The Path Less Travelled

Parveen (Pari) comes from Bangladesh to work, as a nanny, in a Bengali household in London. Her parents, in Bangladesh, has high hopes that she will earn money, educate her siblings, and take care of them. Pari embarks on this journey, and slowly adjusts herself in a foreign city and in a home that is not her own. Her employers are from India and working as researchers in an institute. They have two children; Pari feels lucky to have Ashok and Seema Banerjee as her employers. They are kind people, who also do their best to make Pari feel at home. Slowly Pari becomes indispensable to their life. Monotosh Biswas (Monty), Ashok’s colleague, comes home for lunch. Pari’s innocent beauty catches his eye. Though Monotosh is a brilliant student and had come to London on a scholarship, he has this quirky plan of starting an adult-movie making company. In Pari, he finds the perfect solution to his plan. Monty sounds his plan to Ashok, who is totally bewildered at its absurdity. Ashok, who by nature is a reserved person, avoids Monty, so that the later cannot bring up the topic again. Monty’s proposal however, sets Ashok off on his own thoughts. As a man, he had not failed to notice how in the last two years the adolescent girl had blossomed into an attractive young lady, smart and confident, with help from Seema. Ashok knows that Monty’s proposal to hire Pari as an office assistant, after her work visa expired with the Banerjee’s, is not something to which he can make Seema agree. The only way in which he can make her agree is by mentioning a financial crunch. They had booked a flat in India, a month back, and the money issue had been discussed then. Ashok plans to build his story around it. Seema is upset but agrees that since Riaan (their son) would be starting pre-school, the need for Pari’s service would not be as much as before. Also their EMI for the new flat would start. However, she is very concerned about how Pari would continue staying on in London without a job