The Treacherous Bairam - Part II

Scene 5

 

[Place - Mughal Court]

 

[Enter Akbar, Bairam and courtiers]

 

 

A soldier

Bairam sir! Some guy has brought

Something for you.

 

Bairam

Present him.

 

[Enter a man whose face is covered with a cloth. He is a Hitman]

 

Bairam

Did it?

 

Hitman

Yes, here it is.

 

[The man removes the cloth on the plate he brought. It was the head of Tardi Beg Khan]

 

Bairam

Well done! Here is your reward.

 

[Bairam gives Hitman 50 gold coins]

 

[Exit Hitman]

 

Akbar

What was this Bairam? The

Head of Tardi, why is it in

A plate? Why did you paid

A Hitman to kill him? Why?

Answer Me!

 

Bairam

I beg your pardon, sir.

Actually Tardi fled the

Battlefield. This coward

Deserved death.

 

Munim

But he was your friend.

 

Bairam

A coward shall never be

My friend.

 

Akbar

You didn't even bother to

Ask me Bairam!

 

Bairam

Jahapanah! You don't know

How the world works. If I

Had asked you, you would

Have declined. Being your

Regent. I had the right to

Do it.

 

Akbar

I am the king. Don't

Forget it.

 

Bairam

Sorry sir! But it was necessary.

Tardi was a coward. And sir I

Should have done it earlier.

If I knew about him.

 

[Scene ends]

 

 

 

 

 

Act 3

 

(It is the year 1560, Bairam Khan has been the regent of Akbar for 4 years now. Akbar is now 18. Bairam is enjoying his power a lot. And has led a lot of military campaigns with the rulers of the kingdom being brutally punished. He has also made administration reforms which are really bad. Akbar doesn't like it but he is always shut up by Bairam by saying he is just a child. Many nobles hate Bairam. This has led to discontentment many times in the court.)

 

Scene 1

 

[Place - Mughal Palace’s corridor]

 

 

[Enter Adham and Munim]

 

 

Adham

Bairam is getting out of hand.

I hate him!

 

Munim

We can't do anything, he

Has grown too powerful.

 

Adham

Manipulation of Akbar?

 

Munim

We can do it, you are right!

We need to avenge Tardi.

 

Adham

Let's go!

 

[Munim and Adham go to Akbar’s room]

 

[Enter Akbar]

 

Akbar

Assalamualaikum Munim and Adham!

 

Munim and Adham

Jahapanah Selamat rahe!

 

Munim

Jahapanah. We have to talk

Something really important.

 

Akbar

Yes. Kindly proceed.

 

Adham

When we were walking through

The corridor. We heard someone.

They were saying that our

Emperor is so weak he literally works

Under the foot of Bairam his regent.

I swear to Allah sir. If I had saw their faces

I would have killed them brutally.

 

Munim

You know I am the wisest of

All. This made me wonder you

Are now 18, an adult! Why do you

Work under the foot of Bairam. He

Is just a general. You should able to

Overthrow him easily. We used to praise

Him a lot. But we didn't know he was a

Snake inside a rabbit’s burrow. He

Betrayed his best friend Tardi.

They were childhood friends.

Sir, I think we shall not feed this

Snake more milk. He will become a

Python from a cobra.

 

Akbar

Bairam is my friend. He

Trusts me. 2 years ago, my

Hindu friend was telling me the

Story of Karna. I was really

Engrossed in it. When Duryodhana

Burned the body of Karna. I decided

On that day that I will be like

Duryodhana, even though he knew his

Friend was from the enemy side. He

Cremated his body. Bairam is

like Karna to me.

 

Adham

The kingdom is suffering

Because of your Karna, sir.

 

Akbar

How do you know it, Adham?

 

Adham

The tax on normal

People has reached upto

85%. Sir, as nobles we

Don't have to pay taxes but

The normal, sir they are

Suffering and now technically

You have no control over the

Empire. The man who was

Supposed to work under

Your thumb is now putting

His thumb is on you.

 

Munim

Sir, there was not a

Mongoose in the bag but

There was actually a snake

Hidden inside it.

 

Akbar

Kindly leave me alone

For a while, nobles.

 

Munim and Adham

We shall.

 

[Munim and Adham go from there]

 

[Exit Akbar]

 

[Enter Maham Anga, Adham’s mom]

 

Adham

Mother, he is like a statue,

He can't be moved easily.

 

Maham

Don't worry.

 

Munim

I have some serious work,

I will see you guys after a

While.

 

[Exit Munim]

 

Adham

Munim thinks he is wise.

It's funny that he is not

Wise enough to figure out

That I also want some control

On the throne. He should

Only do accounting all

Day, and should not interfere

In politics. But mother, how

Should I get my hands on the

throne? Our last attempt to

Manipulate Akbar into removing

Bairam failed.

