The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (2018)

A long, long time ago,
Someone declared that all
men were born free and equal.
And that means all men.
And that means all women.
Everyone equal.
That would be one set
of rules for everyone.
A level playing field.
Life would be fair.
But even if that were true,
one micro-second
after we are born,
chance steps in.
Who your parents are,
your neighbourhood,
the family's net income,
your health,
your size,
your looks.
Once the tyranny of chance
starts laying down the law,
there is no more
level playing field.
Chance is everything.
Ultimately,
we play with the
hand it deals us.
This is the story of
Ajatashatru Lavash Patel.
And these are the cards
chance dealt him.
Judge Motwani is a bastard.
Son of a rat! Cockroach!
You all are idiots!
Who the hell are you?
What can you do to me?
Son of a dog! Worm from the toilet!
Manure pancake!
Garbage, scum!
Get out!
Are you here to beat
the shit out of us?
No.
That's what the other guy said.
And then, he beat all of us!
I'm here to tell a story.
A story?
Yes.
What kind of a story?
A tragedy.
A tragedy?
I think I prefer the beating.
Judge Sanjay Motwani
just sentenced you
to four years in
juvenile prison.
I think you have
time for a story.
May I?
I was born in Bombay,
in the small, small
area of Worli.
When I was young,
I knew nothing about
the rest of the world.
Nothing.
Siringh, why are the San
Continental sheets not ready?
You really need to
be quicker on this!
I am the only son of
a wonderful, loving,
very very hard working woman,
named Siringh Lavash Patel.
Four more loads have arrived!
You have to stay late tonight!
Siringh, bring out
the two loads...
Aja, you have to
keep out of trouble.
You can't keep doing this!
You can't keep getting
into trouble like this.
They will take you away.
I am a single mother.
Do you understand
what I'm saying?
They will take you away from me.
You can't keep getting into trouble
like this with your cousins.
You'll have to stop it.
If they send you to jail,
I will not go get you.
I will not!
Eat.
You are too skinny.
You have to be
strong if you want me
to take you with me
to Paris one day.
Eat.
Eat!
Come on, eat. You're too skinny.
Eat, Mohini.
Eat!
When I was very young,
my mother always denied the
fact that I ever had a father.
She claimed I was
some kind of miracle,
some kind of magic.
Thank you very much,
and you have...
Obviously,
I didn't believe her.
Tomorrow mangoes for you.
Okay, I'll come and
get it tomorrow.
Mama, is that him?
No.
Siringh,
I need the Maharaja Hotel
and Grand Presidency sheets.
Now! Quick!
Why is it always so long?
Hurry!
Mama,
is that him?
No!
Is that him?
No!
No, he is not!
Stop asking.
You cannot ask me this
question again and again!
You do not have a father.
So handsome.
My little man.
Now, let's repeat
the continents.
The continents are Europe...
Before school, my world
was very very small.
We had no TV and no Internet.
My whole world
stretched from my cousin
Bhatuk's house to my
cousin Bheem's house.
Nothing else existed for me.
So as I learn about
the rest of the world,
one of the most mind blowing
thing I discovered was that...
Mama!
I was poor.
Are we poor?
-No.
-We are!
How can you say we are not poor?
I've been to school now.
I know things.
We are very very poor.
We are rich because
we have one another.
But that does not make us rich.
We're going to need
to do some more tests.
This is very serious.
I'm sorry...
I understand.
And one day,
at the doctor's office,
I made an extraordinary
discovery.
#
But the colours are different.
-This one is the best.
-Wow.
And all the furniture
are very good name.
Just like Vinterdimma
collection,
or the Rostig Lordag collection,
or the Bergman
Bogart collection.
When I become very, very rich,
my bedroom will be the
Borgshot collection.
Mohini, in the living room,
we could have
Scotken coffee table.
My favourite collection is...
the Djup Somn collection,
Tradtoppar's special edition.
The Khoobsurut collection,
designed by Ajatashatru.
The Sundaryat collection,
designed by the
famous Ajatashatru.
And the Taranchalah Collection,
designed by the
extraordinary Ajatashatru.
Aja, stop doing that.
-Was that my father?
-No.
That year, two
things became clear.
One: I was poor.
And two: I no longer
wanted to be poor.
Excuse me.
Come on. Faster! Hurry up!
