CHAPTER – 4

It is Pallavi’s first day of shoot. Suraj Gupta has the habit of going for the toughest scene as the first shot of a movie. The scene they are taking today is Ashok, Pranav’s character, lawyer by profession and Saroja aka Pallavi’s beloved, admitting his defeat in finding her justice through the judiciary system. Saroja is a victim of brutal rape; when she chose the legal route for justice, she is being pulled down by powerful people involved. 

Clap boy hit the clapboard for 11th take.

“I'm sorry Saroja, I failed you. My law which is crippled with corruption has failed us mercilessly”.

“Ashok...I fought back those beasts when they ripped me apart...but...but today...I...”

"CUT".

Producer Shyam Nadir is beyond angry.

“What is this girl doing? This is the eleventh take for God's sake!  We cannot go on like this”.

Suraj Gupta on the other hand was calm and threw an irritating glance at Shyam.

Pallavi looked down with unshed tears. Her mother Laxmi had accompanied her for the shoot and is now feeling extremely nervous for her daughter. 

“I think she is only having beauty to offer. She better make use of it in some other way to earn money than waste our time”.

“Mind your words Shyam.  She is a new face and this is her first scene. It's not a big deal; we are not new to this”.

“I don't care Pranav. I'm the one investing money here; I want its worth. If she can't act, then I know how to handle this”.

He passed a lustful look at Pallavi. Pranav read his expressions and seethed.

“Well to begin with, the ‘money’ you are flaunting is actually your father-in-law’s earning. Talk when you have something of your own Shyam!”

“How dare you?”

“BREAK!”

Suraj’s timely intervention made Pranav and Shyam to back off reluctantly.

                                                  **********

20 minutes later

Pallavi is in Suraj’s caravan, reading her dialogue again. He has asked her to take time and relax before giving the shot again. She is extremely ashamed of disappointing him. She was trying hard to control her tears when she felt someone’s presence inside the caravan. She quickly wiped her tears and looked up. Pranav stood near the open door.

“Suraj sir?”

“He is not here”

Pranav saw Pallavi’s condition and walked into the caravan. He made himself comfortable on the couch opposite to her.

“You don’t need to upset yourself over this. Many go through this on their first day. It’s quite natural. Take some time to relax and when you feel confident come and give the shot”.

She remains silent and the stress doesn’t seem to leave her face.

“Being nervous is not a crime Pallavi. It happens to everyone. Try to calm down and get involved in the character and the moment the character is facing. I know this is a tough shot. But if Suraj sir has given you this as your first scene, it is actually his way of acknowledging your talent. He trusts you to do it. Now it’s your choice if you want to prove him right or not”.

She stared into his eyes to check the honesty of his words.

“You can do it Pallavi”.

His words fill her with a confidence and courage.  

                                                      **********

Clap boy hit the clapboard for 12th take.

“I'm sorry Saroja, I failed you. My law which is crippled with corruption has failed us mercilessly”.

“Ashok, I fought back those beasts when they ripped me apart. I duelled with death on hospital bed. I challenged my fate by standing on my feet again. But your law failed me Ashok! I could fight those beasts, death and even fate; but the deceitful law of my country failed me... and raped me ten times more. It was not those vultures Ashok; it is your law that KILLED ME!”

"CUT".

Suraj smiled at the perfect shot. The set resounded with claps. Viren was the first one to clap moved by her brilliance. Not only did Pallavi get her dialogue correct, her dialogue delivery emphasised the right emotions; in short she delivered more than everyone’s expectations. She didn't act but became ‘Saroja’ in the scene. Pranav glanced at Shyam and was highly satisfied to see his face muscles twitching in annoyance.

Pallavi checked for Suraj’s reactions who nodded at her in appreciation. She is overwhelmed to see the whole set clapping for her. She saw her mother in a corner, who is clapping with vigour, obviously proud of her daughter.  She laughed.

This would not have happened if not for Pranav!

She turned around to thank him but saw he was on the way to his caravan. Sensing her gaze, he turned towards her at the door of his caravan. She gave him a beaming smile to show her gratitude. Pranav could not comprehend the feeling within him, seeing her bright smile...for him!

                                                   ************

Suraj is happy. He was confident about Pallavi; he knew she just needed time. But with a producer like Shyam it is tough. He needed a producer like him, with the right influences so as to blank out oppositions against the core theme of a real life incident in the film. A controversial rape case was the main referential point for the film. Shyam had strong holds within the industry and on political levels if need be. So having him on board was a must for the film.

