Act 1
Hasmukh Mehta’s lavish house has three spaces: a dining-cum-living room, a bedroom, and a trendy bedroom belonging to his son, Ajit, and his wife, Preeti. Ajit demands five lakhs to modernize his factory, but his father refuses to give it to him. The father blames his son for not listening to him and appointing him as the joint managing director was a mistake. He regrets praying to get him and wants to turn him into a vegetable so he won’t be in his way. He even made a project report for his son to diversify into manufacturing electronic typewriters, but he didn’t like it because it was his money. He was bankrupt from the day he was born and God forgot to open an account for him. His daughter-in-law is pretty, charming, graceful, and sly as a snake, and she always says dinner is ready, but it never really is ready.
Ajit is on the phone with Deepak and Hasmukh accuses his son’s friend Deepak flirting with his typists and tells him to mind his own business. He also criticizes his son for speaking to government officials and talking to friends about business matters. Hasmukh becomes angry and threatens to take all the typists to the disco if they don’t behave. The conversation ends with the Hasmukh accusing his son of causing his hypertension.
Hasmukh talks on the phone when the phone rings and Ajit becomes disappointed afree his father’s blatant disregards. Hasmukh encourages him to be precise in giving orders. He believes that education is not a waste of breath and it is his duty to see that Ajit is capable of fending for himself when he is not here. He also talks about seasoning Ajit and toughening him up to run the show. He encourages Ajit to play Big Boss as long as possible and when called upon to do so, he will still want to do it through him. However, Ajit fails to understand the importance of the call and is ticked off for it. As a result, he is told that he is nothing but a big zero and will continue to add zeroes to his number over the years. He tells Ajit that he will teach him to respect his elders and not to be a pompous fool.
Hasmukh Mehta, a successful businessman, talks about his hard work and how his father taught him to be a hard worker. He regrets getting his son Ajit married at a young age and wishes he had waited until he grew up. He reminisces about his brother running away to join a group singing the praises of Lord Krishna in New York City and how he had to go to America for that. At his age, he was a mature responsible man, not eating papad after papad and nibbling on papads. He is now one of the richest men in the city due to his father’s hard work. He also talks about how he got married to his wife, Sonal, and gave birth to Ajit. They run a successful export house named after their son, Ajit Exports, which his wife insisted on naming after him. They reminisce about their dreams of being millionaires and how they used to spend half the night counting their profits. Ajit states , “I am a success in capital letters.”
The audience is introduced to a middle-class family that cooks rich food and wastes a lot of ghee and oil. They have a cook named Maharaj who has gone back to his town for a few days due to indigestion. Sonal faints in the kitchen and is carried by Ajit and Hasmukh. Preeti manages the kitchen until Maharaj comes back. Damo, the gardener, has also gone missing. The family has sent Damodar after him, but he has not returned yet. The house is full of Damos and weeds, but the family needs Maharaj more than they need any other gardener.
Sonal is angry with Hasmukh for not listening to her warnings about smoking and drinking. She accuses him of being responsible for his heart attack and blames his sister Minal for not being firm enough with him. They argue over who will be blamed for his condition if he gets another heart attack. She demands a quiet and peaceful dinner and suggests making parathas for their growing son, but Hasmukh says there’s no need to make them. She claims there’s enough food in the house to feed an elephant’s family and that they are all getting enough nourishment. Hasmukh disagrees and threatens to send her another maharaj if she sends him another one. They finally agree to sit down and have dinner together.
Ajit and Hasmukh fight in the kitchen over Sonal’s parathas. Ajit lies about not wanting them and runs away, and Preeti runs after him. A car starts revving and screeches at a turning, causing a loud noise. Aju runs away to a restaurant to eat kulchas. Sonal arrives and finds out that Aju has gone to meet friends. They make dinner and Sonal complains that Maharaj has taken her teflon-coated pan. They search for a Japanese pan but can’t find it. They decide to make do with what they have and serve dishes like pulao, salad, and rice. Sonal blames Ajit for being spoilt and leaving.
Preeti seems to have forgotten to add salt to their dinner. Hasmukh is upset about the lack of salt in their food and wants more salt to be added. They argue about the health benefits of eating less salt, despite a doctor’s advice to eat more. Sonal, disagrees and threatens to take them to the next plane to Ahmedabad if they don’t eat more salt. They also argue about Aju’s halwa with carrot, cucumber, and beetroot, which is inauspicious as only sick people eat it. Sonal thinks that he is stubborn and she thinks he is proud of his achievements, but the story of the crow painting himself white to become a swan is repeated. He doesn’t fool anyone and knows who they are. They finally agree to eat the salad with pepper and real food.
Hasmukh talks about Lala Bholaram who used to make the best sweets in his locality, but Bholaram’s son took over and changed everything else. He added cheap essences to everything and changed his cook. After 25 years of marriage, he found a mistress in his office and she is now one of the directors of his company. He used to joke with his wife about her being as good as gold but soon found out she was a good-for-nothing. He started eating out and finding expensive ladies of the night in five-star hotels, but that didn’t work out. He found a safer relationship with a shrewd hard-headed marketing executive who lives in a posh locality. The main course is always without salt, and there is so much food wasted. He doesn’t want to eat anything else and decides to give it all to Mary tomorrow. His wife is an ungrateful wretch who will throw it all away.
Preeti complains about the waste of food and suggests giving it to Mary. Hasmukh agrees and finishes his halwa. They argue about whether to go for a walk or not. Sonal sits at the table and talks about her husband, who is always complaining and blaming her for everything. Preeti is clearing the table. Hasmukh’s mother died when he was four and Sonal cannot cook like his mother used to but she is doing her duty and God knows it including Minal too.
Hasmukh is unhappy because he doesn’t have a son and his son, Ajit, doesn’t behave like his father. He works hard to make his son happy, but he fails miserably and makes his life worthless. He is running short of breath and tries to lie down on the bed, but it appears as if he is asleep. There is an eerie glow on the two women’s faces.
Sonal and Preeti are discussing Aju who is unpredictable and drives his father half-mad. Preeti is leaving to her bedroom to sleep and not wait for Aju as he is unpredictable. Preeti reads a magazine and lies down on her bed to read it. Hasmukh wakes up and looks at his body on the bed, possibly moving behind the bed. He speaks in a natural voice, but more calmly now. He admits that he is dead and that he never imagined it would happen so soon.
Hasmukh imagines her wife Sonal entering her bedroom and wonders her reaction to his dead body. He is concerned about her reaction when she finds out that he is dead. She asks him if she has taken her tablets and if she can get them for him. Sonal is concerned and runs down to the landing, placing her ear on Hasmukh’s chest and finger under his nose.
Preeti screams and tries to tell her husband that Aju or Ajit is gone. Preeti assures her that he may come home late, but he won’t run away. Preeti suggests calling Deepak to find out if Aju is with him. However, Sonal is left to wonder what is she addressing as her husband Hasmukh is really dead and she is not talking about Aju.
Sonal rushes to the landing to scream. The sound of the car tire screeches and Ajit returns. Ajit comes rushing in and tells them that Hasmukh is gone. The two women start sobbing, and light fades out on them. Spotlight picks up Hasmukh, or his ghost, and for the first time in the play, he grins from ear to ear.
Mahesh Dattani Where there is a Will Act II Summary
One Reply to “Summary of Mahesh Dattani Where there is a Will”