Aaliya
Aaliya and Vinay Cooking and talking about Aaliyas pictures
cooking
Int Home
InT. aliYA'S KITCHEN - DAY
Aliya is grinding spices with a mortar and pestle. Faraz is leaning over the counter opposite her, studying an image on his laptop.
VinAY
How did you know the monkey was carrying a baby?
He lights the stove.
ALIYA
No, I was just in the middle there. They were fighting over food and I kept trying to touch them and eventually they stopped running from me.
Aliya walks over to the sink and washes her hands. There is a confident hesitancy in her interaction with the environment.
VINAY
It's an amazing picture you know. You know, the way the baby is holding the mother. And... the texture of the skin against the sun, so very dramatic! The baby monkey is like an ET. I can actually make out the face as well. You know I'm going to have fun with the sketch again.
ALIYA
That's good.
Vinay leaves his laptop and starts working on the stove.
AlIYA (CONT'D)
How did it go with your publisher by the way?
VINAY
Well, as annoying as usual. You know, I'm not thinking about it. It's... whatever.
He leaves the stove and leans back on the counter.
VinaY(CONT'D)
Hey, did I tell you about the crazy, bizarre sci-fi story that Pankaj is writing?
ALIYA
No.
VINAY
No? It's brilliant. It goes through years leading up to a time where humans replicate entire life patterns, memories, experiences, dreams, ideas and thoughts.
He starts pacing about excitedly now.
ALIYA
Yeah.
VINAY
Now all that data, including the DNA structure, physical maps of neurons and synapses, metabolism rate and heartbeat. Now, all that data will be put on a nano hard drive which is barely the size of a living cell, programmed to believe that the entire physical processes are still going on. And the individual lives forever through the cell even after physically dying. Now billions of these cells will come together to form another...
ALIYA
Have you cut the onions? I'll do the carrots.
Vinay leans over the counter, the part of it where Aliya earlier was, and begins slicing an onion on a cutting board. She moves over and sips from a glass of wine.
VINAY
Okay, billions of these cells will come together to form another individual living directly off sunlight. Now, each such individual carries the knowledge of the entire universe. Ow!
ALIYA
What?
VINAY
My eyes are burning.
ALIYA
(joking)
Chop them fast and they won't.
She removes a small earthen pot from a shelf and removes the lid.
You know, I feel that way often. You know, like I'm carrying all these different worlds within me.
VINAY
I guess we all do, you know. We might just be made up of billions of lives compressed into cells.
Aliya empties the pot into a vessel that is on the stove.
VINAY (CONT'D)
We don't have a direct way of assessing information encoded and that's why we have intuition!
Aliya returns the pot to it's shelf and leans back on the counter.
AlIYA
Yeah, like, sometimes when I'm taking pictures I know exactly what I'm pointing in camera because I have that reference point hidden somewhere within me.
She turns back to get her wine glass and take a sip.
VINAY
(chuckles)
You know, he like to call it sci-phi. Phi with a p-h-i for philososphy.
He's done with the onions and turns his attention to her. She picks up a jar of red pickle and unscrews the lid.
VINAY (CONT'D)
Just the other day I was telling him how there's hardly been a story set in the future which has been able to predict art trends. And there's a nice nuance at the beginning of his story. Ultra thin plasmic films of video art have replaced nail paint, which is fascinating.
The jar of sauce in one hand, she lifts a saucepan with the other.
AlIYA
Well, just pass the vinegar.
(moving counters)
Could you cut the veggies here?
Vinay agrees and accepts the saucepan.
AlIYA(CONT'D)
And put them back in the oven.
Aliya digs into a jar of cherries.
ALIYA (CONT'D)
So is there another series? I thought they were more.
Vinay empties the vegetables on the cutting board, into the saucepan.
Vinay
Yeah there are some more, I think.
He switches back to the laptop.
ALIYA
Can you also give me a spoon?
Aliya slides open a drawer and rummages. Vinay lifts one up from a holder in front of her and hands it over.
VINAY
Here.
Aliya measures a spoonful of the pickle from the jar. Vinay hunches over the laptop again.
ALIYA
It's there?
VINAY
Yeah, yeah there are more.
ALIYA
The quarreling men?
VINAY
(scrolling through photographs)
The two quarrelling men, yeah.
She helps herself to another spoonful, licks the aftermath off her finger tips and wipes her mouth with a towel.
VINAY (CONT'D)
What were they fighting about?
AlIYA
I don't know.
VINAY
He does something funny here. You know, towards the end.
Aliya smiles a little as she sips more wine.
VINAY (CONT'D)
They stop quarreling and start looking into your lens.
AlIYA
(laughs)
I thought they did!
She reaches out for a ladle spoon that hangs off a hook from the shelf.
VINAY
(frowning)
You know, it is so nice, right, but, I mean it's a good action portrait sort of thing but...
ALIYA
But?
She's stirring the contents of the saucepan over fire. She holds the glass of wine in her left hand.
