INT. HOUSE - TERRACE -Morning

Raghav (42) is a man who dressup like the local god called 'Muthappan' and performs in front of the crowd. He is sitting on the terrace with his three friends and drinking alcohol.

Raghav pours his drink. Friend #1 looks at Raghav.

Friend #1
"Do drink too much. You have to perform today."

Raghav nods.

Raghav
"I have been performing since the past 12 years. No alcohol never has an effect on me when I wear the costume."

Raghav drinks.

Friend #1 moves the bottle away from Raghav. He keeps the bottle behind him.

Raghav
"Hey! Give me the bottle."

Friend #1
"It's enough for today."

Raghav (angrily)
"How dare you touch the bottle."

Friend #2 looks at Friend #1.

Friend #2
"C'mon man, give back the bottle."

Friend #1
"You don't know the seriousness of what he is doing. Pride has got in his head and that is bad."

Raghav snatches the bottle from Friend #1 and he make a drink for himself.

CUT TO:-

INT. TEMPLE - EVENING

There is a big open ground in front of the temple. People are gathered around the ground in circle.

Raghav dressed as the deity walks out of the temple doors with a sword in his right hand and a bow in his left. There are three men playing 'chenda'. An old man (poojari) is standing to th right of the temple. A man with his chest and stomach covered in sandalwood paste (madayan) is performing in front of the Raghav.

The music of cheda with mumbled prayers by Raghav creates a divine aurora across the people who are witnessing it. People gathered around rise up from their seats and bows down to the deity.

After a few minutes of performance, the deity is supposed to run towards the front and they run back to the temple. Raghav starts running towards the front, but he stumbles and fall down.

The crowd looks at him. The men playing chenda stops playing it. Everyone looks at Raghav who is struggling to get back on his feet.

The committee members (5 people) of the temple who were standing in front of the crowd enters the area where raghav was performing.

Committee member #1
"What happened?"

Committee member #2
"Don't know."

Committee member #3 and #4 grab the hands of Raghav and helps him get up.

Raghav gets up on his feet, but is unable to stand steadily.

Madayan grabs a stool and places it in front of Raghav.

Madayan
"Sir here."

The committee members help Raghav sit on the stool.

Committee member #5 brings a bottle of water. He gives the bottle to Raghav.

Raghav drinks the water.

Committee member #5 goes back and stand next to committee member #2 and #1.

Committee member #5
"He's drunk."

Committee member #2
"It's over. We can't continue this program."

Committee member #5 and #1 furiously walks away. The crowd are still confused. They are trying to figure out what has happened.

Raghav looks at the men surrounding him.

Raghav
"Sorry."

Raghav cont'd
"I'm sorry."

Raghav tried to get back on his feet. The people around him help him walk to the dressing room.

INT. DRESSING ROOM

Raghav comes to the room. The people who helped him get here close the door and wait outside.

Raghav sits in front of the mirror.  He looks at his reflection in the mirror. He see his eyes has turned red and is filled with tears.

Raghav uses a white cloth and wipes the makeup off his face. Raghav is not looking at the mirror. But in the mirror, the reflection of   Raghav can been seen staring at the real  Raghav. The reflection is seen in full make up with the left portion of his crown turned maroon and black.

Raghav removes the crown and cleans his face. He looks at the mirror and see his reflection in full make up. Raghav is in shock. He shakes his head and looks again and everything becomes normal.

Raghav hear the people knocking at the door.

People (from outside)
"Did you fell asleep?"

Raghav
"I'm coming...give me a minute."

Raghav removes his performance dress and wear his shirt and pant. Raghav opens the door.

EXT. DRESSING ROOM

Raghav see the committee members and his co-performers standing outside the room.

Committee member #1
"Pay back the advance and leave."

Raghav
"Don't worry. We'll perform it again."

Committee member #1 joins his hand.

Committee member #1
"You have already ruined enough! Please leave."

