Give alms for the blind horse, O people.
Kindly get up and make a cup of tea.
Didn't you listen?
See what your father is upto.
Make him a cup of tea.
They are wet with dew.
So many times have I said to keep them inside.
Wake up now. Otherwise father will be angry.
Father, you go inside or you will catch a cold.
I will bring the tea inside.
Don't beat the speechless creatures.
You start beating these hungry fellows early in the morning.
Is anyone left alive here?
Get up. The village council is gathering.
What happened uncle? At least tell something.
Girl, you can ask later. First send your father.
You shall know about things when...
...we all have to take shelter in the desert, like nomads.
Walk fast.
National Film Development Corporation Presents
Alms For The Blind Horse
Based on the novel by Gurdial Singh
Starring: Mal Singh, Samuel Sikander John
Serbjeet Kaur, Dharmender Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur
Lakha Singh, Emmanuel Singh Gurvinder Makhna, Kanwaljit Singh
Dialogues: Gurdial Singh, Jasdeep Singh
Music: Catherine Lamb
Art Direction: Pankaj Dhiman
Editing: Ujjwal Chandra
Assistant Directors: Gul Dharmani, Ashish Verma
Bhupesh Sharma, Aman Wadhan
Line Producer: Kartikeya Narayan Singh
Executive Producers: Nina Lath Gupta, Vikramjit Roy
Creative Producer: Mani Kaul
Sound: Mandar Kulkarni
Cinematography: Satya Rai Nagpaul
Screenplay & Direction: Gurvinder Singh
They have left us nowhere.
Have some courage, sister, have courage.
How can we have any courage?
Do whatever you want brothers.
We will die here only.
Anyways, they have hardly left us alive.
Is this the way issues are resolved?
You have been mumbling for so long, have you reached any resolution?
Nobody has cared to get a cup of tea for their kids.
Just keep talking aimlessly.
Do one thing, send the children with me...
...till there is no solution.
My house is like your own.
You and your sons stay here, come what may.
We will see who has the guts to evict you.
Its been seven years since you've been living here.
This way the village will tell all our neighbourhood...
...that the land where we have our homes belongs to the village.
Remove your belongings from here.
How's your son? The one in the city.
He's fine. May they be happy wherever they live.
How come such a tragedy happened in the night?
You stay in the village or some far flung forest? You fool.
The dispute has been going on for months...
...and you come and ask what's the matter. Hats off to you!
Who is Dharma amongst you?
Its me.
And these two?
They are people from my community.
Come on, move away.
Go get lost.
Am I talking in Pashto? Didn't you listen?
Go and sit there.
When I have spoken to him, you can come and sympathise.
They have not come to steal something from you.
They are people from my community.
In times of crisis if they don't come, then who will?
It is this community bonding of yours that has spoiled your brain.
Otherwise we would have settled the issue long ago.
How can our brains get spoilt, sir?
Only if we have a brain, will it get spoilt.
When we don't have a brain, what is there to spoil?
What was he saying?
Why is the police coming this way?
Come on old man.
Leave him you scoundrels.
May you be hit by plague.
Move away old woman.
Bloody goons, why don't you arrest the big bellied...
...who have demolished our house.
You ruthless scoundrels.
You cunning bastards. May your children die.
May the black snake bite you.
May you never wake from your sleep.
It's the era of the satan.
May your children die.
Come on, lets move fast.
How can there be such injustice.
Come back here. Idiots.
Will you turn back fast?
I had told the watchman that I'm coming.
Why did you all take the trouble? Tell me, what's the matter?
You still don't know of the issue?
I know absolutely nothing.
Ask the watchman standing here if he has told me anything.
Sarpanch, you talk as if you were born yesterday.
It's been two months since the trouble started.
O silly fellow, is there one problem in the village?
A new problem keeps erupting every now and then.
Do I dream of which issue you are talking about?
You know that Dharma had his house on Surjit's land...
...which Surjit sold to the factory.
The new owners came with a bulldozer and razed his house.
Really? Razed It?
Not just razed, they took away the doors and the windows too.
And the police took away Dharma.
How can anyone obstruct a legal issue?
Tomorrow I can also say that this house is mine and not Sarpanch's...
...because I had tea here today!
This is as if I rule the land.
After all, law has some authority or not?
Of course it's like their own law.
When, for the sake of votes...
...they have been given land for their homes,
given hand-pumps,
made their barely educated kids officers above us.
