Chapter 1 - One past, and a beginning
Eight months ago...
Diya Panchal, the most sought after actress in Bollywood today, the daughter of businessman Drupad Panchal and twin sister of businessman Dhruv Panchal. She was the supposed light of her father's eyes and her brother's best friend. All she had ever tasted in her career was success, but she had always felt like something had been amiss in her so-called perfect life and although, she was the daughter of a famous business tycoon, she prided herself in being a self-made woman.
At the tender age of 21, after completing her college, she had auditioned for a film and had been signed on for her first project. The release of the film had resulted in her becoming an instant 'hit' amongst the youth of India. Now, four years later, she was the biggest heroine in the Indian film industry, with three back-to-back Filmfare awards to her credit. She was known to experiment and to blow life into her characters, but the past one year hadn't been all that she had expected.
Yes, she had done two blockbuster films, but they were only what people called the typical Candyfloss cinema, with romantic songs and the over-the-top action sequences. For one year now, going to shoots hadn't excited her anymore, she hadn't required any more practise before giving the takes, and well, in a nutshell she was doing something she hated, which was -- not putting in her hundred percent into something.
Now, as she lay on her bed, disinterestedly going through another one of the 'masala' scripts that had been mailed to her by her assistant, a shrill sound reverberated throughout the room and immediately she picked up the phone, because only very few people called her on private number.
Diya: Hello.
Caller: Hello Diya ma'am? I am Amit, calling from Vyas studios. Actually, I am the casting director there.
Diya: Vyas studios? Alright, what made you call me?
Amit: Ma'am actually sir has started work on a new project and he would like you to come over for the look test on Friday, that is three days from now.
Diya: Now, Amit, you know I have a very tight schedule and my assistant manages everything of that sort. All I can say is that I will try, but please get back to her for further details and replies from here on.
And the line beeped, signalling that the phone had been hung up from the actress' side.
As Diya hung up the phone, it came crashing to the ground in a flash. "Ananya!" she screamed.
On getting no response, she shouted yet again, her anger rising with the passage of each second. Finally, a thin, pale-looking girl entered the room, and she meekly closed the door behind her, but soon after, another woman entered the room. She was a middle-aged woman, dressed in a plain, cotton sari, wearing gold rimmed spectacles that were placed on the bridge of her nose.
"Dai ma, I think I called Ananya, my assistant ONLY. This is not a Dominos offer where you get one on one free."
"Diyu, darling, calm down. I know that you do not use this tone very often that is why I am worried. Tell me, what is the matter?"
"Dai ma!"
"Diyu?"
"Urghh...fine! I just received a phone call from Vyas' casting director. He wants me to go for a bloody look test and..."
"And you don't call Diya Panchal for a look test, you ask her for her dates. Is it not?" Dai ma completed the sentence, amused.
"Yeah, well...umm..."
Both the ladies in front of guffawed as she glared at them and then went and lay down on the bed. As they composed themselves, both went and sat down on her bed and Dai ma lovingly caressed Diya's forehead and hair. "What is the matter Diyu? Something is definitely troubling you", asked Dai ma.
Diya couldn't hold back anything from her Dai ma, after all she had been the one who had brought her up and given Dhruv and her the strength to fight the ghosts of their past. It had taken immense love from Dai ma's side to make them both confident again, and as they had recovered, both of them had put in their heart and soul to whatever they did, that's why they were one successful pair of siblings today. Patiently, Diya narrated everything to Dai ma and Ananya, about how her career in recent times, had been limited to mainstream Bollywood masala films and she definitely wanted the drive to return, she wanted to explore new arenas and venture into different genres. Acting had always been her passion and initially, the stardom had fascinated her but now, she wanted to rekindle that passion.
When she finally finished her monologue, Ananya placed her hand on Diya's shoulder and then said, "Diya, you just said that you want to challenge yourself and rekindle that passion for acting, and acting in a Rajveer Vyas film, that too directed by him, is not a chance you get very easily. Now, brush off that frown and sleep over it. I am sure you'll get a clearer picture. Why not talk to Krish about it, after all he's always the one whose solving your problems", and both she and Dai ma left the room, leaving her alone for some time.
...
Now, two days later, as Diya was driving herself to the studio, she couldn't help but think how excited her Dai ma had been about this look test. Even Dhruv was so happy and dad, well he had been busy in his foreign affairs in a foreign country, but how could she blame him after everything that they had faced all those years ago?
