लोला और बद्री प्रसाद की अधूरी कहानी।

(पाश्चात्य संगीत सुनाई देता है धीरे धीरे मंच पर रोशनी होती है।बद्रीनाथ अपने दोस्तों के साथ बार मे बैठा दिखता है।)

बद्री: परफॉर्मेंस लिए लंदन जाना था ।पहली खुशी इस बात की  थी कि अब मेरे पास पासपोर्ट है। वर्ना दो फिल्में जिसकी शूटिंग लंदन और चेकोस्लोवाकिया में होनी थी इसलिए हाथ से निकल गयी थी कि मेरे पास पासपोर्ट नही था ।   साल 2012 में मेरे अभिन्न मित्र  और निर्देशक अविनाश  ने  जो  मेरी ऐक्टिंग का कायल था और एक पारिवारिक मित्र की तरह है एक इंडो -थाई  फ़िल्म  के लिए करार किया था NDA  साइन करने के बाद मैंने कहा एक गड़बड़ है। अविनाश ने  Benson & Hedges का धुआं उगलते हुए कहा- क्या ?  मेरे पास पासपोर्ट ही नही है।कितने में बन जायेगा? मैंने सारे खर्चे जोड़ कर जिसमे सिगरेट पीने से लेकर वर्ली जाना, नाश्ता, कोल्ड ड्रिंक, एजेंट की फीस वगैरह शामिल थे  बोला  दस हज़ार । उसने फौरन  हाथ मे दस हज़ार रख दिये और बोला पेमेंट से काट लूंगा, मुझे 10 दिन में पासपोर्ट चाहिए। फ़िल्म तो किसी कारण से नही बनी  पर मेरा पासपोर्ट बन गया।फिर कई बार ऐड फिल्मो के लिए शॉर्टलिस्टेड हुआ पर किस्मत थी जो हिंदुस्तान में ही लॉक डाउन होकर रह गई थी। इस बार ऑफर नाटक का था मेन रोल मैं ही करता था।हिंदी साहित्य सम्मेलन, लंदन में परफॉर्म करना था। सो मैं  निश्चिन्त था न ऐड वालो की तरह एन्ड मोमेंट पर डिच किये जाने का खतरा था न ही  कास्टिंग डायरेक्टर के बिक जाने का खौफ। नाटक वालो पर मुझे पूरा भरोसा था।

ज्यो ज्यो जाने के दिन नज़दीक आ रहे थे मेरी बेचैनी बढ़ती जा रही थी। कभी कहीं पर्स खो जाता था तो कभी मोबाइल। बैंक से पैसे निकालूँ तो वो भी बीयर में खर्च हो रहे थे या कही और समझ नही आ रहा था किसी तरह एरोप्लेन में बैठने में सफल हुआ पीछे की खिड़की वाली सीट थी। एयर होस्टेस ने मेरी हरकतों को देखकर अलग डर बिठा दिया था   देखो सर ये सरकारी एयरलाइंस नही है। छोटी सी गलती भी जानलेवा हो सकती है। फ़्लाइट के हवा में उड़ते ही नाटकीय दृश्य उत्पन्न हो जाते है केबिन क्रू और परिचारिकायें  सुरक्षा संबंधी जानकारी के नाम पर आपके तोते उड़ाने लगती है । अपने परफॉर्मेंस में वो मैकनिकली बताती है  कैसे सीट बेल्ट बांधनी है से लेकर कैसे आपात स्थिति में  ऑक्सीजन मास्क बांधना है और सीट के नीचे फ्लोटिंग बैग कैसे खींच कर बांध कर कूदना है वगैरह वगैरह ।मेरे जैसे यात्री के लिए आगे की पूरी यात्रा अपनी मौत किन परिस्थितियों में होगी कल्पना करते  बीतती है । बहरहाल बारह तेरह घंटे की यात्रा पूरी कर  हीथ्रो एयरपोर्ट आने की घोषणा हुई। मेरे बगल में एक फ़िरंगन बैठी हुई थी। पर उससे मुझे क्या।कोई भी बैठा रहे ।

  मेरे सामने एक आलीशान शहर था मौसम बहुत सुहाना था। पहले दिन टेम्स नदी के किनारे काफी देर साफ पानी को देखता रहा।  सेल्फी निकालने के बाद पैदल चलना शुरू कर दिया बकिंघम पैलेस, ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड और कैम्ब्रिज यूनिवर्सिटी, मिलेनियम व्हील्स इत्यादि। कई जगह कुछ पाउंड पर खास चीज़ का ऑफर आया  पर मैंने सख्ती से मना कर दिया। जगह जगह बैंच बनी हुई थी और उसपर लोग बैठे हुए थे।  मेरी निगाहें लोलिता को ढूंढ रही थी। उसने एक मार्केट में बुलाया था पर हमेशा की तरह चकमा दे गई थी।  मेरे पास उसके घर का पता था मैं शाम होते- होते  उसके अपार्टमेंट में पहुच गया था  लोलिता ने दरवाजा खोल F...  उसके मुंह से निकल गया था.