Then it is their own rule.
Not yours, mine or Sarpanch's.
You all move now.
I will join you with the rest of the village representatives.
You go and meet our village lawyer outside the courts.
I will see you there.
Till what time should we wait for you there?
What do you mean?
I will be there before you.
Shouldn't I even wear my shoes?
I will reach soon.
Member, you behave like a woman.
You should have at least said something.
Just stood here like a scarecrow.
Let's go.
Uncle, how frequent are the buses here?
Its unpredictable. Sometimes every half hour,
sometimes two come together.
At times there is no bus till evening.
Same is the situation in our village.
Besides, there's a private bus service also there.
There must be mostly government buses here?
They are all the same.
Anyways, what difference does it make?
Why don't you both sit.
Bloody monkeys.
Didn't you listen? Come sit here.
Come here both of you.
Sit there.
Whose land is this, uncle?
It belonged to the landlords.
Recently they sold it off.
Dharma of our community had his house there.
They demolished it in the night.
Demolished it?
How could they just demolish it?
How can you challenge the mighty?
They did as they wanted.
Is it some anarchy that they demolished a settled home?
If this was the case, were the rest of you dead?
You should have pounced on them.
What would have happened at the most?
You think we did not oppose it?
Oppose... you must have.
But what difference does it make to anyone?
Dear girl, ask Melu to come and see me one day.
Don't worry. I will send him soon.
Gentleman, we have to reach Sarpanch's house.
Will this path be fine?
Yes, this one is fine.
Turn left from the pond.
Greetings.
When we were about to sleep, you know what happened?
What? - My earrings...
Which one?
The ones my mother had gifted me... they fell somewhere.
My mother-in-law said "how did you lose them?
They looked so nice on you. "
I said "how can I find them now?"
The village is so big and it was night.
And who would return them if found?
The entire procession turned back with the torches.
Asking in front of each house if they found the earrings.
I told my mother-in-law: "Forget it. We will get new ones made.
We are in a wedding and should let the celebrations go on. "
Sister, do they own this house?
No, it's rented.
They are just like us.
Earlier her father-in-law lived here. He died.
Now the owners can't get the place vacated. Nor do they want to leave.
You have these while I get the tea.
You ruffians...
...come and have some snacks.
What work does her husband do?
She says he works as a foreman.
But actually he just lifts coal in the thermal plant.
Why do they need to lie?
Well, they can boast that they are well off.
I was asking just like that.
What happened?
I had hidden the money in this. It's not there now.
You must have kept it somewhere else. Search properly.
No, I had kept it in this.
Did it fly away?
It's all his handiwork.
Whose? Melu's?
Who else?
Must have wasted it on alcohol.
Now he has also started doing all this.
If I had known, I would have taken the money with me.
I would have never left it behind.
There is nothing left to even buy grocery.
Should I now cook his head for the meal?
What's the point of wailing now?
When you don't share these matters with your close relatives,
...then suffer the consequences.
What can anyone do?
Come on, don't get distracted.
Deesa...
O Deesa...
What's the matter?
How did this happen?
Did you have a fight with someone?
No, friend.
A calf suddenly came in front, near the fort.
I lost control of the handle and crashed into a wall.
Melu Singh, stop bluffing me.
Its my daily job.
If you still think that I am dumb,
...then its upto you brother.
Why will I lie to you, friend?
I swear by the holy cow.
Why do you swear by the cow?
If you don't want to tell, don't tell.
What will I achieve by knowing?
Get the bandage done once again tomorrow.
Deesa, let's go to the village one day.
What will we do in the village, Melu Singh?
Eat the leftovers of the landlords?
Besides, what is left for us there?
Parents have died.
The small house that is there is taken by my younger brother.
Have I built any cold storage there that I need to go?
Don't you want to give any medicine to eat?
Be quiet... shut up.
Come inside.
I see you have a deep wound.
Let me apply a paste of turmeric and oil.
Be quiet, you old Hakim.
Let me apply a paste of turmeric and oil.
It will quickly heal your wound.
O old man, just go away.
Where should I go away?
I am repeatedly telling you...
It will give you relief... its a home remedy.
Just go away, friend.
Its a home remedy...
Let me sleep for a while.
Blue eyes and round cheeks
Your every bit full of youth...
...out in the world, you will wreak havoc over us.
O, you should not giggle so much...
...standing amongst the girls.