 Suraj know very well that Shyam's problem was not the number of takes; but his disappointment in not getting Pallavi on bed like he had demanded to Suraj. Suraj made it crystal clear to Shyam that nothing of that sort is going to happen on his set even if it meant halting the project. He reminded Shyam that if the project gets stopped now Shyam is to face the losses. That shut him up completely.  But he was now trying to take out his frustration by yelling at Pallavi. But she has shut him down completely with her brilliant acting. Suraj couldn’t be more proud of his choice.

                                                  *********

Shoot progressed and Pallavi improved with each day. Suraj was fond of her like a daughter and she always tried to keep up with his expectations. There were mistakes and struggles on her part, but she was a fast learner. A beautiful friendship developed between Viren and Pallavi.

                                                 *********

“Ok Jas.  Yeah I'll take care, love you, bye”.

Viren came and sat beside her.

“Hi Beautiful!”

“Hi flirt”

“Oh you sound like your friend now”.

“Haha, you are obsessed with her”.

“That I am! Hmm here are your dialogues for next scene”.

“Why do you rile her up so much? That’s why she has sour eyes for you”.

“But your friend looks incredibly sexy when she is angry, so I try to make her angry as much as possible!”

“You are impossible”.

“Oh my lady, beauty is always a joy!” he sighed dramatically.

“From when did you start irritating my friend?”

“Why didn’t she tell you?”

“She doesn’t give that much importance to you sadly!” she mocked him.

“Ouch, that hurt”

“No but seriously, I’m curious. That is if you don’t mind sharing”

“That’s actually a secret. You should promise you will never reveal it to Jasmine!”

“Ok agreed”

“Actually your friend had once done family planning for one of my friends who tried to hit on her. He was a No. 1 Casanova, and no girl ever rejected him. Actually I was kind of jealous of this fact”.

Pallavi raised an eyebrow.

“When Jasmine rejected him and to top it even disabled him to go on further for a while, I was curious about her. I researched about her for fun; but soon realised she is more than those arm candy ladies I meet every day. Her struggles to reach where she is now, her achievements, attitude.....everything just drew me more to her”.

“Wow Romeo, you sound like you are in love”.

“ LOVE? Are you kidding me? It’s just a fascination; don’t label it as anything more. Men like me can never get involved in dangerous stuffs like love! Then it means the end of my joyous life” he shuddered in mock horror.

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics. He flicked her nose and both of them burst out laughing. A pair of eyes was watching them intently.

I can clearly see that Viren is not flirting with Pallavi; they have just turned thick friends during the shoot.  But the ease in their friendship is making me uneasy.  Pallavi is always formal with me. She never speaks so freely with me like she does with others.

For some reason this knowledge irked Pranav.

         

                                                ***********

A romantic scene is being shot.  Pranav and Pallavi are seated in a restaurant setup.

Start Camera, Action!

They were having a conversation but suddenly Pranav raised his fingers and touched the corner of her lips. Somehow Pallavi could not do this scene with ease. She felt a bit affected by the chemistry between them. He wipes off the food crumb that was sticking to her lips and then very slowly caressed her cheek. She exhaled nervously.

CUT.

“The shot is okay. But Pallavi you must look into Pranav’s eyes when he caresses your cheek.”

She nods her head but was somehow feeling very uncomfortable. Pranav did notice her unease but said nothing.

Start camera, action!

Pranav slowly raised his hand and touched the tip of her lips, but this time his touch was tender, as if realizing her discomfort. Pallavi raised her eyes to meet his and they locked together. She was touched by his understanding. The shot was perfect.

                                                *************

With time the equation between Pranav and Pallavi evolved. She valued his comments and criticism as much she valued Suraj Gupta’s. He made sure she is comfortable before doing intimate scenes and she felt strangely secure. Pranav felt a difference in him while around her. He had definitely acknowledged his attraction for her by then; but he realized there is more to his feelings with each passing day. He is so at ease with and around her and strangely at peace; something which he hadn't been for a while.

                                                                 ******************

Shyam continued as creepiness personified. The initial sneer changed and he now approached Pallavi with sugar-coated words. But she ignored him politely each time which enraged Shyam.

                                                 *************

The shooting got complete in 184 days and after a month of post production works and promotions, the film released by the end of 2012. It was appreciated by public and critics equally. Pallavi’s talent got noticed and soon she was flooded with offers. In no time, Pallavi went on to be one of the most successful actresses of the industry.