Here.
Hurry! Hurry!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
This is very heavy.
Come, come!
And see the famous Aja!
So, through the years,
we did all sorts of magic.
Magic show, magic show!
Levitation.
Your chance to watch
the incredible...
-Illusion -extraordinary, Aja!
Psychic surgery.
Hello my friends,
is this your first
time in India?
-Yes.
-Alright.
Is this your first
time in India?
-Yes.
-Nice.
-Is this your first time in India?
-Yeah.
More and more,
the magic show was just a
minor part of our activities.
-Is this all we have made?
-Yes.
Next time, 40%.
Not 40%!
This is my neighbourhood.
Hi.
Sorry I'm late,
I got stuck at work
and a big dinosaur...
Mom, I want you to eat,
the doctor says you must eat.
Aja...
Mom, you have to be strong
for me to take you to Paris.
We have no money to go to Paris.
Mom, I'm taking you to Paris.
Who will take care of Mohini?
Mom, Mohini is blessed,
you're not supposed
to take care of her.
She's supposed to
take care of you.
We're going to Paris, mom.
Tonight, you are eating.
Yes, Aja.
Then, before we
could go to Paris,
the bad news came.
What's wrong, Mohini?
Her heart...
Mom!
just stopped beating.
So, she never got
to go to Paris?
No.
Chance did not help me
out with that promise.
My father's name was
Pierre-Andre Martin.
He was French, from Paris.
He was a street
performer, like me.
My father wrote my mother
hundreds of beautiful
love letters.
One of his letter said that
if my mother's parents
ever agree to let
her to marry him,
she should come to Paris,
and go to the top
of the Eiffel Tower.
Every Sunday, he
would wait for her.
If he wasn't there,
she was to fold the
letter into a airplane
and throw it towards the city.
It would magically
take her to him.
I borrowed some
rupees from Giri.
We were going to Paris.
Go, you are free now.
Find another family.
Watch over me, Mohini!
Go!
With nothing more than
my mother's ashes,
a passport and a fake 100 Euro,
I flew hundreds
of miles to Paris,
in search of my father.
Is this your first
time in Paris?
Uh, yes.
That's perfect.
You want a taxi?
-That's why I...
-Please, follow me.
Where do you want to go first?
Some people want to
see the Eiffel Tower.
That's an obvious choice.
But some people
dream of Montmartre,
others go to the Louvre.
Some want to see
the Champs-Elysees.
Paris is the most beautiful
city in the world.
You will see it all
for the first time.
The Arc de Triomphe
for the first time.
The Jardin Du Luxembourg
for the first time.
This will be the most
beautiful day of your life.
You'll tell your children
and your grandchildren
about this day.
You are lucky man.
I don't know if there
is Uber in your country,
but in Paris, they are
killing the taxi industry.
They're stealing our jobs.
It's not right.
Uber is hell.
Now I have to work a
second job on the weekend.
So, what do you do?
Uber.
What is the government thinking?
And then I realized,
this man was stealing from me.
Gustave was a thief.
He was terrific.
Polite, lively conversation.
A very endearing personality.
I should have been
furious, but I was not,
because I realize that for
the first time in my life,
I, was the rich tourist.
Aja, do you have my
telephone number?
Yes, absolutely.
Here you go.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Gustave, it's an honour
and a privilege to have met you.
No, it's an honour is
for me to have met you.
-See you soon.
-See you soon.
Such a beautiful city.
And so many choices.
So, where did you
want to go first?
My favourite furniture store.
Hedar och Skogar.
Best love seat ever.
The extraordinary
Vinterdimma collection.
Dova Tidvatten,
cushion collection.
The elegant Sharton collection.
The Brandchat collection.
-Have you ever been in love?
-No.
You,
have you been in love?
I am 13 years old.
-He likes Naveena.
-No, I don't.
She is 16 years old
and he loves her.
Shut up, you dog!
-Don't swear at me.
-He doesn't like her?
Yes, he loves her!
Don't say that or I'll hit you.
Stop. Stp.
It's okay.
It doesn't matter if you're
in love with Naveena.
But I'm not in love with her!
Okay, okay.
Anyway...
Due to a unique
geomagnetic field,
love in Paris
is ten times stronger
than anywhere else.
For hundreds of
hundreds of years,
love in Paris has
inspired many books,
films, songs, poems, paintings.