Having crossed the age of fifteen...
...tread cautiously in the day.
Hurry up, pick your glass.
Be patient.
Ok, give it.
C'mon! - Wait.
Drink.
What a relief.
Lets play a round now.
Pick it.
Come on leader, come join us.
Let's play a game.
Look, he has got the real certificate of leadership!
If I find any clubs with you, I'll not spare you.
Come, I'll show you my true colours today.
O, Melu...
Your wife was supposed to reach today...
Brother Melu Singh...
I'll give you an advice. Will you follow?
Pick it.
It's been seven years since you moved here.
Tell me, what have you achieved?
You have been abusing your body.
Or not?
Scoundrels like us are fine.
At sunset we come over to Sitaram's,
...have a couple of swigs and become kings.
And this idiot...
This idiot keeps breaking his legs till midnight.
And neither eats nor drinks anything.
You fool...
Half your breath has been squeezed out by your family...
...and the remaining half by your work.
The hundred that you earn in a day...
...and the ten that you save for food,
...how long will your wife be happy with that?
You know what will happen in the end?
In the end she will find a desperate man like me and run away with him!
And you will be left with nothing.
This dick-head looks very depressed today.
Get up, you looser. Let's go.
If you had taken the amount of blows we did,
...your wife would have been wailing by now.
He who did not drink heavily...
...and did not mercilessly beat his wife...
...and did not get high on drugs
...of what use is that man's life!
Lets's wrap it up.
Lets go.
O you merciful one...
Forgive us O Lord.
Must remain fearful of your acts.
What was it like before and what happens now...
What will become of this world?
See... how many stalks of mustard these must be.
I slogged the whole day plucking cotton...
...getting scratches on my hands.
I didn't leave a single bud in the field.
While leaving, I plucked a few leaves of mustard...
...and these stalks for the goats.
He said: "Who the hell are you to touch our mustard?"
He started fuming in anger.
He said: "You have ruined our mustard fields!"
I also got angry and said:
"Listen kid. I am like your mother, have some shame. "
"Is this the way to talk?"
He said: "You ruin our fields and we should be ashamed of it!"
I said: "These are just two stalks of mustard.
God has given you everything.
Now you even have a tractor as big as a house.
You miserly, what are two stalks of mustard?"
God also has to give it to...
...those who don't have any respect or pity for humans.
I will never again pluck cotton for such treacherous people.
First, they don't pay wages for two-two months...
...and when they settle your accounts, they cut half your wages.
Still they boss over you: "We give you work!"
If you give us work, you don't do us any favour.
Its for your own need that you call us to work.
Hundred carts of mustard stalks would be lying with the trecherous,
never will they give a bundle to anyone.
Those will rot in the summer, but they don't let anyone touch them.
Finally I got these stalks of mustard from Khema's farm.
Even he did not simply give it and made it sound like some huge favour.
He muttered: "Aunt, you can take it today, but not again.
We also don't have much of it. "
What is this? It's just meagre fuel.
Those were also the times...
...when people called you home to take away the dry stalks.
The poor would give blessings.
Don't know what's happening to this world.
Even the devil does not behave like this.
What the hell have you done, my enemy?
May the earth devour you at such a small age.
Why are you beating up the poor kid?
At least ask him what happened.
Bachittar's son hit the goat with a sickle.
Why? Why the hell did he hit it?
Did the goat eat his grape vine?
May there be no one left to light their funeral pyres...
Let there be no one left to remember them.
May there be no trace left of them.
Girl, I told you to make some rotis...
...so that I can go and give it to them.
You are standing as if you are attending a wedding.
Are you in your senses or not?
Is the sun rising or setting?
Make them. I will go and give.
You expect me to go in the dark?
She's sitting idly.
Were you also hit somewhere?
I got two blows here, and one at the back.
Don't worry. They will suffer from a deadly disease.
You lie and be warm in the quilt.
I will make you some tea.
Fine?
Today Melu Singh has crossed all limits.
At least tell us what's the matter.
There is no issue.
I just don't feel like...
What will he tell you?
You ask me.
He has taken to heart what we said.
Nothing else.
Swear.
Ask him.
Is that the truth, Melu?
If that is the case, then we both apologise to you.
We both just talk nonsense.
While giving away wisdom...
...God overlooked us a little.
A man talks according to the sense he has.
Don't take it to heart.
One should not feel bad.
