-Is it working? -No, it's not. Connect it correctly.
How many times should I do it?
-It's connected. Wait. Stay there. -Okay.
'Lucky calling.'
-Yes, Lucky. -Hello, Annu.
-Come to the bridge. I can't come there.
I am busy with accounts.
-It's Sunday. -I know it's Sunday.
-And tomorrow is Monday. -What's the matter?
Shashi, Ranjan fired you from the job.
But he crushes my peace of mind bit by bit.
He enjoys doing it.
-My friend... -Well, do this.
Come over. We shall talk here.
-Okay. I am coming. -All right.
Golu, it got disconnected again.
-Oh man. -Do it properly.
It's connected. Stay there.
Shanti.
-Did you see Wednesday's newspaper? -I saw it on Wednesday.
Saturday, Friday. I never get what I want in this house.
Why ask for Wednesday's newspaper? There are enough jokes in today's paper.
Well, my boss has become a joke in the entire office.
Last week, the secretary on special duty visited our office.
His photo with my boss was in the newspapers.
I didn't congratulate him as I didn't see it.
So, he just won't sign a file I sent for his approval.
-He's miffed with me. -How will getting that photo help?
Well, I am thinking
of cutting the photo from the newspaper, getting it laminated
and keeping it in the file. That may appease him.
The house is in a mess. You won't get what you want.
You have aged. Yet, I need to do all the work.
Where are these two? Who's in the bathroom? Annu?
-Aman. -Oh.
What's the matter with the water supply? It's getting slow. I think it's going.
-Where is it going? -It's just going from here.
-Where is it going to? -Stop talking nonsense.
Fill the vessels up. Annu, come downstairs!
Aman, fill the bucket.
Why should there be water supply issues on a Sunday morning?
Had the water supply board sent any notice?
Does your electricity department send
a notice before cutting off the power supply?
Power supply is a national problem. But there's no dearth of water.
Ours is a country of lakes, ponds and rivers.
Keep filling the water.
Otherwise forget a river, you'll have to bathe in a drain.
Forget about it.
What's the matter, mom? Who are you planning to throw in the drain?
Fill all vessels up. The water supply will soon stop.
-Really? -The water supply will stop. Just fill it up.
Oh no.
-Did you fill the bucket? -Did you fill the bucket?
-The bucket is empty. -Amazing.
How will I bathe now? I have oiled my hair.
Dad, turn on the water pump.
The water pump is not a machine that creates water.
If there is no water, how will the water pump work?
Dad, bathe with a little water then.
Wait. I need this water for the whole day.
Shanti, you are so careless. Why didn't you store water beforehand?
-What should I store it in? -In that huge drum of yours.
-Which drum? -The blue one.
Really? Where is the drum?
-Where? -Tell me.
How would I know?
It stinks.
Shanti Devi.
Why have you filled it with the dowry items you brought from your home?
These are not my dowry items.
You are Alibaba and these are all your treasures.
You throw them away carelessly while I gather them and dump them here.
Do you mean this trash belongs to me?
Does this class 8 textbook, Gulmohar, belong to me? Look at this.
The board exam books must also be mine.
And this old tap? I must have kept it safely.
-Yes. -And what's this?
A half-iron rod.
Where is the rest of it?
This is what was left after we used it for the gate we made for the house.
You said this is iron and will come in handy later.
-I see. -What will a half-iron rod be used for?
Your dad will shove it in his navel and fly like a helicopter.
Did you hear that?
She projects herself to be the devotee of Vishnu avatar,
Narasimha, and will never talk about her flaws
but paint me fallacious by portraying me as Hiranyakashyap.
She says I'll shove it in my navel. Look what all you have dumped inside.
May this drum catch fire for all I care.
Listen, both of you.
Search this house and gather all the things that can be shoved up my navel,
put them in this drum and leave it at a crossroads.
Why throw it at a crossroads? Sell it as scrap. We'll make some money.
That's a great idea.
-Annu, get the scrap dealer. -I am quite busy today.
I said this trash won't be disposed of from this house.
-This drum won't be emptied. -This has to go.
I'll get the scrap dealer home. This drum shall be emptied today,
washed properly and filled with water tomorrow.
How can you go, dad? You have oiled your hair.
Does your father walk using his head that he might slip?
I will walk using my head even if that means slipping at every step.
-But I will get the scrap dealer. -No, mom.
Let me go, dad. I shall bargain with him.
