Predicament of a Girl
A romantic and sentimental thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“What do you say dear? Still there is time to deny this.” Prameela looked into the face of Charitha and said.
“Once I commit for something I don’t take a step back.” Once it has been confirmed like that by Madhukar also, Charitha’s uneasiness has become even more but she did not show it in her face. “Prameela is a great friend to me and I know you are a great friend to her. I understood how much happy you feel if you can manage me as the heroine in that movie and I know how much happy my friend feels if you feel happy. I never do leave any opportunity to utilise that can make my friend happy. I can manage my family and you don’t worry about it. So my firm decision is to act in this movie but with a little condition.”
“I am very happy. I really don’t know there is such a bond between my friend and you.” Once again Madhukar’s face was filled with happiness. “I am just curious to hear about that condition.”
“That forty lakhs rupees should be given to her even before she does anything regarding that movie.” Instead of Charitha, Prameela said.
“That is not a problem at all. In fact my friend is ready to pay even more amount to make your friend agree to it. I can make him agree to pay fifty lakhs if your friend agrees to it. But.....” he paused for a second before saying again. “...........your friend needs to sign on the contract first.”
“Those forty lakhs rupees are enough and I feel happy if that amount has been given to me before I start acting. I don’t think that it is fair to ask to increase my remuneration now. I am just ready to sign on that contract at any moment.” Charitha so much wished to say that she wanted increase in her remuneration but she could not. She really felt that it was not fair to ask like that.
“The contract has already been made in English and you can read it and sign on it at any moment and in the immediate instant the amount will be transferred into your account.”
“I am ready to sign on that contract now itself!” there was a determined expression in Charitha’s face and firmness in her voice.
“Then as soon as my friend comes, you can do that and in the immediate instant you can see that amount in your account.” Madhukar said. “We are waiting only for a girl for the heroine character and everything else is set. Just in one week or so of time the shooting of the movie would be started. Only a little part of that movie would be done in this state and everything else will be in Tamilnadu. Probably three months or so of time will be taken to complete this movie and you need to be with us and away from your home all that time. You can have one of your family members with you and as long as you and your family member are with us, the whole of your expenditure is ours and we look after every necessity of you.”
“None of my family members are going to stay with me.” Charitha said. How her family members would feel seeing her acting like that?
“I think you can understand why she does not want any of her family members with her.” With a meaningful expression in her face, Prameela said.
“Its alright then.” Madhukar nodded his head as he understood that point. “Tarang does not know our language but he knows English well. You can talk anything you want with him if you can manage in English.”
“I am not very much proficient in English.........” Charitha laughed. “..........but I sure can manage to talk with him in English and I want to talk with him a lot.”
“Before you talk with him and clear your doubts, I want to say some about my friend. In most of the people opinion, he is a director making movies exposing the heroines to the maximum possible extent only to titillate men to make his movies hit and almost all his movies are hit. He himself also agrees that he is a commercial movie director and producer and I am also of the opinion. But as a person he is quite genuine, kind and understanding and has an ability to look deep inside and perceive the qualities. He was producing his first movie in our state but in the language of his state and I tried for camara man in his film. I have been rejected everywhere here and I really don’t know what he has seen in me, he selected me as his camara man. Those were the days he also started his career as a director cum producer and I was also quite new to my profession and we both put our hearts to make that move a hit and it was a tremendous hit! From then on we both have become very good friends also and I started helping him in many other ways also.” He paused for a moment looking into the faces of Charitha and Prameela and neither of them wanted to intervene as they understood he intended to say something more.
“You may not believe that this is his dream project! He wanted to make it not just a commercial hit but otherwise also. This is a heroine oriented movie and he has some imagination of that role in his mind and just wants to locate someone who fits that imagination in all respects and even a single one of the six hundred candidates or so we have tested so far did not fit and made him satisfied. Ultimately we have decided to take Prameela for that role as to some extent she fits into that role but Tarang is not completely satisfied with her also. But as it is happening for a long time, he decided to compromise with the heroine character and we just want to finalise Prameela for this role and then he saw you.” There was some pause again and this time Charitha tried to intervene but before she said anything Madhukar said again.
