Rama(n) was still not accepted the way she was, everyone wasn't the same but people never accepted the way some situations and some personalities. Rama aspired to be a film maker, from the dark room she learned everyone could be anyone on the big screen. She felt respected and accepted in her world of imagination. In that place, she was respected, she was accepted by the people she wanted to be accepted as like in life. She had a crush on Vishal during her college days but then he disliked her, he never gave her any attention; but she didn't want to lose to that, she silently pestered him until made an outburst against her, he described her making her feel she was less than a human.
"You're a fucking transgender, go find similar creatures to mate with, I'm not in your clan," he said that day as many students watched. John Raja was her only support during all those times, when everyone wondered why John cared for someone who was outcast in the group, only Rama knew the reason; John too had a sibling, older than him, the village drove him away remarking he was the curse of the land. John comforted Rama whenever she was downcast and humiliated, it was with him that Rama was the happiest. Before Rama could start have feelings for John was engaged to a girl from a very well family; Rama accepted reality and moved on, it was John who inspired her to pursue her dream of film-making. When her pens finished sketching plot and the printers were done making copies, she set out to give life to the words. She was not allowed on sets at first, it was then later she met Riyaz who introduced her to a director. The director wanted to direct the flick himself but she insisted she also do it along to which the director reluctantly disagreed. She met producer with the director's recommendations, they all said the same thing as the director. She was not given the chance to prove not because she was a newcomer or the story was average, but because she was a transgender.
Being herself was painful than castration, both rich and poor can't bring themselves to accept her they existed, therefore, she had to take desperate measures to fund her flick. No producers were ready to do it for them. Her crew displayed their uneasy feeling on their faces, they kept a distance even while speaking or hearing, yet there were people who accepted her, there were people who understood her and they kept her going until finally she finished the film. She was happy when she shouted "Pack Up" finally; John knew about her works and helped with some amount of money for the post-production. She borrowed and sold to make ends meet. When finally the whole flick was ready to play, she had no money to distribute it to the public. She held screenings for the distributors, but not anyone came forward mainly because there was no superstar in the flick. After the several screenings she held, Ram Rajeev Raghu, an infamous distributor came forward to help her distribute, he kept a condition, and she had to adhere to it if he was to distribute the flick.
On the day of the release, Rama didn't show up for the first show, neither for the matinee or the shows that followed. The audience liked it, praises and appreciations flowed into her inbox. Rich and poor celebrated the film, everyone wanted to see the director, the crew wanted to celebrate the first day success. Later in the evening, the doctors draped the cloth over her and declared Director Rama dead. The multitude of film lovers mourned her death. Directors, producers, actors, actresses and all other technicians expressed on social media platforms their sorrow and called it a great loss. The not very noticed Rama was the talk of the town and the debate of news hours, she created a cult, she cut a way, she opened a door and she went leaving behind a legacy for the upcoming generations and for people like her in life.
Rama and the Angel of Death was nearing the shore as they watched all that was happening on earth, and the Angel of Death said,
"See there, you and your flick are getting lots of love and appreciation, it's all the talk of the town now," Rama smiled to that; "what did it cost you," the Angel Of Death asked her.
"It cost me everything I had, even my life," she replied as she set foot on the shore.
Inspired from Sudha Kongara's Thangam & Sathaar
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FRAGMENTS - THE SEGMENTS
Fiksi UmumFRAGMENTS is a collection of classic short stories. Gradually added to the combination.
