Stars & Dreams

16) 35 Arietis - Honest & Disciplined

Three months later......

Rumi's London schedule of 'The Gypsy's blood' was complete and she returned to Mumbai on a chilly morning. Yohan stayed back to complete the rest of the shoot with other actors. In a fortnight's time, she would be travelling to Rajasthan where she would meet other members of the crew. The gypsy, Mantra would take shape during the next phase of the shoot. Rumi wanted to work on the character. She was planning to practise body languages and postures.

Her stay in UK was memorable; it gave her an insight into the process of film-making in other parts of the world. Yohan had hired a British agency for technical expertise.

Throughout the filming, Rumi had kept her distance with Yohan. She had made it plain that he was the director and she was the artist. The distinction was made clear by her on the very first day of the shoot. She was aware that her aloofness surprised Yohan but he had followed her cue and maintained his distance. She also made friends with some of the technicians. Like her, many of them had been struggling for work in their hometowns, and on the foreign soil, they bonded instantly.

Yohan was a reasonable boss. He didn't throw a fit when things went wrong or when the actors did a poor job. On the other hand, he was a persistent man and until he got things right, he worked with dogged determination. Even if she had avoided too much of personal interaction with him, Rumi was aware of her attraction. She realized that when Yohan was behind the lens, he forgot himself. As the days went by, he became more and more dedicated to his craft. There had been days when he would sit with all and discuss a scene to be filmed the next day. He listened quietly to suggestions, sometimes he even made slight changes to the dialogues when the script writer demanded. Yohan gave his life and soul to his grandmother's dream project. Rumi hoped that she wouldn't fail him.

From hearsay, Rumi had learnt that Yohan went out with a British television actress a couple of times. She did not cry over it. In fact, she had been relieved because it made her face the truth; that her fancy for him was pointless.

Meanwhile, when she reached Mumbai, there was an international film director who was keen to meet her. She was surprised by the call. When she looked up on the internet, she couldn't find anyone by the name Alex. Nonetheless, she worked on her English diction before she met him.

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Rumi wore a long white cotton tunic for her meeting with Alex. They were supposed to meet at a café in a star hotel. Rumi took a cab and the driver recognised her from the one film and commercials that she had done.

When he dropped her, the driver requested, "Didi, aapka autograph milega?"

It encouraged her to face the person she had come to meet with renewed confidence.

Rumi thought she was early but to her surprise, he was already there. When she saw the man who rose from his chair to greet her, she was taken aback. This was no middle-aged paunchy man. Here was an Alpha-male who would draw attention wherever he went.

Tall and striking, he drew the chair for her as she smiled hesitantly at him.

"Hi, Alec Koshal..." he extended his hand with a self-assured smile.

Rumi had got it wrong. He wasn't Alex, he was Alec. And his surname hinted that he was a native of this country. Rumi ran her eyes over him as he spoke to the waiter. She guessed that he must be thirty years of age and his mien indicated a successful career.

Rumi waited for him to speak. The waiter left and he turned his attention on her. His direct gaze made Rumi nervous but after fifteen minutes, she got used to his piercing stare. His personality arrested one's attention. Rumi wondered if his striking looks combined with bold eyes and self-assured smile, made a strong impression on women. She guessed that he must have women swooning at his feet, concluding wryly that she too was not immune to his charms.