Part 4
Vivek loves this place. He's been coming here from a long time. He loves the aura and feel good vibe he gets from this place and how it looks rustic and oldschool.
"Wow. This place looks amazing. What's it called again?" she asked, sitting down.
"JamJar. It is one of my favourite places here in Mumbai."
"I've never heard of this place."
"How can that be? You've lived here for a decade. You don't know so many places here in Mumbai," he said, a little bit surprised. They have hang out in quite a few places with Pankaj and some of the cast, and every place they went was a new place for her. It was absurd seeing as how she's lived here more than he has and she didn't know all the places he took her to.
"It's true I have been here for a decade but I have yet to explore Mumbai properly. I'm a homey person and I have barely been out. I have been seen Mumbai. I think I have gone out with you in the past few months more than I have gone out in the 10 years that I have lived here."
"How is that possible?!" He thought to himself.
"How come you haven't explored? What about your friends? Your ex-boyfriend?" He asked her.
"Ever since I came here, I have been working. And you know how it is. How hectic it can get, so I have never had the chance."
He could see how she had noticeably ignored the question about her ex-boyfriend. He knows she had one but he only knows what he had read online. He wanted to know her side of the story, but maybe now is not the time.
"Vivek...about yesterday...I'm not sure what had happened. You looked so upset when you left," she asked, outright.
He didn't think she'd start talking about it right away. In fact, he had completely forgotten about the fact that he was upset with her. It was just nice to hang out with her and he was excited about having lunch with her, that he had disregarded him being upset.
"Oh. I thought you were busy shooting but when I came, you weren't so I thought you had lied."
"Vivek, I was looking forward to watching the movie with you and I was quite excited. I love watching movies in the theatre but I rarely get the chance to. Why would I have lied and made an excuse to cancel it? I was shooting and when you came, I was just about done with it. I was just about to call you and leave when my friend came. I couldn't leave without talking to him since he came to meet me, so I decided to stay back a little and then leave."
Dammit! He was feeling guilty now. He screwed up. He jumped into conclusions without giving her the benefit of the doubt and he concluded she was lying without giving her a chance to explain.
"I'm sorry. I just...overreacted."
"It's alright. I hope all is well now?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes, yes." He chuckled, holding her hand which was on the table. As if she got an electric shock, she quickly removed it, like she was repelled by it.
Without giving him a chance to speak, she quickly changed the topic. "What should we order?"
He was glad in a way, because it took a whole different turn. He felt something, though. He couldn't quite gauge her reaction. Usually, he is an expert in assessing people and it comes naturally to him. But with her, he can't read anything. It's like the way she behaves, the way she reacts; it's all a pretense to him. It doesn't feel real, it feels like she is putting up a front. Trying to depict herself the way she is; a celebrity who is confident and won't be quaked, by anyone. At least that's how she portrays herself to be.
"Order anything, I will order a BBQ chicken burger with a side of fries. "
"I'll order a BBQ veggie burger then, with a side of fries," she said, smiling wide.
"I love a woman who eats," he said, chuckling. "You only live once, why would you waste that life starving yourself to death?"
"I agree."
"So you always wanted to be an actor?" he asked, while they waited for the food to arrive.
"No, I wanted to be an army officer."
"What?" he interrupted her. "An army officer? The actress and the diva sitting in front me wanted to become an army officer?"
"Yes. I was the second girl in the family so my parents always treated me like a son. Ever since I was small, I behaved like a boy and aspired to be an army officer. I may be an actress and the diva of Indian television but that is not me."
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
"I love my job and I am so glad and thankful I chose this path and this profession but this is not who I am. I'm not like the typical glam actresses in the industry. I don't dress to please nor do I follow the stereotypes. Bahar se jaise lagte ho, woh main andhar se nahi hoon. I've always loved the wild and the nature. I love doing things like trekking, going on adventures and using the rifle once in a while to shoot."
"You know how to use a rifle?"
"Yes, I have won gold medals."
He was stunned. He truly was. He'll admit, he had certain stereotypes about actresses and he thought she would fit into those too when he eventually gets to know about her. But, he was stunned. Not only did she break his notion on actresses, but he is slowly getting to see through her. And now he understands it. Understands why he couldn't quite read her and he was right; she is not who she portrays herself to be. And he was glad, because people like her make him believe that everyone is different, and that one should not jump into conclusions before getting to know someone. She was the perfect example of- don't judge a book by its cover.
"Then why become an actor? Why didn't you pursue your aspirations?"
"I don't know, really. It just happened by fluke. There was a beauty contest and I participated. Like the feel of it, the thought that I was looking like a girl and acting like a girl for once and it made me feel so good. I kept doing it afterwards and before I knew it, I became an actress and well, here we are now."
"Wow. That's actually quite inspiring."
She laughed. She has narrated her story to many; her friends, colleagues, media, and fans, before but no one ever said it was 'inspiring' everyone felt she was entitled. To want something else and then to get something which was beyond her imagination and which took her to great heights.
"Thanks. What about you?"
The food had arrived, and without wasting any time as both of them were hungry, they dived right into the delicious looking meal.
"You were saying?" he asked, recalling she had said something.
"What about you? Did you always want to be an actor?"
"Yes, I have wanted to be an actor as long as I can remember but for some reason, I never pursued it. Dad wanted me to be a lawyer, so I studied that but later realized that it is not who I am. Having no direction, I decided to do business. I enjoyed it for a few months and then it started to depress me. There was a time when I didn't want to do anything. I was closed off and withdrawn, for quite a while. Then my friend had suggested modeling and that's when I finally started to pursue something in the entertainment industry." To be honest, he has never spoken about his depression with anyone. His family and his close friends knew about it, but no one he wasn't close to. And she isn't someone he still finds close. Yet, he was drawn to talking about it to her and revealing things to her.
"You said my story was inspiring but you're the real winner!" she exclaimed, in awe. "It's amazing how, even after all those years, you still managed to go after what you love to do. Not many are fortunate. Most only settle to travel the road that is easier, not many want to work hard and achieve what they really want."
"Thank you," he said, smiling.
"Since we didn't get to watch the movie yesterday, we should go today. I was really excited about it."
"Actually, I went to watch the movie yesterday but I won't mind watching the movie again. It's a brilliant movie."