हाय ललिता।

बद्री प्रसाद।

मैंने  संकोच में हाथ बढ़ाया पर तब तक वो  एक्साइटमेंट के मारे मुझे गले लगा चुकी थी। मुझे रॉकी की याद हो आई उसने कहा था कि  If the girl embraces you, it means that she is interested in you.  What a figure. It is called natural beauty. मैं ये सोच रहा था तब तक वो मुझे अलग कर चुकी थी।

how r you bugger. you are  changed.

Badri: Man is born broken. He lives by mending the grace of god is glue obsessed by a fairy tale .we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.  I ve changed from inside not outside. Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.  Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

लोलिता मुझे अच्छे से जानती थी और मेरी बातों से स्तब्ध थी मै फिर पूछा How was it….. 

Lo: who has written it?

Eugene O’ Neill and Bernard Shaw.

LO:  Hey..  Eugene O’Neill!!!

 He is my favorite.  So they have written it jointly.

No they have written it separately but  I merged it to make it more powerful . O’ Neill,  Arthur Miller, Bernard Shaw , Freud , Maupassant, Kafka ,Tolstoy, Becket, Darwin, Nietzsche, Keats, Byron   I've read everything.

Lo: you are amazing BD.

Thanks Lolita for encourage me   what about you ? Tell me dear Lolita how is life going.

Lo: oh here people call me lo… la…. Why don’t you sit down make yourself comfortable

BD: sure sure .he sits on sofa Lola also sits beside.

BD : Ok Lolita I am sorry lo….la[imitates]  it’s my first time in UK so I m little nervous. I come here to perform in a seminar on hindi literature .you can join me tomorrow.

Lola:  That’s the grt news …  But I m not interested in it .

BD: Why.

LO:  Three months ago I felt head ache and weird pain in my whole body. I gone to doctor at mid night but doctor didn’t check me well and given me wrong medicine and told me for blood test. And then unfortunately in blood laboratory, lab, technicians did mistake and informed me my liver is damaged. Then I had doubt and went to another doctor. Again the blood test. Report came normal But here again doctor didn’t identify my disease coz he was in hurry and he refer me to psychiatrist. And due to so much pain in head, fever etc. I had to follow psychiatrist and his medicine.

But no relieve here … I started losing hopes… feeling like I am dying.. I stopped all medicines and decided will not die like this. No proper body movement in that pain … I started waking up at 4 am and everyday run a lot in the park.. Pain was increasing and emotions too high.. But there was hope I will be fine one day .But nothing worked..

Then my mom suggested me Homeopathy. I followed her but nothing worked.

Most of the time I cried a lot and didn’t tell my suffering was unable to walk and talk properly.

 Just coz of doctor’s mistake who didn’t identify my disease, they are just money makers. Just coz of that lab. Tech.    Who did mistake in my blood reports.

Just coz all of them I have lost trust in doctors.

Finally I got to know I had viral fever and chikungunya, still have symptoms and going through under medication.

  But hats off to myself.. In this pain.. I waken up 4 am .And tried to live normally.. And crazy thing is every day I run… and did things like maybe it is my last .

Didn’t have enough energy to go in gym … So running and sprints the only thing I chosen I don’t know why..

 

BD:  I knew that You have some problem and heard that you have some kind of psychological  problem. You don’t worry that’s why I M HERE . Sigmund Freud had said

LO: hang on  I m not interested in Freud any more I've gone through it becoz of my illness.not enough energy to get in again

  It won’t be possible to meet you on seminar  so I came  day before to you.

LO: You will stay here.

BD: of course lalita I MEAN LET SEE.

[she interrupts]

BD: yes i mean la..la

lo: no not lala i m lola you can’t even call My  name properly   you r such a /// guy

BD:   You have any problem staying with me .

LO: Not exactly but I have to sleep . I've not slept for three days.my kittens need to be cared . JULIEE  My cat has got several injuries  She is in a pain but I can’t help her what to do Badri

 start crying again and leans on his shoulder . Badri fold his hands around her  and start giving A MILD MASSAGE ON HER BACK   .

Bdri[ASIDE] HUGGING 2ND TIME  MEANS Girl IS SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED AND WANTs TO BE FUCKED. He starts pushing her ass . LOLA FREES HER SELF

Lo: why r u rubbing   my ass.

BD:   oh I don’t realize that .so sorry it’s my fault by mistake.. We are old friends and  Its important to remember that not all strong feelings are romantic. I know you well. you know me well. And friendship is beyond love its bigger then love. I WANT TO HAVE SOME TEA . DON’T WORRY I will not tell you to make tea for me I HV my own arrangements.

