Location: A broken chai stall at the edge of Dharavi. Rain pelts the plastic roof. Nawaz and Balraj sit on crates, steam rising from their tapris.
Nawaz:
"Tu kaafi silent hai bhai. Pehle din se dekh raha hoon, sab samajhta hai… par kuch bolta nahi."
(You're really quiet, man. I've noticed from day one—you get everything… but say nothing.)
Balraj (smirking, lighting a beedi):
"Jab zindagi gaali ban jaye na… toh insaan bolna chhod deta hai."
(When life becomes a curse… a man just stops speaking.)
Nawaz:
"Tera Punjab ka scene kya tha? Sab bolte the 'mat panga lena Balraj se'. Ab bol bhi de."
(What happened in Punjab? Everyone used to say 'don't mess with Balraj'. Tell me now.)
Balraj (takes a long drag):
"Mera pind... ek chhoti si jagah thi, par garmi bomb se bhi zyada. Mera baap, ek truck driver. Roz border ke paas maal le jaata tha. Maa? Zinda lash thi. Baap roz peet-ta tha usko... har raat."
(My village… was small, but hotter than a bomb. My father was a truck driver. Took cargo near the border every day. Mom? She was a living corpse. Dad beat her every night.)
Nawaz:
"Police ne kuch nahi kiya?"
(The police didn't do anything?)
Balraj:
"Police? Oye woh toh baap ke saath peg lagate the. Ek raat maa ne bol diya 'Bas, aur nahi'. Agle din kheton mein mili—latakti hui."
(Police? They used to drink with my dad. One night, my mom said, 'No more.' Next day, we found her hanging in the fields.)
Nawaz (shaken):
"...aur baap?"
(…and your father?)
Balraj (jaw tight):
"Us din ke baad maine uske pair nahi, gala pakda. Teen punch… ek patthar. Sannata ho gaya poore pind mein."
(After that, I didn't touch his feet—I grabbed his throat. Three punches… one brick. The whole village went silent.)
Nawaz (quiet):
"Toh tu bhag gaya?"
(So you ran away?)
Balraj:
"Punjab chhod diya. Truck churaaya, nikal gaya Mumbai. Galat log mile, par kam se kam woh asli the. Pehli baar laga apne jaise mil gaye."
(I left Punjab. Stole a truck and drove to Mumbai. Met the wrong crowd—but at least they were real. First time I felt I belonged.)
Nawaz (half smiling):
"Tabhi log kehte hain 'Balraj ka haath padta hai toh banda do baar janam leta hai'."
(That's why people say, 'If Balraj hits you, you're reborn twice'.)
Balraj (dry laugh):
"Ab toh sirf ek kaam bacha hai—khaamoshi se sab karna. Duniya bhool jaaye, par maa ki laash ki boo nahi jaati."
(Now there's only one thing left—doing everything in silence. The world might forget… but I can't forget the stench of my mother's corpse.)