3-Character Trio Cast 6 - 9 Minutes Slice of Life/Family
The Waiting Room Agreement
Full Shooting Script in Industry Courier Monospace Format
INT. GOVERNMENT OFFICE WAITING ROOM - DAY
Pale daylight barred windows se andar aa rahi hai. Ceiling fan dheere-dheere ghoom raha hai. Metal benches, token counter, ek water cooler, aur corner mein ek chipped notice board. Sab kuch plain, thanda, aur bureaucratic.
PRKASH (50), simple shirt-trousers mein, ek FOLDER aur PROPERTY PAPERS pakde baitha hai. Uske paas SANGEETA (47), modest salwar suit mein, calm aur alert. Unke saamne ANU (23), college clothes mein, bag kandhe par, restless.
Prakash token slip ko baar-baar dekh raha hai.
PRAKASH
Bas sign karna hai. Ho jayega kaam.
ANU
Haan, government office mein bhi aaj miracle hi chahiye.
Sangeeta halka sa glance deti hai.
SANGEETA
Anu, tone normal rakho.
ANU
Main normal hi hoon, Maa. Aap log hi unusually calm ho.
Prakash thoda smile karta hai, phir papers kholta hai.
PRAKASH
Dekh, property transfer family ke naam pe hai. Simple.
ANU
Family ke naam pe ya aapke plan ke naam pe?
Silence.
Prakash pen rakh deta hai.
PRAKASH
Kya matlab?
ANU
Matlab yeh paper sign karne se pehle mujhe ek sach chahiye.
(beat)
Kisne kya sacrifice kiya? Sach sach.
Sangeeta seat par seedhi hoti hai.
SANGEETA
Yeh office hai, court nahi.
ANU
Ghar mein bhi to kabhi court nahi tha, bas verdict aata tha.
Prakash ka jawline tight hota hai.
PRAKASH
Maine poori zindagi mehnat ki hai.
ANU
Haan. Aur Maa ne?
PRAKASH
Sangeeta ne bhi ki hai.
ANU
“Bhi”?
Sangeeta ek chhoti si hansi dabati hai.
SANGEETA
Dekho, “bhi” mein hi aadha ghar chal jata hai.
Prakash use dekhta hai.
PRAKASH
Main office se aata tha, phir loan, phir bills—
ANU
Aur Maa? Woh kaunse vacation pe thi?
SANGEETA
Main vacation pe nahi thi. Main ration, school fee, tuition, dawai, aur tumhare papa ke gusse ke management pe thi.
Anu ko yeh sunkar pehli baar sach mein laugh aata hai, phir turant serious.
ANU
Toh phir mujhe kyun kabhi sach nahi bataya?
Prakash folder ko thoda zor se band karta hai.
PRAKASH
Sach? Sach yeh hai ki jo mila, usmein guzara kiya.
ANU
Nahi. Sach yeh hai ki aap dono ne mujhe perfect family ka poster dikhaya. Andar kya chal raha tha, woh kisi ko nahi bataya.
Ceiling fan ki awaaz aur tez lagti hai. Waiting room mein aur koi nahi. Token counter ke peeche clerk ka shadow guzarta hai, phir gayab.
Sangeeta water bottle Anu ki taraf badhati hai.
SANGEETA
Paani le.
ANU
Mujhe paani nahi, jawab chahiye.
Prakash ek gehri saans leta hai.
PRAKASH
Theek hai.
(beat)
Main yeh property transfer tumhare naam kar raha hoon.
Anu blink karti hai.
ANU
Kya?
PRAKASH
Tere future ke liye.
ANU
Aapne mujhe bataya kyun nahi?
PRAKASH
Kyunki har baar kuch dene se pehle sunna padta hai—“Papa ne kiya.” Main nahi chahta tha tu usse duty samjhe.
Sangeeta nods, quietly.
SANGEETA
Main jaanti thi. Main bhi chup thi.
ANU
Aap dono... meri peeth pe plan bana rahe the?
SANGEETA
Plan nahi. Trust.
PRAKASH
Aur ek aur baat.
(beat)
Maine apna share bhi ismein daala hai. Tere naam pe.
Anu stunned.
ANU
What?
PRAKASH
Haan. Taaki tujhe kabhi kisi ke saamne haath na phailana pade.
Anu ka gussa dheere-dheere pighalta hai, lekin woh papers ko nahi chhooti.
ANU
Aap hero banne ki koshish mat karo.
PRAKASH
Main hero nahi hoon.
(beat)
Thak gaya aadmi hoon.
Sangeeta softly.
SANGEETA
Aur main thak kar bhi khadi rahi.
Anu un dono ko dekhti hai. Pehli baar unke chehron mein poster nahi, thakaan dikhti hai. Insaan dikhta hai.
ANU
Main sign tab karungi jab aap dono ek-ek sach aur bolenge.
PRAKASH
Abhi bhi aur?
ANU
Haan. No drama, no sacrifice competition.
Sangeeta almost smiles.
SANGEETA
Theek hai. Main pehle.
(beat)
Main tumse kabhi nahi boli ki maine bhi bahut kuch chhoda. Kyunki mujhe laga maa hone ka matlab chup rehna hota hai.
Prakash looks down.
PRAKASH
Main bhi bol deta hoon.
(beat)
Main har baar strong banne ka natak karta tha. Ghar ke andar main bhi dar raha tha.
Anu ka throat tight ho jata hai.
ANU
Aur main...
(beat)
Main aapse nafrat nahi karti.
Main bas is khamoshi se thak gayi thi.
A beat. Nobody speaks.
Then Prakash slowly pushes the papers toward the center.
PRAKASH
Toh phir agreement yeh hai?
ANU
Kaunsa?
PRAKASH
Pehle sach. Phir sign.
Sangeeta nods.
SANGEETA
Aur pehle chai.
Anu finally smiles.
ANU
Government office mein chai?
SANGEETA
File ke saath nahi, family ke saath.
Prakash picks up the folder. The token slip falls out. Anu picks it up, hands it back to him.
For the first time, she doesn’t sit apart. She stands with them.
The ceiling fan keeps turning.
The waiting room is still the same.
But the family is not.
FADE OUT.
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