Its a personal film structure's presentation.

2. “WAAPSI”
(Dedicated to late RJ Aqs Anwar)
Genre: DRAMA
Duration: 10-15 minutes

3. Main Characters:
1. Rifat Bibi (a dynamic type character)
Age: 60+, Height: 5’4, wears salwar suits with a dupatta on head (covered head), wears
glasses because of weak eyesight, takes blood-pressure and other anti-depressant
medicines, faces difficulty while doing daily work, experiences nightmares from past!
Old, angry, frustrated, sad woman, who doesn’t like to express her emotions!
A perfect picture of a simple, decent, old and religious women belonging to a “conservative
Pakistani society”. She’s done Masters in Urdu Literature and was a fond of writing but because of
responsibilities and miseries of life, she never got a chance to do so. She seems to be very confident
& strong about herself on the surface level, but is actually very depressed and a very negative person
because of her past; because of which she’s quit writing as well, which was her dream once!
[Protagonist]

4. [Inspired Look]

5. 2. Aqs (Aqsi)
wears glasses at times, tall, smart, pale skin complexion with sharp features, mostly
wears jeans, t-shirts, pajamas and salwar suits at times
Firstly shown as a 9 years old, sweet and naughty, brown kid, who lives in Lahore, Pakistan
with her grandmother.
Then introduced as a 20 years old, young, sweet, humble, jolly and decent girl who came back
to Pakistan from England, after 11 years. She’s also very philosophical and deep about life, very
active and positive about life. The main twist of the story is that she’s a heart patient ( DCM
disease) which is revealed properly in the end, because of which she’ll die as well in sleep
(research was carried regarding the significance of this incident
(Supporting Actress)

6. [Inspired Look]

7. 1. Daughter (Maryam): A young pretty girl, who’ll be shown through pictures only.
2. Father: Who appears just once through flashbacks, and is not shown properly
because only the baby girl and the protagonist will be highlighted in that. Formally
dressed in pants and shirts.
3. Maid (Rehana): simple, Punjabi speaking woman, who wears salwar kameez
4. Baby girl: A cute little girl, who wears girlish clothes.
Other Characters:

8. Theme:
“Major theme of this film is the conflict between forgiveness, acceptance & letting go,
and destiny, helplessness & continuing with life. How an old, frustrated and angry
woman, Rifat Bibi is facing problems to accept and to make her relationship stable
with her grand-daughter, Aqs, who’s back in her life after 11 years. When she was a 9
years old girl, after Aqsi’s mother (Rifat Bibi’s daughter), Maryam’s death, court
gave her custody to her father. Rifat Bibi, who used to write and wanted to get her
book published then, left writing, firstly, because of responsibilities, then in the grief
of her loneliness but she doesn’t like depicting that and her grief, and has now chosen
a simple, domestic life. Now, when Aqs is back in Rifat Bibi’s life, and she wants Rifat
Bibi’s forgiveness for her mother, things start changing, the distance, weirdness and
finally reaching till the solution of their problems builds the story.”

9. STORYBOARD

20. Main Plot/ Story
1. Setting & Establishment [Mise-en-Scene]
Rifat Bibi is an old woman, who is living her life in a very simple way. There are books, old
newspapers and some other common stuff in her room, then there’s her daughter’s picture placed
on a side table in her room. Other than that she has a video tape of her and her daughter’s family
which she likes to watch when no one is watching her. The film begins with a montage of those
pictures on music, and then there’s noise. Then the camera tracks out and this is revealed that the
woman was watching that movie montage on the tv. She’s sitting there, with a remote in her hand,
while looking at the noisy image on the tv (mid-close), that the maid from the outside of this room
sees this situation (long shot) and comes near to her and puts off the tv, takes out the cassette from
the vcr and places it on the side table, and a conversation between them begins.

21. {Sample Dialogue}
Servant: “ Unon bula kiyun nae lendy tusi? Roz roz ay tape laa k wekhn naal ki hoyga?”
Rifat Bibi: “Aan denda uda piyo, phly na meri tee ne meri nae suni, ena v nae sochya k
meri maa ne menu kalyan paliya ay te main ki krn lgi han udy naal te us manhoos naal
viya kraaliya…ferr apy te dunya to v turr mere modiyaan te zimedari paa k fer uda v faiz
lab gya menu…..hun main kali aan te khush aan, apni zindagi saam lyi ay…te tun v
apny kam naal kam rkhya kr…khwamkha meri maa bnan di lorr koi nae”
Then she goes to the washroom, performs wuzoo, recites the Quran, then recites tasbeeh and
fatiha in front of her daughter’s smiling picture, sees her pigeon in a hanging cage and feeds it,
comes to the dining table and eats her breakfast all alone, goes to the graveyard and sprinkle
flower petals on her daughter’s grave, on return visit to the garden, comes home, watches her
books covered with dust, stops for a while, looks at them. Then moves away to her room.
Takes her medicine in the phase of headache (Sir phata jaa raha hai mera) and tries to sleep.
Now different sounds are annoying her, clicking of the clock, zoooiing of the tubelight, water
flowing in droplets from the bathroom tap, sounds of starting car far away…then she’s a vision
of someone running with the sound of car running in fast speed. She wakes up, drinks water,
then takes on her blanket and goes back to sleep.