Have you heard of this?
No.
What they teach you in school?
We don't go to school.
You don't go to school...
Honey, I'm so sorry,
I'm late from work.
It's just the traffic was crazy.
And I promised you dinner.
Please do not get mad at me.
I'll cook for you.
It'll be delicious.
Sorry, I really have to test
the living room
before buying them.
You see, living rooms are
not just about the designs
but about... how you feel
-when you enter them.
-Hm.
Okay...
Honey, I can't find
the keys to my car.
Have you found them?
Oh my God!
My boss is driving me nuts.
Is the pressure
getting to you, honey?
How could you do this to me?
With my own brother?
What? No, no! I am
not his brother.
Your brother and I are in love.
We are moving to Guatemala.
No...
Not Guatemala. Not Guatemala!
I'm pregnant.
What?
Because of Paris's
unique geomagnetic field,
Marie and I bonded
instantaneously.
Why would a beautiful
American girl
be interested in a
fakir from India?
I don't know.
But chance finally
seem to run my side.
That day,
Marie listened to me when
I told her all about India.
About the colours and sounds.
Dresses, tastes.
Its hundreds of languages.
Religions and customs.
About the immensity of Bombay
and the charm of my
small neighbourhood.
Only in the deepest
part of India.
I have to... go.
Since I left Chicago,
I worked at a really, really
boring U.S. consulting company.
It's called Wilson & Williams.
Why did you leave Chicago?
Well, I left with my
best friend, Rose.
My parents hate her. They
think she's a bad influence.
-Is she?
-No.
My parents blame
her for me leaving
my future husband at the altar.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
Okay. Um...
I want you to have this
newspaper clipping.
Why?
Because it's like a promise
that we see each other again.
Since it's... very,
very important to me.
I...
And... I'll have your pen.
How did you...
I'll see you tomorrow?
I don't know...
At the Eiffel Tower?
Seven o'clock?
Okay, but this is not a date.
-You don't date?
-No.
I don't date, ever.
Oh...
Here in Paris, we...
we usually do it on the cheeks.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay.
Uh... Huh...
I always thinking that maybe
I could become a lesbian.
Why?
Why not?
I mean you don't like
sleeping with women and...
From what I heard that's a pretty
big part of being a lesbian.
Well, I could learn to like it.
You know, I hated eating
broccoli when I was a kid.
Now, I eat broccoli
all the time.
And... It's such
a cool lifestyle.
Rose, you're 27 years old.
I think you would known by
now if you were a lesbian.
Hm, hum...
What?
-I may have... met someone.
-Oh my God!
-At last! Oh my God!
-Wait. Wait, wait, wait...
Is it a girl?
Since I had no money,
I chose to stay
there for the night.
Exhausted by my travels,
I quickly fell asleep.
Unfortunately,
I was mistaken.
Chance, was still
not on my side.
Not at all.
In the middle of the night,
out of the 2,000
pieces of furniture...
That one.
and 15 different wardrobes,
mine was the one
they had to pick.
Chance, was definitely
not on my side.
Where are we?
Where are we going?
We're heading to the
land of milk and honey.
Milk and honey?
-London.
-London?
Yes, where everything
grows in abundance,
where there are cars,
houses and jobs.
Beer. Lots of beer.
We don't drink beer.
We hate beer.
You all, illegal immigrants?
And you are not?
No, I am a tourist.
A tourist?
Travelling in a wardrobe?
Yes,
you are doing the
famous wardrobe tour.
Wardrobes have great leg room.
Yes,
I travelled to Bora Bora in
a business class wardrobe.
No. Really, I'm a tourist.
We're all tourists.
I have my passport. I'm from India.
See...
See.
Somalia.
Somalia.
We have been travelling
for 18 months.
We've been walking
for weeks and weeks.
Actually, in the beginning,
there were many more of us.
In Libya,
we've been attacked by bandits.
The smugglers sank our ship
two miles from
the Italian coast.
Only a few of us made
it to the Italian shore.
Then we crossed
the French border.
Now, it's only five of us left.
Why would you go
through all of this?
Our families has been
displaced by war.
We must send money to them.
They are starving.
Isn't it the same for you?
I am a tourist.
There is African
proverb, it says:
'He who swallows coconut (whole)
has faith in his buttock.'
