Soul of Sand
Amid the epic landscape of the Mahabharata, the stage is set for an intimate yet eternal tussle between custom and commerce, tradition and modernity.
Amid the epic landscape of the Mahabharata, as the rural outskirts of Delhi transform into an urban sprawl, an intimate tussle between custom and commerce, tradition and modernity, will result in carnage... Bhanu Kumar, a lower caste watchman, stands guard at his master Lakhmichand Ahlawat's silica mine, protecting it even after it has shut down. No one is allowed to enter the premises, nor even engage him in conversation while he is on sentry duty. He is a statue-like figure, watching over an abandoned property in the middle of nowhere. A creature of habit, Bhanu reflects powerlessness so complete, it can only make the world stand still. Exploited and abused by his employer, Bhanu survives the shame by disguising it as duty. Bhanu's wife, Saroj, watches in silent disgust as her innocent husband stands sentinel over his master's empty property, even when she knows it includes her in its compass. Then one day, Bhanu's monotonous world is turned on its head... The morning brings an elderly man to the premises - a businessman by the name of Dharambir Dahiya. He also happens to be Lakhmichand Ahlawat's prospective son-in-law. Dharambir is an affluent man and, ironically, older than Ahlawat. He is to marry Ahlawat's wayward daughter, known to have transgressed community norms with a socially 'inferior' boy. In return for saving his honour (i.e. marrying his daughter), Ahlawat will 'gift' Dharambir the silica mine property as dowry. The following night brings a young runaway couple fearing for their lives and begging Bhanu for sanctuary in the mine. Apparently, the couple are prime targets for honour killing. They claim that a contract killer is after them.... Bhanu cannot possibly make the connection. He initially refuses the couple shelter. But prodded by a dormant humanity, he relents and ignores duty. The disused gate of the Royal Silica Mine opens, exposing a bloody world of lust, fear, and violence in the name of ownership, caste and honour...