 

Maham

I have a plan, son. No

Need to worry about Akbar.

If he is a statue. I am a

Sculptor. Will you do as I

Say?

 

Adham

Yes mother.

 

[Scene ends]

 

 

 

Scene 2

 

[Place - Akbar's room]

 

[Enter Akbar]

 

Akbar

What a day! May it be

Like this for all the commoners.

 

[Enter Maham]

 

Maham

Akbar! Akbar!

 

Akbar

Yes Mother! Why do you

Look so emotionally stressed!

 

Maham

The maids found Adham,

Unconscious. He was

Lying in the corridor.

 

Akbar

Oh Allah! Let's proceed.

 

[Akbar and Maham go to the room where Adham was treated by the Hakims, he had a stab in his right hand]

 

Akbar

Adham! Adham! What happened?

 

Adham

Eh! Akbar! Assalamualaikum!

 

Akbar

Alaikum wa Assalam! Who did it?

What happened?

 

Adham

Bai-Bairam

 

[Adham faints]

 

Akbar

Bairam! He can't do this!

I shall ask him about it!

 

Maham

No need Akbar! When have

You seen a thief confess his

Crime. When have you seen

A murderer confessing his crime!

Bairam will also not do it.

Thank God! The stab hit his

Arm not any vital part!

 

Akbar

This has gone too far!

Bairam shall be dismissed.

I don't expect my friend to

Do this. It must be because

Of some of his policies.

Adham opposed it and he

Did that! Bairam will be

Dismissed.

 

Maham

Will you go into the court

To do this?

 

Akbar

No! If I went and dismissed

Him. I would be assassinated.

I shall go to Delhi first then I

Will do it.

 

Maham

Proceed please.

 

[Exit Akbar]

 

Maham

My plan worked perfectly!

Adham stabbed himself in

The hand and fainted.

Everything went as I

Planned. Now Bairam shall

Take his luggage and proceed

To get out.

 

[Scene ends]

 

 

Scene 3

 

[Place - Bairam’s home]

 

[Enter Slave and Bairam]

 

Slave

Sir!

 

Bairam

Yes. Speak!

 

Slave

Sir! Akbar has gone to Delhi

And has said now the whole

Control of the empire is in his

Hands. Bairam Khan is not

My regent anymore! He has

Also dismissed you from the

Court!

 

Bairam

What! How? Oh no.

The empire has slipped

From my hands. I shall

Proceed to take it back.

Akbar! You Scoundrel!

You will pay for this.

 

[Scene ends]

 

 

 

Act 4

 

(Bairam has decided to rebel against Akbar, Akbar is ready with his forces, they are now against each other)

 

Scene 1

 

[Place - Battlefield of Bhopal]

 

[Enter Akbar and Bairam with their forces]

 

Akbar

Bairam, I don't want to fight

You.

 

Bairam

Why? Are you Afraid?

You Scoundrel.

 

Akbar

I am your friend. I am

Ready to rule now.

 

Bairam

I won't spare you today,

Akbar. You shall see the

Face of defeat and death today.

 

Akbar

We will see.

 

[The battle starts. Akbar forces dominated the battle throughout the time and won,

Now Bairam laid at the feet of Akbar]

 

Bairam

I am sorry Akbar. The

Thirst of power blinded me,

I am really sorry.

 

Akbar

Don't worry, I will not

hurt you.

 

Bairam

Really?

 

Akbar

Yes.

 

Bairam

Even after what I did.

 

Akbar

Yes. Get up. You

Are blind. A pilgrimage

May heal you. So I order

You go to Mecca.

 

Bairam

I-I will.

 

[The next day Bairam goes to Mecca]

 

[Scene ends]

 

 

 

Scene 2

 

[Bairam is on his way to Mecca. He is in Patan, Gujarat. When he encounters a familiar face]

 

[Place - Patan, Gujarat]

 

[Enter Bairam and Mubarak Khan]

 

Mubarak

Hello Bairam, how are you?

Seeing you after two years.

 

Bairam

Who are you? And Why do you

look familiar?

 

Mubarak

Remember the conquest of

Gujarat.

 

Bairam

Yes.

 

Mubarak

I am the son of the

Noble that you killed.

I am Mubarak Khan.

 

Bairam

Assalamualaikum Mubarak

Khan.

 

Mubarak

Valikum wo Assalam Bairam.

Maut Mubarak.

 

[Mubarak Khan after saying “Maut Mubarak” stabs Bairam]

 

Bairam

I am sorry Akbar for

My wrong doings.

Allah!

 

[Bairam dies]

 

Mubarak

Oh Bairam! You look

miserable than the miseries

You caused to me, my family

And the peasants. This is my

Day. The vengeance urge is

Satisfied. Allah Hu Akbar.

 

 

[Scene ends]

 

(Play Ends)

 

Written by - Atharv Misra

 

Approval by - MP Baba