I don't see the relevance.
No relevance.
I just love the proverb.
Why are we stopping?
-What's happening?
-Shh...
-Dog...
-What dog?
Let's run.
Border police.
I have my passport.
Never show your passport.
Go, go, go, go, go.
-Freeze!
-Police!
Police! Stop!
Bloody hell!
Mohini!
Mohini, aren't you
supposed to watch over me?
Go left! Go left!
I cannot go back.
Hey you, stop!
C'mon over here!
Okay, hold it right there!
Wait.
I am Ajatashatru Lavash Patel,
a famous fakir, from India.
Well, good for fucking you.
I'm going to make
my friend here...
disappear...
and reappear far away.
This I must see.
Right, Copperfield, where is he?
Oh, shit!
I'll get that one. You
look after the fakir.
Alright, sunshine.
No more funny business, okay?
-I said 'No more funny business.'
-Okay, okay.
Let's go.
Just this one, last one.
Put these back on.
Kinda like this?
No, no, no, no, no.
We need the documents ready.
Sir!
Sir, it's a mistake!
I am not part of
this group, sir!
I'm not in this group.
Sir, this man is right.
This man is telling the truth.
No one in this group
is part of this group.
Yes.
Sir, please, I have
to go back to Paris.
Houdini, come with me.
Sir!
-This yours?
-Yes.
What are you doing?
That's my passport!
It was a fake.
No! It wasn't!
You have talent: You
make people disappear.
I make fake fake
passports disappear.
But that's my passport!
Let's not dwell on
the past, should we?
What about this?
Real?
Fake? Fake, real, fake, real...
-False.
-Fake, yep.
Here... is your pen,
your photos
and the...
You can even keep this love
letter from your father.
Very well written.
Poignant.
He kept that shit real.
Now,
here is a map
of the world.
This...
is England.
There is no map.
Yes, yes. Usually
we have a map here.
Bear with me.
You are not allowed
here. Yes?
You,
not allowed
here.
Do you understand English?
We have been speaking English.
The question is
part of our protocol.
Yes!
Where do you...
you...
where
do you want to go?
Where?
-Paris!
-Ah, Pa... ri... s.
If we send you back to France,
you'll be right back here
next week with your
little hang dog face
and a brand new name
on a brand new fake passport.
But I don't want
to come to England.
Is it the weather?
No!
You lost. Gerald!
I'm going to ask you
to sign your statement.
But I've not made
any statement yet.
I know, I know.
Oh...
Oh, you are serious. Rights, okay...
Yep, go on then.
I admit that I stayed back
in the Swedish furniture store.
I was afraid they might
think I'm a thief.
I hid in a wardrobe.
But that was my only crime.
My mother is still
there, in a vase.
She is dead.
Then I met Marie.
You are not taking any notes!
No, no. I prefer my statement.
Let me let you in to a secret.
We have a charter plane...
booked for Spain,
but not a single illegal
here is actually from there.
Can... Can you please just
send me back to Paris?
Can I sing you the answer?
# I have a charter for Spain #
# And I need to
fill that plane #
# You are a persona non grata #
# You need to go to Barcelona #
# Once you're there #
# Please refrain #
# From coming back
by bus or train #
No, no, no, no, no.
That's not possible!
I have to go back to Paris.
# I'm gonna need
you to sing that #
What?
Sing it. We're singing!
# Marie's waiting at
the Eiffel Tower #
# It's not a date #
# But I will bring flowers #
# I'm begging you
for your empathy #
# Help me go back to... #
# Pa... ri... s #
# Your protests #
# Are in vain #
# You can visit Andalusia #
# Malaga, Seville, Segovia #
# Eat tapas with your best pal #
# Even play tennis with Nadal #
I don't play tennis.
This old man shakes his fan.
Send him to his native land.
These kids love churros.
Off they go to Burgos.
This beauty looks like Shakira.
People just love Barcelona.
Shakira is from Colombia.
Hips do not 'mentira' (lie).
She should go back to
'su casa' (her home).
How many times must I explain,
'You're all going to Spain!'
Papers?
Step aside.
Come on.
Papers.
No papers.
-Are you Spanish?
-No.
Anyone here from Spain?
Does anyone here actually have
any connection
whatsoever to Spain?
What about you?
I am British.
I am Swiss.
'Maigaru, fina buda.'
