Hope Believe Magic

Auditions

8 months back:

Shivu was lazing around one Saturday afternoon, browsing through her social media when she got a call from Gopi sir. She smiled at the sight of the caller ID and picked up the call right away, straightening her posture while doing so, "Hello Gopi Sir, eppidi irukkenga?" The gruff yet loving voice on the other end went, "Hello Shivathmika. Naan nalla irukken. Nee eppidi irukke?" She nodded and answered, "Super sir. Unga call vandhadhu surprising aa irukku. Enna vishayam dhideernu nu? All ok?" Gopi laughed and replied, "Ya ya of course. Nee ennoda workshop mudichittu pona podhu naan onnu sonnen nyabagam irukka? I have something in mind. Naaliki free na ennoda theatre ku vara mudiyuma? Say around noon?" Shivu smiled brightly and said, "Of course sir. Neenga kooptu naan vaarame irupena? I will be there." After a few more minutes of casual pleasantries, they hung up the phone.

Last summer Shivu had been to a studio to meet her friend Monisha who was doing theatre with Mr. Gopi. He did several workshops for actors, dancers and singers. His dream was to make musical theatre popular. He wanted to bring an Indian version of broadway to Chennai. People from all age groups were welcomed and trained but he was having difficulty finding a producer so he continued doing workshops and presenting for small groups. Shivu loved what she saw and decided to do a workshop with him. She and Gopi sir formed a natural bond. On the last day Gopi sir had called her into his office and told, 'Shivathmika, you are extremely talented and a rare find. Inge vara naraya per either dancer, singer or actors aa irupaanga but you are multitalented, my child. Even though you are a ballerina, you ace other dance styles too and your grace is magnificent. You also have the skill to captivate the audience. You are destined to perform in big stages. I will definitely call you when I get a chance to do my dream project. Will you be a part of it, dear?"

Shivu walked up to him and bent down to touch his feet and get his blessings, "Sir, these 6 weeks have been such a huge learning experience for me. I never thought I could act but you really taught me how to bring dance, music and acting together. Of course I would love to be a part of your project sir, even if it is a tiny role. I hope your dream comes true."

After almost a year she had heard back from him and was excited to go see him the following day. When she walked into his studio, she saw about 30-40 other people there. There were singers, dancers and actors. Shivu walked up to find a seat next to Monisha. Some of her workshop friend's were there too, whom, she was excited to meet. She noticed one guy sitting all by himself in the far end. There was something about him that intrigued her but she was soon distracted by Gopi sir's voice on the mic. He started with, "Good afternoon. Thank you all so much for coming at such short notice. Ungala ellam inge inniki Edhukku vara sonnen na I have some good news to share. I finally have found someone who has agreed to bank roll my dream project. I know this is an ambitious project but I know that we can all, together, make this a grand success. I need 25 of you so I will begin auditions. I have sign ups available for all of this week. I want you all to sign up for as many roles as you like. It is a romantic saga and the title is "Iravanai thandha iraviye"." Everyone clapped

People were rushing to sign up for the parts that they wanted to audition. The list did list out all the characters. Shivu signed up for every female part except for the lead. She thought that Monisha would likely play the lead plus she did not think she was good enough to do it. She kept turning around to find the lonely guy. He did not seem to be in a rush to sign up. He waited patiently for everyone to finish. He then walked up and signed up for just the male lead and walked out. Shivu wasn't sure what to think of it. She whispered to Monisha, "Evvalo confidence paaru dee. Either he is really good or he is arrogant as hell, la?" Monisha answered, "Ama dee. Ana avaroda performance naan oru Vaati paathirukken. He is really good. Peru Arvind Krishnan Ellarum AK nu koopduvaanga but seriyana musudu. Yaarukitteyum perusa pesa maatanga." Shivu nodded listening to her but she could not look away as she watched his walk away.

The auditions for the boys and girls were held separately on separate days and people were slowly getting notified of being selected. Shivu auditioned for every part but wasn't getting a call back. After her final audition she eagerly waited but the role went to another girl. The only audition left was for the leads. Shivu had not signed up for it so she was a little dejected. That's when Gopi sir called her, "Shivathmika, lead audition la un peru kaaname?Why?" Shivu answered, "Illai sir ennala Adhellam handle panna mudiyum nu thonala." Gopi sir sighed and said, "Will you let me be the judge of that? Naaliki leads ku audition irukku. Main leads and second main leads. I want to see you there. No excuses." Shivu reluctantly answered, "Ok sir. I will be there."

Brinda Subramanian