What do you think Melu Singh,
that we are happy talking nonsense?
Take this...
...have a swig.
Then I will tell you...
who you are and who I am!
Now you listen to me carefully.
Now you are capable of listening.
Till a person is not drunk,
he can neither listen nor understand anything.
Understood?
How can a person in his senses understand anything!
If I have my way,
I will set the water on fire.
Set this thermal plant on fire.
Burn down the entire city.
Is this a thing to drink?
Poison...
...bloody poison.
People say that the soul does not die.
If the soul does not die, then what is bloody death?
Isn't that also a life?
Or not?
Add the bill to my account. I will pay together.
Your wife will come back tomorrow.
She will go to her parents after six months or a year.
Then you will come and show your face.
Till then Chaunda will be after my life.
Come and give it yourself by tomorrow or day after, brother.
Who's there?
It's me.
Who me?
Me Melu.
Have you come to dig the earth at this hour?
What's the matter?
I will tell you. At least let me come inside.
You should not come at such odd hours, friend.
At least park that uncle of yours on the side.
I will spend the night here, friend.
This is not possible, brother.
Have such camaraderie with someone else.
I am a man with family to support.
If something goes wrong...
I will be left with nowhere to go.
Remember then what you said now.
Asshole...
He behaves as if I live on his father's pension.
All of you go home. Don't stand here.
You also get back home, aunt.
Feena is all right.
Don't create commotion unnecessarily.
Seemed to be Lakha's younger son. Maybe he's telling the truth.
Maybe he just said it to comfort me.
Be strong. Lets go home. Men will look into the matter.
God knows what's happening in the village.
It's better to remain quiet.
What happened, mother?
Hey mother, what's the matter?
Go and lie down inside.
Why?
What's wrong here?
I am fine here.
Is there any storm brewing?
Have you ever seen a storm in the winters?
You get up.
Give alms for the blind horse, O people...
What happened?
Nothing.
I was perfectly fine outside, she asked me to lie down inside.
Tell me, what was the need?
So, should she have put a sack on you there?
You went there. What was the matter? Did you come to know?
What was there to know?
So brother, were you able to decide?
What? You are off to sleep so early?
Greetings, uncle.
Just like that.
You are off so soon?
I just have to load Lala's sacks.
So did you decide?
I suggest you come with me.
We will stay there tomorrow.
If the boys are not happy, we will return in the evening.
Nobody is going to forcibly keep us there.
Isn't that so?
Will you have some tea?
Tea?
It will unnecessarily waste time.
I suggest let's go. Why waste time?
Don't worry. It's very cold.
Besides, the night is long.
Brothers, give alms for the blind horse...
So dear, should I then go with Labbhu?
You decide father. As you wish.
What is there to see. I will go and meet Melu.
I will return by tomorrow evening along with Labbhu.
Fine.
If you don't wish, I will not go.
Why not father? You should go.
Every idle and useless person here thinks he's the boss.
Besides, don't tell your mother.
If she asks, tell her I have gone for a meeting in the village.
Where are you off to sister?
Be quiet. I will come back soon.
You go off to sleep.
I will have a look at the goat.
Let me see if she is eating any fodder or not.
It seems she has fever. Poor creature.
Only if animals could judge for themselves.
How can we leave what our ancestors have been doing?
If there is no eclipse for 2 years, how will you survive?
You don't get rid of ancestor's customs,
that's why you have suffered for ages.
This is God's will.
We have to abide by the tradition.
Bloody God's will...
I am repeatedly requesting you to go home.
Or should I give you your alms here?
I will go if that's how you are going to talk...
Unnecessarily you are talking rough, brother.
Dayalo...
O girl...
Dayalo...
Dayalo.
Brother Melu...
Its midnight...
Where were you headed to?
Nowhere.
I was just feeling restless at home.
Have you gone mad?
On such a day, nobody comes out.
Come...
Let's go home.
"O the boat of the Stern One... "
"... you who took him away from me. "
"O the boat of the Stern One... "
"... you who took him away from me. "
"On your bow lies asleep... "
"... my indifferent Lord. "
"O the boat of the Stern One... "
"... you who took him away from me. "
"Is that all the white shroud... "
"... that you have left me... "
"... the fish has been cast ashore. "
"Is that all the white shroud... "
"... that you have left me... "
"... the fish has been cast ashore. "
"Her body scribbled with... "
"... all the love and pain. "