Indian Summers (2015) s01e03 Episode Script

The man who tried to shoot you, did you know him? ~ No.
~ Really? I wish you'd come to me sooner, you could've saved yourself a lot of fuss and unpleasantness.
I saw you, by the way, in the bazaar.
How many men and women are now in prison for daring to speak up for home rule? Adam! His mother's? He says you owe him money.
I'll have him skinned! Found in the lining of his bag.
A certificate of membership of the Congress Movement.
~ What is it you remember? ~ He was calling you Devil.
I expect you misheard.
~ Sir.
~ Thank you.
Enter! Mr Dalal.
I must say, you look in fine fettle for a man who took a bullet to the chest.
Thank you, sir.
I am much recovered.
Look, you've probably not had time to think about very much, let alone your career.
~ Sir? ~ But sometimes a watershed moment can lead to reflection.
And I found myself, this morning, wondering if you'd ever had any interest in joining the higher ranks of the civil service.
You'd need to pass some exams, I'm afraid, and the hours can be penitential.
But, I want you to ask yourself a question.
"In a few years' time, what do I want to be?" Magistrate? District controller? Obviously, if you're happy as you are No, sir! In fact, I began to study for the examinations but I had to withdraw.
There were certain personal ~ .
.
financial reasons.
~ That's a pity.
But timing, as we both know, is everything.
~ Head Clerk? ~ That's right.
Just for now, you see, to tide you over until after the ICS exams.
All of the preparations would be paid for.
I'm sure you need some time to mull it over but I think it makes sense.
I would personally consider it a great privilege to have you here.
I wish to ask - do you wish to be free? When is it enough? We can truly say, "This is what it means to be free.
" The "something is better than nothing" school of enfranchisement.
That is more dangerous than no enfranchisement at all.
"Take this for now and we will talk about the rest later"? That is how you coax a child into doing your will.
It is not how you engage with a people.
A nation.
Yeah! ~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Mr McLeod? Ramu Sood.
I was wondering if you've had an opportunity to take a look at the letter I sent your uncle? Yes, I have, Mr Sood, but I'm afraid Then you'll know that the monies he owes me are now two weeks overdue.
If that is the case, it's a matter for him.
Excuse me.
Believe me, I have tried many times to discuss it with Mr Armitage but he's extremely difficult to get a hold of.
Nonsense.
He can be found at the Club on any given day.
Indeed.
But that really doesn't help me.
~ Why not? ~ There's the problem of access to the Club, Mr McLeod.
Off the mall! Specifically MY access.
Which is why I was hoping to discuss the matter with you.
~ No, it's all right.
~ Indians may not use the mall before sundown, which I'm sure you, Mr Sood, very well know.
Mr McLeod.
~ Good day, sir.
~ Good day.
Thank God this is only once a year.
Come on.
Let's get on with it.
So, 150 fruit scones, 150 plain scones, 150 rounds of sandwiches.
All in time for the Sipi Fair.
The challenge of re-creating afternoon tea at Claridge's, only serving it in the Himalayas.
~ Baby's first Fair.
~ Gosh.
You made me jump.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I was just saying, I hope you're preparing him for Sipi.
All the fun of the Fair.
Oh, I think he's too young for all of that just yet, don't you? I'm so sorry.
It's nice to see you, but I'm actually on my way out.
Always in a rush when you expect to be told something you don't want to hear.
Even when you were a little girl.
I beg your pardon? I just wanted to see if you were all right.
I'm fine.
Why do you ask? Well, you might not have heard yet, but there's to be an inquest into the shooting.
And you'll be asked to give a witness statement.
That doesn't sound too onerous, does it? Am I missing something? Well, you know, it's just a shame, dredging it all up again.
It was all so sudden, wasn't it? And, erm Well, in your position .
.
I wouldn't remember a thing.
I'm sorry.
What was it you wanted to talk to me about? Come on, Percy.
