Mumu Shelly - What it means to love! (An alternate ending)

The below events transpire towards the end of the movie, after the 39th minute, as Shelly is trying to chop the vegetables for the pulao and Mumu is trying to convince her that American lifestyle and the content shown in American TV shows has made Mishti gay. 

‘Haan Haan! America hi toh hai sabki problem.’ Shelly shouted trying to drown out Mumu’s voice. ‘I tell you America mein I never used to chop vegetables.’

‘Kyun? Don’t people in America eat vegetables? No wonder they are all big and fat.’ Mumu replied

‘Does that mean we should eat their portion of vegetables? Why are you making me cut so many? It is just the two of us.’ Shelly complained

Mishti will be here and Ranjan is also coming’

‘No one is coming. Why don’t you get it? No one will come. I asked Mishti to go home. It’s already past midnight. If Ranjan had to come, he would have come much earlier.’

Mumu never got a chance to respond. Shelly had cut her thumb with the chopping knife and blood spewed all over the vegetables and Mumu’s table. Shelly shouted in pain.

Mumu froze in shock. Her drunk mind couldn’t react while Shelly’s shouting became louder. Mumu rushed to Ranjan’s bedroom shouting to Shelly that the band-aid would be in Ranjan’s room. She frantically searched for a band-aid. She found it hidden deep within his bedside drawer. She also found a roll of cotton and some antiseptic. She rushed out and Shelly was standing now, her upper body bent downwards to the floor. She was holding her injured thumb with her other hand trying to stop the flow of blood.

Mumu hurriedly went to her side and made her sit.

‘This will sting haan.’ She warned Shelly. Mumu poured a few drops of antiseptic on a piece of cotton and rubbed it on the injured thumb. Shelly gasped but didn’t complain. 

While Mumu was cleaning her wound, Shelly asked, ‘What did you mean by Ranjan’s room? Don’t you guys sleep in the same room?’

Mumu looked up at Shelly and then smiled a sad smile. She did not give an answer and Shelly didn’t push the question again. With the wound now clean and the blood stopped, Mumu wrapped the band-aid on Shelly’s finger.

‘All done.’ Mumu said. ‘Tell me something. If you didn’t know how to chop vegetables, why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I wanted to impress you. I mean, you are our last hope if Mishti and I are to have any future together. Also, I felt bad for you - working all alone.’

Mumu glared at Shelly appreciatively.

‘You know what. Let’s order Biryani. I am done trying to improve on this mess.’ Mumu said, finally resigning.

‘Oh Good! I will check the delivery app for options.’ Shelly sounded relieved.

After a few arguments and some deliberation, they had both agreed on a restaurant and Shelly ordered the biryani.

‘What should we talk about while we wait?’ Shelly asked

‘I think we have had enough talk for today. I will put on some music and you can bring us more wine. Let us make a party out of it.’

Shelly wooed. She went back to the kitchen and brought a bottle of wine. She poured the wine in two glasses. Mumu, meanwhile, had started the music.

They started grooving to the dancing beats with the wine glasses in their hands. They jumped and they laughed and twerked their hips when Kajra Re came on. The bottle of wine had vanished in no time and Shelly brought another bottle from the kitchen. She poured a glass for herself. She had to stop Mumu from moving in order to pour the wine in her glass. They clinked their glasses and Shelly upturned the entire glass completely ravishing the wine in one go. She sat down on the sofa, the world around her revolving around her. She could still see Mumu twisting sensuously as her eyes closed and she fell into a drunken slumber.

Shelly opened her eyes slowly. Her head felt heavy. The rest of her body felt surprisingly strong and not exhausted. She saw she was lying down on a bed, one her back, facing the ceiling. She turned around to one side and noticed, through the window, that it was still dark outside. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a shape looking at her, standing at one of the corners of the room. She immediately glanced at the shape and screamed in terror. The voice that came out of her mouth was deep and rough. It was not hers.

Mumu came running back into the room. 

‘What happened?’ she asked, looking around.

Shelly pointed to the old man standing in the corner.

‘Ohh, don’t you worry. He will not do anything. She was just here to help me drag you to the bed. You are surprisingly heavy’

‘What have you done?’ Shelly stuttered as drops of sweat started to form on her forehead.

‘Come. Come. Look for yourself.’ Mumu said, gesturing towards the mirror.

Shelly got down from the bed. Her legs felt different. She felt more agile than she had ever felt. She stood in front of the mirror and screamed.

She was wearing the same clothes but somehow everything else had changed. Her chin had become broader. Her jawas extended outwards. Her nose seemed wider. She noticed that her arms had beefed up and her shoulders had widened. She turned around. Her hips were flat and her waist had grown. Her legs, similar to her arms, had swelled. 

‘I… I don’t understand. How can this be? I….am…a man?’ Shelly stammered falling down on the ground, her legs folding beneath her, breaking the fall.

‘You are a handsome man. Once we change you out of these clothes, you will see.’ Mumu replied victoriously.

‘H…How?’

‘Kaala Jaadu’ Mumu replied, curling the fingers of her hand. ‘Your blood helped. And your intoxicated body didn’t put up much of a fight.’

‘But why me?’ Shelly responded, making sobbing sounds sans the tears. 

‘So that you and Mishti could be together, pagal. Why else? This way there would be no objection from her parents and you two can legally get married.’

‘But Mishti is gaaaayyyy. She doesn’t like men. She won’t like me.’

‘Ohh! Don’t be so melodramatic. It was all Mishti’s idea. Why do you think she sent you here, all alone?’

Shelly was shocked. She couldn’t find any words to express how she was feeling. She looked at herself in the mirror once again. She had to agree that the man that stared back at her was gorgeous. She had retained some of her features like the eyes and the ears. Her forehead seemed the same.

‘What now?’ Shelly asked while touching her face with her hands.

‘Now we find you a new name. How about Sahil?’ Mumu asked.

‘My name is Sudeshna.’ Shelly replied.

‘Ohh! Bengali? This is perfect. I am Charulata.’ Mumu replied, smiling as she dismissed the old man.

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