The Soldier

Imraan wakes up in a district hospital at Simdega, Jharkhand, recovering from battle wounds. The CRPF soldier is shattered by the violence he had witnessed in the battle with the Naxalites and now he desires to go to home and reunite with Jayashree, the woman he loved. He keeps murmuring about wanting a peaceful life for himself. When he meets a blind man there, he realises that losing something one already has is more painful than not getting what one wants. He writes to Jayashree that he would return, and one night he leaves the hospital through the window and leaves for the village of Rubed, his homeland.

Back home, Jayashree is left alone to mend the cattle after her father died of old age. Being alone in a village under the active Naxalite zone, she is afraid to earn a life all by herself. A local foreteller sees a man walking through the woods and wishes good luck for Jayashree in the coming days. Her neighbours send a girl named Rubi to help her with her living. Soon both become friends and establish a comfortable domestic routine.

Meanwhile, Imraan’s journey to home is fraught with dangers and violence. He is pursued across a river by some wandering Naxalites, escaping his life thanks to the skill of a girl paddling a bamboo raft. He intervenes when he finds a Christian preacher attempting to murder his pregnant lover. The preacher is beaten mercilessly and exiled from his community, so Imraan is forced to continue his journey with the preacher. Imraan intervenes again when the preacher creates trouble in a shop. While the preacher spends the night with a prostitute in an inn, the inn-keeper tells a story to Imraan about landowner’s cruelty towards slaves. The next day, Imraan and the preacher help a man remove a dead bull from a stream. The man, who calls himself Chote, invites them over for dinner. Imraan is drugged by Chote and forced to marry Chote’s wife, who is, what the locales thought, cursed, and the marriage could help remove the curse. On recovering from the trance, Imraan tries to revolt but is handed over to the Naxal people by Chote. They decide to kill both the men. Luckily, Imraan escapes but the preacher dies.

In Rubed, Jayashree, with Rubi, has adjusted to the life of a labour in harmony with nature. At times she recalls memories of Imraan and her father. Touched by the events associated with insurgency and merciless battles, she once gives shelter to some wounded Naxals(who appear to be good at heart) who tell her about a brave soldier that escaped the Naxlites and travels towards this village. When both of them were on the highlands with the cattle, Rubi exclaimed her how her mother died very early, how her father went away into being a naxalite and how she grew up in these hills. Suddenly, they find Rubi’s father, who has overheard the discussions and now recognises Rubi. Rubi is quite angry upon him but he beautifully plays a fiddle to prove that he is a changed man now. He explains his story but Rubi remains skeptical.

Imraan’s woeful journey continues. He is saved from wild hogs by a poor archer who clothes him and gives him food. The archer says that he is on the top of the “Wanted by Naxals” list among those who have bravely fought the anti-socials. On recovering, Imraan returns to Chote and kills him. Then he continues his journey in the highlands where he meets an woman named Saira, whose soldier-husband was made to see his wife being physically abused. He triet to retaliate but the Naxals brutally murdered him in front of Saira. Next day, when three Naxalites come there in search of Imraan and try to abuse Saira, Imraan kills them and gives all the money he was left with, to Saira. He moves on for Rubed.

At Rubed, Rubi’s father appears with two of his friends and pleads before Rubi for mercy and shelter. To Rubi’s annoyance, Jayashree allows them to stay at their farm. The men now start working while the women stay at the farm. One day, some mysterious soldiers kill Rubi’s father and his friends on the highlands. A mountain boy sees this and hurries off to the farm to tell Rubi about the sad event. She breaks down at first on hearing the news, but musters herself up and both Rubi and Jayashree start to go to the highlands to retrieve the old man’s body.

Meanwhile, Imraan reaches Rubed and his farm. On hearing about Rubi and his father, he also starts for the highlands. When he reaches at the place, he finds Rubi kneeling in front of her father’s body, speechless, and Jayashree sitting beside her. He places his hand on Jayashree’s shoulder, and both don’t understand how to express the joy of Imraan’s comeback near the dead body of Rubi’s father. They perform the necessary rituals and try to lead a normal life. A few days later, when the three are on the highlands, a few Naxals ambush the group. Imraan fights bravely and kills them but Jayashree is badly injured. Imraan realises that he should go away from them for the safety of his love. He tells Rubi to take care of Jayashree and vanishes into the wilderness.

Meanwhile, in her hut, Saira does not sleep well and has dreams of Imraan being chased down by the Naxals. The next morning, when Saira opens the door of her hut, she finds Imraan laying asleep by the side.

10 months later, Rubi dances in joy as the villagers of Rubed revel and Jayashree is seen holding a new born baby in her hands. She smiles with her eyes full of tears and a story about a good soldier, she lives to pass on...