Let's go with Charlie.
Oh, my goodness! Wonderful news! Unbelievable! It is like a dream.
Congratulations! Everything is paid for.
Everything.
I will be joining the ranks of the heaven born! ~ That's wonderful! ~ Where is Sooni? I sent her to do something for me.
~ I sent her to buy sweets.
~ You! I have to go.
New life begins this afternoon.
~ Yes, yes, yes! Go, go.
~ So proud of you! This is it.
This is it.
This is what? This is it in action.
The British sense of fair play.
We seek self rule.
Instead we get a tea party in the grounds of a building ~ to which we are not normally even permitted access.
~ Sooni.
What are you doing here? You should be at school! ~ Seeing what you were up to.
~ You shouldn't be here! We get quotas.
~ He emerges! ~ What is it Ronnie? Inspector Rowntree is here to see you.
~ Large crowd at the Bazaar this morning.
~ Oh? Some congress firebrand stirring things up.
No doubt timing her visit to coincide with the Fair.
Right.
~ Bit severe, is it not? ~ After what they tried to do to you, I'd say we can't be too careful.
Very well.
We don't want to disturb the Viceroy in London.
Probably is best if things are kept under control.
This is Simla, not Bengal, after all.
Thank you.
We have no cups.
No, not NO cups, we have some cups, but not enough for one per child, which is a mystery, as we always have before.
There are many things that children can share but they cannot at the same time drink from the same cup.
Thank you.
Miss Whelan! Oh, it's Alice, please.
Alice.
Alice, then.
This is, er, Leena, she works with the children.
Pleased to meet you.
I think we met but without actually being introduced.
On the train.
I'm so sorry, have I muddled the day? No, not at all.
Miss Whelan very kindly offered to come and volunteer.
I hope you don't mind if Leena shows you around, I have to pop out for a spell.
We will not live off crumbs from an Englishman's table! We will not go hungry in our own land.
Hindu, Sikh, Muslim ~ Sooni, we should go now.
~ Be quiet.
No, there are police here.
Really, there are police here.
We are all one India.
We are all one Bharat.
~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! ~ Jai Hind! ~ No.
You can't do that! ~ Sooni, come on.
~ Come with me! ~ What are you doing? Leave her.
She's a child.
She's a child! ~ Sooni! ~ Shamshad! ~ Sooni! Do not give the police what they want! ~ Go home, Shamshad.
Go home.
~ Sooni! Please, leave her alone! Sit up! ~ Oh, my God! ~ Sit up! He has vertigo! From a horse? What fool gets vertigo on a horse? Come on, come on, trot on.
Sit up! That's it, come on.
Come on.
Trot on, trot on.
Sit up! Trot on, trot on.
Well, I daresay you'll all three need a stiff drink after this.
Why not call into mine Mr Dalal? Tomorrow? For drinks? Thank you, Sir.
Excellent.
Cheerio, Captain.
Keep up the good work.
Sit up! Are these all the books you have? The books are Mr Raworth's.
If you think they are somehow unsuitable you can take it up with him.
I only wondered if they might not enjoy something a bit closer to home, with landscape that's more familiar to them.
The Mahabarata, perhaps, or Tipu Sultan? Goodbye.
I think I'll walk home.
Miss Whelan If you wouldn't mind some company, I'd be happy to walk part of the way with you.
Thank you.
Sarah? What's wrong? Are you ill? No, I'm not ill.
Where's Matthew? Tidying his bedroom in the hope that it'll earn him a day at that ghastly fair.
You look queer.
You're acting queer.
For a while now I have been behaving in a manner that .
.
putting it charitably can't be described as Christian.
I wanted to tell you.
Because I wanted to put things right.
I was afraid you'd had some bad news from home.
I thought it might be your mother or your father.
Your mother, because she hasn't been well over the winter.
~ Once she takes a cold ~ My mother's fine.
Or your brothers.