And we have arrived
in Barcelona,
there was a huge,
huge war going on
between Captain Smith
and Inspector Fernandez.
Respectfully, UK would not tolerate
its loss flouted by your migrants.
Respectfully, the Spanish kingdom
will not have your migrants...
You mistake...
We will not suffer
the consequences
of your lax approach
to border control.
-Stupid cow!
-Tu boogers!
We ended up as hostages
to this dispute.
We were prisoners.
Please tell me
you are calling...
Because you're feeling guilty
for having sex on
your first date,
which you insisted is
not an official date,
which remind you
most definitely is.
Unfortunately, not,
given that it's
impossible to have sex
with someone who
never showed up.
Technically, that's not true.
With apps like Snapchat,
you can send really
hot pictures of your...
Rose.
And then he warps it out and
takes a picture of his...
Rose!
You messed up.
Why?
It's like your aborted marriage.
Don't go there.
Yes, yes, I'm...
I'm going there.
Don't go there.
Too late, I'm already there.
You over think things,
you complicate everything.
You're a stick-in-the-mud.
Ever since the marriage fiasco,
you've become the most
boring person in the world.
I mean, relax!
Live a little. You're in
Paris, for Christ's sake!
Okay.
You should become
a lesbian, like me.
You're not lesbian.
Yes, I am.
It's all about the
life style, Marie.
I'll think about it.
Excuse me, I'm sorry. Um...
Can I ask you something?
My phone just died.
Is this the...
the way to the
Trocadero metro station?
-Ah, yeah.
-Yeah?
Ah, thank you, that's great.
Yeah, just that way.
-Where are you from?
-America.
Look at them.
How's life fair?
How can it be that
the same people
always get all the
chances in life?
There is no such
thing as chance.
Karma is everything.
Karma is the fate we deserve.
I must have been a real
ass hole in another life.
Karma.
The media didn't
cover the story.
No one seemed to care.
We were stuck.
So, what did you do, dude?
I worked on my karma...
So I could get back to Paris.
Your name. Which
one is your name?
There are 4 different names.
Thank you, everyone.
Aw, I need some new ideas
for our cosmetics market.
And, as of Monday,
Marie will be our new V.P.
Marketing.
Congratulations.
Some more cheese.
That is... way too much.
-Yeah, but eh, we are celebrating.
-Yeah.
So, yes...
-Cheers.
-Cheers.
To your well-deserved
promotion, and...
And?
And, I decided to move to
Paris on a permanent basis.
Wow! Um...
Permanent... Wow.
That's great. That's so...
That's great.
Peter's moving to Paris.
That's great.
Yeah. Yeah, it's great.
He is... He's great.
Rose, my life is perfect.
It's absolutely perfect.
Did you know that
he carried me in his arms
for several blocks
because I hurt my foot?
And then, he proceeded
to massage my foot
with a god-like healing touch.
And,
whenever we go to a restaurant,
He speaks to the waiter
in their native tongue.
Can we talk about this tomorrow?
Yep.
I think I may not be a lesbian.
Karma.
It works
every time.
In that confined space,
I felt the uncontrollable
urge to write
the story of Master Deva.
A very wise and wonderful man
I met when I ended up in jail.
You've been to jail?
Yes, my dost (my friend).
And I was even younger than you.
I was confined in a tiny cell,
with no bed and no window.
Bastard!
You'll go to hell!
Your mother must be stupid
to have you this garbage!
You're dirt!
You sewage rat.
You swine!
You cockroach!
You jerk! Get me out of here!
I want to go home.
After couple of weeks,
I was driven crazy by hunger,
solitude
and the fact I thought my mother
would never want
to see me again.
No...!!!
Please help me, God!
Please!
When they put a child
like me in jail...
I wonder what is fate
of other children.
How long are you in for?
I don't know.
I don't even have a window.
I have a window.
I could tell you what I see.
Children are playing with
a ball in the street.
That's market day.
Traders are setting up stalls.
A woman is sunbathing
in the balcony.
A mother is taking water
to the children who are playing.
They are fighting who
gets to drink first.
The boys and girls are playing
cricket with sticks and...
I hear music in the distance...
making a mess all around!
There is a young man
with a light beard
with bright clever eyes.
He's in love.
Can you hear that bird singing?
What does it look like?