Raghav and his team of performers leave the temple. They leave the temple with their heads down as they couldn't face the devotees present in the temple.

INT. RAGHAV's HOUSE - MORNING

Raghav comes to his house. He sit at the veranda.His wife comes to know about what happened at the temple.

Wife (shouts)
"How many times did I and all your friends have warned you about your drinking habits?"

Wife cont'd
"What you are doing is not just an art, it's divine. It has some divinity in it. You should respect it."

Raghav (shouts back)
"Will you just keep your mouth shut."

Wife
"Yeah I'll keep quiet. But, what about you ? Who will call you for performing?"

Wife cont'd
"Everyone in this city must have already known what happened at the temple."

Raghav storms out of the house.

ROAD

Raghav is sitting on the roadside bench. Friend #1 comes to him. He sit next to Raghav.

Friend #1
"Hey! Leave it man. Forget about it."

Raghav looks at him.

Raghav
"How can I forget that humiliation."

Friend #1
"It happens. You made a mistake and that's it."

Friend #1 cont'd
"You have to perform tomorrow, right ?"

Raghav nods.

Friend #1
"Then why are you wasting your time ? Practice more and show the people that you are the best."

Raghav nods.

INT. DRESSING ROOM -NOON

Raghav is lying on the floor. A man is sitting near his head. He is applying makeup to Raghav's face. After finishing the make up the man takes a mirror. He gives the mirror to Raghav.

Raghav looks himself in the mirror. He see few patches of skin where the man has forgotten to apply the makeup.

Raghav (pointing at the patches)
"You have missed this spot."

The man looks at Raghav's face. He see no mistakes.

Man
"Look carefully, it's all good."

Raghav looks again and he see the spot again.

Raghav (pointing at the patches)
"Here...look here."

Man gets irritated.

Man
"Are you drunk?"

Raghav looks at him angrily.

Raghav blows at the man's face.

Raghav
"Am I drunk?"

Raghav see a performer walking. Raghav calls him.

Raghav (pointing at the patches)
"Hey! Do you see this spot? There is no makeup here, right?"

Performer smirks.

Performer
"It's all good."

Performer cont'd
"Don't scre up like last time."

Performer walks aways. Raghav keeps the mirror on the floor. He looks tensed. He thinks there is something wrong with his eyes.

Performer #2 enters the room.

Performer #2
"Get ready. We need to start in 30 mins."

Raghav nods.

INT. TEMPLE - GROUND

There is a huge tree to the left of the temple.
Raghav dressed up like the deity comes out in front of the crowd.  He see the devotees standing around him. He could hear the laughs of few, but ignores it.

With a loud shout of prayer, Raghav starts his performance and successfully completes it.

INT. DRESSING ROOM

After his performance, Raghav comes back to the dressing room. He removes the crown and see dead flowers in it.

Raghav (shouts)
"What is this ?"

The man who applied makeup to Raghav and the other performers comes to him. The see Raghav furiously holding the crown.

Raghav shows the crown to them.

Raghav
"How can you put dead flowers in the crown?"

Raghav cont'd
"Don't you have any sense ?"

Man grabs the crown from Raghav's hand. He checks the crown and see dry leaves on it. He picks out the dry leaves and throws it on the floor.

Man
"These are just leaves. They must have fallen from the tree."

Raghav takes back the crown. He check the crown and he couldn't find any dead flowers. He looks at the ground and see dry leaves on the ground. He gets confused. He keeps the crown on the table and removes his make-up.

INT. RAGHAV's HOUSE - NIGHT

Raghav is lying on the bed. His wife is sleeping next to him. The time is 1:30am and Raghav is still awake. He is thinking about the crown incident which happened earlier today.

Raghav (thinking)
"Is something wrong with my eyes ....."