-In the meanwhile, clear this trash. -Yes.
Why are you smiling?
The show has ended. Wear your clothes and leave.
-Dad, you'll look cool if you walk upside down. -Really? Here you go.
-Surya Narayan. -Tell me, Aman.
-The money will be arranged. -Really? How?
We are clearing the scrap in our house.
-Wow. -Do you know of any scrap dealers?
Of course. I do.
'Scrap, useless stuff and junk.'
'You may also call them used goods.'
'You may call the useless stuff at home whatever you want.'
'It always ends up as scrap on a weighing scale.'
'And that is when you realise that the junk is not exactly useless.'
'It will fetch you money which can be put in the piggy bank.'
'But which stuff is useless and which is not,'
'this is decided by a high-ranking committee in the house.'
'A committee that can never make a unanimous decision.'
'The Mishra family has decided to clear the junk items at home.'
'The committee of four members will have a meeting today at home.'
'Episode 3, Junk At Home'
I hope you are aware of the new rates. I am Surya Narayan's close friend.
You will get your cut for sure. Okay?
Dad, I got the scrap dealer.
Call me a scrap merchant. Scrap dealer sounds coarse.
-Sorry, brother. Don't mind. -It's okay.
-Greetings, sir. Greetings, ma'am. -Greetings.
Well, tell me. What rates have you fixed?
The newspapers will be Rs. 10 per kilo.
Books will be Rs. 20 per kilo.
I shall give you the estimate about other things after seeing them.
Who have you got home, Aman?
Rs. 10 for a kilogram of newspapers. Is this a joke?
Dad, I brought the cheapest scrap seller.
You fool, we are here to sell this junk.
-You should have got someone who quotes high rates. -Hey.
Dad, other junk dealers were quoting low rates.
-Right? -No, those rates are too low. I suggest you send your father here.
I shall talk to him and decide.
Sir, I am the only one who runs this business.
You may enquire elsewhere. These are the prevailing rates.
-Really? -You wanted to throw the stuff away.
Sell it as junk.
Should I sell it for such low rates? Look at him.
He won't take his eyes off the stuff.
Aman, have breakfast.
-Do you want something, brother? -I won't mind a cup of tea.
Mom, two cups of tea, please. I'll take just about anything with it.
All right, Mr. Scrap Merchant.
I don't want you to struggle hard to gather the stuff, tie it up
only to hear me refusing to sell it.
That is why I want you to decide the rate of all this stuff.
Sir, I won't take it without your permission.
-What if you get adamant on low rates? -No, I won't. I'll quote the best rates.
May I see the stuff?
-Yes, please. -Have a look.
You have struck gold today.
Sir, all of these things, even we call it junk.
I'll take this.
I'll also take this.
Shanti,
-did we ever have an exhaust fan in the kitchen? -Never.
Do you have a cooler?
No. We have an AC.
Perhaps, you had one in the past. This fan belongs to it.
Oh yes. I see a motor behind the fan.
-You must pay me extra for it. -I will.
Rs. 250.
Sir, it's a defunct 100 watt motor.
It's not some heavy-duty transformer in the neighbourhood.
-Are you in the electricity department? -What?
I am.
So don't teach me anything about current and wattage. Got it?
Annu!
-Greetings, sir. -Greetings, dear.
Disposing junk?
What price are you quoting?
-Are you going to work on a Sunday? -No, pal.
-I mean, yes. -Since when does no mean yes?
Are you going to work or not?
I am not going to the office but for some official work.
Heard that, Shanti? These are employees in the private sector.
They work on Sundays too.
Why don't you employees unite and protest against your boss?
Tell your boss that it is a violation of human rights.
He stays away from the workers' union but he wants his son to be a leader.
-Lucky. Come upstairs. -Yes.
-I am coming. -Why be so loyal to a private company?
Will they give free medicines to your family after you are gone?
Ma'am, please give me a plastic cover to put on my hand.
Why?
I see a snack made of bread in this. It must be a couple of years old.
-Do you want to eat it? -Wednesday's newspaper.
I need to take it out.
-The ants are nibbling at it. Look. -What's happening?
-See for yourself. -Oh.
My boss looks so fat in this.
Brother, how much will I get?
I see only papers. Get something heavy. That will fetch more money.
-Hey. Why are you tearing it? -What?
The cardboard won't be charged the same as paper.
-How much will the cardboard fetch? -I take this for free.
Get something heavy, brother. Only that will help.
