I could stand here with you forever.
Then you should, my love.
It is time.
I must go.
No, you must not do that please.
They will only tear us apart.
I will never let that happen.
I will convince them.
Please trust me.
You cannot change the prejudice of your family.
But, I can try.
I will show them the purity of our love.
They will never understand such a love as ours.
Their's is a world filled with greed and hatred.
How can you risk what we have?
There is no other way.
I must protect us by facing them.
No. There must be.
No, let me go, let me go,
you're hurting me.
I am sorry.
Please heed my words!
Father.
Father, please,
I have come to...
Do not speak!
Why do you continue to defy me like this
and reject all that our great family holds so dear.
No, I...
By throwing yourself at that foul animal you denounced our deity,
our culture, and your own future...
We have done no such thing!
M y whole life I've only honored you and tried to fill you with pride.
Pride! I am filled with disgust.
M y love is a man you've never known.
No more of this!
Either you do exactly as I tell you and honor the tradition as a daughter
or I will hunt that pagan down and send him to the fires of narakha.
You know not what you say!
Silence!
No!
Maya, are you okay?
Yeah, I am fine.
I just keep having these weird, lucid dreams.
They're getting more and more vivid.
Really?
How so?
Well, I woke up in the middle of the night last night
with this dream mirroring the Shiva/Shakti legend.
Again?
Yeah. Only this time,
I was in it.
You see, honey.
I told you were studying way too hard.
The stuff is starting to seep into your subconscious.
I guess.
Maya, come on.
We've made it here.
You should be so happy.
Come here.
I am.
I'm just thinking.
About what, honey?
You know, this is the home of my parents.
And my parents parents.
Yet... they never came back here.
They never revisited their family home.
You'd think at some point they'd want to come back
but they never did.
Yeah, I wonder why?
I could never find out
from either of them.
I was lucky to have found the address in my father's old diary.
I just hope somebody still lives there.
All the letters I sent were sent back to me as "Return to Sender".
Sounds to me like someone's trying to keep the skeletons
in the old family closet hidden, huh?
Well I guess we'll find out...
Coming to India to gather information
for my thesis is so important,
but finding out more about my family's background,
that's the real reason I came here.
Have you been here before, madam?
No. This is our first time to India.
Manicka Periyaveedu is where you are going?
Yes.
Are you sure!
You want to go there.
Yes. I am sure.
Why?
Have you been there before?
I once went there long time ago.
But, no one goes there anymore.
Maya. It's so beautiful.
I hope that we get a chance to stay here.
You want to stay here?
Yeah. Why not?
Where are you going?
No. No. I cannot stay here any longer.
What?
Hello. I am Maya Krishnan, Krishnan's daughter.
Welcome Maya.
I am your Aunt Maya.
I've been waiting ages for you.
I am honored to meet you.
This is my best friend, Alexandria.
Call me Alex.
It is lovely to meet you, Aunt Maya.
Alex, you better learn to say Namaste.
That's pretty good.
Yes. It is excellent for one who does not know our culture.
Please, wait here.
You are welcome here.
Please come inside.
You must be tired.
No, Aunt Maya, we're not actually tired at all.
I'm actually quite surprised to find you here.
Really? And why would you say that?
Because I sent several letters regarding my arrival to India
but I never had any response.
Strangely, they never arrived.
Well, the postal service is most unreliable here.
Come.
Maya, this is your home.
You belong here, not somewhere faraway.
I insist that you stay here.
Appu will get your things.
Appu?
Yes, he is the caretaker of this Priyaveedu.
You will meet him soon enough.
Will you stay?
- Yes. - Yes.
W onderful. Please follow me.
Maya, this is your room.
I hope you'll be happy here.
I'm sure I will.
This is a beautiful statue of Ardhanareswara.
Aunt Maya, your painting is amazing.
Thank you. That one is my most favorite.
Maya, this is your bed.
It is made of medicinal wood.
No one exactly knows how old it is
but it has been in our family for many centuries.
You mean you sleep on bare wood?
No pillows? No mattress?
Oh yes.
Only then you will get the full benefit.
The lovers must have had strong backs.
Alex.
What, it's true.
Excuse me, what do you mean Alexandria?
Sex on this bed, I just thought it will be a bit uncomfortable, you know,
maybe a little painful
Pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin,
the dividing line is very thin...
