Celebration of Fates: RagNa FF, Part-23, Pg-147, 30/07 - Page 5

CREDIT FOR BANNER: Raz (AWriterAtHeart)

PART-2

Kalpi was sitting in the auto headed to her audition venue when she received Pakhya's call. Seeing his name she smiled and answered it "Hello. Good morning Dada. Aakhir aapko apni rajkumari ki yaad aa hi gayi" (Hello. Good morning Dada. At last you remembered your princess).

Pakhya: "Good Morning Kalpu. I am sorry Kalpu, tujhe pata hai na ki kal raat main apne dost Rajesh k saath tha usk ghar par. Bas subah waha se free ho kar ab office ja raha hoon. Par main apni rajkumari ko kaise bhool sakta hoon? Mujhe sab yaad hai, aur maine tujhe audition k liye All the Best' kehne k liye call kiya hai. Bappa ne chaha toh tu hi select hogi, theek hai? Achchha chal ab main rakhta hoon, apna dhyan rakhna aur darna nahi" (Good Morning Kalpu. I am sorry Kalpu, you know that last night I was with my friend Rajesh at his home. I am going to office now after getting free from there. But how can I forget my Rajkumari? I remember everything, and I have called you to wish All the best' for the audition. If Bappa's blessings are with you, then you will only get selected, all right? Ok now I am ending the call, take care of yourself and don't be afraid).

Kalpi: "Bye Dada. Aap bhi apna dhyan rakhna aur khana time par khana. Chalo sham ko milte hain" (Bye Dada. You also take care of yourself and have lunch on time. Okay, we'll meet in evening now).

Pakhya: "Bye Kalpu". After her little conversation with her elder brother Kalpi was feeling much better and confident. Since childhood Pakhya was the one who was there for her, like her mother, father and friend. Their father was not with them and their mother was busy struggling for their lives. In such circumstances Kalpi and Pakhya were the only and biggest support for each other. Brother-sister duo was always there for each other in every problem, every tension, every joy, every smile and every pain. They were each other's morale boosters. "It is a good morning, I am sure I'll do well today" thought Kalpi and smiled to herself.

But once she reached the venue she was shocked to see the crowd of girls who had come to audition for the lead role. There were hundreds of them and for few moments Kalpana's confidence was shaken. "How will I get selected from such mass of talent? Most of them are so beautiful" and recognizing some well known faces she thought "very talented also". There were girls from every section of glamour industry, wannabe starlets, struggling actresses, famous stars, models, anchors, every one. No doubt the concerned show was to be launched on a huge scale and any girl who was to associate as a lead in the show, was bound to be benefitted immensely.

Kalpana collected her confidence and focus and went inside, managing to find a corner for herself, but still standing as there hardly was any empty seat. She was already registered so she waited for her name to be called out. As she was waiting amongst other girls, few of them started gossiping amongst themselves "I have heard the hero is a big star from films. I wonder who, who will leave films for TV?"

"Someone told me that it is his comeback vehicle and since this show is on a mega scale, he accepted it".

"But does someone know what the actor's name is? Why haven't they revealed his name till now?"

"I have heard he is a superstar of television industry, not a film star. Do you know that Raman Kapoor? He is the one most probably".

One other girl who was more sensible than others said "leave it girls, whosoever it is. We are more concerned with our own role. Whether from films or TV, the concerned actor is supposed to be a successful star, so we shall surely gain a lot. No use speculating on his name for now."

Rest of the girls agreed with her and went on to gossip about other things. Kalpi was never a gossip indulging girl, maybe this was the reason she had very few friends. But even she could not help but think who must be that big star about whom the production house was so excited and for whom such a big show is being launched. If she bags this project it could be her big first stepping stone towards her dreams. Her dream which she never let herself forget, her dream to be: "Kalpana Vitthal Jadhav- The Most Sought After & Successful Star of TV Industry"- a Young Achiever and a role model for youngsters." These words were not yet a reality for Kalpana, but her journey had already started. These words topped the list of aims & dreams she had seen for herself; and adorned the Chart in her bedroom in big & bold letters. Every morning she woke up to see her aims in front of her eyes & her bed, to work harder towards it. Every night she slept after reading them with a positive outlook, telling herself she will definitely achieve her dreams one day. Today was first big opportunity for her. Till now she had done many things, acted in theatre, done kids' shows, hosted them and in her teens even acted in many shows, modeling alongside her studies; and she was though not a top-notch but still a well known model. A few weeks ago she had completed a show where hers was a side character, though not important but she had got good feedback for that role. Now also she kept herself busy by hosting some music and other kind of shows, doing single episodes for many shows, TV ads, etc. But this big project had come like a blessing for her, her success in this would place her among first class actors of TV industry in one go. Yes, she was also curious as to who would be the male lead opposite the lead actress, since that would also determine if all this would only turn out to be another big publicity stunt without content, or that actor's presence could really make any difference. But his name was being kept closely wrapped; maybe sometime later they'd reveal it. For now the only thing known was that the show was to be the story of a divorced young, rich business-woman & a media tycoon.

She was lost in her thoughts when her name was called out. Inside she was given some lines to be memorized, explaining the emotions and situation to her. There was a camera man and one of the casting directors inside the audition room; and one television was kept alongside to keep them company. When Kalpana was done memorizing, she was asked to give her audition. The scene demanded intense play of emotions, she was to portray a lady who was independent, strong & divorced; someone who exuded tough exteriors but inside was all feminine, soft and craved for care. Kalpi acted out her scene well in just one take, never losing the focus and determination to succeed. Soon she was done with her audition and was politely informed that if selected she shall be informed. She was relieved, feeling stress-free to get this over and done with, and her steps back home were bouncy. She knew she had done her best and now she was not scared of the result, whatever it maybe. Just then she received Kamla's call who was asking her about the audition "Haan Aai, Audition se abhi free hui hoon. Achchhe se ho gaya Aai. Tu chinta mat kar, dekhna main hi select hongi Bappa ne chaha toh" (Yes Aai, I have become free from audition just now. Everything went on good. You don't worry; you'll see I will only get selected if Bappa wishes so).

She has not lost hopes for the positive result, but being someone who believed in doing her best in present, she never let herself suffer from any anxiety also. If only she had known that in an attached room to the audition room, another pair of eyes had also witnessed her audition along with the director and producer of the show, her mood and opinion would have been different. Someone who had approved of her acting skills telling himself "She is good. It is good to see you again Miss. Kalpana Vitthal Jadhav", then turning to the director and producer saying, "I want you to shortlist this girl among others".

Note: I do not know anything about auditions and all, so kindly bear with me. :-) Also this particular inner room thing is a special situation out of my imagination.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters from the show 'Ek Mutthi Aasmaan" on 'Zee TV". The characters are owned by creators and owners of the show.

PART-3