There's so many of them I can't remember who's in the army, well, not really, but who's doing what and where.
It could be any of them.
That's the fear, isn't it? That's the trouble, living so far away from everything and everyone.
There'll be no more.
Say something! What does it mean? It means many things.
It means I am going to have to stop daydreaming and apply myself to the role of a serious young man.
It means I hope they sit me behind someone very clever at the examination, so I can take a peek at what he is doing.
Aafrin! It means I am being given an opportunity that is thrilling! That is daunting.
That is ridiculous.
What does it mean for us? Ah, you see, that is the best part.
For us it means freedom.
Because I will become a covenanted civilian and a covenanted civilian can fashion any future for himself he likes.
Ow! Oh, I'm so sorry! Tell me, where do the children come from? Most are left with a church as babies, and the church brings them to us.
They're orphans? No.
They have mixed blood.
And so no place.
No family.
Look.
Who are they? I don't know.
But I see her here, waiting, waiting.
Always waiting.
Whatever for? For him.
They are not able to be together, so this is where they hide.
I'm going to the club for a peg.
Make that two pegs.
Do you mind? More than two, less than ten.
If I get out of here now! So to pass the exam I have to be able to clear a five bar gate.
Have you ever seen a five bar gate in India, let alone a civil servant leaping over it on horseback? This is how it is.
One thing is given to you, and then another one is taken away.
And it's all her fault.
She's so selfish.
Where have you been? At work.
Where is Sooni? Hello? Hello? They won't let you out for that.
They expect you to go in the corner.
My sister was with me today.
She is only 14.
I don't know what happened to her.
She will have run away.
Younger sisters are very good at staying out of trouble.
It is always us, the older ones, who get the blame.
Mummy is crying still.
Are you going to ask your friend for help? What friend? The Private Secretary.
Sham, we are not friends.
Then why is he inviting you to his house for dinner? It's not dinner.
It's drinks.
I have to go.
It's not fair.
You know it was just someone speaking.
No-one was doing anything wrong.
If you ask him, if he's a good man, he will help.
I'm sorry I'm a little late.
Not at all, not at all.
What can I get you? A club soda, thank you.
Very glad to see you.
I feared yesterday's exertions might have had you on your back.
Had you made me ride here, Sir, they may well have.
I'm terribly sorry to raise this with you, but I'm afraid something unexpected has happened to my family and I hope it's not remiss of me to seek your advice.
Not at all.
There was an incident yesterday at the Bazaar.
My sister, Sooni, she was arrested during some to-do there.
She is not herself political, but evidently she has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And I must say it makes me very uncomfortable to take such a liberty, but I was wondering if you might be able to help us secure Sooni's safe return.
Sooni Dalal? That's right.
Well, I'll certainly see what I can do.
You'll be an ICS man soon, and you'll find we all pitch in and help one another.
There aren't guests are there, Bhupi? Ralph didn't Alice! This is Mr Dalal.
Mr Dalal, this is my sister, Alice Whelan.
A pleasure to meet you, in such different circumstances.
Shall we sit? Please.
How are you feeling? Are you fully recovered? Greatly recovered.
Thank you.
I'm sorry to burst in like that.
I had no idea that you had a guest.
Your timing's ideal.
We were just celebrating Mr Dalal's return to health and his first day on a new billet.
Mr Dalal is moving up to work with me at Viceregal Lodge.
"Courage is the first of human qualities "because it is the quality which guarantees the others.
" Favourite saying of Mr Longmuir, my house-master.
Aristotle of course went uncredited.
Bloody Longmuir.
King of the unattributed quote.
In any case, it's a new start.
Though I don't suppose it'll feel entirely behind you until after the inquest.
Nothing to worry about.
I don't recall much myself, if I'm honest.
"You British devil.
" That's what I remember him shouting as he came towards me.
Typical revolutionary talk.
"You British devil.
