Supernatural Season 16

Part 2

Shelly told me the whose who of the studio had made a call directly to her asking for my co-operation. I didn't realise Jensen would use his clout on the studio director to force me. Now I am sitting in the international airport lounge gulping down beer from tap, trying to fight the nauseating feeling inside.

I drained the last beer. I was buzzed, but not so much that I wouldn't recognise my name being called out , I was late for my boarding.

I gathered up my stuff and went to the boarding gate. They stamped my ticket. I was in the first class so despite being late I just walked in and found my seat.

I was completely wiped out with worry and stress to notice the tight smiles and annoyed head shakes from the crew for my late reporting to the gate. I settled in and had to immediately switch off the phone. Every fibre of being was stretched, my nerves felt raw. How could this one megalomanic decide to uproot me, forcing me to surrender to his whims?

I bristled at the last text I had shot him before settling down to drink. He had the audacity to text me directly instead to my Executive Assistant. He could just as well direct his revival season. Clearly his mettle was not upto doing anything other than this beat up story. Flogging a dead horse ain't going to make it run.

I had a good chance of making the studio tonnes of money with the upcoming seasons. We were dubbed in Bengali and other regional languages now. We had a market, we had a product that was good. I had every top name lined up as a guest star on this show. The first of it kind in India.

My thoughts interrupted by the champagne offered by the hostess. It went down smooth after the bitter larger. I asked the stewardess to not disturb me. I tried to focus on the entertainment on board but my thoughts drifted off as I curled up in the bed with a blanket. With no one to disturb me in my first class suite I let my bitter thoughts drift to the past.

I have worked hard for the privillege of becoming a story teller. In this industry where people struggle for years to make a mark, my mentor Pooja pushed me in the right direction long before I realised it.

Like all fresh passouts from film institute I really thought I was meant to create celluloid masterpieces. My friends worked on short films, docu- features but I wanted to work on feature films. That was the dream. Pooja had invited me to join her company to work as an intern but ads were never my interest. I look back at the momentous turn of events that brought me here.

Standing in the pristine location in Bruges looking dispationately at the organised chaos of shooting for a Dharma production blockbuster, it dawned on me, I didn't want to do this. It had been 4 years of working at Dharma, I had put my name in several projects but the name that came at the end credit for which no one waited or waited only to watch the remix song sequence while the many names along with mine scrolled past.

The struggle was real, I was doing exactly what I wanted to yet there was a niggling feeling that this wasn't quite enough. While the shooting wrapped up , and I excused myself from the crew to catch up with Nick for a drink, my mind was in turmoil. I knew I was quitting. But I didn't know what I would do when I quit.

Nick was on a break from his Natgeo crew too. He was not in turmoil unlike me. He had what he wanted. He had his own show, he directed it. While chatting with Nick I blurted out that I was planning to quit this gig after the wrap of this shoot. This was the last schedule.

Nick never seemed to react instantly. He had a well of patience I envied. He finished the last of his beer and nodded. The acceptance he had of my decision surprised me internally. When we were saying goodbye I clung to him for longer than necessary letting the hug give me the quiet resolve I needed.