Duniya Badi Goal Hai

By
PROJWAL DEB

INT. CHAWL ROOM - DAY

FADE IN
It is a regular chawl room in a locality in Mumbai. We can
hear sounds of traffic in the background.
A 10 year old boy ties his shoe laces. He is in full
football kit (shorts, jersey and old canvas shoes). RAHUL
Rahul bends down to roll out an old football from
underneath the bed with a mild smile on his face.
He brings it out and goes to leave.
Rahuls mother comes from behind holding a plate in her
hand and makes a face to ask him to wait. She appears as a
widowed woman in her mid 30s.
She raises a perfectly rounded chapati and shows it to
him.
Rahul sees the chapati and raises his football, laughs and
runs out.
FADE OUT
His laugh can still be heard as we see the title appear
and then fade out
FADE IN
EXT. CHAWL STAIRS - DAY
Rahul climbs down the stairs with a boy of his age. The
second boy has a cricket bat in his hand.
RAHUL
Football khelega?
SECOND BOY
Nahi mujhe toh cricket khelna
hai.
The second boy goes away. Rahul stands still and just
looks on.
EXT. FIELD - NIGHT
Rahul sits with the football in his hand and watches some
boys playing cricket. He watches a six being hit.
Rahul raises his head and sees the ball flying away across
him.

2.

INTERCUT
Rahul sits with the football between his legs.
He sees some boys playing cricket in front of him in the
same locality.
A batsman hits the ball and it comes towards him.
He picks up the cricket ball with his right hand.
Another boy comes near him.
SECOND BOY
Ball laa
RAHUL
Football khelega? Fielding nahi
karni padegi.
SECOND BOY
Pagal hai kya? Match chal raha
hai. Jaldi laa.
Rahul looks at him. Than takes the cricket ball above his
head and brings it level to his eye sight.
Then he picks the football up and compares the size of the
2 balls.
The second boy comes and grabs the cricket ball away from
his hand.
Rahul looks taken by the action. The second boy throws the
ball back in the game as Rahul looks on.
INT. CHAWL ROOM - NIGHT
A perfectly rounded chapati falls on Rahuls plate.
He looks at his mother saying he is not hungry anymore.
His mother angrily points at him to eat his food.
She turns away, he picks up the chapati and tries to spin
it but he cant, it falls back onto the plate.
INTERCUT
He spins the football on the tip of his finger in front of
his deceased fathers picture making a face of self
appreciation and with his other hand pointed towards the
picture asking him how does he think he is doing.
His mother comes from behind and playfully slaps on his
shoulder and he stops.

3.

INTERCUT
INT. CHAWL ROOM - NIGHT
It is late night. Rahuls mother has fallen asleep. He
checks on her and quietly gets up and rolls out the
football from underneath the bed.
He Opens the door and sneaks out.
EXT. FIELD - NIGHT
Rahul is playing football with his father. He looks really
happy.
RAHULS FATHER
Toh partner...team complete?
His face becomes sad and he nods to say no.
His father bends down to come nearby him and says
something in his ears.
Rahul seems pleased by the idea and gives his father a
high five.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
The cricket playing boys are standing puzzled near the
wickets. The middle stump is missing.
Rahul is also nearby. He stands behind the stumps and very
attentively tries to pass the ball in between the off and
leg stumps. After it goes through. He looks up to the
boys.
RAHUL
Football khelega?
INTERCUT
He lays some bricks in linear pattern and practices
dribbling through them.
INTERCUT
Rahul again sits and watches as the boys keep on playing
without the middle stump.

4.

INT. CHAWL ROOM - NIGHT

Its late night. Rahuls mother is sleeping and he sneaks
out again.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
SECOND BOY
Yaar samajh me nahi aa raha kaun
stumps uthake le jaa raha hai!
The boys who play cricket regularly stand surrounding the
area they play in. They look disappointed and irritated.
They have a bat and one of the boys is spinning the ball
in his hand but no stumps.
They notice the bricks which Rahul was using to play with
the day before.
INTERCUT
Rahul sits alone really angry staring at the boys playing
cricket using the bricks as as stumps.
The batsman misses his shot and the ball hits the bricks
as they fall down.
INT. CHAWL ROOM - NIGHT
Rahul is lying on the bed and sketching something with a
pencil on his notebook.
His mother comes from behind and he instantly closes the
notebook.
She walks past him, they exchange a smile.
We see the notebook. It shows a maths class test. He has
got 0 out of 20 and he is drawing the zero into a
football.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
The boys are gathered and standing around where they play
cricket. One of them has the bat in his hand.
SECOND BOY
Ball nahi hai
THIRD BOY
Ball bhi gayi
Rahul is standing nearby.

5.

RAHUL
Football khelega?
INTERCUT
EXT. FIELD - NIGHT
Rahul plays football with his father.
His father asks him to stop for a second. And then pulls
out the cricket ball from his pocket and throws it to
Rahul.
He catches it with a smile on his face an then throws it
away.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Rahul is sitting down again and watching the boys play
with a new ball. He looks sad.
He focuses on the bat.
INT. CHAWL ROOM - NIGHT
Rahul is lying down on the bed on his stomach and rolling
his hand over a world globe on a bedside table, thinking.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
The boys gather around and stare at each other with only
the new cricket ball and the bricks in their possession.
Rahul stands nearby playing football on his own. He stops
and they stare at each other
INTERCUT
A loud cheer can be heard with spirited youth music as the
boys gather up again and start enjoying football using the
bricks as goal posts.
Rahul takes the lead and scores a lot of goals. All the
boys enjoy playing with him.
INT. CHAWL ROOM - DAY
In the house Rahuls mom is cleaning. The Globe falls from
the table on the floor.
She goes to pick it up and lifts the bed sheet and is
surprised to find out the stumps and the bat hidden under.

6.

CUTS TO BLACK
Youthful smile and cheer of a lot of boys can be heard as
the credits roll on.