Waqt: The Race Against Time

Ishwar Chandra Thakur never had it so good in his life before. He has a faithful and loving wife in Sumitra, who he affectionately calls Sumi; and a good rapport with his only child, a son named Aditya, who he affectionately calls Adi, and a servant named Laxman, who is not exactly the brightest star on the horizon. So what if Adi has failed his matriculation exams, so what if Adi is unable to secure any job; so what if Adi has no skills whatsoever to land any job; so what if Adi is lazy and a slacker; so what if Adi marries his critic’s daughter, Pooja,; so what if Adi wants to be dependent on him all his life; so what if Adi is about to become a dad….but wait a minute. Why would he let Adi & his children depend on him? Didn’t he himself start his life with a mere Rs.35/-, didn’t he work as a mailman and toy salesman? These thoughts overwhelm both Sumi and Ishwar, and they ask Adi to get out of their house and live in the servants’ outhouse, which they do so. But again, Adi reaches a state of vegetation, without making any effort to find any employment, and it is then Ishwar asks him to pay rent of Rs.1500/ and a Electricity deposit of Rs.5000/- or else even this shelter will be taken away from him. With Pooja pregnant and expecting a baby shortly, Adi will really have to come to terms or be out on the streets, living on the footpath – with no future prospects whatsoever for him, Pooja, or his newborn child. But without any skills or education, what possibly can Adi do to earn money? And what is the real reason why his dad threw him out of the family home?