" 'Ralphie-sah!' Rakshas! Rakshas! Any advance on that? I'm afraid I'm very much the same.
What about you, Alice? We ought not to dwell.
Mr Dalal is a wicked caricaturist, you see, so I thought it wise to nurture his artistic talent for good rather than ill.
I've asked a great friend of ours to sit for you.
Madeleine, this is Mr Aafrin Dalal.
~ Hello.
~ And perhaps later, if there's time I'm afraid I can't stay.
I'm terribly tired.
Good afternoon, Mr Dalal.
Good afternoon.
Well, shall we begin? Ralph.
Alice.
You startled me.
I thought you were What? A little flower? To be bent and shaped by your will? Sssh! Keep your voice down! Siblings.
Gene and I fight like that all the time.
What's the matter with you? You want me to lie under oath! A man tried to kill you, we know not why, presumably you do, and now Mr Dalal and I are required to help you cover something up! Alice, this is a dangerous misunderstanding.
Is it? Then I'd better be clear.
In response to your need to have me perjure myself in concert with Mr Dalal, the answer is no, Ralph.
Unequivocally no.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Members and guests.
Welcome to our little club, and welcome to the Sipi Fair.
What a wonderful thing it is to be able to take pleasure in each other's cultures .
.
and delight in each other's company Kaiser, kindly remove those men.
.
.
if only for one short afternoon.
Please enjoy everything our little club has to offer, and do make yourselves at home.
Thank you.
~ No entry into the interior.
~ I have double locked the doors.
And if any of them trample the flowers, they're straight out.
Hello! Aafrin.
I couldn't come yesterday.
I had to wait for things to play out.
What do you mean? I spoke with the Private Secretary.
I'm hoping he'll get you out.
Don't worry.
It was easier than it sounds.
I work for him now.
You are ashamed of me? When it's you who is in jail, you who's associating with violent criminals? They are not violent.
WE are not violent.
Not violent? Look, look at this.
Aafrin, stop it.
It wasn't a Congress member who shot you.
That man with the gun had nothing to do with the party! He was from Madras, OK? No-one from the party there has ever heard of him and there is no record of his membership.
Do you think this is why I come here? To enter into some naive political discussion with you? Naive? You think it is me who is being naive? Listen to me.
This is British propaganda.
YOU are British propaganda.
The gunman is being used to smear Congress.
And you ~ You are being used too.
~ No, please.
Leave her.
Wake up, Aafrin.
Wake up and look at yourself, look at the role you've been cast in.
Marvellous Mr Dalal who threw himself into the path of a bullet.
Esteemed servant of the Empire.
Loyal Indian of the hills.
Sooni! I will get you out, I promise! Mr Dalal? Oh, Miss Whelan.
I wanted to say thank you, for risking your neck for my undeserving brother.
Don't worry.
I shan't be asking you to do it again.
Well, thank God for that! How does it feel? Back at the spot? I'm certainly glad to be breathing.
I expect you can't remember much about it.
Very little.
Yes, the shock, I imagine.
I heard your disagreement with your brother.
Oh, my I see.
At the house? Oh, Christ.
Yes, I'm sorry about that What a family! There's no need to apologise.
I have two sisters, and I must say, when they disagree with me, which they do frequently, they are a whole lot louder than that.
And I suppose you are the picture of patience? Naturally.
How sickening - your poor sisters having to put up with ~ a saint for a brother! ~ I'm not quite a saint.
Here.
Please.
For you.
What's this? For your assistance, when I was hurt.
My mother was very grateful.
I did what anyone would.
Enjoy the fair, Miss Whelan.
And the winning weight is 5lbs and 11oz.
Five pound 11! That's what I put! Oh, come on! Yes, bravo to me! Box it up, Mrs T! I don't know why I bother.
He always wins, every year.
Headache? Ever so slight.
Mr Markham! I didn't know you were up It'll all be over soon.
