. Part 5
Later that evening RK was sitting and was trying to read his script.
" Bittuji... This juice is totally not what it should be.. " He said frustrated as he couldnt seem to concentrate and all he could remember were Madhubala's eyes.
"Sorry Chief.. I didnt understand" he said confused not knowing what RK meant.
" I mean its the total opposite of what it should be..." he said irritated by Bittuji's question.
"Okay chief I will..." Bittuji said as he picked up the glass.
" yes you should Bittuji... A juice is what I get to have in the whole damn day and you cant even arrange for that "
"Sorry Chief.. wo"
" Show me..." she gulps down a sip. " Come on... Its not that bad... in fact its great..." Madhubala stood behind him with the glass in her hand.
RK turned back intantly standing up from his chair. " Really? " he asked not knowing what he wanted to ask. He hadnt even tasted it.
" yeah have it" she forwarded the glass to him.
RK took a sip and looks at the two embarrassed
" It improved because of you... " he said to Madhu searching for an excuse.
"Well you are quite a pamper kid " Madhu saiid smiling naughtily.
Rishabh looked at her shocked. " Look whom this is coming from..." he exclaimed.
Madhu smiled embarrassed. " well.. Is it because I am beautiful or I am talented that you dont show this attitude of yours in front of me..." she asked him confidently.
" Its because you are talented.." Rishabh says quite impressed with his answer.
" Do you mean to tell me that I am not beautiful" Madhu says angrily getting offended.
" How can I even dare to say that... Of course You are the most beautiful..." he says taking a back foot.
" Mr. kundra you want to tell me I am not talented" She said as she tied her arms at her chest and tapped her foot on the ground.
Rishabh's eyes turned wider." what..." But then he smiled... " Okay... you got me... " he said raising his hands in the air.
Madhu laughed at him heartily like a child. Already those innocent eyes of hers were almost haunting him and now this. He couldnt understand whom to believe.. Madhubala the superstar or Madhu the innocent child. .
Madhu herself hadnt laughed like this since a long time. Not much of it she remembered. She felt a strange pain gripping her heart as she was laughing. Her eyes started to fill up. She turned back still laughing before RK would notice her tears. She almost ran into her vanity and stood in front of the mirror. She saw her face. It was flushed pink due to laughter but her eyes were red due to pain. Why was she the only one who was destined to have everything but still stand here with empty hands.
Why should she never get her share of happiness. The world was beneath the superstar Madhubala's feet but her heart was hollow... like nothing has been in it since the beginning of time. She wanted to mourn on her condition but how long. How long could she mourn for this never ending anguish.
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After a few days Madhu was sitting on the sets. She was waiting for her scene. She was somehow waiting to see RK. But it wasnt his scene. So it was obvious she could not see him. She sighed and continued reading the script. She was called on the centre and soon the shot started.
Madhu was a talented actress. Acting was something like the way she had learnt walking or eating. So it was not at all difficult for her to totally forget whatever tensions she had in mind. Also that day Madhu had lost herself from the scene and out of the character. Thatt had made her work on her focus and her will power even more, so she just engrossed herself in her character and totally forgot herself. So as the shot ended it was pitch perfect even this time. As she walked away from the set, she saw RK waiting for her. She felt like she did Bhangra in heart.
" I thought you wont be coming now as it wasnt your shot" she said hiding her delight.
" That means you missed me? " RK said raising his eyebrow at her.
Madhu was taken aback. She hadnt expected that answer. " People miss Madhubala Malik... She doesnt miss anyone " she says in self glory.
"Ahaan... Well... Madam Supertar I might not be as big a star as you are but I dont keep anybody's favours... "
" Favour?" she said confused.
" Yeah... that dayy you came to see my shot.. " he saiid reminding her.
" Aahh that..."
" Well.. So... Whats your next scene..." he asked curiously.
" Neha must be knowing... she would brief me soon " she said non chalantly.
" Right... I forgot you dont need to do much of homework." he said scratching his head.
Madhu smiled at her." Its not that... I study the character and try to develop it in me... so whatever scenes I get I feel the character's point of view... " She explained genuinely.
" yeah... I did experience that... that day when I was getting it wrong.. The way you made me feel like Arjun... It was great.. "
Madhu smiled at him again as she sat on the chair kept for her, she had this strong wish that RK sits with her and not go back. RK gestured a spot boy and he came running with a chair for him to sit.
" So... what else do you like... apart from acting... " he asked her. Somehow he was having this urge to talk to her.
" apart from acting... ammm... hmmm" Madhu started making cute faces as she thought.
"dont say painting... every actor seems to do that.. "
Madhu grinned at him. " Yaahhh.. looks like they are in some herd... following one another" she said as she widened her eyes.
" well they are all my seniors... what can i say.. " he said smiling sheepishly.
" come on RK... you can tell me... I dont flatter anyone of them that I would gossip about you.." she said as she rested back on her chair.
" well in that case... reaallyyy they all seem to copy everything about each other... painting, dressing, even movies... come on yaar... do something else.. when I used to go for movies with my friends, I felt like I am watching the same movie with different actors.. If one becomes police man the other would also be police in the next. . It was really boring..." he said all of it in one breath... as if holding it inside.
"woww you seem quite distressed with them " she said smirking at him.
Rishabh smiled at her sheepishly. " Really RK..!!. Tell me what does it feel... Like... watching movies in those theatres and all" Madhu says getting excited at the thought of it.