Blue, red and yellow feathers.
His eyes are like tiny olives.
You are getting out now.
Master Deva?
I'm getting out now.
For the longest of time,
I thought I would never
meet Master Deva again.
Mama!
Soon,
I was back on the streets,
with my cousins.
Aja?
Master Deva?
Aja, is that you?
You're blind?
Yes, I am blind. But
it doesn't matter...
His eyes couldn't see,
but it didn't prevent him from
seeing with his imagination.
Out of the darkest
moment of my life,
Master Deva created the
most beautiful lesson.
Did you tell
Alfredo I was upset?
Yes, I told him you
were very, very...
very upset. Yes.
Does he know I'm waiting
for him in Paris?
-Yes.
-Yes.
The re-shoot is only one day.
That's a lie.
Well, he promised,
just one day.
Yet, and Matthew calls
and sent you three emails
and twenty-two texts.
Well, may be next
time he won't forget
to thank me at
the Golden Globes.
Okay.
Um, and then there is Mr. Burton
he needs to know if you
read the fairy tale script
and if you would consider
playing the role...
of the... witch.
A witch.
-Yes.
-Yes.
-The witch.
-The witch.
Everyone out!
I hate Rome.
You don't need a gun.
Why are you half
naked in my trunk?
I had only my shirt to write on.
I couldn't get it back on.
I'm sorry.
You're a writer?
Yes.
I had no paper.
Papers for the bettor.
You're refugee?
Yes.
I'm a refugee.
Aja, this is so touching.
Thank you.
I was... I was
overwhelmed by your story,
but it also helped me to
understand a great deal.
I sometimes feel blind,
just like your character.
Excuse me.
Good evening, Nelly.
My God, you are beautiful.
Beautiful, as always.
-Alfredo, the director is an idiot.
-No, no, no, no.
Nelly, Michael Zhudovski
is not an idiot, c'mon.
He is an idiot.
Yes, he's an idiot, but...
Nelly, we have to
finish this movie.
If we don't finish
this movie, I'm ruined.
Please, help me.
The director is an idiot, but...
Come have dinner, and we go out,
have a drink, just you and me.
We are divorced, Alfredo.
You divorced me!
Nelly, please.
We just need five
days of re-shoots.
No!
I can't believe it. He
is too young for you.
He's a writer
and an artist.
He wrote his latest
work on his shirt.
Like the ancient Sufi poets.
On his shirt?
He didn't have any paper.
Isn't that a grand
artistic gesture?
He took his shirt off his back
to write a story.
Why would anyone do that?
It's art.
Art?
Yes, art.
Nelly, that's not art.
Giancarlo wants to buy it.
Why are you talking
to Giancarlo?
What is it with Giancarlo?
He called me.
Why does he call you?
He called.
-Giancarlo wants to buy that?
-Yes.
-How much?
-I can't say.
How much is he paying
for the damn shirt?
Alfredo...
How much?
50,000 Euro for a shirt?
Well.
Let's get someone to
send you up some clothes.
Is your first time to Paris?
No, I lived here for 2 years.
Please, tell me anything,
anything I might do
to make your trip
more enjoyable.
Something you want
to talk about,
something you want to know?
I have special gift.
I can read your future.
-While you're driving?
-Yeah.
Some people read the
future in tea leaves,
I read the future in traffic.
What do you see?
Right now, I see
a troubled past.
Two years ago, I really
messed up my life.
And now, I'm with a
man who's really nice.
I mean...
To be honest, I don't even
think it could get better.
He is creative,
and he is handsome,
and he is gentle...
He's planting flowers
all over Paris.
And now he is
moving here for me.
I got a lot of traffic here.
And what does that mean?
There is someone else.
No, there's no one.
Traffic doesn't lie.
So, all you've done with this
young woman is share a kiss?
I agree doesn't sound
like much, but...
I can't stop thinking about her.
You're in love.
Yes, I guess I'm in love.
Why did you divorce Alfredo?
The question should be
'Why did I ever marry him?'
Why did you ever marry him?
He was very handsome, exciting,
charming,
powerful, rich...
suave and dangerous.
Italian men can be very...
Then he changed?
Not at all.
That's why I divorced him.
Here!
I love this place.
It moves me how
those coins represent
the wishes and dreams
of hundreds of people.
I love that.
