She paced the room and fumed. "How dare she ! The bitch. Who the hell does she think she is, this.. this Katy Murthy !" Her blue grey eyes glinting dangerously, she glared at her publicist, who was bearing the brunt of her anger. " I recieve the Style Icon of the Year award, and she dares to criticise my dress at that very function ! I, Karuna Kejriwal, look uncomfortable holding the trophy, I look dowdy ! How the hell did she get into that hall ! " She raged on, while the publicist mentally rolled her eyes, and stood fidgeting.. When she had finished she threw the offending newspaper on the chair, and subsided onto the sofa, still muttering the choicest epithets she could think of. No one had the right to criticise the topmost heroine of Bollywood after all, the leader of the pack, Queen of all she surveyed. Master, rather mistress of all she surveyed. Men droooled over her pictures, women copied her hairstyles, her clothes, even her body type for heaven's sake. The newbie journo had probably commited harakiri, by writing the article. "And burn that dress ! I never want to wear anything by that gay Roseus, ever again ! "
The knock on the door distracted her from her tirade. Still seething she shouted, " Get lost whoever it is." The dooor opened , her beloved husband came in eyebrows raised. " Who is the unlucky person, who has offended my sweetheart ?" He asked in soothing tones. Seeing him, her eyes lit up. However angry she was, just his very presence was enough to calm her down. "Darling.. Just see the temerity of this... this bitch.." She regaled him with what had been written about her. He listened indulgently, then sat quiet. "Well ?" She demanded. "don't you have anything to say ?" He sat on the sofa and gently pulled her onto his lap. " She was not wrong you know." Before she could react, he turned her face to his. "You are the prettiest woman i have ever met, I'm the luckiest guy on earth, but darling, that dress did not do you justice. I told you so, too before you left, but you were in such a tearing hurry, you hardly heard me !"
She sat silent mulling over what he had said. Then turning around she kissed him, and turned to leave the room. At the door she paused, turned, one regal eyebrow arched as she looked into his eyes," That may be so, but no one else is allowed to tell me so."
"Madam ! Madam !" The voice addressing her belonged to the security guard. " There is a woman at the gates. She says she is your fan, and won't leave until you meet her for a few minutes." She whirled around and retorted, " Kya, Bahadur ! Bhagao usey ! Aisey to kitne fans hain, sub ko milun, to shooting pe na jaun, kya?"
Before he could say much else she was gone. He turned to see the stricken face of the girl behind him. A steely glint replaced the angst as she looked at him, then hoisted her back pack in front and lowered it onto the floor. From it she took a blanket. "Bahar hi hoon. Kitne din tak nahi milengi. Raastey pe sona koi gunah to nahi na ?! " No matter what the security person said, she refused to budge from near the gates. Even threats of the police didn't work. Truth to say, Bahadur's efforts were also a little half hearted. She so reminded him of his daughter, he didn't have the heart to get her into trouble. That night he didn't sleep much as he sat guarding her.
"Please madamji, aaj to aap kuch karen, she is not willing to leave from here without meeting you." Bahadur was pleading which was very rare for him, because he had handled many such depraved fans before. She looked at him bemusedly. Then nodded her head. Try as she did she couldn't erase the insult from her head. Maybe this was just what she needed. A doting fan's adoration to restore her equilibrium. "All right, bring her up. She's got ten minutes, please make that clear." When she looked up next, she saw a small petite girl standing before her. The ecstacy in her eyes, the trembling of her voice with sheer joy, made Karuna look indulgently at her as the fan tried to express how much she loved her. "Arrey, we are human too, you know. You are the one who makes me out to be superhuman. I'm just a girl. Just like you, said Karuna finally " As the ten minutes drew to a close, Karuna got up, obliged the fan with a photograph. On an impulse, she drew out a bag from her closet, signed it with a flourish, and handed it to her. The girl took it then retreated, almost as if from the presence of a goddess. "Thank you ma'am from the bottom of my heart. I love you and always will."
