Dhootha (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Priya
I love you so much.
You are everything to me.
I'm so sorry, Priya.
I'm so sorry.
Priya, after finding out about all this,
I don't want to live anymore.
Before I die, there's something
I need to tell you.
Shit.
The battery's dead.
Charger
The charger
Shit!
15-STOREY BUILDING COLLAPSES:
WHO IS TO BLAME?
Priya
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
On the eve of launching our prestigious
newspaper Samachar in Andhra Pradesh,
I would like to thank all the attendees
-How much?
-Sir, 140 rupees.
The Chief Editor is the driving force
behind any newspaper.
There you go.
Bestowing the responsibility of
Lead Editor on Mr. Sagar Varma Avuduri
is a matter of great pride for me.
Sagar needs no introduction.
He's a popular name
in the journalism circle.
He's a gold medalist
from Journo Global Institute.
JOURNALISM.
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES.
He has worked with multiple
international news agencies before.
And he has many awards to his name.
He is an inspiration to all
the young journalists out there.
I'm pleased to announce
his association with our organization.
I would like to welcome
Mr. Sagar Varma Avuduri
onto the stage, please.
-Congrats!
-Thank you.
-Congratulations!
-Thank you.
A pen is a powerful weapon
for journalists.
It's a Jeevan Corp tradition
to welcome with a pen.
Thank you so much.
Today is the 9th of November.
The day I'm taking charge
as the Chief Editor.
I believe this is going
to be a new chapter in my life.
What's our responsibility as journalists?
It's simple.
To bring the truth to the people.
We are messengers.
The Telugu word for it is "Dhootha."
We are the messengers
between the Government and the public.
The judicial system that
safeguards 138 crore people
politicians
and the police
When they falter, who will question them?
It's us. The journalists.
So, as long as my heart and soul are pure,
I will bring the truth to the people.
This wouldn't have been possible
without my beautiful wife
Priya.
She's a journalist herself.
A very successful one at that.
She's taking a small break
since she's pregnant.
And the rest of my team
Starting with Amrutha
She's been working with me
for the last five years.
She's very hardworking and supportive.
-Thank you, Amrutha.
-Yeah!
And Mr. Chandra Murthy
You all know him as one of the most senior
and respected journalists.
He's joining us.
Thank you so much, sir.
So, everyone
let's bring the truth to people,
and let's start printing.
Thank you so much.
Have a wonderful evening.
Sir, please.
-Thanks.
-Thank you.
I sent out an invite to Charles as well.
You did?
I think he hasn't come.
I don't see him here.
Initially, I was considering
Charles for Chief Editor.
But then, you alerted me
about his mental condition.
He was in a pretty disturbed state
when I met him.
Thanks for saving us, man.
I simply told you what I knew.
You made your decision
'cause you were informed.
That's the job
of a good journalist, Sagar.
Anyway, I have to go.
Enjoy the party.
-Have a safe flight. See you, sir.
-Bye.
-Hi.
-Hi.
What the hell! Burnt flowers?!
-Who sent them?
-Charles.
Are you kidding me?
There's a card for you as well.
"You backstabbing scoundrel."
Backstabbing, seriously?!
What does he think of himself?
He really thought he could run
a newspaper in his current mental state?
Crazy guy!
Anyway, I hope that
this changes your mood.
This is for you from our team.
Oh! Crosswords!
Awesome!
The perfect gift!
Now I can't sleep until I finish this.
-Superb! I love it! Thank you!
-I'm glad.
-Mr. Chandra Murthy
-Sir, congrats!
-A small gift from my side.
-Oh!
Oh, wow!
"Journalism. Values and Principles."
-Nice book.
-Thank you.
It's the need of the hour.
I feel extremely proud
to be a part of your team.
We have to start
a new chapter in journalism.
Oh, yeah.
-Thank you so much. Looking forward.
-Thank you.
Sagar!
-Come.
-Yeah.
-I'll see you tomorrow.
-Sure, sir.
Rainfall prediction in the Bay of Bengal.
Dad, we have to pick up Aye
at the reception.
-Oh, yeah. I totally forgot.
-A storm is definitely on its way.
This weather shall persist
for the coming week.