DREAM SEQUENCE

INT. A FOREST -MID NIGHT

Raghav is standing at the center of the forest. He is surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. He hear footsteps from across the bushes. He slowly walks towards the bushes only to see the sword he use in his performance lying on the ground. He bends down to pick up the sword. He see two feet with yellow sandal paste on it. He slowly raise his head to take a look at the figure that was standing in front of him. He see the himself standing in front of him dressed as the deity. Raghav stares at the figure in shock. He see blood gushing out of the crown and covering the figure's face.

DREAM ENDS

INT. RAGHAV's HOUSE - BEDROOM

Raghav wakes up screaming. His wife wakes up hearing him scream. Wife turns on the light. She looks at Raghav, who is sitting on the bed. He is sweating and breathing heavily.

Wife
"What happened?"

Raghav looks at his wife. He don't know how to explain these things happening with him.

Raghav
"Nothing. Sorry."

Wife
"Are you alright?"

Raghav
"Yes."

Raghav takes the jug kept on the table. He drinks water and lie down on the bed.

INT. AN ASTROLOGER's HOUSE

Raghav is sitting in front of the Astrologer.

Astrologer
"Your are having a bad time. You have been cursed."

Raghav
"By who?"

Astrologer
"Some things that is far more powerful than I know."

Raghav
"Is there any solution to it ? How can I fix this?"

Astrologer
"That power demands your death. But, the same can be avoided."

Astrologer cont'd
"But you need to stop performing."

Raghav
"That's....that's not gonna happen. Isn't there any other solution?"

Astrologer
"That is the only way you can protect yourself from death. Death is around you."

Raghav nods.

Raghav
"Okay. I'll quit."

Raghav makes payment to the astrologer and leaves the house.

INT. RAGHAV'S HOUSE - MORNING

Raghav sits on the veranda. His wife comes out with a glass of lime juice. She gives it to Raghav.

Wife
"What did he say?"

Raghav
"I have to quit performing.'

Wife
"Why?"

Raghav
"Someone has cursed me and if I don't quit performing, I'll die."

Wife nods.

Wife
"That's okay. You can work in my brother's shop."

Wife cont'd
"We can make a living out of it."

Raghav nods.

Raghav drinks the juice and gives the glass to his wife. Raghav enters the house. He walk in front of a mirror and his reflection shows him dressed as a deity.

Few hours later, the man who dresses like madayan in Raghav's group comes to his house. The man sits in the veranda. Raghav comes out.

The man
"Is it true that you have quit performing?"

Raghav nods.

The man
"Why ? Is that because of that issue ?"

The man cont'd
"Forget about it man. Your last performance was good."

Raghav don't want others to know that he is been having strange visions recently. So he lies to him.

Raghav
"No. Actually.... I don't feel like continuing it."

Raghav cont'd
"Now I need a proper job. Got a family to feed."

The man nods.

INT. BROTHER-IN-LAW's GENERAL & GROCERY STORE - MORNING

As his wife said, Raghav decides to work with his brother-in-law. He comes to the shop. He see his brother sitting at the counter. A lady has come to the shop.

Raghav enters the shop. He looks at his brother witha a smile.

Brother-in-law
"Raghav! You are here."

Brother-in-law cont'd
"Do you mind attending the customers ?"

Raghav
"No..no."

Raghav goes to the other side of the table. He helps the lady with her order. The lady gives a list to Raghav. Raghav takes the items as per the list and bills it. He gives the bag to the lady.

Raghav (pointing at his brother-in-law)
"Pay there."

Brother-in-law looks at Raghav. He hear him asking the lady to make payment to him.

Brother-in-law
"Raghav, you take the cash."

Raghav nods. He takes the cash from lady. The lady leaves the shop.

Brother-in-law comes to Raghav.

Brother-in-law
"You are not a helper. Your job is to sit at the counter and take cash."

Raghav nods.

Life has started becoming normal for Raghav. It's been a month since Raghav joined the shop. He is working really hard.
Though he is still having those visions, life has become more peaceful. Raghav could sometimes see himself dressed as the deity in the mirror reflections. But he has started ignoring them.