Once upon a time,
there was a farmer who lived with his wife, daughter, and a pet mongoose.
One day, the parents were called away to the city.
So, they left their baby in the care of the pet mongoose.
While the parents were away,
a snake slithered through the window of their hut.
But the mongoose protected the baby,
and shred the snake to pieces
with his razor-sharp teeth.
When the parents returned,
the mongoose ran out to greet them.
When they saw blood dripping from his mouth,
they assumed the mongoose had devoured their baby.
The father began to beat the mongoose with his cane.
The mother ran inside, only to find the snake's shredded corpse
lying on the floor
and their baby completely unscathed.
But by the time she realized what really happened,
the farmer had beaten the brave little mongoose to death.
And?
And what?
That's it!
You must've forgot the ending.
Look, I've forgotten lots of Mom's stories.
But I remember this one.
Can you still remember the sound of her voice?
I wish I could.
Bring the girl!
Yes, Sir.
Sit down!
What are you doing here?
Why haven’t you been in school?
I…
She's earning an honest living. That's what she's doing.
And she has me to thank for it!
Honest?
You are aware that this is illegal?
Tell him your age.
Fourteen.
Listen, whatever your name is. Uh, Mr. Mishra.
We have proper documents for all our employees.
No one works here illegally.
My child, the admission test is at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
You have a special gift.
But I still had to pull the strings to get your name on the exam list.
We don't usually take girls like…
Like what?
You mean, "girls like…" what?
What are you trying to say? Go on.
Out with it!
This is an extraordinary opportunity for her.
And who will pay for this "opportunity"?
The exam fee is ₹400.
It's hardly a fortune.
Maybe not for you, Mr. Mishra. ₹400!
But it is for her.
A chance at a scholarship to Williams boarding school is a big deal!
Enough.
You're…
educated, a real smart guy.
I'm not.
I'm just some jackass.
But this girl knows exactly what she wants. And exactly what she’s doing.
Everyone here works voluntarily.
And I'd be grateful if you would now
voluntarily get the hell out of my office.
I'm a busy man. Out!
I'm aware of your scheme.
Tuesday morning, 8:00 a.m. Don't forget!
Out!
Scram.
Scram!
Yes, Mr. Adams!
Okay, go ahead.
Go on.
Go ahead.
- Hm. Which one? - This, here.
"Gainfully employed man…"
"Seeks…"
"…seeks an equally suitable bride."
And?
Keep going!
"The eligible girl should have fair skin."
Does my skin look fair?
Not fair enough for this clown.
- What is this? - "Girl should not…"
"Girl should not be too…
ambitious in terms of work."
Shouldn't be ambitious?
If the girl isn't ambitious, then who will be?
Do the boys ever get any work done?
- No. - No.
- Bye, bye, Mr. Handsome. - "Handsome"!
Listen, my pumpkin. About that exam on Tuesday.
You know that you'll get top marks.
A perfect score. I'm sure.
₹400!
Even if we had that kind of money, it still wouldn't be worth it!
Not worth it?
Everything has its price.
We talk about marriage and weddings.
But that also costs a ton of money.
Then how do you ever expect to get married?
Don't worry. I've thought of everything.
And if you're willing to help me out tomorrow,
I'll let you in on my plan.
What plan?
Where'd you get these?
That's not important.
You stole them from the factory, didn't you?
I have fourteen of these bags.
If we sold them for, let's say, ₹40 a piece,
we could earn…
₹560.
Can I keep one for myself?
Okay, fine. Which one?
This one.
₹400 bags for just ₹40.
Buy colorful, quality bags.
Buy brand new bags!
- Buy colorful bags! - Quality bags!
Would you like to buy a bag?
₹400 bags for just ₹40.
Want a bag?
No one's biting.
Maybe they don't need bags?
Aren't they any good?
I like them.
Let's try shouting louder?
Brand new bag for just ₹40!
₹400 bags for just ₹40!
Anuja!
Brand new bags for just ₹40.
Brand new bag for just ₹400…
Brand new bag for just ₹400!
Uncle, brand new bags for just ₹400?
Brand new bag for just ₹400!