A constellation of
hopes and dreams.
Okay, make a wish.
I wish for money.
Throwing away money seems
very counter-productive.
Okay.
-Yes!
-Huh, huh.
Okay, my turn.
I wish... Thomas Gregoire
could forgive me.
Who's that?
Thomas Gregoire.
He was the love of my life,
a long, long time ago.
Even now, not one day passes by
that I don't think of him.
What happened?
I became famous.
I had an affair.
He found out in the newspapers.
It was on the front page of
every single newspaper
on the planet.
And the reconciliation has
to be just as spectacular.
-What's your name?
-What?
What's your name?
Aja!
Ajatashatru Lavash Patel.
Are you and Nelly together?
No. She's in love with the
finest man in the world,
Thomas Gregoire.
I want that shirt!
No, Alfredo.
You don't appreciate art.
How can you say I
don't appreciate art?
I appreciate art!
We promised Giancarlo.
Why Giancarlo?
Why always Giancarlo!?
Why Giancarlo?
So, how much are you offering?
100,000 Euros.
Cash.
Thomas Gregoire.
-Hi.
-Hi.
He called.
Thomas called.
How's everything?
Very good.
Very good.
I heard Nelly's in town.
'You heard'?
Huh, maybe, we could
all have a drink?
Of course, of course.
Please call me...
or Nelly.
You... you...
talked to her sometime?
I mean, you called her?
Nelly?
No.
I'm sorry for the shirt.
What shirt?
The shirt-story.
I bought the shirt.
What the hell are
you talking about?
I have to go.
Alfredo.
Give me back the money.
I said, 'Give me
back the money!'
Okay, okay.
Mohini, where do I go?
-Hey, svelto (careful).
-Ciao, Francisco.
I floated over Rome,
towards Paris.
I even had provisions.
I had time to dream
about the terrific life
I would have with the
money I had earned.
Life was good.
I travelled for hours and hours.
It was beautiful.
The winds seemed to be perfect.
I am a rich man!
I am a rich man...
and I am about to die.
Hello, this is the Indian
Secretary of Commerce.
I need to talk to Marie.
-She is not in today, sir.
-It's an emergency.
Hello.
Marie?
Marie's in a shower.
This is Ajatashatru.
You stood her up at
the Eiffel Tower.
No...
Yes, but... Can I
leave a message?
-Eh, yeah.
-Okay.
I'm very, very sorry
for missing you at the Eiffel Tower.
Extraordinary circumstances
made things difficult.
I think, I may never
be able to call her.
Ever.
I know we met only once...
but our kiss was inspiring.
Please tell her...
Is she out of the shower?
-Uh, no.
-Okay.
Please tell her if she
never hears again from me...
that...
that I love her.
Yes.
I will always, always,
always love her.
I love her!
She met someone else.
And yesterday, they decided
to move in together.
Can I change my message?
Sure.
No message.
Aja, your life is a mess.
You need to sort yourself
and hurry back to Paris!
Listen to your mother, for once.
I know.
Just when my life seems to
be getting back on track,
just when I get some money
that might help me
live a decent life,
just when love seems
to be possible...
I am doomed to die
an awful death.
What kind of karma is that?
Stop blaming your karma,
and take responsibility
for your life!
What do you mean?
You are in control of your life,
not chance, or karma.
Now, tell me.
What is in the briefcase?
It's a long story.
I have all the time.
I'm just trying to get to Paris.
Paris.
You won't be there anytime soon.
We are going to Libya.
-Libya?
-Yes.
And, what so precious
in that briefcase that
you won't let it go?
It's just some...
some...
personal accessories.
Of course.
Open it.
Why? It's just some...
Open the briefcase.
What's with all the guns!
Indian,
open the briefcase!
Okay.
At that very moment,
I summoned all my magical powers
to make the money invisible.
Open the briefcase!
Libya had become the place
that it seemed all
refugees ended up
at one point or another.
Aja.
Aja!
What are you doing
in Africa, man?
What are you doing here?
Unfortunately,
they don't want me
in the land of the
milk and honey.
But I want to thank you.
I need your help.
There were several
clandestine refugee camps.
All people in transit.
I knew where the money was.
So I asked Wiraj
if they could help me
get my briefcase back.
That was my money.
I had earned it.
There was no way I
would left the thief
steal my earnings.
