Making Of A Star

New world

The society was divided into three separate tenements, the sign board hanging on the metal gate at the entrance read 'Devanand Nagar'.

After Rumi left, Padma was just beginning to sit on the sofa beside the sleeping figure of Trisha, when  voices of shouting and fighting caught her attention. She made her way out of the door to the wooden railing in curiosity and looked down at the two women shouting at each other in the compound, but soon enough a huge movie poster hanging on the wall of the opposite block caught her eye. The name of the movie, apparently and quite ironically, was 'BOMBAY' as it was written in bold letters over it, with a couple standing in front of Gateway of India, RELEASING FRIDAY was written on the borders. The one storey tenements had conjoined balconies, there were dozens of motorcycles and bicycles parked in a corner of the compound.

She was observing some more when a loud thump sound startled her, she looked down with panicked eyes with her hand over her chest to soothe down her heart which was threatening to come outside anytime soon. One lady, apparently, threw a bicycle at the other but lost her aim and ended up hitting a big earthen pot which broke down, resulting in the water to flow out. Probably water wastage was considered as a heinous crime because the look the other woman gave the culprit was absolutely murderous, a few seconds later she launched herself at full force upon her.

"Why are they fighting?" Padma asked a man standing next to her as the fight started to grow more intense with a few people trying to separate them.

"Ah, I think over water, it's nothing they fight everyday...just see how this trick works" he said mischievously.

"Shanu vahini, Aruna bahin just let it go...you would break each other's bones, don't you have a shoot today" he shouted at both of them.

"Oh no, no, no!! I'm late, the director is going to fire me, oh lord" one of the woman got up on her feet and ran off to her flat in the opposite block, a few minutes later she appeared again with a huge bag in her hands and left in a hurry.

"AS HE SHOULD" the other lady shouted after her while picking up her broken  glasses.

"Shoot, which shoot? Does she work with Rumi?" She asked him.

"Vahini? She is a junior actor, mostly works in advertisements. All of us here work in the industry" he said turning his attention to her
"You are Padma, right? Rumi told us about you." He said looking at her.

"Oh, yes I am...." Padma nodded her head awkwardly and continued
"So all of you work in movies?"

He laughed and answered
"No it's not that easy to work in films, we are junior actors or background dancers mostly, so let's take for example if there is a shoot going on in a public place, we act as normal people enjoying their day in the park, you know, to make the scene seem more...realistic? But queries aside, welcome to our family" he grinned widely.

"Thank you" it was heartwarming to see the love they had for each other and the respect for their work. Taking it as his cue to leave, the man nodded at her and then left.

Padma spent the whole afternoon in the guestroom thinking, as Rumi's words kept popping up in her mind. To start a new life, money was an absolute necessity.

"Trisha, do you think I should work?" Trisha who woke up to find the whole house to herself, spent her afternoon in front of the dressing table going through Rumi's makeup products. To her mother's question she nodded at her reflection in the mirror.

"But how.....? What if they find us?" Padma asked again.

"Maybe they are gone..." she took out another lipstick from the drawer.
"This is purple...see this one is black, wouldn't she look like a clown in these" She giggled.