As she had woken up the day after the first call for the look test, she had been relatively fresh. Taking Ananya's advice, she had slept over it and now when she thought about it, her anger that day had not been justified. Dai ma had repeatedly reminded her of all those values that she had been brought up with, and true to her Dai ma, she had always followed them. Also, after all, she wanted this chance and now when it had come her way, she couldn't just throw unnecessary tantrums. Working with Rajveer Vyas was a dream, and she would definitely fulfil her dream. Diya Panchal would give nothing short of her best that day. Moreover, she hadn't forgotten about the number of phone calls Ananya had got in these two days from that casting director.
After these four years in the film industry, she knew that he was just a puppet and Rajveer Vyas was the one who wanted her there for the look test but what she couldn't quite put a finger on was that why was he acting so desperate? Why would he want her so badly in this film, was she so suitable for this role that he had planned? Well, she would find out for herself, very soon.
She was lost in thought all along the way and finally she pulled up in front of Vyas Studios. Swiftly, she parked her Mercedes-Benz S Class in front of the gate and walked in gracefully. As soon as she entered, she was greeted by a number of people before she was finally ushered into the director's cabin.
...
The cabin was something she had not imagined, yet she wasn't surprised to see it. It smelled of cigar-smoke, with a vast collection of DVDs placed just opposite to the door. The walls seemed crammed up, with their dark colours, and she was thankful for the air-conditioner, or else she wouldn't be surprised if she would have been suffocated to death in that very room. There was one corner where numerous beautiful abstract paintings were hung on the wall, and then her eyes moved towards an incomplete canvas and the oil-paints that were scattered around it. As she stood there, scanning her surroundings, Diya noticed a few more things -- a collection of vintage cameras, a messed up desk with a few negatives, parchments with something scribbled on them, a steaming cup of black coffee and an ink pot and fountain pen placed on it. It seemed like something had been freshly written on those yellow parchments. She then noticed, what seemed like a cabinet of drafts and scripts, but one scripts had a shining red cover, unlike the ancient yellow ones which were clearly in majority.
Slowly, Diya walked towards the cabinet and just as she was about to lay her hands on that red-covered piece, she was startled by a loud cough and she turned around immediately, only to face THE Rajveer Vyas, whose prying eyes seemed to be studying her with much interest.
"So, I see Ms. Panchal, who have taken quite a fancy to that pretty little thing there, well don't worry, that is your script only, soon it'll be in your hands."
"Hello to you too sir", Diya smarted, making him chuckle dryly and then continued, "Well, I haven't really signed the film yet, in fact I wanted to know the reason behind you wanting to particularly cast me."
"I see that you are a beauty with brains. Anyway, have a seat and I shall want to discuss the script with you", as he pointed towards one chair which was opposite to his own.
Diya walked towards the chair and took her seat as she started speaking, "That is such a clichd line sir, I expect much more from such an acclaimed film director like you."
"No miss that is a line from the kind of cinema you have chosen to do for the last year, anyway call me RV, sir is so not me", he taunted her and she got the hint. Not wanting to continue the topic further, Diya frowned a little and then directly told him to tell her about the script.
"Now, Diya...Do you have a problem with me calling you Diya?" when she nodded in the negative, he continued, "This story will be extremely different from the kind of cinema that you have been doing, this is my kind of cinema, something that will lead you to the path of mythology. I have known for some time now that you have wanted to venture into new genres and I am giving you the chance by offering you the film. To further answer your question, I saw a part of one of your films two years ago, and I must admit that I was impressed but then I did not dwell on it. This script has been with me for very long now, I wrote it a long, long time ago when I was studying history and these particular characters from the Mahabharata captured my immediate interest. A few months ago, I was going through my old stuff when I came across this script, and instantly your face came to my mind. You know how an artist's mind works right?
And that's the reason you're the only one who has been offered a look test for this film, and only if you're interested will I continue making this film, but before that I want you to have confidence in yourself. That is why; I want you and the actor whom I have chosen, to perform the look test together, but that'll only happen after you have given today's look test."