The next day, the page three papers had a huge caption : " Encounters of the third kind ! The day i met the Icon of my heart Karuna ! By Katy Murthy. What followed was a glowing description of the actor. How beautiful she really was indeed, how kind, modest and generous in real life. " Happy, darling ?" asked her amused husband as he saw her reading the papers. She turned, a beatific smile lighting up her beautiful face, making him catch his breath. "There are two sides to every person, yes ?" he said smiling back at her.
The knock on the door distracted her from her tirade. Still seething she shouted, " Get lost whoever it is." The dooor opened , her beloved husband came in eyebrows raised. " Who is the unlucky person, who has offended my sweetheart ?" He asked in soothing tones. Seeing him, her eyes lit up. However angry she was, just his very presence was enough to calm her down. "Darling.. Just see the temerity of this... this bitch.." She regaled him with what had been written about her. He listened indulgently, then sat quiet. "Well ?" She demanded. "don't you have anything to say ?" He sat on the sofa and gently pulled her onto his lap. " She was not wrong you know." Before she could react, he turned her face to his. "You are the prettiest woman i have ever met, I'm the luckiest guy on earth, but darling, that dress did not do you justice. I told you so, too before you left, but you were in such a tearing hurry, you hardly heard me !"
She sat silent mulling over what he had said. Then turning around she kissed him, and turned to leave the room. At the door she paused, turned, one regal eyebrow arched as she looked into his eyes," That may be so, but no one else is allowed to tell me so."
"Madam ! Madam !" The voice addressing her belonged to the security guard. " There is a woman at the gates. She says she is your fan, and won't leave until you meet her for a few minutes." She whirled around and retorted, " Kya, Bahadur ! Bhagao usey ! Aisey to kitne fans hain, sub ko milun, to shooting pe na jaun, kya?"
Before he could say much else she was gone. He turned to see the stricken face of the girl behind him. A steely glint replaced the angst as she looked at him, then hoisted her back pack in front and lowered it onto the floor. From it she took a blanket. "Bahar hi hoon. Kitne din tak nahi milengi. Raastey pe sona koi gunah to nahi na ?! " No matter what the security person said, she refused to budge from near the gates. Even threats of the police didn't work. Truth to say, Bahadur's efforts were also a little half hearted. She so reminded him of his daughter, he didn't have the heart to get her into trouble. That night he didn't sleep much as he sat guarding her.
"Please madamji, aaj to aap kuch karen, she is not willing to leave from here without meeting you." Bahadur was pleading which was very rare for him, because he had handled many such depraved fans before. She looked at him bemusedly. Then nodded her head. Try as she did she couldn't erase the insult from her head. Maybe this was just what she needed. A doting fan's adoration to restore her equilibrium. "All right, bring her up. She's got ten minutes, please make that clear." When she looked up next, she saw a small petite girl standing before her. The ecstacy in her eyes, the trembling of her voice with sheer joy, made Karuna look indulgently at her as the fan tried to express how much she loved her. "Arrey, we are human too, you know. You are the one who makes me out to be superhuman. I'm just a girl. Just like you, said Karuna finally " As the ten minutes drew to a close, Karuna got up, obliged the fan with a photograph. On an impulse, she drew out a bag from her closet, signed it with a flourish, and handed it to her. The girl took it then retreated, almost as if from the presence of a goddess. "Thank you ma'am from the bottom of my heart. I love you and always will."
The next day, the page three papers had a huge caption : " Encounters of the third kind ! The day i met the Icon of my heart Karuna ! By Katy Murthy. What followed was a glowing description of the actor. How beautiful she really was indeed, how kind, modest and generous in real life. " Happy, darling ?" asked her amused husband as he saw her reading the papers. She turned, a beatific smile lighting up her beautiful face, making him catch his breath. "There are two sides to every person, yes ?" he said smiling back at her.
Nice read indeed..
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