"May I know the problem sir?" Shubha asked the officer.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I am from the production team. I am sorry to have sent the director to talk to you. I should have come earlier." She said.
Vikram didn't know where she was going with that. But he decided to play along. "Thank God, you are here on time."
"It's okay Mr. Vikram." She turned towards the officer. "I am sorry I didn't explain how you will be benefited with this shooting clearly." She spoke in an authoritative no-nonsense kind of tone which made the officer believe that she was someone important as opposed to Vikram, who looked naive.
"What benefits?"
"Publicity" She answered.
"Could you please explain in detail?" He requested.
"Sure. I can see that several herbal products are being manufactured from the herbs and plants of this forest under government supervision. I am also aware that the government is planning to expand this. What you need right now is publicity. That's exactly what we can provide you." She paused at this point to see the effect. It was working. The man looked interested.
"How exactly are you going to do this ma'am?" He asked. He ordered his assistant to get some coffee for the guests.
"These men you are looking at, they are celebrities. Popular all over the world. The film they are making is one of the most expensive films of our country. Wait. I will show it to you." She googled Vikram's name and showed it to him. He finally understood that Vikram was famous all over the world.
"Now, let me get to the point. Mr. Vikram is going to advertise for your products in his social media accounts. Not just normal posts. He will make a video describing the greatness of these products. He will also explain his amazing experience of shooting at this place urging his fans to visit the shops when they come here. Once the filming is finished, we will conduct quiz contests and the gifts for the winners will be these herbal products. We just ask for one thing in return." She paused again.
"I need to talk to my supervisor for this. Excuse me." He stood up and went outside to make a call.
Vikram and Naresh stood beside the door and listened to the conversation. The man returned after a few minutes. "My supervisor agreed. You can shoot here as long as you don't go beyond the permissible area. Thank you so much for your offer ma'am." He sounded a lot friendlier.
"So can we have your signature and stamp here?" She asked. "Only for seven days."
"Sure. If you need our help please don't hesitate to ask." He signed the papers.
"Thank you sir." They thanked him and left for the hotel.
"How can you be so smart, Subbu?" Vikram looked at her in awe as they sat in the car.
"Because I am a woman." She winked at him. He gasped.
---***---
"Okay. This is the scene where you meet Dhwani for the first time. Like I said, in the film she is fierce, intelligent and noble while you are, well, you are just you." Vikram described the scene.
Dhwani giggled. Shubha glared at him. "Very lame joke. Continue."
"You demand her to return your brother to you. You say you don't want any quarrel. To which she replies, an ant has not quarrel with a boot."
"Wait. Why don't I get such intense dialogues?" Shubha complained.
Vikram was about to say something in reply when Dhwani stopped him. "Shubha, you don't need intense dialogues. You have the talent of making any dialogue sound intense."
YOU ARE READING
The Filmmaker's Dream
Romans"I'm not an actress. I'm just a scientist. I don't even know how to stand in front of the camera. This is overwhelming." Shubha complained. "None of the famous actors we see today, were superstars by birth. Keep trying. You are improving. Concentrat...
