New Romantics
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSEHOLD - DAY
1998,COUNTRYSIDE,ENGLAND
The living room is decorated with Mrs Varma's Indian Sarees draped against walls, Balloons floating around and various South Indian sweet and savoury snacks piled high on plates, sit on tables pushed against walls.Despite the explosion of colours, the gathering is intimate with a few friends and family scattered around the room, mostly other Indians.It's an Annaprashana ( weaning ceremony), a South Indian tradition where the baby is fed food for the first time.In the middle of it all, on a rug on the floor, sits a loving couple, the VARMA's.
MR VARMA and MRS VARMA, late 20's, South Indian. They were wearing traditional clothes and on their laps was their seven month old daughter,ANJALI VARMA, for whom this celebration was being carried out.
ANJALI is dressed in a PATTULANGA (traditional silk south Indian clothing). She's smiling so wide, the whole room was cooing over the baby girl, like they really believed this age told tradition would seal her fate.
INT. AHN'S FAMILY APARTMENT - DAY
NOTE : ALL DIALOGUE SPOKEN IN THIS SCENE IS IN KOREAN AND SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH.
1998, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
The living room of the AHN's family apartment is filled with food, decorations and guests. It wasn't much but it was whatever the family could make do to celebrate the first birthday of the AHN's youngest son, TAEHYUN AHN.
TAEHYUN is dressed in a traditional DOLBOK, including a BOKGUN (a long tail black hat). His two older sisters, aged three and five, were running around dressed up in HANBOKS (Traditional Korean clothing). There's laughter and love in the air, much like the VARMA household.
We got back and forth between the two families in London and Seoul :
The two families on different sides of the world carry out various traditional rituals.
IN ENGLAND - ANJALI ON MR VARMA'S LAP, WHILE MRS VARMA FED ANJALI SOLID FOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME OUT OF A SMALL SILVER CUP.
IN KOREA - TAEHYUN'S LITTLE HAND HELD BY MR AHN, AS HE CUT HIS FISRT BIRTHDAY CAKE, EVERYONE'S CHEERING.
Other than the notion of celebration, there doesn't seem to be much in common.
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSE HOLD - DAY
ANJALI is set down by MR VARMA in a small circle of items, spaced apart.
There's HALDI and KUMKUM, a lump of CLAY,a STETHOSCOPE, some CASH,a PEN and a piece of JEWELLERY.
All the guests watch. JOUSHA 'Josh' KWON, an adorable South Korean British seven year old, tugs on MRS KWON's, early 30's, Joshua's mother, hand.
JOSH
Mum, whats happening?
JOSHUA whispers, half hiding behind his mother's leg. MRS VARMA overhears and smiles softly.
MRS VARMA
Anjali's telling us what her future might be by selecting one of the items on the ground, they each mean something. If she chooses a Stethescope she's destined to be a doctor, if she chooses the pen-
MRS KWON
A writer and if she chooses the cash, she'll always have lots of money.Like Doljabi, we did it for you as a baby.
MRS KWON finishes MRS VARMA's sentence and kneels to reach her sons level and hug him close, as they both watch ANJALI.
MRS VARMA
I didn't know you had a similar tradition.
MRS KWON
Neither did I, until now.
MRS KWON replies and they both share a smile. The Kwons had been the Varma's neighbours ever since they first moved into the small town.
INT. AHN'S FAMILY APARTMENT - DAY
NOTE : ALL DIALOGUE SPOKEN IN THIS SCENE IS IN KOREAN AND SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH.
TAEHYUN is set down by MRS AHN, in a circle of items. There's a BOWL OF RICE, a RED STRING, MONEY ,STETHOSCOPE, a TOY PIANO and a PEN.
Everyone watches in anticipation as the parents set the baby off to crawl towards one of the items. MRS AHNThis way, hyun-ah!MR and MRS AHN coo nicknames, endearingly encouraging their son. TAEHYUN crawls closer to the items, taking a moment to look around.
MR AHN
Come on, that's it.
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSE HOLD, ENGLAND - DAY
ANJALI starts to crawl, much to the room's anticipation. She seems to crawl towards the stethoscope, delighting MRS VARMA.
INT. AHN'S FAMILY APARTMENT - DAY
TAEHYUN seems to crawl towards the money.His little hand reaches out to make his choice.
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSEHOLD - DAY
ANJALI moves, changing direction towards the pen. She grabs onto the pen.She lets out the smallest giggle of joy in response to the cheer that erupted from the guests around her.
INT. AHN'S FAMILY APARTMENT - DAY
In what feels like the same moment, TAEHYUN's palm drops onto a toy piano.
Everyone cheers for the baby's choice.
MR AHN (IN KOREAN)
A musician, I knew it, I knew it.
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSEHOLD- DAY
It's not over yet.
ANJALI reaches out and grabs her parents, her palm tugging on the part of their clothes laying on the floor. The onlookers let out amused gasps and comments.
A FAMILY GUEST ( IN TELUGU)
Oh my, looks like this one is never letting either of you go.
INT. AHN'S FAMILY APARTMENT, SEOUL,SOUTH KOREA - DAY
TAEHYUN's small palm wraps around his parents clothes. A string of similar comments from amused onlookers echo in the room.
A FAMILY GUEST ( IN KOREAN)
Wow, wherever he goes, he's not going to let either of you go.
MRS AHN swoops Taehyun up, hugging him close to her. Delighted.
INT.THE VARMA'S HOUSE HOLD, ENGLAND - DAY
MR VARMA is overjoyed and he swoops ANJALI up into his arms and kisses her cheek.
MR VARMA (TELUGU)
That's my Anjali.
YOU ARE READING
New Romantics ( Script Pilot Preview)
RomanceAnjali Varma and Ahn Taehyun. One, an aspiring writer, eldest daughter of an Indian migrant household in England, the other a international superstar and Korean Idol, born in Seoul and never really seen a world outside of it until his groups' succes...