Come Alexandria, I will show you your room.
You mean we have separate rooms.
Of course,
this house has many rooms.
Most of them are vacant, you know.
This Periyaveedu once belonged to a Prince.
It was from him that it came to our family.
Really, do you know how?
It was a long time ago.
This house has many stories.
I would very much like to hear them.
Of course, but first get settled here.
I am sure it has been a long journey for you.
And then I will tell you anything that you need to know.
Excellent, I have so many questions.
And in time, you will have many answers.
Alexandria, this is your room.
Is this also a medicinal bed?
No. However,
this room is given only to the honored guests of the family.
This room is spotless.
Thank you.
Please make yourself comfortable and relax.
Thank you, Aunt Maya.
You've been so kind.
Don't thank me, Maya.
It is my pleasure to finally meet the child
born in the land beyond the oceans.
Well at least yours is soft!
Come, check it out.
Hello? Are you Appu?
Are you here for the hotels address to collect our bags?
Here Appu.
It was nice meeting you.
What a character!
I know!
I wonder why he is acting so strange?
Maybe he got up on the wrong side of the bed today?
Well, if his bed is anything like yours,
I would imagine he would be eternally pissed.
Looks like some kind of refreshments.
That's exactly what we need.
Toddy, you like?
Yeah...
You like.
I like.
Enjo y...
- Alex. - Yeah.
Do you, do you see that over there?
What is that?
Let's go see what it is.
Appu, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot.
What is with that guy?
Please don't mind.
He is afraid of new people.
But, somebody should teach him some manners.
He is a simple man, stuck in the past.
And you are the first visitors that we've had in a long, long time.
Please don't feel offended.
His thinking is just little antiquated.
Please...
- Aunt Maya. - Yes.
How was it like growing up around here?
Was it as beautiful and majestic as it is now?
Oh yes. Our family was indeed very prosperous
when I was a young girl.
We had many advantages
that most people in Tamil Nadu never dreamed.
Really, like what?
Like I had a tutor when I was a little girl,
which was very uncommon.
I had the advantage to do many things
which girls of my time could not.
Really? It sounds like your father was as forward thinking as mine was.
Yes, he was.
He just...
did not truly understand the nature of who I was.
I'm sorry if I brought up a bad memory.
No, it's all right.
Such things are ancient history and long resolved.
As you can see, my friend loves to eat.
As long as it settles in all the right places,
I can eat all I want.
It's good to satisfy such cravings.
So, are you enjo ying your stay so far?
Yeah. We went and saw all the sites of Ooty.
It's such a magical place.
I feel as though I belong here already.
And, today we plan on getting lost in the beauty of the forest.
The forest. It's beautiful.
Is there any place that you recommend for us to see?
There are many caves in the forest which are captivating.
Really? I would love to see them.
I think studying them would help me with my thesis!
How do we find them?
It's been so long since I've been there.
I can't give you exact directions,
but you'll know when you will be close.
How?
By the stillness of the air,
when you can only hear the sound of your breath
and the rhythm of your heart beat,
you will find the trail that will lead you to them.
Sounds incredible!
It will seem so perfect and so tranquil,
like you are home for the first time
in a long, long time.
We definitely have to go there! Right, Alex?
Please, leave the plates. Appu will take care of them...
Thanks, Aunt Maya.
Sorry for the trouble.
No trouble at all.
You are family.
Hey Maya...
take a look.
Why don't you go look for your caves?
I think I may stay here for a while.
I'll catch up with you later.
M y friend Alex the sleuth.
You know me
always trying to get to the bottom of things.
- I'll meet you here later. - Okay.
Milind?
Oh Milind.
By thr stillness of the air,
when you can only hear the sound of your breath
and the rhythm of your heart beat,
you will find the trail
the will lead you to them.
Who's there?
I said, who's there?
You've had your fun, now stop this game.
I'll say when the fun is over.
Give me my clothes!
That's not the way to talk to a lady.
A lady would not steal a bare man's clothes.
But a vixen might?
There aren't any indigenous vixens in these parts.
One must import them for leisure to be framed on the rock,
only in the midst of waiting for her mate
to present the day's kill.
You have a great imagination.
A painter has to have a bountiful imagination.
