Week 4 Story: Viradha Returns Screenplay

Viradha Returns Screenplay

Friday - 9:00pm - Dandakaranya Forest

Four friends in the rakshasa club arrive at their camping site in the Dandakaranya Forest and begin setting up their camera equipment in hopes of spotting a rakshasa in person. 

Peter

Are you sure this is safe?

Mark

Dude, quit worrying, we'll be fine. 

We probably won't even see any.

Roger

Wow, Mark, you're starting to sound like an unbeliever. 

There has been so much rakshasa activity lately. 

I'm not leaving until we get the footage we came for. 

Carl

Guys, Peter is right. We have to be cautious. 

All we know is that four people have 

gone missing in this forest in the past few months. 

As much as I hope rakshasas are responsible, 

for all we know there could be a serial killer on the loose, 

and we could be his next victims.

Roger

Well, considering a rakshasa is 

basically a magical serial killer, 

I'll be fine with either. 

Both will make for some cool footage for our blog. 

With all their equipment set up, the four friends go to sleep in their tents. Peter is on the first shift of watch duty. 

Saturday - 1:24am

*Loud roar in the distance*. The ground shakes like an earthquake, rattling the leaves on the trees. The sound jolts Mark, Roger, and Carl awake and they come out of their tents. 

Peter

(Shouting with a shaky voice) Guys! Did you hear that?!

Mark

Of course we heard it! 

That definitely sounded non-human.

So much for your serial killer theory, Carl.

Dude, this is awesome! Rakshasas here we come!

We're going to get some awesome footage.

Let's go, I'll grab the camera!

Carl

Slow down, Mark. 

If that was actually a rakshasa, 

it sounds pretty aggravated...

Roger

I'll grab the hunting gear to be safe. 

This is what we came for. 

We're going to find ourselves a rakshasa.

The four friends set out deeper into the Dandakaranya Forest with hunting gear and camera equipment in hand. As they are walking, they hear something rustling in the trees surrounding them.

Carl

Was that a-

Roger

-SHHHH!

They stand frozen for a few moments, waiting for the creature to make another movement. Suddenly, the creature jumps out of the trees and onto path in front of them.

All

(Screams)

Peter

Wait, that's just a deer.

Carl

Man, we didn't come here to 

see Snow White's forest friends.

Mark

Guys, why is that deer just staring at us?

I thought deer were scared of people.

And why is it...glowing?

(Glowing Deer, Source: Pinterest)

Roger

This could be a trap. 
Don't you remember in the Ramayana when 
the rakshasa, Maricha, pretended to be 
a deer to lure Rama away from Sita?

The deer takes off from the path, galloping gracefully into the woods. The figure disappears, but the four friends can still see the glowing light emitted by the deer. 

Carl

(Shouting urgently) We have to follow it! 

This is our best shot at finding a rakshasa!

Peter

I'm not sure that's-

Before Peter could finish his sentence, Carl took off running after the deer. 

Mark

Carl, stop!!

Roger

Come on, we have to go after him! 

We can't leave him alone out here!

Carl, Peter, and Roger run after Carl and the deer. After running for a while, they can no longer see Carl nor the light from the deer. They stop running suddenly when they hear the same earth-shaking roar from earlier, except this time it sounded much closer.

Carl

(Out of sight. Screaming at the top of his lungs) 

HELP ME!! GUYS! HELP!

Peter

(Shouting) Carl! Where are you?!

The friends hear Carl scream again, but this time his scream was cut short by the roar. The light from the deer reappears in the distance.

Mark

Follow the light, it will lead us to Carl!

The three of them sprint after the deer to save Carl. The forest is so dark, they can barely see in front of them. Suddenly, the ground disappears beneath them as they are sprinting and they tumble into a pit.

Peter

(Groaning) Ouch. What just happened?

Is this where Carl's voice came from?

Why are there so many bones 
and human clothes down here...

Mark

(Turns around. Screams) That's a rakshasa! 
He must have already eaten Carl!

Roger pulls a hunting knife out and plunges it into the rakshasa's chest. The rakshasa laughs, pulls the knife out, then throws it in the pile of remains.

Roger

 This isn't just any rakshasa, 
this must be Viradha! 
He can't be killed by weapons!

Peter

Please, Viradha, don't kill us! We-

Before Peter could even finish pleading for their lives, Viradha swoops all three of them up with his arm and engulfs them whole, spitting out their bones and clothes into his pile. 

Sunday - 11:30am

The three friends died thinking Carl was already dead, but the rakshasas tricked them. Carl scours the forest looking for his friends. He stumbles across the pit and peers over the edge to see Viradha sitting inside. Carl gets out the camera equipment and starts recording.

(Viradha holding Sita, Source: Blogspot)

Carl

(Camera recording Carl's face) 
Alright everyone, important update: 
It's been about ten hours since 
I've seen Peter, Mark, and Roger.
I had no success following the deer, 
but while looking for the others, 
I found this giant pit with 
a live rakshasa in it! 
*Flips camera around to film rakshasa*
This is a major discovery. 
The rest of the 
rakshasa club back home 
is going to be so jealous. 

Roger
(voice only) Carl! Please help us!

Carl whips the camera around to look for Roger, but all he can see is the same glowing deer charging towards him. Carl drops the camera and tries to move out of the way, but the deer is too fast and rams Carl over the edge and into the pit, where Viradha consumes Carl.

Maricha

*deer sounds*

Viradha

Maricha, I can't understand you,

 you're still in deer form.

Maricha 

(Shifts into rakshasa form)

I said you better save 

me some this time. 

You've hogged the last 

seven people we've tricked 

and I'm starving.

This is a team effort, 

I deserve some too.

Viradha

Don't worry, we'll have 
plenty more to munch on.
These silly humans fall for it every time.

End of Film

Author's Note: The Dandakaranya Forest is traditionally where the rakshasa Viradha lived. This story was set in the same region. In the Ramayana, Rama cast Viradha into a pit, where Viradha died, but in this story Viradha was still alive in the same pit and in rakshasa form. Viradha has the same characteristics here as when Rama encounters him, including being immune to all weapons. The deer is also seen in Ramayana when Maricha shape shifts into a golden deer to lure Rama into the forest away from Sita. In the Ramayana, the rakshasa had the ability to mimic Rama's voice to trick Sita and Lakshmana into thinking Rama was in trouble. The rakshasa did the same thing in this story by using Carl's voice to trick the others, and Roger's voice to trick Carl. 

Story Sources:

Viradha:  The Ramayana, translated by Manmatha Nath Dutt (1891 and following).

The Golden Deer: The prose portion comes from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913), and the verse portion comes from Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India, condensed into English verse by Romesh Dutt (1899).