empty...

The preproduction hassles of a certain television show led me tread paths which i had left so many years ago. The path that led to my school. It was same, the shops that i passed had changed though. The school had changed. it was painted blue. As i entered the main gate, I felt the same tension and nervousness in me, that I had felt as a student about to enter the classroom on an exam day. There i was standing near the staffroom, the whole scenario changing in front of me, revolving and going back to what it was 13 years ago. At that moment, I felt helpless. Helpless, unable to tie the loose threads of my memory of my schooldays which i have lost forever. It is awful when you forget your school memories, when someone comes up to you with inviting eyes and says that he was your classmate and that he sat beside you for two years. I don't remember any of my friends from my school. the memory is completely GONE!

DAY 2 WEDNESDAY

DAY 2

When Priya reached home, it was past midnight. It had been a long day and Priya had smiled the whole day. Three flops in a row, Priya cannot possibly afford to let herself go haywire. She hadn’t let her nerve loose for an instant except when she had met Rocky and told him the truth. After the shoot was over, she had again told Rocky the same thing inside the make up room. Priya had doubts whether Rocky had believed her story; he must have thought her drunk, as always. She was, but nevertheless, she was saying the truth.
Rocky entered his room and keeping the keys on the table let himself loose on the couch. It was a hard day and the job of an assistant is tiresome to the extreme. While he gazed at the ceiling, the words told to him by Priya lingered in his ears.
“Someone else.” “Ambalika!” But how is that possible, thought Rocky. She is an actress for God’s sake who is portraying a character, so what if the movie was based on a true story and the character she was playing was raped and murdered. For a second, Rocky thought that she was saying the truth and he had goose bumps! Rocky felt relieved to believe that she was lying as she was drunk. Maybe she was hallucinating.
Priya went to the washroom to freshen up. As she was about to get undress and enter the shower, the lights went out. She opened the bathroom doors. She heard something. “Hello”, she was nervous.
With a towel on, she came out of the bathroom and felt her way towards her bedroom. It was at that moment that she realized she wasn’t alone…

15 Days To Oblivion

10/20/2009 TUESDAY
21:03

When Rocky reached the studio, it was raining heavily. Shooting was to start in an hour or so; he was late. His belly had already started to ache. Entering the floor felt relieving. He untied his shoes which were wet and muddy, put on the sleepers, quickened his pace, reached the washroom and took a long awaited leak. The make up room was filled with people and chaos. Mirrors glistened with an array of white lights around them, mirrors that witness the real faces behind the makeup. A certain face looked up at the mirror. Seeing Rocky’s reflection, the face smiled nervously and greeted him.

“You are late. Mr. Chatterjee was searching for you. Where were you?”
“Stuck in the goddamn rain. Have you got your costume?”
The face nodded. No.
Rocky shouted in his usual voice. A shaky young girl rushed to the makeup room with a maroon gown in her hand.
“I have to say something to you.”
“Haven’t I told you to take care of these things…”
Rocky was busy checking whether the gown was ironed or not. The shaky young girl was still holding the gown as if she were a statue, on the verge of collapsing anytime. Rocky nodded without looking up.
“I have to say something to you. It’s weird, but I’m having this weird feeling…”

“Rocky!”
The makeup room froze for a moment. Make up artists who were chatting a second ago suddenly became busy giving the finishing touches.
“Rocky, where were you. Is everyone ready? Can we start the shooting?”
“Yes, Mr. Chatterjee. Just ten more minutes for Priya to wear the gown.”
“Hurry up now!”
As Mr. Chatterjee went towards the floor, the ice melted. Priya followed Rocky to the changing room. Rocky gave her the gown and was about to close the door behind him, when Priya grabbed him by the arm.
“This weird thing…I…I feel I’m somebody else!” Priya looked nervous; her eyes trembled as she spoke.
“Later! Mr. Chatterjee will be furious, if you are a second late. Now hurry up please!”
Rocky closed the door behind him and went towards the floor. The studio floor was dimly lit with lamps of varied colours; varied lampshades added to the gravity of the ambiance. Polished mahogany table and chairs, stools, bar counter, bar maid, bottles of various contours. It was a bar counter sequence.
“Somebody give me the damn script, where are my idiot assistants?!!”
Rocky remembered that he had seen the first assistant back at the store room searching frantically for a certain prop that he had kept there a day ago.
“Are we ready Shushovon? Can we take this shot?”
Budget constraint has been a boon to Shushovon.

Straight to Director Of Photography from Camera Operator.

“Yes Sir, I’m ready, let Priya come!”
Mr.Chatterjee looked towards Rocky. It was more of a scoff that meant that hadn’t it been for his incompetent assistants Mr. Chatterjee would have won the Oscars any moment.
The studio door opened with a shudder, a single light fell on a diamond stud and burnt white, and two stilettos came and rested near the camera.
“I’m ready, sorry Prakash…” Priya was professional.
Rocky studied her now that he had time to breathe. “Somebody else”, Rocky thought, what the hell was she trying to say? She was drunk, Rocky knew; alcohol can work wonders, he thought and laughed to himself. Yet Rocky had eyes of an observer.