The Weather Board calls for precaution.
-Excuse me.
-Yes, sir?
We left your staff
in charge of our dog Aye.
-Sir, "Aye"?
-We haven't named the dog yet.
She's been brainstorming for a year now.
We're calling him "Aye" in the meantime.
-So, Aye is his name.
-Okay, sir. I'll bring him.
Thank you.
There's your Aye.
-Sir, your dog.
-Hey, Aye!
-Hi! Let's go.
-Hello, Aye!
What?!
-Oh, no!
-What's wrong?
-Shit!
-What happened?
I think we ran out of fuel.
Really?
But I had Prabhakar
fill up the tank this morning.
-Are you sure?
-Of course.
He got the bill as well.
Okay, let it be.
I'll try booking a cab.
Damn it!
No cabs, Priya.
Try calling Amrutha.
Ask her to arrange a car.
Oh, no! My battery's dead.
Try calling from your phone.
-Amrutha
-Hey, hi.
-We ran out of fuel on the way home.
-Oh, shit!
-Can you please arrange a car?
-Yeah, sure.
-Where are you exactly?
-Where is this place?
We're on the Bheemili highway.
Dum Dum Dhaba.
Yeah, we're near Dum Dum Dhaba.
-Oh, okay. I'll send a car in 20 minutes.
-Thank you.
Well, this isn't too bad.
We stopped at the right place.
The butter omelet is really good here.
One for me, two for Anju,
and two for Aye. Total five.
-And one glass of milk.
-Alright.
-Namaste, sir.
-Namaste.
What can I get you?
Five butter omelets and a glass of milk.
Five minutes, sir.
Please be seated.
"On the night of 9-11-2022
at 10:45:33 p.m.,
on the beach road,
in a car accident near the Dum Dum Dhaba,
famous journalist Sagar Varma Avuduri's
dog passed away.
What is the dog's name?"
Mom, I want some water.
I'll get it for you.
-Stay in the car. Don't step out, okay?
-Okay, Mom.
"At 10:45:33 p.m.,
in a car accident near the Dum Dum Dhaba,
journalist Sagar Varma Avuduri's dog
passed away. What is the dog's name?"
Hey!
Get two bottles of water as well.
Priya
What happened?
Sagar?
What happened? You look startled!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali!
Come on!
Anjali!
Anjali! Anjali
Anjali
-Anjali!
-Dad
Dad
Anjali
Anjali!
Anjali!
Anjali, are you alright?
Anjali, are you okay?
-Anjali, are you okay?
-Anjali!
Anjali
Anjali!
Anjali!
Stay in the car.
Don't step out, okay?
Okay, Mom.
Bad boy!
Anjali!
-Oh, no! Police!
-Anjali!
Hello.
It's me, sir. Ravi.
You wanted me to call?
Yeah, did you find the driver?
We're still looking, sir.
It's pitch dark over here.
That's stupid!
What the hell are you guys doing?
The entire force is with you,
including the dog squad.
Since when does it take a village
to catch a snake?
The night is making it
a tad bit difficult to search, sir.
He must be lurking around.
Search properly.
Okay, sir. Are you coming?
I came to get the written complaint.
I'll see you in 30 minutes.
-Dad!
-Is this your college application?
Dad, please don't tear it.
-Are you applying to college again?
-Dad, please don't tear it.
Didn't I say no to journalism
a thousand times?
It's not my college application, Dad.
-Please believe me.
-No, promise me.
Promise me that you
won't get into journalism.
-Alright.
-What happened?
-Promise me you won't pursue journalism.
-What happened, Sagar?
-Nothing, Mom.
-Nothing
He tore the complaint.
-What is this, dear?
-Sagar journalism
-He cannot take up journalism.
-I'll type another one.
-You take him back to his room.
-Make him understand
Tell him, okay?
-You talk to him.
-Okay.
-You talk to him.
-Okay, I will.
-He'll listen to you, Madhavi.
-Okay. I got it.
-Excuse me.
-Sir.
-Sorry to keep you waiting.
-No problem, sir.
There's a power cut.
So, I had to do it on my old typewriter.
-No problem, sir.
-I hope it works.