22. 2. Inciting Incident!
{Rifat Bibi’s grand-daughter comes back in her life.}
Servant, Rehana is cleaning the upper dining hall, while Rifat Bibi is doing
dusting of the pictures and is talking to the maid that she’ll get the bills paid
once she gets Amjad’s pension money, she doesn’t afford to forget the date.
Bell rings, and she orders Rehana to see who’s there. After some time while
she’s cleaning her daughter’s picture (camera showing her back and Maryam‘s
picture), she hears the sound of approaching feet and assumes that its Rehana,
and asks,
“Ni, kaun si?”
“Nano!”
(Close up of enlightened eyes, and she turns back)

23. Plot Point 1:
Her 20 years old grand-daughter is standing there. She runs towards her and
hugs her tightly. Rifat Bibi doesn’t know how to respond, but there are some
weird expressions on her face, and tears in her eyes. She moves her a bit away
and asks her,
“Tu achanak kahan se agyi hai? Aur tere baap ne tjhy any diya”
“Baba ko guzry saal hgya ha nano…aur wasy bhi kbhi na kbhi to mjh
ana hi tha naa
Apky pass…”

24. 3. Second Thoughts!
Flashbacks of past (camera comes closer on Rifat bibi’s big close-up) How she argued with the girl’s father
that “why he’s came back to take her grandchild away from her, her daughter’s only memory, and where the hell
he was for so many years after her daughter’s death, was that his love for her?. He explains his answer a bit, and
reminds her about the court’s orders, and leaves with his daughter as she wanted to go with him.
Then Aqs’s flashbacks of the past, her childhood memories spent with her Nano and how she was her only
hope & source of love in childhood, and how she’s become a lonely and angry woman now.
4. Obstacles!
Rifat Bibi is delighted by Aqsi’s return but is also getting irritated by the changes and interferences which Aqs is
making in Rifat bibi’s life, as she’s somehow a reminder of Maryam!
Especially her questioning about Rifat Bibi’s writing career (used as a plot point 2 in regard that it’s a short
film), her book and the way she talks about “Life” & “Hope”
“Kabhi kabhi panchiyun ki rahayi bhi zaruri hti hai…”
They start getting normal and things start becoming on better and happier terms.
*Then a significant scene will be, where on her mother’s grave Aqs will ask her grandmother that, will she ever
be able to forgive her, and she’ll not answer her question at that time.

25. Climax (MidPoint)
On Rifat Bibi’s birthday night celebration when Aqs while dancing with Rifat Bibi faints. On Rifat Bibi’s insistence
that she should call a doctor, Aqs discloses this fact that she is suffering from a heart disease, DCM, and she’s left
with a few days of her life. There she confronts her, and they have an emotional conversation regarding their
relationship and Maryam, and Aqs requests Rifat Bibi to try to forgive her and her mother, while Rifat Bibi
promises her to pursue her life, normally, as a happy person after Aqs is gone.
Rifat: “Tum zaalim ho…bilkul apni Maa ki trhan…tum ayi hi kiyun wapis…ek budhi aurat ki zindagi
main mazeed taklefein brhany…kia mila tmhy? Kiyun ayi tum wapis?”
Aqs: “Main lawaris nahi marna chahti thi!”
Resolution!
[Timelapse]
Aqs dies on her bed, near Rifat bibi. The pigeon has flew away and the cage is empty. Rifat Bibi remembers the time
spent with Aqs since her childhood. In the end, Rifat Bibi places her published book “Waapsi” in front of her
daughter and grand daughter’s smiling pictures, where in the background, song “Ek pyaar ka naghma hai” is playing.

26. Locations
*3 locations will be used in total. Graveyard and the garden will be shown in two scenes,
however, the main location will be the house.

28. Audio & Visual References:
1. Theme (opening) music:

29. 2. Montage idea!
Reference from the film “Butch
Casidy & The Sundance Kid”
1. Film Shor’s song, “Ik pyaar ka
naghma hai” as a visual & audio
reference.