Note: You will be able to tell once you start reading, but I’m going to use some very famous names (Kajol of course being one of them). Some famous names are playing "themselves" (as in, playing actors), and some famous names are not going to be playing actors, but "ordinary" people. But the intention is still to think of Kajol when you read Kajol :D (Well any famous name, picture them in the character) Of course remember this is fiction. Some people aren’t going to be painted in a favorable light and that does not mean I’m not a fan of them! I’m just going to make them mean for the story LOL.
Kajol hung up the phone in disbelief. She got the job! She actually got the job!
"Ma, ma!" she yelled loudly, bounding out of the room in excitement. "MA!!"
"Ma," she lowered her voice when she discovered her mother resting in a chair with her eyes closed.
Kajol dropped to her knees and looked up at her mother. She seemed asleep. Seemed, that is. Kajol smiled slyly and quickly reached out and tickled her mother.
Her mother’s eyes flew open as she laughed and tried to push Kajol away.
"I knew you weren’t sleeping!" Kajol laughed.
Jaya smiled at her. "Beti, when you are in the house, no one can sleep!" She jokingly covered her ears.
"Now tell me what all the shouting is about," she said.
"I got the job! The job that Uncle recommended me for!"
Jaya’s smile faded a bit. "Are you talking about Amrish?"
"Yes of course, ma!"
"Oh Kajol," her mother said concerned. "Films? You want to go hang around with that lot?"
"Oh ma," Kajol sighed, "Uncle has been producing films for 5 years and has become quite the success. How can you talk bad about films? He was Papa’s best friend you know."
"Of course I know," Jaya faintly smiled at the mention of her deceased husband. She placed a hand on Kajol’s cheek. "That’s why I’m concerned. There are some very bad people involved with that kind of work."
"There are bad people everywhere, Ma. Please say I can do this. It’s not like I’m wanting to act or anything like that. It’s just a personal assistant job. Assisstant, Ma. To THE Aishwarya Rai! She is my most favorite actress ever. How can you tell me to turn it down? It is only for this film shoot you know, only for 4 months."
Kajol looked at her mother pleadingly.
"Please, Ma? Pleeeeease?"
Jaya sighed and looked at her daughter in defeat.
"Oh thank you!" Kajol yelled and threw herself forward into her mother’s arms.
"Oh goodness!" Jaya exclaimed, her chair going a bit off balance from the force of Kajol’s hug. "Go with my blessings! Maybe with you out of the house for a few months I can finally have some peace!"
"Kajol! Uncle is here!" Jaya yelled to her daughter.
"I’ll be there in a minute!" came Kajol’s distant voice in reply.
Amrish sat down as Jaya poured chai into a pair of cups.
"Oh Amrish. I am really excited for her, but I am going to worry every day."
Amrish looked at Jaya’s worried face and tried to soothe her. "You know I am not producing this movie so I can’t be with her on the sets, but she will be staying with me Jaya. I will take good care of her. My driver will take her anywhere she needs to go." He paused and reached out and took her hand. "You do not have to worry."
Jaya quickly removed her hand from his and stood up. "Thank you Amrish. I know she is in good hands."
Amrish watched as Jaya turned to her dishes in the sink. "If you are worried, there is more than enough room in my house. You are welcome to come stay with her."
Jaya stopped washing a plate and said quietly, "No Amrish. I will not leave this house, not even for one night."
"Jaya," he said quietly, "It’s been 5 years—"
"It’s been 5 lifetimes," she said, cutting him off sharply.
Uncomfortable silence fell between them. Kajol suddenly burst into the room with her bags. "Here I am!" she exclaimed.
Kajol immediately sense something was wrong, but Amrish stood up and said, "Kajol!" and opened his arms.
"Uncle!" she said and ran into his hug.
"You’ve been away far too long," she scolded.
Amrish chuckled and ruffled Kajol’s hair. "I know, I know. But soon you will see me so much you will get sick of me!"
"Never, ever," Kajol promised and hugged him one more time.
"Let me take your things to the car. You say goodbye to your mother." Amrish picked up Kajol’s bag and headed out the door. He stopped at the doorway and said, "Goodbye Jaya. I will phone you when we get her settled in."
"Thank you," Jaya said and watched him leave.
Kajol looked at her mother in confusion. "Ma…"
"It’s nothing beti," Jaya said quickly. She walked to Kajol and held her out at arm’s length. "Now you listen to your Uncle and if I hear you cause him any trouble—"
"I won’t, I won’t," Kajol laughed.
"I will miss you," Jaya said and hugged Kajol tightly.
Kajol fought back the tears and replies, "I will miss you too, Ma."