As the director spoke to her, Diya recognised the creativity that was filled in his genius mind. A good judge of character that she had become, due to her time in the film industry, she had immediately known that he was an extremely intelligent and sharp person. She had heard a lot about this man; however, meeting him firsthand and speaking to the artist in him had led to a certain respect for him developing in her mind. Diya immediately knew that she would hold him in high regard from now on. Even before hearing the script or anything related to its story-line, half her mind was made up. Moreover, Mahabharata had always interested her, and she remembered the stories her Dai ma had narrated to her throughout her childhood -- trying to put the negative thoughts that bubbled inside her then, little mind at bay by distracting her with these stories before bed time. While she was lost in thought, RV smiled in satisfaction and finally cleared his throat, "Now, let's tell you about your character first and have you dress up as Draupadi for the look test then we can discuss the script. Okay?"
But Diya was hearing nothing at all after he had said, 'Draupadi'. Not many knew that Draupadi's character had always intrigued her, fascinated her. From the time Dai ma had first told her about the woman's story -- when she was a little girl -- Draupadi's character had inspired her and when she had grown up, she had read many books on her and even dug up almost all of Google for information and instances. Now, getting to play her character was something she would love, almost like a dream come true, but was she confident enough to pull it off?
Eventually, Diya managed to pull her muddled thoughts together and encouraged the director to go on. She was certain that RV would have researched well and would certainly have a lot of information to offer about the complexities and details of her character as Draupadi. As RV briefed her up about her character, she got even more fascinated and captivated by the stories of Draupadi's life. RV gave her details about her character and then narrated to her about how the story of Arjuna and Draupadi had been left incomplete and how he wanted to be the voice of their silent love and make people understand that Mahabharata was not just about the battle of the Kauravas and the Pandavas but it also included many more interlinked stories and details, one of the main being the story of Arjuna and Draupadi's repeated sacrifices. He explained to her about how strong Draupadi's character was, about how she managed to stand up for herself in that male-dominated era and make place for herself in history, and Diya felt absolute pride that she would be getting to play a character like that. Also, she marvelled at the way RV presented Draupadi's story and couldn't wait to hear the script and what it centred around, although she had managed to guess that Arjuna and Draupadi would be two of the main characters in the script. As he narrated everything in detail, and about the horrific instance of the Dhyut Sabha, she couldn't control the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks, imagining the whole scene itself sent shivers down her spine, but something that surprised her was that she too imagined herself as Draupadi in the moment -- just like RV said he had when he came across the script -- which made her experience the pain for herself.
As RV finished with his narrative, leaving Diya awed, he had a serious look on his face, but seeing her so immersed in his narration had given him immense satisfaction and he couldn't help but smile at the pensive look that he saw in his eyes. He knew that half of his motive of calling her had been fulfilled and that had managed to carve a smooth path for the other half. He opened the shiny red-covered file and took out a few papers which had turned yellow with the passage of time and handed them over to Diya, "This is the original script and here are the scenes you'll perform. You'll feel a different kind of contentment when you go through these scenes, instead of preparing from the freshly printed copies. Now, go and get ready in the room you have been allotted and pray that we are able to recognise you when you come out", he chuckled and patted her back as he walked out to make sure that everything was perfectly arranged.
...
Diya had stood rooted at her place for a few minutes before she had finally walked out towards the dressing room. She had replayed everything that had happened in the past hour as it had been too much to take in together, and she definitely couldn't help but try to ignore the unfathomable feelings inside her, whether it was anticipation or nervousness, she didn't know and neither did she wish to name them right away. Slowly, she walked out of the director's cabin and in a few minutes, took her seat in the dressing room. As she was going through the lines, a realisation donned upon her, that she had felt a strong connection with Draupadi. The blazing streaks of anger that highlighted her personality, the pride with which she carried herself, the respect that she commanded and mostly, how she handled any situation with grace and utmost sincerity -- she admired everything in Draupadi, and she couldn't help but relate herself to this legendary woman, of course she did not have five husbands but hadn't she too been battling the ghosts of her past?
Diya's hair had been done and she was made to wear a knee-length wig and she had also changed into an ancient style sari that was a light orange to crimson ombre sari which complimented her skin tone perfectly, as if it had been made exclusively, keeping her in mind. She had completely been absorbed in the dialogues that were in front of her as she continued to prepare for her look test and the little audition that it included, when her reverie was broken by a polite voice of the makeup artist, "We're done Diya and I have to say, you look like you have just walked out of a time machine", the man, who was the best makeup artist in the film industry, winked at her. And just as Diya looked up to face the mirror, her beautifully shaped dark eyes widened in absolute astonishment, 'this was definitely not her.'