What are you laughing at?
Well, Mr. Painter.
You aren't shy.
The flesh is to be reveled and celebrated.
Besides, what am I suppose to do?
Hide my loins with a leaf?
You need much more than a leaf to hide that, Milind.
Why you?
Wait...
How do you know my name?
Your wallet fell out of your trousers and I couldn't help but notice your ID.
Mischievous fox I meet, nonetheless!
And what is your name, Ms. Vixen?
I like that. I like that a lot.
Alexandria.
In time, all things transcend their very nature
and flow as they were meant to.
Welcome to my humble Gruham.
Oh, thank you.
I am sorry to intrude I was...
So you are curious by nature, thirsting for knowledge?
Yes. I'm Maya.
A stranger in this country.
There are no strangers in this world.
Your name, do you know its meaning?
It has many meanings.
The reflection of the Infinite Being in the material world is the one I prefer,
over just an illusion.
And what brings you here, Maya?
Luck, I guess,
and I'm working on my thesis about the Goddess Parvati.
Interesting.
Your gruham, its incredible.
It's nothing like I have ever seen or studied.
I can't believe such a wondrous place exists.
Life is much more interesting than the books.
You can acquire knowledge from a manual,
but the art of what is learned must be practiced in the flesh.
This is an impressive representation of Shiva and Shakti.
Indeed, quite ancient too.
The feminine here is represented in the form of his first wife Sati.
Oh, yes. I can see it now.
I've always thought of the tale of the Infinite Being as beautiful,
yet profoundly sad.
In what way?
Shiva losing his first wife Sati because of the ways of her father.
I suppose she had no choice, and did it only out of love.
There is great sadness in his loss, but...
Sati is reincarnated.
She comes back to him.
And in the end they are one.
And what are you making over here?
Kama Rasa.
Love potion?
Yes.
Does it really work?
In conjunction with practicing Vatsyayana's techniques.
The Kama Sutra.
Yes. The classic wisdom of his work is a true path to enlightenment.
It taps into the human body's desires,
erasing conflicting emotions,
and leads the student to the clarity of it all.
Really?
It's getting late.
I must meet my friends.
May I return tomorrow and speak with you some more?
It would be helpful
if I could ask you some questions regarding my thesis.
Of course.
You are welcome here anytime you like.
Thank you, Mitra.
All right, come here. Well,
and this side up.
Good morning, Aunt Maya.
How are you today?
W onderful.
Today is such a beautiful and vital day.
And you?
I'm ok.
I am just a little curious where Maya is.
Oh yes. I saw her earlier.
I think she was going into the forest again,
to the caves that she discovered.
I see. That explains it.
I guess I'll see her later then.
Yes.
And I'm sure she will be brimming with exciting things to tell us of.
Aunt Maya...
W ould you mind if I took your picture?
Picture?
Why would you want to take my picture?
Oh, you're so beautiful.
And I would love to have a memento of our most gracious host...
May I?
Okay.
Thank you.
W ould you show me the photos?
Of course.
I'll make you a set.
I don't have any pictures of myself.
Really?
I'm surprised.
Life is full of surprises.
This is a rare Ayurvedic oil.
What does it do?
It helps in many ways.
Keeps the hair long and healthy.
Seeps into your pores and opens the mind.
Smells of sandalwood.
The comb is made of sandalwood.
The oil is odorless.
Please, let me comb your hair.
Don't sneak up on people like that.
You see only what you want to see.
What the hell are you talking about?
I...
you should have never come here.
What do you mean?
Sit there.
You're right. It feels wonderful.
Milind, are you painting my back view today?
Not exactly.
What are you doing?
I am creating something different.
- Trust me. - Okay.
You just got paint all over me.
I'm sorry. I meant to.
What are these leaves?
They are a rare and forgotten catalyst.
They stimulate nerve ends and open one's deeper desires.
The great ancestors of this land knew those secrets and shared them
with their acolytes.
That knowledge vanished through
time and the divine properties of the leaves
was deemed unfit for man.
I can feel the heat rising in my body.
Mitra, I can't bear this torture...
This is the torture of desire.
It only increases the ultimate jo ys of the union of male and female.
The highest peak of pleasure known to mankind
is to simply surrender your conscious mind.
Open it so that you will be complete.
