An Unexpected Encounter
Kolkata, Year 2014, Jhanak’s residence
It was a blissful evening and Jhanak, a 20 year old young woman, was as usual practicing her dance in the living room. She was feeling very pleasant and excited from within as it was the day of National Film Awards and she desperately wanted her role model and idol, the rising superstar Aniruddh Bose to take the award for “The Best actor” home. She waited anxiously looking at the clock ticking every second. As the time gradually passed, Jhanak recollected her life’s journey till then, Jhanak’s parents died in an accident when she was just a baby and her relatives abandoned her. Ever since then, all her needs and expenses were looked after by an unknown sponsor. Fortunately or unfortunately, the sponsor did not want to reveal his identity to Jhanak. He always wanted it to remain hidden to her so he hired a nanny named Shrabani whom Jhanak affectionately called Shrabani Mashi. Shrabani Mashi took care of all of Jhanak’s needs ever since she was orphaned. So, Shrabani Mashi and the unknown sponsor were the only family which Jhanak had in her life and her whole world revolved around them. She shared all her emotions to Shrabani Mashi who looked after her like her own child, while, although Jhanak’s sponsor had denied all means to contact him because he did not want his identity to come in front of her through any way. He had allowed her one single method to communicate to him. He had instructed Shrabani Mashi that on Jhanak’s birthday, she can express whatever she wants through a letter which will be handed over to him through Shrabani Mashi. So the only mode of communication which Jhanak had with her sponsor was this letter which she sent to him on her every birthday. As, Jhanak recalled these things while practicing her dance, she did not realize that the clock had already ticked 5, the time of telecast of the Filmfare awards. Shortly, Shrabani Mashi comes there calling out, “Jhanak, Tumi ki korchho? (Jhanak, what are you doing?) Isn’t it the time for the Filmfare awards for which you had been waiting the whole day?” Jhanak looks at the clock and realizes that it was already quarter past five. She rushes to the television set, switches it on and was relieved to see that the award function has reached only to the “Best director award”. As the clock ticked forward, Jhanak’s much anticipated moment of the “Best actor award” arrived. The hosts announced the nominees among who was Jhanak’s favorite “The Aniruddh Bose”. Jhanak’s heartbeats rose as the award presenters came on stage to declare the winner; she kept her fingers crossed and bit her lips hard as the award presenters opened the envelope which contained the winner’s name.
A few metres away from Jhanak’s residence
A man aged around 23, is seated at the back seat of a car is smirking while watching the recorded telecast of the Filmfare Awards. The driver who looks at his boss through the rear mirror smiles seeing his boss smirking confidently.
Jhanak’s residence
Jhanak could feel that the whole crowd of the Filmfare awards had grown silent waiting patiently to know who is that lucky person who is going to take away the “Best actor award” home. The award presenters look at the name in the envelope and slowly announced, “So the best actor of the year 2014 is….” All the hearts of the crowd and Jhanak beat together “dhuk..dhuk..dhuk..dhuk”. The award presenters called out, “…None other than our youth icon “Mr. Aniruddh Bose”” Jhanak jumped out of joy hearing Aniruddh’s name. She was waiting for this moment from the time the news of the Filmfare awards was announced and danced circling around herself crying in tears of joy (Jhanak happy tune plays in the background).
Inside the car
The face of the man smirking is revealed and it was “The Aniruddh Bose”. He continues to smirk joyfully as he hears his name as the winner of the best actor of the year 2014. The driver congratulates him. Aniruddh thanks him politely and continues to watch the recorded Filmfare Awards.
Jhanak’s residence
Jhanak goes and hugs her Shrabani Mashi tightly and signs to her “Aniruddh Bose won…Aniruddh Bose won…” Shrabani Mashi shakes her head in agreement with Jhanak and tells her, “How can he not win? When he has the love and support of fans like you, Jhanak? You are one of his biggest fans!!!” Shrabani Mashi then points towards the television and says, “Look he is coming on stage” Jhanak’s head turns towards the television screen once again. She runs towards the television screen, sits close to it and continues to watch Aniruddh receiving the prize.