Sir
-Was that your father back there?
-Yeah.
Is he a little
Alzheimer's.
It started a few years back.
Gradually, he's forgetting things
and people.
He hates the thought of me
becoming a journalist.
Even back in college, he tore my
college application several times.
I don't know why.
But it's the one thing
he remembers vividly.
-Okay, sir. I'll take leave.
-Okay.
-We're searching for the driver.
-Okay.
-We'll inform you as soon as we find him.
-Sure, alright.
Also, we've handed over
the dog's body to your servant.
Okay, thank you.
-Take care, sir.
-Bye.
-Thanks.
-Okay, sir.
-Sir.
-Yes?
Where should I bury Aye?
-Not on our compound, Shankar.
-Okay.
Anjali will have a hard time
if she finds out.
Sir.
-Mr. Reddy's land is vacant, I suppose.
-Yes, sir.
-Bury him there. I'll talk to Mr. Reddy.
-Okay.
Okay, sir.
Did Anjali eat anything?
She cried and cried, had milk,
and went to sleep.
Catch! Come on, Jockey!
Catch him!
-Anjali
-Yeah?
-Had your breakfast?
-No, Dad.
If you skip breakfast,
Aye up in heaven will be disappointed.
Hippopotamus.
What?
His name is Hippopotamus.
-Aye enjoyed being in the water, right?
-Yes.
Aye loved water dearly, right?
That is why I named him Hippopotamus.
From now on,
you'll call him Hippopotamus.
Noted.
Mom
NAME OF JOURNALIST SAGAR VARMA'S DEAD DOG?
-Sir, how's your daughter?
-She's fine.
I found an old piece
of newspaper yesterday.
It was oiled and placed under the bulb.
-Did you see it?
-Which paper?
-It was somewhere around here.
-We clean up every morning.
It must be in the trash.
-Dear
-Yeah, coming.
I'll be right back, sir.
Where is it?
Where did you get this paper?
Did somebody place it here?
It's a waste paper, sir.
-We use it to keep the night bugs away.
-Where did you find it?
We buy from the scrapyard
and change it every day.
Why do you ask?
Never mind. It's nothing.
"On the night of 9-11-2022
at 10:45:33 p.m.,
on the beach road, in a car accident near
the Dum Dum Dhaba,
famous journalist Sagar Varma Avuduri's
dog passed away.
What is the dog's name?"
HIPPOPOTAMUS
My God.
What
Hello?
Sir, it's Murthy
from the car service center.
Yes, Murthy. Tell me.
The cops have handed over
your car to us.
I just performed a thorough check.
-Can you come down here?
-Right now?
But I'm on an urgent errand right now.
This is equally important, sir.
Please come.
Okay, I'll be there. Bye.
-Namaste, sir.
-Namaste, Murthy. Tell me.
While checking the car,
I suspected a leak in the fuel tank.
I checked it,
and I found a small hole in the tank.
Just a minute.
This way, sir.
Though there's damage from the crash,
the chance of a hole like
this is highly improbable.
Seems like somebody
planned this in advance.
I think we ran out of fuel.
But I had Prabhakar
refill the tank this morning.
You're a journalist, right?
Somebody with a grudge
against you might've done this.
Sir, keys.
How's Anjali?
She's okay.
Shall I send all this stuff
to the farmhouse?
Sure.
Yeah, okay.
Were you zoned out while getting dressed?
Your socks.
One white and one black.
Shit!
Anjali had me distracted
while I was putting on the shoes.
What's wrong, Sagar?
Is something bothering you?
Amrutha
This newspaper.
I found it at the Dhaba last night.
Read clue number three.
9th November.
At 10:45:33 p.m.,
in a car accident near the Dum Dum Dhaba,
journalist Sagar Varma's dog
passed away. What is its name?
Amrutha, to the fricking point!
Exactly at 33 seconds,
the truck rammed into the car.
What!
What the hell is going on?
You're well aware
that we hadn't named Aye.
But this morning,
Anjali comes to me and says,
"Dad, let's name Aye
as Hippopotamus."
I filled out the crossword in the car.
Six letters in Telugu. Hippopotamus.
It's just a six-letter word.