Untie me...
please...
it's painful.
Pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin.
The dividing line is very thin.
This sari has been in our family for decades.
Aunt Maya, it's gorgeous.
Is it yours?
It was.
But now it's yours.
Here, let me help you try it on.
And what was it like for you.
Your first time?
Your first love?
I mean, all of this, in my mind,
in my heart, in my body,
I have never known.
M y love,
my first and only love,
I will never forget.
No matter what time passes,
he is always with me.
In my dreams,
in my thoughts,
in everything...
So these feelings will always be?
Yes.
Like a flame,
you will feel the warmth and the light
as well as the pain.
Look, how lovely you look in this sari, Maya.
You now belong to this land.
Thank you, Aunt Maya.
Thank you so much.
So, did you see them?
How'd they look?
Not bad. Some of them didn't turn out right.
What do you mean?
Those shots right there.
It all came out strange.
What?
Why are all the shots of Maya and the Mansion screwed up?
Are you sure this studio is alright?
Yeah.
Look, the forest pictures came out right.
But how?
Why would these be okay and everything else messed up?
I don't know.
Maybe the lighting was wrong or something?
Look, I never take such crappy photos.
It's not the end of the world.
Good morning, Mitra.
Every morning is like this, Maya.
You look lovely in that sari,
like a Tamil Queen of a previous birth.
Mitra?
Yes Maya.
M y heart is yours.
And mine yours.
But there's more.
The film not being right.
And the strange servant Appu.
And every time I see Aunt Maya she looks different.
Really?
And what does Maya think of all this?
I'm not sure. She's been busy.
In the last two weeks the only time I've seen her is at the dining table
and every time we start to talk, we get interrupted.
Sounds like you just have nosy servants
and relatives relishing in the fact
that they have someone to dote on again.
I keep on telling myself that, but I'm just not sure.
Look, you've said it's been a long time since the place has had visitors.
Your friend Maya is always gone working on her thesis.
So, you're in a big, lifeless house, in a place you've never been in.
Our minds have a way of playing tricks on us in such situations.
Maybe.
Look, everything's fine.
Go have a talk with your friend.
If that doesn't do it, take a walk around the house.
I am sure you will end up scaring yourself
before anything happens.
M y god. I never imagined that it could be like this.
I did'nt think that I could ever experience such...
Maya, the body and soul are one.
Sex and love are the purest way that man can celebrate
and join with the Divine.
Hello!
Who's there.
Shit!
You should have listened to me.
I tried to warn you.
What is wrong with this place?
This is Manicka Periya Veedu...
There are spirits in the night air...
I know. I've seen them.
She is searching for someone
who can bring her back to the land of living...
Once inside...
she will never go away.
What about Maya?
Her fate is sealed.
I can't just leave her here!
What should I do?
Take this book.
It is a book that holds the key to saving your friend
and freeing her soul from the curse.
Go away, please go away, before it's too late.
Seems to be an ancient book of Indian mythology.
How is that supposed to help Maya?
I don't know, a guy just died giving you this.
I just need some time.
I know very well that something happened to her.
You don't know that for sure.
Everything is going to be ok.
Come here...
I really don't know what I would do without you.
What is that?
It's a palm leaf.
I found it in the tome that Appu gave to you.
A palm leaf?
Yes. Leafs like this are almost like maps or keys to a puzzle.
Prophets have been using them for thousands of years.
What does it say?
I mean, can you decipher it?
No. A very few people can.
Our best bet is to go to the nearest temple,
hopefully the priest there will be able to help us.
And what about the book?
I'll explain this all to you later.
Let's go.
Wait.
Let's go to the house first.
I want to see if Maya has returned.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Oh my god, I can't believe my eyes.
Well, believe it. Come, let's go.
Wait here. Let me get her.
What?
She'll get startled if we both go in.
Just let me do this.
Hello, my sweet Alexandria.
And how are you this auspicious evening?
What are you doing?
I am preparing myself for my love.
Why do you ask?
Oh my god!
What happened to your wrists?
Nothing.
They are the impressions of love.
They are a testament to the evolution of one's being.
Honey, where were you earlier?
I was dancing throughout the world with my beloved Mitra.
Why are you so concerned?
Listen to me.
This room?
Tell me what you see!
