is still on.

The red light is still blinking.

Tape...

Chalu hai.

Aur ab log bhi.

Farhan lunges for the recorder. Zoya pulls the chair back. Meenal slides the evidence bag toward herself.

Three-way tension explodes in the tiny room.

Recorder do.

Pehle truth do.

Phir chair le lo.

Farhan freezes.

For the first time, he looks tired.

The tape recorder clicks.

A final recorded line plays—Farhan’s voice, earlier, colder:

FARHAN (V.O.)

Agar file khul gayi, toh blame witnesses par.

Nobody checks the notes.

Silence.

Zoya and Meenal stare at Farhan.

Farhan doesn’t move.

The fan keeps spinning.

The tube light buzzes.

The recorder keeps rolling.