" Arey it used to be so much fun. All our group used to go to the theatre with all tha popcorns and coldrinks... to watch a movie... but what a ruckus we used to create... RK started to narrate her.
Madhu listened to him with child like excitement. RK felt so high seeing her so attentive and behaving so innocently. She didnt seem to be the superstar Madhubala.
"The film was never in our books... we used to just have fun with each other. We would crack jokes on emotional scenes and ruin it for the others around. They used to get so irritated." he laughed as he said that.
" But why would you do that..? We work so hard for those scenes to make effect.. emotional scenes are one of the toughest. " Madhu said getting genuinely offended.
" Come on... we are no babies... we know that its just acting and in reality its just about this... " he said as he pointed at the set with an artificial background and environment. " see there isnt even any balcony here. Its just railing with a background attached and a big fan for the wind. Do you think we dont know this...? " he said playfully.
Madhu gets embarrassed. " But we do work hard for it.. though its nothing real but we make ourselves and audience believe that this balcony, this sky, this wind is all real..." she said exasperated.
" Well we know that its not real, doesnt mean we dont appreciate the actor.." he said raising his eyebrows.
Madhu looked at him still not convinced. " well.. whatt else do you do?" she asked because of the curiosity in herself though she wasnt convinced with RK's point of view at all.
" When we would go for a horror movie. We would shout at top of our voices as if genuinely scared. All of the people around us would get scared. Specially the girls with us.. they used to shriek... but we did make sure we dont have any elderly around lest he would have an attack or somethinh.. but then elderlies dont come for a horror movie... "
Madhu laughs at him. "You mean guys of your age dont take any movie seriuosly. "
"No... Thats not true... We would watch a lot of movies genuinely too... but then very few movies really have a content... like I said.. It just feels some kind of a copy paste in most of the movies... " RK tells her thoughtfully.
Madhu smiled at him. " Well... what about me... Like how do people have opinion about me.." she asked curiously.
" You dont know? " RK looked at her confused.
" How am I supposed to know... all the opinions I get is from the press... And like I said... They can build castles in the air.. " Madhu said shrugging.
" Well.. I am really not flattering but You are one of those actors whom we watch genuinely... First your films are mostly something different, secondly like I have been saying since day 1 you act awesomely.. when you make me believe in the actor and the scene even when I am standing in the midst of these lights and cameras and equipments... then when its shown as a movie, why wouldn't anybody believe it..." RK said nodding her head approvingly.
"Wow... great... I love my fans... " Madhu said getting excited.
" I amm the biggest one... " RK said smiling cheekily at her.
Madhu smiled at him moving her head to the side.
"By the way.. All this gets me to think.. have you never gone for a movie with friends? " RK asks being confused. It was quite difficult for him to believe that she didnt do something so common nowadays.
"Lets not get to that..." Madhu said waving her head brushing off the topic.
"You can tell me... I am not going to gossip about it.. " RK grinned at her cheekily reminding her that he had told her what she wanted.
Madhu laughed at him. "Actually there are a lot of reasons... Firstly I hardly get time from all these shoots and all... It all keeps you so busy that taking time for yourself is something really tough. And apart from that the main reason is... I dont have any friends as such... I know people.. I am cordial with them... As you know my whole life is spent here... in this industry.. so... Never went anywhere to make friends or something... and in this world of dreams I have only made friends on the screen... Been a friend on screen... but here there is only competition, no friendship. there is almost no space for it... So there is almost noone whom i can call my friend " she said shrugging her shoulders in disappointment.
RK genuinely felt bad for her... " Well If you dont mind... you can call me your friend..." he said forwarding his hand.
Madhu smiles widely and shakes his hand happily.
"I might not be knowing much about friendship... " she said smiling naughtily.
" well... You taught m acting.. I will teach you friendship..." RK smiled cheekily. "And in any case mam.. the pleasure would be all mine... "
"How old are you? " Madhu asks frowning.
Rishabh was taken aback. Would she not be friends if I am not of some age or something.. " What does friendship have to do with age?" he asked confused.
" Dont be a girl RK... tell... whats your age."
"ammm 23... " RK said nervous and confused.
" well then we are same age... why do you have to call me mam then? Do I look like old?" Madhu said frowning.
"Ohhh... Not at all " RK replies getting relaxed.
" So call me Madhu... No mam or aunty or something... " Madhu said...
RK laughs at her... "Why would I call you aunty... I call you mam because you are my senior "
" and now i am also your friend... so no mam..." she said warningly.
RK says smiling.. " okay Madhu... Oh no.. that feels quite weird"
" Dont act so decent... You wont be calling me mam when you would have been watching my movies with your friends" Madhu said dismissing his objection.
RK mumbled something which Madhu couldnt hear. " Are you bitching about me to yourself?" Madhu says with wide eyes.
" No... Not at all... " RK quickly replies getting horrified.
" Then what did you just say RK...?" Madhu asked in a dangerous tone.
" It was nothing" RK says clearing it up.
" RK... tell me..." Madhu says in a dangerous tone.
RK bursts into laughter to which Madhu's jaw dropped.
" You are laughing at me?"she asked not believing herself.
" No I am laughing at myself..." he said in between his laughs
"why? " she asked confused.
" Because I never thought that I will have to tell you this, my friends used to tease me... "
"What was it? "
" I used to have a huge crush on you in my teenage years.. " RK said smiling as he scratched the back of his head.
Madhu blushed hearing him while he just smiled at her. His smile was again breathtaking, a smile mixed with naughtiness and innocence at the same time.