VINAY
Oh wait, hold on...
Vinay scrolls through some more photographs.
VINAY (CONT'D)
Yeah, that's the one.
INT. ALIYA'S KITCHEN - DAY
Aliya slices vegetables while discussing her photograph at the duck farm with Vinay. On the opposite counter he uses his laptop to refer to the picture.
Vinay
See, there's one where the guy in the right side is actually being covered by a passing rickshaw.
And you can only see his right hand pointing accusingly at the other guy. I think that's the one. It looks nice.
Aliya
No, leave it.
vinay
What?
Why?
aliya
It doesn't sound exciting to me.
vinay
But... it's a crazy moment here.
It's nice.
aliya
Will you start making the sauce?
It'll be forever before we eat.
vinay
All I am saying is that it's a very good image.
aliya
It's accidental.
vinay
Oh, please! Don't start that again.
Aliya
Don't start the "don't start again"
vinay
See, all I am saying is you don't have to be in conscious control of your art all the time.
You can be intuitive.
Aliya
It is intuitive.
I am not writing intellectually stimulating essays here.
I am very much aware I am just taking pictures.
vinay
Well, then?
Aliya
Then what?
Vinay
What's your problem?
aliya
I don't have one.
vinay
What's your problem with this picture?
Aliya
I don't even know this picture.
What's your hang-up?
Vinay
Look, I just feel you're throwing away a brilliant piece of your art just because of a stupid hang-up.
Aliya
Fine. I don't like it. That's why I am dumping it. Is that fair enough for you?
vinay
Ok, let me just give you
a perfect description, alright?
Let's vectorise or etch it and write a piece of poem to capture the essence, and then you decide.
Aliya
No.
Vinay
What "no"?
aliya
Listen, these are the things
I depend on, right? I have to draw opinion and assurance about my own art away from what everyone else says.
vinay
Yes, but you've continued to produce great work in spite of all the limitations.
Aliya
Says who?
vinay
Says everybody.
aliya
Who the hell is everybody?
Everybody is so fucking stupid.
They watch stupid soap operas.
They fight over religion and ideas.
Vinay
What are you talking about...?
What are we arguing about here?
Aliya
Ok, I'll tell you what...
Remember the other day at
my parents' house when...
Uncle Kumar was talking about the orchestra that I shot for?
Remember what he said?
Vinay
That he thought they were alright, so?
Aliya
No no. He said something to the effect of that he was wondering whether it was the music -
Vinay
No...
Aliya
Let me finish first.
vinay
What it has got to do with Kumar Uncle anyway?
Aliya
Let me finish my sentence! You don't even know what I am going to say.
Vinay
Ok, make the point. I know where this is going but make it anyway.
Aliya
No! So, fight alone then... if you already know where it is going.
vinay
Ok, what did he say?
Aliya
Ok, he said something to the effect of...
that he didn't know whether it was the music that was being celebrated or the fact that they were all blind.
Vinay
I knew that you were going to say this. I was there. He didn't say anything like that.
aliya
Fine! Good for you.
I was hallucinating!
vinay
Besides, why would he say something like that?
aliya
Why are you being so obtuse?
vinay
I am being obtuse?
Aliya
Yes!
Vinay
That's very nice. I am being obtuse...
Aliya
No... I can't understand why...
vinay
No, I am being obtuse. You know why? Because...
I know where this is going and
I don't want to go there...
Aliya
Why is that every time I have doubts...
Vinay
(shouts)
Ok. Exactly! Just being a lesser dramatic will help!
Beat.
Every time it doesn't have to be this drama. I am just so fucking scared of what will trigger off another unending phase of painful introspection and I'll be left outside, guessing what the fuck you're going through.
Aliya
You're stifling me all the time by being so fucking scared.
Vinay
(softly)
I wish you hadn't said that.
ALIYA
Why are you taking this personally?
It's not about you.
vinay
Ok. Alright. Let's take it easy then. You don't want this picture for whatever reason, right? It's fine.
I'll just put it in the memory box, so that we can look back at what we were fighting about.
Aliya
If you wish. I have no such illusions.
Vinay
What?
Why are you doing this!?
aliya
(in Arabic; Subtitled)
What am I doing? I don't get it.
Aliya leans on the counter, defiantly. She looks like she's completely withdrawn herself. Vinay drops his voice.
vinay
Why did you get so hard suddenly?
Aliya says nothing.
Vinay (CONT'D)
Let me in.
She's still resolute and unresponsive. He sidles up to her.
VinAY (CONT'D)
Baby, you know your work is good.
Aliya
(in Arabic; Subtitled)
How?
She turns away and is about to resume slicing.
Vinay
Baby, please!
Aliya
Do not patronize me, ok?
She drops the knife and walks away.
She goes into a room and picks out an etching, very deliberately running her fingers over it.
Kitchen
Kitchen
Laptop
Vegitables
Vinay
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