All in hand for the inquest? All in hand.
Because I must say, Alice was a little brusque when we spoke.
When did you speak to Alice? I just tried to grab her for a quick chat about things, you know, but she was too pressed even for that.
Excuse me.
Hello.
Hello.
I say, old love, I didn't know the Whelan family had branched out to good works.
Yes, she told us all about it this morning.
Well, as long as you're happy with it, old love.
Little savages.
What are they? Fully native or? A bit of both, I think.
You can't tell.
I suppose the black half tends to overwhelm, yes? Pity.
And it's spinning! Go on, pick one.
What have you got? You've won the teddy bear! Well, it's nice seeing them have a bit of fun! Excuse me.
Well, what shall we do next? Coconuts? Yay! Come on! Mr Raworth There, there.
Now, I know it's loud but everybody's just enjoying Those are my shoes! What did I say about running off? What did I say, as soon as we left the house? Matthew! I'll go and fetch him back.
I won't be taken for a fool.
If that's what you think is happening, which I've no doubt you do, then you're very much mistaken.
I know exactly what's been going on, exactly.
And I also know that whatever has been, is no longer.
I think you'll find that whatever you chance to offer Douglas in the future will not be welcome.
Yes! Two! Alice.
Ralphie.
Forgive me.
You must do and say as you like.
Thank you.
Good.
Well, come on, hand them over.
Who's next? Me! One and two, and Who is that boy? Adam.
He's new.
Who's next? That's the fellow! Grab him! Come on, up you get! This is for you, Mr Armitage.
Can't make head nor tail of it that way, neither.
It's an official notice.
Of your eviction, Mr Armitage.
Aye, well, it's not much of anything now, is it? Don't flop about! It's been signed by a magistrate and served on you, sir.
And that's all that the law requires.
Let's settle this, shall we? It has been settled.
You have 45 days to quit.
Is that so? Is that so? Good day, Mr Armitage.
No! Come on! Up you get! I'm warning you, you drunken idiot! Come on, you! Where's your lawyer now, eh? Where is he? You dirty pish! Ah! Get out the way! Get out the way! Uncle? Uncle! Get a doctor.
Get a doctor for Christ's sake! ~ Get a doctor.
~ Can you hear me? ~ Quickly! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Morning, Mr McLeod! How is he? A contrarian to the last.
He can't walk, talk or feed himself, but he's very much alive.
So much for playing nicely with the natives.
That bloody Indian damn near killed him.
It's lucky you arrived when you did, Mr McLeod.
Oh, good God.
What a mess.
You're in here, Ms Whelan.
Thank you.
Have a seat, Mr Dalal.
Thank you.
Still done nothing with that dicky fan, Neville? No, sir.
It's still missing a part.
So tell me what you saw that night.
~ Where are we going? ~ To Lahore.
~ Lahore? What for? ~ For sentencing.
No need to be anxious, Miss Whelan.
Simply tell me whatever it is you remember of that night.
Did he shout or say anything? Miss Whelan? "You devil.
" "You British devil.
" "You British devil.
" "You British devil.
" ~ Sooni Dalal? ~ Yes.
Come with me.
~ You are being released.
~ I'm so sorry! Find you own way! Make a contribution.
Excuse us.
This is horrible.
Even the Indian can't stand it.
With all due respect, sir, it's best we 'Nothing to do with the party.
This is British propaganda.
'YOU are British propaganda.
' The interview is over.
He's not coming back.
~ Thank you very much, Ms Whelan.
~ Thank you.
The Viceroy? Why's he coming here? ~ Your Excellency.
~ What are your intentions? Because Madeleine is a high prize.
It's no great science, just hit it! I don't bungle.
~ If we hadn't lost the blasted evidence ~ Lost or taken? ~ Christ, did somebody die? ~ He's laughing at us.
There's such a thing as laws in this country and they're not just for Indians.
Again I am in your hands.