-Just papers won't do. -Okay. Let me do something.
-Annu. -Yes.
You didn't tell your family that I got fired from my job.
Is it some great accomplishment that I should announce to everyone?
-Did you tell it to your family? -I have to.
Where are you off to, all decked up?
I am going to meet.
Meet who?
A friend. A girl.
A girl is your friend?
-Come on, Lucky. Pick it up. -Why, pal?
-Can't a girl be my friend? -Does she know that she is your friend?
Pal, don't say such things.
-Come. -This is something big.
What is it?
I am going to propose to her.
You?
Lucky.
Wow, Lucky!
Your handwriting is pathetic.
-Why is the rose so small? -She is a small girl.
I hope she is an adult.
-She is in class 12. -A schoolkid! She can't be an adult!
Love doesn't see age.
Where did you meet her?
She's from my locality.
She would call me Brother Lucky three years ago.
I scolded her one day. I told her to stop calling me that.
She started crying. I pacified her and we became friends.
What if she rejects your proposal?
I am here to ask you about that.
How would I know? I have no experience in this.
You are an expert at advising without having any relevant experience.
-Tell me. -Do you know what consent is?
-Sounds like a new restaurant. -Lucky, are you an idiot?
-Take this. Go and propose to her. Get lost. Go now! -Brother.
Go. I have work to do.
Just look at him.
-You have changed, Annu. -You will have it from me now.
Take that. The thing on your left.
Yes.
-That too. Yes. Take it out. -Is this junk?
What do we have on this side?
Hey, mister. Keep this vessel back.
-We can get it weighed. -There is no need for that.
Why are you so affectionate to it? When was the last time you even saw it?
Years ago. And I will see it many years from now.
But this vessel stays right here in this house.
Sir, it weighs around 8 kg. I'll bill it for 10 kg.
We'll get a good price for it.
Mister, we won't sell this vessel.
Hey. What's going on?
Your father wants to dispose of the brass vessels I got as gifts
-in my wedding. -Only because it is junk.
You hadn't got valuable jewellery for me to treasure.
Mom, your name and the anniversary date are etched on it.
This must be your Uncle Pinky's idea.
-He thinks I'll steal utensils. -Heard that, kids?
Uncle Pinky was right. Your dad is stealing it.
You may call me a thief.
But nobody should blame me for collecting junk in this house.
Mister, get that yellow bag from that side.
-Why? Why ask for it? What do you need that for? -Get it.
-What if the mixer goes bad? -We'll get it repaired.
Dad, why do you treasure this age-old grinding stone?
-Dear, you know nothing about it. -Let me tell you.
It is something that was used by his mother. Therefore, it is not junk.
But whatever my family gifted me is junk.
Dear, a chutney tastes heavenly if it is ground using a grinding stone.
-Right. -And so does the food cooked in a brass vessel.
Use it then. You never do that.
Oh, mom and dad are getting emotional unnecessarily. I have an idea.
-Let's dispose of both the items. -No. Get it here.
Get it here. Give it to me.
Dad, he is right.
We will get new stuff only when we dispose of the old.
-No, dear. -Yes.
Why is this so heavy?
It has dolls in it.
Dolls? What's inside?
-Exercise equipment. -Hey, this...
-It's nothing. -One minute.
Dolls.
This... You want to sell my dumbbells without my knowledge?
But you don't use them, Annu.
You don't use your brains. Shall we sell them?
How much will his brains fetch?
Dad, I don't get time from work. Otherwise, don't I work out regularly?
All right. Where were they kept?
-Somewhere here. -Dad, he has no clue about where they were kept.
Annu, you are an employed man now.
Join a gym. Rajesh has opened a gym in Shantipur.
Brick Muscle. It's got such awesome machines.
Well, how much does a monthly membership cost?
Just 800 rupees.
-Really? -Shall I make you work out now?
I have told you many times not to touch my stuff without my permission.
Hey.
If this goes on, we won't be able to dispose of any stuff.
The three of you are adding junk here.
We can't dispose of necessary stuff.
Then why had you kept it as junk? We struggled hard to get it out.
Dear, you will get wages for your efforts. Please keep it back. Come on.
'As soon as irritating items of junk'
'is put on the weighing scale, it feels'
'as if the daughter of the house is being sent off after her wedding.'
'No matter what amount of money we are offered,'
'we don't feel like parting ways with that junk.'
'So what if it is old? It was new at one point.'