Inside the television screen, Filmfare awards
Anirudh proudly receives the award from the award presenters and waves it to the crowd. The host asks him, “This is the third time in a row that you are receiving the award for the “Best Actor of the year”, whom do you dedicate this award and your success to?”
Jhanak’s residence
Jhanak looks on curiously hearing that question and wonders who will Aniruddh dedicate the award to, “To his dead parents, To his fans or someone else?”
Filmfare awards
Aniruddh was taken aback for a moment by that question and reminisces his past.
Flashback, 3 years back
Aniruddh is seated slumped in silence infront of the photograph of his father who passed away just a few days back. He had deep dark circles and wept constantly catching his legs and keeping his face onto his knees. After a few minutes, he gets takes a cutter from a drawer and is about to slit his wrist when there is a knock on his door.
Flashback ends.
Filmfare awards
Aniruddh comes back to the present and tells the crowd, “I owe this award to a lot of people, my dad who was my biggest support system since my childhood, my co-workers and my fans who made me what I am today…”
Jhanak’s residence
Jhanak’s smiles blushingly hearing Aniruddh’s words of gratefulness.
Filmfare awards
Aniruddh continues, “…But most of all there is someone to whom I owe this award most to…” he reminisces the knock on the door in the past.
The crowd and Jhanak look curiously to know about whom Aniruddh is talking. Aniruddh continues, “I can’ reveal who that person is now but I promise the next time I receive this award, I will be on this stage with that person.” There was a midst of curiosity on the faces of Jhanak and the crowd as they all wanted to know who that secret person is in Aniruddh’s life was, however, they all applauded for him as he descended the stage taking his award.
Aniruddh’s Car
The driver asks Aniruddh, “Sir why did you leave such suspense? Tell us who that person is who made you this successful?” Aniruddh smiles and tells him affectionately, “Ravi Dada, you are with me since I was a child and I share all of my life’s secrets with you but about the person whom you are asking…the reality is that I myself don’t know who that person is…” The driver gawks saying, “Hein??” and halts the car with a sudden jerk. Aniruddh was taken forward with a pull of the sudden brake and asks the driver, “What happened Dada? Why did you halt suddenly?” The driver signs forward, Aniruddh looks through the front glass of the car to see the Daily News reporter Arshi Mukherjee standing infront of the car.
Jhanak’s residence
Shrabani Mashi is dotingly feeding Jhanak her dinner. Jhanak innocently took every bite from her Mashi’s signing, “Yay!! Aniruddh Bose won the award…Yay!! Aniruddh Bose won the award” Shrabani Mashi tells her, “Ham Baccha, your Aniruddh Bose won the award, now aren’t you happy? Now finish fast your dinner and go to bed. Don’t you remember, tomorrow is your birthday? You have to get up early so that we can go to the Maa Kali temple early. Now eat this last bite.” Jhanak resists however Shrabani Mashi forcefully feeds her. After a few minutes, Shrabani puts Jhanak to bed and sings her a lullaby. Gradually, Jhanak falls asleep.
Around midnight, 11:58 PM
Jhanak is woken up by a sudden sound of someone gate crashing her house. She trembles in fear thinking it must be a thief. As she was mute, she was unable to call out Shrabani Mashi for help. Gathering up all the courage that she had in herself, she takes a vase kept on the night table beside her bed and inched forward from where she heard the sound had come. As she drew closer, she saw a manly figure in the dark. She runs to hit him on the head with the vase but before she could do that, the man caught her hand, pushed her towards the wall and puts his finger on her lip saying “Shh!!!” Right then the moonlight from the window fell onto the man’s face and in the dim moonlight; the clock ticked twelve with Jhanak looking into the deep brown eyes of the man. She couldn’t believe her eyes that like a birthday present, Aniruddh Bose, THE ANIRUDDH BOSE, who was her biggest idol and role model was standing right in front of her!!
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To be continued.