Kajol gave her mother another kiss and hug goodbye and went out the door.
Jaya watched the car pull away and for a moment she was tempted to run after them, to go with them. Then the image of her husband came up in her mind. "I will never leave you," she said.
She walked to her bedroom and opened the closet. She looked at her husband’s clothes, still hanging there the day he was taken from her. Jaya pulled off a tie hanging from a hook and placed her tearful cheek against it, lost in her reverie.
Kajol gasped as she looked at the huge house the driver pulled up to. "Uncle, you live here? Why on earth have we not visited you before?"
Amrish chuckled at her childish exuberance. "Ask your mother," he said.
Kajol looked at him curiously.
"Don’t mind me, beti," he said and got climbed out of the car.
Kajol followed him inside the house and once again gasped. It was so much bigger than the one story house she grew up in. It had a huge sweeping staircase up to a second floor. The front room was large and open and Kajol could imagine many parties being held here.
"Swati will show you to your room," Amrish said, motioning to a woman standing in front of them. "Your bags will be brought up shortly."
Kajol followed Swati up the stairs and into a large room. She stopped when she saw a bed. "This whole big room is … is my room?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yes," Swati smiled. "I hope it’s to your liking."
"Oh yes, it is," Kajol laughed.
"Unless you want something I’ll leave you now."
"Oh no, go ahead, I’m fine."
Swati left and Kajol looked around her room. It was so large and spacious. She knew Uncle had become a success in film, but didn’t know how much so until just now. She wandered why her and her mother had never come to stay with him to visit. This home was large enough to house four families, let alone just the two of them.
Thinking of her mother, she reached for the phone and picked it up to call her mother.
"…..Amrish," she heard her mother’s voice say, in a tone that made Kajol stop from speaking.
"Please Jaya, just think about it," Amrish’s pained voice came over the line. "It would be the best thing for both you and Kajol."
"I’ve told you before..no. I just can’t, I just can’t.." Jaya’s voice broke with a sob. "Please. I’d like to speak with Kajol."
Kajol softly hung up the phone and sat there thinking about what she had just heard. What was going on between those two? First the tension she felt in the kitchen and now this.
She jumped when she heard Amrish yell her name.
"Yes Uncle?" Kajol answered, running to the railing on the second floor and looking down at him.
"Your mother is on the telephone for you."
"Ok, thank you."
She went back into her room and picked up the phone.
"Hello, ma."
"Hello my dear. You got there safely?"
"Yes we did. Ma, you won’t believe this place! Uncle must be quite the success – this house is huge! Why haven’t we ever vacationed here?"
Jaya laughed softly. "So you will be happy there?"
"Oh yes I will. It will be nice spending time with Uncle. In a way," Kajol paused, "in a way it’s like spending time with Papa."
There was a short silence. Jaya’s voice trembled a little, "I know beti, I know. Well you take care of yourself and I will talk to you sometime soon."
"Ok ma, bye. I love you."
"Love you too."
Kajol awoke the next morning full of excitement. She quickly got ready and ran downstairs to the table where breakfast was waiting for you.
"Did you sleep well Kajol?" Amrish asked, already sitting at the table. He set aside the newspaper he was reading and turned his attention to the excited girl at the table.
"Wonderfully," Kajol replied, "That bed is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in!"
"Accha, accha," Amrish said, smiling.
"I don’t think I can eat though," Kajol said, looking at the large spread of food on the table. "I don’t think I will keep it down. I’m so nervous!"
Amrish chuckled. "Now I will not have your mother coming after me when you turn into skin and bones. Eat something."
Kajol relunctantly took a plate of food in front of her and started dishing it onto her plate.
After breakfast she said goodbye to Amrish and got in the car waiting for her. The driver pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway, headed for the film studio.
Kajol put her hands on her stomach to try to calm the queasiness that started to appear. "Oooooh," she moaned. "I knew I shouldn’t have eaten anything!"
She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to be calm.
The car stopped far too soon than she would have liked. She got out of the car clutching her purse in a deathgrip and headed into the studio doors.
Kajol walked timidly up to the reception desk and announced her name.
"Ah yes," the lady at the desk said, glancing at a list of names on a clipboard. "Here you are. Take this security badge and go to studio B2." She pointed out the direction.
"Thank you," Kajol replied and made her way down the corridor.