'Fond memories of those items revisit us in an instant.'
'Don't call this love for junk as idleness of middle-class people.'
'Nor is it greed.'
'It's not like they will use that stuff again.'
'But one feels guilty when selling it.'
'It feels like the junk is telling us.'
'Today, you are selling me.'
'Tomorrow, you will sell your ageing parents.'
I hope we can make around 300 to 400 rupees.
Stop dreaming.
Your family won't sell any heavy stuff.
All right. Gather this.
-Annu's mom, where are you? -Where did she come from?
-They are making so much noise. -Hey, listen.
This lady is the best junk you can ever get.
Annu's mom, you seem to be clearing the junk.
You have called a junk dealer.
Aunty, call him a scrap merchant. Junk dealer sounds coarse.
I am here to take some water. Shall I take it? Half a bucket will do.
Such a big bucket. It's equal to a full bucket for us.
Never mind. I shall take it from someone else.
What rate are you buying this at?
At the prevailing rates. Mom, give her water.
Junk dealer,
what rate are you buying this stuff at?
Newspapers will fetch Rs. 10 per kilo. Damaged ones will get Rs. 5 per kilo.
Books and copies at Rs. 20 and Rs. 15 per kilo respectively.
No cardboard is taken into account.
I can also estimate a rate for your bucket.
Go for it.
Hey, Annu's mom, where did you find such a talkative person?
-I have never seen him here. -Nor have I.
-How did you let him in? -Aunt, I have seen him.
Where is your shop, mister?
Ma'am, it was at Purani Chungi. I shut it down.
I am working from home.
An unfamiliar person with no shop of his.
Will you sell this stuff at the flea market?
Tell me. Where have you come from?
I have been visiting this locality for years
but never stopped by your place.
I pass by this place every third Sunday with my vehicle.
-I do call out loudly. -Do it now.
-What? -Call out.
Call out.
Come on. Call out.
Junk dealer.
I'll take old books and newspapers.
Scrap merchant.
-I'll take old books and newspapers. -Wow.
Yes. So good to hear it after a long.
-Annu's dad, did you check his weighing scale or not? -Why?
Ma'am, this weighing scale is honest. It never lies.
-Show us. -What?
-Honesty. -No.
Annu's mom, don't you know this?
These people fix a magnet under their weighing scale.
He doesn't look that educated. He must have applied wax to make one scale heavy.
Excuse me, ma'am.
I am pursuing graduation from an open university.
You may check the weighing scales.
If you find any discrepancy, I'll pay 100 rupees per kilo for everything.
Respect.
-Truly? -Yes.
Don't go back on your word.
-I won't. -Annu's dad, keep an eye on him
while I get my honest weighing scale.
I am not going anywhere. This is about my reputation now.
-I'll bring your reputation now. -Sure. Bring it here.
Aman, get the stuff underneath the sink.
-What is that now? -The bag of your sins.
-So many bottles. -Yes.
-How much will this fetch me? -Just 1 rupee per bottle.
That's it? At least give me 5 rupees a bottle.
-These are hard drink bottles. -Hard drinks are expensive.
I sell them for Rs. 1.5 per bottle.
I would have given you Rs. 2 per beer bottle then.
You should have drunk beer, dad.
We can sacrifice your liver health for some extra bucks from junk.
That means he has a decent capacity.
-Please come next month. You have no clue how many bottles he can... -Aman...
Speak a little less.
-You. -Yes.
Dump them in your bag quickly. If that lady comes here,
she'll take them to store oil. Pack them up quickly.
Brother, how much will this fetch?
-Just 170 rupees. -Just 170 rupees for all this.
Oh no.
'Those Raunchy Nights'
'Shanti Mishra, 12/11/93'
Well,
I won't sell this.
I have weighed it already. I'll deduct it from the amount.
How much?
Rs. 50.
Okay.
'It's not just junk that was disposed of from this house.'
'This family is bidding adieu to many parts of its past.'
'The past of middle-class families is hidden in their water tanks,'
'boxes of junk and terraces at home.'
'Their junk holds sentimental value that makes it precious for them.'
'When the pharaohs were buried in the pyramids of Egypt,'
'people would also bury'
'certain belongings that would be of use to the deceased in their afterlife.'
'If this tradition is linked to the Indian middle-class,'
'the problem of junk items in the country can be solved.'
'Call for a referendum if you don't believe me.'
'Those Raunchy Nights'
'Shanti Mishra, 12/11/93'