I know exactly
where my money is.
Okay, but everyone, no violence.
Understood?
Faysal,
no violence.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I want to go back to my wife.
How does someone as
ugly as you get a wife?
She doesn't care
about the looks.
The hippo,
is as pretty as the gazelle,
in the eyes of his wife.
You can tell he's scared.
Raise it!
This moron thinks
he can bluff me!
Shut up and put the money on the table!
The money!
Look at this!
What are you doing?
-Too violent?
-Yes.
Sorry.
Good evening, Aja.
Unfortunately,
tonight I'm in a
very, very bad mood.
Perfect. Let's go.
So,
how much do I owe
you, and others?
How much is in the briefcase?
-2,000 Euros.
-2,000 Euros?
Well, as you know,
we're all in transit.
Many are running from the war.
Okay...
How much?
Whitman, lost his wife,
two years ago, in Mali.
Okay...
How much?
This side, Aziz,
must get to Germany to
find his twin brother.
Okay...
So, how... how much?
Emel, there, Emel.
She was attacked by
soldiers during the war.
A friend of her is in
Brussels owns bakery.
So she has a job waiting for her
only if she can get there.
Everyone of them has a dream.
I understand.
Give... what feels right.
A few of my brothers and sisters
helped me last night.
Anyone with a hope or a dream,
please stand in line.
I may be able to help you.
What is your wish?
To have a boat...
so I can go fish
at the sea to...
to earn money for my family.
That seems very reasonable.
Buy your boat.
Feed your family.
Look!
Tell me.
I need a plane
ticket to Brussels.
I want to learn how
to make chocolate.
There you go.
Thank you.
-Good luck.
-Thank you.
And then, it happened.
I couldn't stop.
I was overcome by a
feeling of well-being,
as if a lady in the
clear vapour cloud
had appeared inside my chest
and was spreading
throughout my body.
In front of all these refugees,
I succeeded in creating my
greatest magic trick, ever.
How is that?
I transformed 2,000 Euros
into a never ending
flow of money.
People went back
to their villages,
and everyone told the story
of Ajatashatru Lavash Patel.
Right then, I understood
what I really wanted.
I wanted to come home to India.
I had just enough money
to buy my plane ticket
and a real fake passport.
But first, I had one last
important thing to do.
It's nice meeting you Aja.
Likewise. Take care, man.
Safe trip.
Go, quick!
My money!
Honey, I'm sorry.
I'm late. Traffic was terrible.
Goddamit, I slaved
away all day at work,
is it really too much to
ask for dinner to be ready?
It's lovely to see you.
It's lovely to see you too.
Marie,
I found the deck chair.
Oh, great.
Pieter, this is Aja.
Aja, this is Pieter.
Hi.
Hi.
I'll see you soon.
Yeah.
54 Euros, please.
This is a good deal
for a fabulous mother.
Thank you.
It was only after this
very difficult journey
that I realized what
I wanted in life.
Mohini!
You're still here.
How are you? Wait...
Welcome home, Aja.
Eventually, I succeeding in
reaching a deal with Giri
to pay back the money he
believed I still owed him.
Then I started teaching.
Each morning, these kids show up
and I tell them stories.
And I make sure their
world becomes a bit bigger
and they understand
they are not poor.
Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet, writes,
'How can you cross the sea
by merely standing
and staring at it?'
What...
Well...
You guys, just think
what he means by that.
I'm sorry...
-if I'm disturbing you.
-No, no.
I did promise.
Did you leave your fiance
at the altar again?
Maybe I shouldn't have come.
Go back to your seats. Now!
Go!
And that is the
end of the story.
Any questions?
What's a lesbian?
Someone who loves a woman.
So I can be a lesbian?
Well...
Yes.
Why did you say at the beginning
that your story was a tragedy?
You're going to
prison for four years.
That... is a terrible tragedy.
You are going to lose
four of the best
years of your life.
Unless...
you seize this opportunity.
What opportunity?
If you come to my
school every day,
you don't have to go to prison.
Really?
Really.
-Yes!
-Yes?
-Yes.
-Yes?
Yeah.
Every day.
-Every day.
-Every day.
Every day.
Every day.
Thank you, Aja.
Aja,
what about your mother?
Thank you so much for asking.
My mother is where she
always wanted to be.
Was that a true story?
Only the important parts.