He opens luggage  and turns back with a  tandoor [indian oven] ketli [teapot] tea packet and start making tea. he lights the match box the wooden pieces caught fire. to lola

bd: will you plz bring some water.

SHE LEFT. [Aside] लगता है अकेले रह रह कर pareshaan ho gyee hai . jo jaanwaron se pyar karne par utaroo ho gayee hai aadamee mil jaye to kitna pyaar karegee. Gaaliyon me hee baat kartee hai aur fuck to itnee baar bolti hai ki doosra hota kab kar ke nikal chukka hota par main sala chootiya hee hoon. 5 saal se jaanta hoon par aaj tak kiss nahee kar paaya. But only in UK its possible. The great Britain. The great era of love  Aapko maaloom hai Americans kyo itne aage aur Indians kyo itne peeche hain . kyoki Americans L--d ko c---t me aur kaam ko dimaag me rakhte hai par Indians c...t ko dimaag me aur kaam ko l....d pe rakhte hain . just b’coz of this difference Indians are far behind from Americans but when it comes on talent Indians are the most talented people of the world.

[ Fire alarm rings and lola comes with a glass of water and put it on the fire. Badri hears the sound ]

BD: what happened

LOLA: its not allowed in Uk. You want tea then hv to go to the kitchen.

Bd: i thought ur home is a shelter but its suffering.  Any way leave it. I will manage.  Hey lola why are you looking  so sad and weak. I know you have some psychological issues but Have some fun dude .Lets start some party .bring some beer,  wine, scotch, vodka, rum .

Lola: which one

BD: any  thing lola anything whatever is available. Make some cocktail.  Start some music first.

[lola switch on the music system.]

(BD continues)   you still conseme marijuana or you left it.  make some cocktail drink.  I don’t mind having  takila shots . I had one time in star night party. Love to see you YAAR  . I love you. [Kisses her on head.]

lola makes two glasses of drink and offers to him he takes the glass and cheers explosively.  [sound.] BD  finishes drink in one sip .and start making another without any hesitation.

Lola:  why you come to my house.

BD: Bcause we are friends .friendship is nothing or what. What the glorious past we have we used to stay in same city . same colony you  have done a grt job in my play . we use to meet for rehersals. After rehersals we have slept together in same hall on long lasting bed. Have i ever done anything objectionable

LO:  You come here for drinks,  party  or for  what.

BD:  For Shelter. This is the title of my film. IT sound good no shelter. I want you to play the lead in my Film.

Lo: OHHHH .. Really what is the story tell me .If I like then will help u to get a producer.

BD:  Thanks buddy  I knew it. you are a good friend of mine and understands me and my talent.

He starts gazing on her

LOLA: now what happened.

BD: lola yaar you are my actress  it’s my birth right to look at you and observe you.

Lo: ohhh you are observing me . what hv u seen ?

BD: I’VE seen that  after coming to UK you become very beautiful and sexy. Any way I have nothing to do with that. so now we come to the film .

LO: OK!

BD: scene one…. Effect: night …. Character! bank manager and caretaker of the hotel.

Film opens at abandoned and deserted area . It’s raining cats and dogs. We see a Car  running in maximum speed . Disaster has already happened . every thing is destroyed. care taker is shaking the hand with the lantern and shouting … stop the car for god sake  .  stop the car.   We see some montages of destructions its like  post tsunami situation   driver manages to stop the car  he shocked to see  that there is no road ahead n the  bridge is broken and he is terrorise to see that he is just got back from the mouth of the death. He turned pale and   with feared face man comes out of the car . care taker scolds at him that you have no fear of death this is the no way of driving. what was the reason of death of Diana and Dodi Al Fayad you know that? The speed. It’s dangerous. And if you have no love of life then only you go to destination  he replies I am the bank manager and its very important to reach to Florida city by morning .

Lola: where is me

BD: In  last scene..

Lo:  I was suppose to be the the central character of ur film

 BD: YES THAT’S TRUE.THERE IS ONLY THREE SCENE IS IN THIS FILM .It’s a short film FIRST  scene is   just to create the after disaster situation n ambience.

Lo: ok

BD: so man replies what to do  CARETAKER says , I have the place for stay . you can save ur life by going there only.  Man looks at his car which is  falling  down from the bridge. Man shivers. Caretaker start laughing like anything,  which is terrorizing the man much more .  Caretaker start walking  with the continuous  laughter.. man silently follows him.

Scene dissolved to the another place.  we see a completely  damaged hotel. . Its  still raining and thunder is lightning and making things visible. We can see the fear  on man’s face . storm is changed into mild winds but thunder and rain is still in the same mood.it seeme like sky will fall down on them so they rush to the room of caretaker which is still exists in its  shape.   In this scene you will enter.

Continued....