How about a brand new bag for just ₹400, ma'am?
Oh, these look quite nice.
How much are they?
₹400 a piece.
Let me look at them for a second.
Oh, I like these colors.
I'll take these two.
Two for ₹800, right?
E… excuse me! What's going on here, madam?
Just a second.
- Hey, child, how'd you get in here? - One second! One second!
Madam, please stop.
Sir, it's a matter of two minutes.
- And you shouldn't treat a child this way. - These kinds can't-- Hey!
Security!
Where the hell have you been? Get a hold of her!
You lazy bum! You do nothing but sit around all day!
Grab her!
Now will you tell me?
Look, it's better if you don't know.
The point is that you got the money,
and I get to enjoy some tasty jalebis!
Please! It's killing me!
Trust me. Just leave it alone!
Okay, look. I'll make a deal.
I will tell you on one condition.
You have to promise to take that exam on Tuesday.
No.
Fine. Then I'm not telling.
Please. I'm begging you.
I told you. The answer is no.
Not until you promise to take the exam.
Fine.
Okay, hold this.
When I cut cloth for dresses,
I keep the larger pieces on one side.
And as soon as the floor manager looks away…
I quickly slip them down, onto my lap.
It's there, under the table,
that I do all the stitching.
I can complete an entire bag in less than a day.
But how do you sneak them out of the factory?
Our bags are inspected every night as we exit the factory.
Right?
Exactly.
But I don't always bring a bag to the factory in the morning.
- So? - So, the floor manager only inspects
the contents inside the bag.
But not the bag itself!
So it never occurs to him that you're stealing the bag!
Stealing?
I'm not stealing anything.
I make these from the leftover material.
From useless scraps they just throw out.
You make something out of nothing.
Yep!
And I still get more work done than most of the other girls.
My hardworking sis!
The hard work has left your sis hungry for sweets!
Pass the jalebis.
Here.
You have 'em.
No, no. I promise, sir. It won't happen again.
Just give me till tomorrow, okay?
I will give you the exact amount.
Thank you. Thank you.
Wait a minute.
That teacher guy who was here the other day,
that arrogant prick. Remember?
Mr. Mishra?
He was telling me you're some kind of math wizard.
Is that so?
You're Palak's little sister, right?
Yeah, you're the one he blabbered on about. So, are you clever or not?
I see.
Now pay attention.
Right now, I have 24 girls working here in my factory. Okay?
Each girl works 14 hours per day.
Say it takes each girl 30 minutes to produce one item.
Now, you tell me,
in seven days, how many items will I be able to produce?
Four thousand six hundred and twenty-two.
Really?
Pretty damn close, but not quite.
Okay, back to work.
Sir, won't the girls be given their regular 15-minute break each day?
To eat or use the toilet?
Tomorrow… and every Tuesday onwards,
I want you to come to my office at 8:00 a.m.
Not on the floor. Come straight to my office!
I've got special work for you here.
And it pays handsomely.
There's nothing to consider.
If you don't show,
then you and your sister can find work somewhere else.
Understood?
You'll be a smart little girl, right?
Won't you?
Tomorrow morning, straight to my office!
Okay, go.
Palak.
- Palak! - Hm?
What is boarding school?
Boarding school is a place where all smart girls go to study.
What if I don't want to be a smart girl?
That's not exactly a choice.
I mean, how will I even get there?
You don't go there. You live there.
That's what boarding school means.
And you'll live there, too?
No. It doesn't work that way.
Then what will happen to you?
Don't worry about me.
Soon, I'll be promoted to Sewing Machine Operator.
- And then-- - But what about Mr. Verma?
Forget about the factory owner!
Those bags…
I'm no dummy!
I know that was meant to be for your wedding,
not for some stupid exam.
Don't say that!
You don't get it.
You're not cut out to just work at a factory.
It's fine for someone like me.
But you…
Mom would have wanted this for you.
Now get some sleep, okay.
I've put the money in your back pocket.
Good luck on the exam.
I'll be thinking of you, okay?
Namaste, namaste.
Ready for the exam?
EXAMINATION SESSION - 2022