Kajol stopped at two big double doors. ‘Studio B2’ the sign on the wall next to them said. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Chapter 3 When Kajol walked into the studio her stomach gave another lurch. She stood just inside the doorway and observed what was going on. She saw a set in the middle of the studio. It appeared to be the inside of a house. People were rushing all about. She had to hop out of the way of a man rushing by with a clipboard, talking urgently on a walkie-talkie. "You! Who are you? This is a closed set, closed set!" The man who had rushed by he had spun around and confronted her. Kajol fumbled for her badge around her neck and held it up. "I'm -I'm supposed to be here. I'm Kajol - Kajol Mukherjee." The man glanced at his clipboard. "Ah, ji," he pointed toward a group of chairs off to the side of the set. "Just take a seat there." The walkie-talkie crackled to life and a voice came on. "What! NO no no no," he yelled into it and once again rushed off. Kajol made her way to the group of chairs and sat in one. She sat for about 15 minutes, not knowing what to do when a man with a headset cam over to her. "Kajol?" "HaN," she replied. "I'm Raj, the assistant director." "Oh!" Kajol stood up to accept the hand offered her. "Nice to meet you." "You too," he smiled. The warmth of his smile reached his eyes and Kajol liked him instantly. She knew in this craziness that she had found a friend. "Ok, so you will be assisting Ms. Rai during the filming of this picture." He took a seat next to her. "Do you know what you will be doing?" "No sir," Kajol smiled sheepishly. "But I'm willing to do what it takes to do the best job." "Good! Good attitude! And none of this 'sir' - call me Raj." "Yes sir," Kajol answered automatically, "I mean Raj." Raj chuckled. "Ok. Throughout the picture the stars will need attending to. They all get their own personal assistants. Get them water, help them with their schedule, run errands - basically anything that will make their life easier. Because when their lives are easier, our lives are and the picture will get finished. Understand?" "HaN" "Good. Here is the shooting schedule and a cell phone for you to use. It is programmed with various phone numbers already that you will need." Kajol took the phone and sheet of paper from him. "Nervous?" he asked her. "A little. A lot actually," she admitted. He smiled at her reassuringly. "You'll be fine. You come highly recommended." Kajol smiled and blushed. "Ok," he continued, "when Ms. Ra arrives, you'll be introduced and you can see what needs to be done. Don't worry, you'll be fine." He stood and walked away. Kajol saw him glance at his watch impatiently and tear his headset off in frustration and walk off. Kajol glanced at the schedule sheet. 'Kyun! Ho Gaya Na' shooting schedule it read. "Ah," Kajol thought, "Kyun! Ho Gaya Na is the title. Interesting." She glanced down at the first day listed: 8:30am - Int. Malhotra house (Aishwarya & Tinnu) Kajol looked at her watch: 8:55am it read. "Hmm," she thought, "someone isn't here." She glanced around the large room. She saw Tinnu Anand sitting in a director's chair, reading through the script. She remembered Raj saying Aishwarya had not arrived yet. "She must be the one holding things up." Kajol was not sure what to do until Ash arrived. She was very nervous to meet her favorite actress. "What!" a voice roared. Kajol looked towards the direction of the shout. She saw Raj standing next to a man in a baseball cap and glasses. Something about the way he looked made Kajol think he was the actual director. She looked closer and realized it was indeed Samir Karnik. She remembered his pictured from a film magazine. Raj did not look happy to be the one delivering the news. "The first day, the first day! Late on the first day. Unacceptable! You will have a good talking to her after the shoot...IF she even gets here!" And Samir stormed off. Raj did not look pleased to have been given that assignment. He looked around and found Kajol looking at him. He tied to give a smile, but it faltered. Kajol beamed a reassuring smile at him trying to cheer him up. He smiled a thank you and walked off. Finally around 9:45am the studio doors burst open and a flurry of excitement ensued. A tall beauty breezed past Kajol leaving a trail of floral scent behind. Kajol realized it was Aishwarya. Kajol immediately wanted to bolt from the room. She looked at Aish who was facing away from her and saw her long shiny hair and perfectly pressed clothes. Kajol suddenly felt insecure. She reached back and smoothed her hand across her ponytail and felt her dry hair. She pulled her blazer close with her left hand and ran her right hand over the wrinkles. She grimaced in distate with herself. Just then Kajol noticed Raj rush over to Ash. She heard him say "Mr. Rai, nice to see you again. Please allow me to introduce you to someone." He motioned to Kajol with his hand to the side to come over. Kajol started to walk over slowly on wobbly legs. Ash turned her head to where Raj was motioning. She looked at Kajol and eyed her up and down slowly, taking in everything. She looked at her cooly and then told Raj, "I really don't have time to meet fans," she said with a hint of displeasure. "I'm going to wardrobe." And with that she walked off. "No, Ash-" Raj called after her, but she was already gone. Kajol was left standing there feeling remarkably out of place and on the verge of tears.