Could be a coincidence.
The name could be a coincidence.
But who knew that the dog
would die in the crash?
Who would've planned that?
And, Amrutha
I was at the service station
before I came here.
Guess what!
There's a hole in the car's fuel tank.
-What?!
-Yeah!
Hole in the fuel tank.
The truck crashing into the car.
I'm telling you, it's all planned.
Who could've done this?
Sign here, Koti.
-You need to come when I call you.
-Okay, sir.
Don't leave town
until I give the go-ahead.
Okay, sir.
Come on.
-Hello?
-Hello, sir.
Sir, morning.
-This is Ajay Ghosh, SI.
-Yes, Ghosh.
We found the truck driver last night.
I interrogated him myself.
Apparently, he drove
for 18 hours without a break.
As he reached the Dhaba,
a newspaper fell
on the windshield, he says.
He rammed into the car
because his view was compromised.
He wasn't drunk either.
-We looked into his story. He's innocent.
-Hey!
-Don't let him go.
-Sir?
Ghosh, listen to me.
This newspaper story and the crash
It's all bullshit!
Somebody planned this in advance.
There's a hole in my car's fuel tank.
I checked it myself
at the service station.
Ghosh, listen to me.
Do whatever you have to
and make that scoundrel confess.
Break his hands and legs,
I don't fricking care!
I want the truth!
I have to know who's behind this.
Sir
We can't interrogate him
without solid evidence.
It's quite risky, sir.
Idiot.
I just transferred one lakh rupees.
I can send more.
Just get to the bottom of it.
-Sir
-Ghosh, make him spill the truth.
You don't worry, sir.
I got this.
-Hey, where's the driver?
-He just left, sir.
His lawyer bailed him out.
I took his signature and let him go.
You moron!
Namaste, sir.
I brought a sweet pan for you.
-It's a special one
-I don't want it. Distribute it to them.
Okay, sir.
Thank you, sir.
Kala, it's me.
I just got bail.
I'll be home in an hour.
-I'm at the police station.
-Hey!
-Let me call you back.
-Come with me.
-Come with me. Come on.
-Sir?
-Let's go!
-What's wrong, sir?
-It's nothing.
-But I just got bail.
You see, we missed two signatures.
Surya is slow like that.
You can go home in 30 minutes.
Come with me.
-I'll let you go soon.
-I want to go home, sir.
I know. Just come with me.
Come on. Hurry.
Come on.
Be seated.
-Do you think Charles is behind this?
-Who knows?
He's been mentally unstable
for the last two months.
Still, he managed
to send me these damn flowers.
If I'm being honest,
this job belongs to Charles.
I spoke to Mr. Khan
and manipulated him
into ditching Charles.
Whatever it is,
he should take out his anger on me.
How dare he take it out on my family!
What if Anjali was still in the car?
Amrutha, I'm going
to kill that scoundrel!
Sagar
-Rascal!
-Calm down.
We don't know for sure that it's Charles.
Why don't you try talking
to him personally?
You guys have known each other
for so many years, right?
Clear all your doubts.
Talk to him personally.
Pick up, Charles. Come on.
Shit.
Shit.
-Hello?
-Hello, Marian.
-Yeah, Sagar?
-Hi.
Is Charles with you?
He's not picking up my calls.
It's kind of important.
He's not here, Sagar.
I'm at my parents' place.
He's at the farmhouse.
You know, the one near Bheemili.
Yeah, I know. I'm sorry.
My deepest condolences for Mathew.
Sorry, I couldn't do this in person.
I'm sorry, Marian.
Charles?
Charles?
Charles?
Charles!
Charles!
The car accident
I read about it in the paper.
The dog died, right?
Tell me something.
Before the accident
did you find an old,
dirty newspaper like this one?
Was it written in the newspaper
that the dog would die?
Yeah, so what?
You're next, Sagar.
You're fricking screwed!
What?!
It will haunt you from now on.
Other such pieces of paper
will come searching for you.
All your loved and dear ones
Everyone you've ever
come in contact with
It will kill all of them brutally.
No matter how hard you try,
you can't save a single soul.
What the hell!
There's only one way to stop it.
Charles, no!
Shit.