She faced the mirror, only to have a beautiful lady gaze back at her. Her dark, curly hair fell over her shoulders and then all the way down to her knees. They had been slightly raised on the crown by a few invisible pins and a few deliberately curled strands cupped her face. Her makeup was kept minimal and almost close to neutral, the only exception being the golden-black eye shadow on her lids which added to the oomph of the medieval look. The sari was carefully pleated, as her slim waist peaked a little from the side and a red and white bindi was tattooed on her forehead. As she glanced down towards her hands and feet, she noticed that they had been dipped in bright red alta. She was a little confused too, 'How had she managed to not notice all this in all these past minutes? Had she been so lost in reading the dialogues?' but nevertheless, Diya smiled at herself and walked away to where the mini-set had been put together. Least did she know that what she saw in the mirror was not Diya, but the reflection of a blazing flame that had been lit up in history a long time ago.
...
"Mukh par agni ka tej, shvaas mein agni ka taap aur hridaya mein agni ki pavitrata lekar janmi hai aapki putrid pitashree. Devtaaon ka yeh vardaan aapke charano mein arpit karti hu", and she bent down to touch someone's imaginary feet when she heard a loud voice,
"Cut it."
And finally, she was broken out of her trance. Diya looked around surprised as everyone stood up from their respective seats and gave her a standing ovation. To say that she was surprised, would be an understatement for hadn't her own father been their just a few minutes ago, in the ancient attire of a Maharaja? Her senses had been completely muddled up and she didn't know how to react even when RV explained to her the scene for the next session, the second and final session of that little audition, the Cheer Haran scene.
...
"Pitamah, maun kyun hai aap? Bataaiye ki kis adhikaar se arya putra Yudhistir ne mujhe haara? Kya patni sampatti hoti hai pati ki? Kya uska koi adhikaar nahi. Uttar deejiye Pitamah. Aap toh atyant gyani hai, aapki kirti toh samagra aryavrat mein hai, toh phir aap maun kyu hai?"
Diya slipped to the ground as she finished her dialogue and cried her heart out, while the whole hall was engulfed in complete silence. She had moved the entire room to tears, without putting in any effort or even using a slight amount of glycerine. Even RV did not have the courage to interrupt her or cut the scene, because everyone was too engrossed in how she delivered the dialogues with such great emotion. Finally, after a few minutes of utter silence, each and every person present their broke into a thunderous applause as RV went forward, with tears in his own eyes and lifted up Diya from the ground, who was still overwhelmed with the intensity of her emotions and smiled brightly at her, "We will sign the contract once it is drafted, but for all of us, you are now officially the heroine of Vyas Studios' next production."
...
But in all those moments -- when she had received standing ovations, when she had appeared to have walked out of history and even when she had moved the audience to tears in the second session -- Diya had forgotten who she was, she had forgotten herself, and all she remembered were flashes, all she knew was that she had become a part of what now seemed the irretrievable, the past. Throughout both the scenes that she had enacted, she had not known anything except for the fact that she had even imagined those people who she had never met ever before -- as characters in the scene -- as she had felt everything happening around her and she had hallucinated herself as Draupadi. She was still in daze as she removed her sari and slipped back into her comfortable pair of jeans and her tank top, not wanting to come to terms with the fact that she had been musing about everything that she had experienced and perceived in the past couple of hours because all of it had felt too real to be false, and she was certain about that fact. She made her way out of the studio, plastering a smile all the way till she sat in her car because she didn't realise how well she had performed, for all she knew was that she had only enacted what she felt from inside, or rather what she felt was suitable for the situation.
But she had understood one thing too well; Vyas had called her for the look test so that she could gain confidence in herself, which she definitely had with the kind of praise that she was receiving but she had conveniently ignored one fact, that she had changed a few dialogues in both the scenes. No one else too noticed it, except the director himself, who now stood at his cabin's window watching her drive past the studio. But everyone was unaware of one thing, that this was just the beginning of her journey, where she would embrace her past, the journey of her becoming Draupadi from Diya.
TBC
Hope you like it!
Thanks a lot for such amazing response on the prologue and yes, this story is going to be a little different😊
Edited by 8520NK - 10 years ago
Cricket
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