“I must say besides being beautiful there is some peculiarity in you to the other candidates. It just added to the other requirements of us, that the actor must be quite new to the field; she should not know the language of the movie and just have twenty two years or so age. What he has seen in you along with these qualities to fix himself on you like this, I just don’t know.” Madhukar moved his hands just like that as he finished talking and leaned back in the chair.
“I try to know about this while I am talking with him.” With a smile on her lips, Charitha said.
“He is the writer, director and producer of this movie. He was first a writer and then turned into director cum producer. For some of his movies he managed dialogues and screenplay also and he is going to do them for this movie also.”
“And you are going to be the camara man!” Charitha said.
“Yes, I am the camara man for all his movies and this movie also because he thinks I am the best among all the camara men.” Madhukar said.
“It is not just thinking. It is a fact.” Prameela smiled. “That is why you are in such huge demand everywhere. Only few people know how much important a camara man to a movie. Only he can make the heroine so much beautiful or just average! Only he knows how to use the camara to show the heroine in the best way possible.”
“It is not just that a lot depends on the skill of the camara man. If the camara man is not the right person, everything of the film will be spoiled. Music and dialogues will be done in the post production but shooting a film is not like that.”
“You are absolutely right!” Prameela nodded her head in agreement and she was about to say something more but then Tarang entered into that place and the three of them stood up from the chairs.
“There is good news for you!” Madhukar said in Tamil looking into his face with a smile.
“Only one thing can be the good news for me now and you know it.” Tarang said in Tamil. “So this girl agreed to act in my movie.” This he said in English.
“That is absolutely right.” Madhukar nodded his head and said in Tamil. “Just few minutes back this girl conveyed her consent to me. Prameela could persuade her family also to make her act in our movie. The only problem is ..........” Madhukar paused for a second. “.............her family is thinking it is a family type movie.”
“Then it cannot be good news to me.” With a disappointing expression on his face Tarang said. “I don’t want to conceal anything regarding the movie either from her or from her family. I want her consent only after she comes to know everything about this movie. Did not you tell her anything about this movie to her?”
“Till now I did not.” Madhukar said “I think about only whether she agrees to it or not. I don’t know whether Prameela told about the movie to her or not.”
“Prameela told me everything about the movie. I understood completely how my role is going to be in it and I am hundred percent ready for that.” Charitha intervened and she herself surprised how she talked like that.
Madhukar translated that into Tamil looking at the face of Tarang and Immediately Tarang’s face was filled with surprise and happiness! “I just cannot understand! You agreed to act in this movie even after you know about it in full?” he said in English.
“Of course, yes!” Charitha laughed and said in English. “That is what you exactly want, is it is not?”
“You are right. But your family..........” he paused for a second. “............I don’t like them to be surprised or shocked after seeing this movie.”
“I shall look into that. You just don’t worry about it.” still it was very much awkward to her to think that she was going to play such a role but after hearing her father also like that, she came to a strong decision.
“Then I want to have some private and confidential talking with you before I make you to sign on the contract.” Tarang said and then looked into the faces of Madhukar and Prameela and turned into Tamil “Will you both please wait here itself for half an hour or so?”
“With pleasure.” Madhukar slumped in the same chair he sat before and Prameela also did the same.
Once again feeling uneasiness in herself Charitha followed Tarang into his chamber.
***
“Whether you believe it or not, it is my dream project Miss Charitha. I have been thinking to produce this movie from the starting of my career. I have prepared with the story while I was writing stories itself. At last I have been ready with the amount I have to put and about to start it now but not much satisfied for only one thing! That is; I just could not get a woman who is hundred percent suitable to the heroine character.” He paused for a second as if to reiterate whatever he was going to say. “Now I am happy. That I have got the best person who is more than hundred percent suitable to that character.”
“I just cannot understand.........I just cannot understand..........” Charitha’s face was filled with shock. “I don’t have even a little acting experience! I don’t have even interest in acting and I made these points clear. Then still...............” she paused. “........... how and why you came to the opinion I am the best person to that character?”
(I hope that you enjoyed this novel till here. I update the next chapter as early as possible. Please don’t forget to rate it and write a review)