I see a beautiful pristine room.
A reflection of my being fully realized.
What are you talking about?
Honey, you're not safe here.
Please come with me now.
You're the one who is unsafe.
You should be inebriated with the passions of your painter.
What else is there but love?
Listen, you must come with me now.
No.
Maya.
I said no.
What is wrong with you honey?
I am alive for the first time in ages!
I watched the sun set over my homeland
and finally blossomed into the woman I meant to be.
I love you.
Please come with me now.
What are you talking about?
No. I don't need it.
What are your names?
I am Milind.
This is Alexandria and this is Maya.
The child from beyond the oceans.
God bless you all...
especially
our dear Maya.
Sir, is there anything you can tell us about the palm leaf or about Maya?
They were a great family.
She was the daughter
many years ago
she was very beautiful,
artistic.
She could sing
paint
and dance
she was the youngest daughter of the family
her name still lingers with adoration in my mind.
And what became of her?
She fell in love with a stranger, a foreigner.
She wanted to marry him.
Such marriages were forbidden in those families...
No one ever has known where he came from.
He claimed to be a very holy person
and believed that he was the avatar of Shiva.
He was a student of many religions.
It was rumored that he frequently emulated and believed
that he possesses the powers of the deities that he worshipped.
He lived in one of the nearby caves and practiced his sorcery there.
In the caves?
Yes, in the caves.
When the knowledge of her lover was known to her father
he forcefully tried to marry her to another man from her own clan.
M y whole life,
I have only honored you and tried to fill you with pride.
Pride! I am filled with disgust.
M y love is a man you have never known.
No more of this!
Either you do exactly as I tell you
and honor the tradition as a daughter
or I will hunt that pagan down
and send him to the fires of Narakha!
You know not what you say!
Silence!
No.
On the day it was announced we were to be married...
We? You were engaged to her?
Yes. She was to be my bride,
but instead chose an immoral death...
After she died,
the stranger killed her father with one, quick blow...
You have witnessed the fall of this family.
You have seen a god broken in two,
for this I curse you all.
Every member of this wretched family shall bear the pain
that I feel this night
until my love returns to me in the flesh.
Family members began to die
by accidents
mysterious diseases
but I was protected from death by the deity
whom I have since served...
Spared until the circle is closed
and I could hear her voice again...
How does the circle close?
He who lives by the sword must die by the sword,
baptized in fire which gave him life.
The name?
The girl that killed herself?
Please tell us, what was her name?
Her name was...
You!
Maya!
The caves...
the caves...
Mitra?
Maya. M y sweet, beloved Maya.
The night we shed our earthbound selves
and become one forever is finally come upon us.
Are you ready?
Yes my love.
This has to be the way.
I hope so.
Mitra, what are you doing?
Mitra, what is the meaning of this?
You know why you are here.
No.
You are the child beyond the oceans,
prophesied eons ago to bring our souls together.
You are the mirror image of Aunt Maya, my lost love.
Aunt Maya?
Me?
You share her destiny,
and when we consummated our love this day,
you and her became one.
I have returned to you.
Yes.
Forever.
No, I do not believe in past lives.
If you love me,
love me for who I am, not who I represent.
You do not represent. You are!
No. I am only me.
I will not let you do this again.
You must trust me and believe.
I have only trusted you and believed in us.
Mitra, look at me.
The love we share is our own, not some reflection of your past.
Please don't do this.
I am sorry my love.
This is the only way.
Forgive me.
By the stillness of the air,
when you can only hear the sound of your breath
and the rhythm of your heartbeat,
you will find the trail that will lead you to them.
This is a way.
Why? You taught me to love.
You taught me to feel.
I gave you all of me.
You unlocked your own passions and realized the truth.
My love.
Mitra, this is not the way.
No! This is our destiny!
Our destiny is to be together, for all eternity as ourselves.
This child is not the vessel to that reality.
She is.
She has her own destiny awaiting her.
Too many
too many perished because of the wrongs done unto us.
The suffering is over.
How can you refuse what we have dreamed of for so long.
Ours is a tale of eternal longing and desire.
It should have ceased with our natural deaths,
not prolonged by your magic...
M y magic has kept our love alive, all in anticipation of this moment.
What are you doing?
Closing the circle.
No!
Be with her now.