Tum Dena Saath Mera Chapter 2: The Repercussion

The next morning Naina stood in-front of the small temple, praying… Sameer joined her soon, and noticed the few drops of tears leaking from her eyes. He gently held her shoulders, turning her to him, “tum ro kyun rahi ho? Aise rone lagogi toh main kya karunga… Tum jaanti ho na Naina, tumhari muskurahat, tumhari aankhon ki chamak, tumhara pyaar, yeh sab mujhe himmat deta hai.”

She sniffed, “jaanti hun… mujhe bas… puraani baat yaad aa gai… Tum please waada karo ke kaam me koi bhi problem hogi toh dil me dabake nahi rakhoge… Mujhse share karoge.”

His gaze softened and filled with remorse as he recalled the last time he had been under stress regarding his career, and how it had turned out for them. The slap still echoed in his ears sometimes… He swallowed once, his eyes misting, and hugged her tight, “I am so sorry… Pata nahi uss waqt kaunsa pagalpan sawaar ho gaya tha jo aisi harkat kar betha… Koi excuse nahi hai maine jo kiya uska, par ho sake toh mujhe please maaf kardo.”

She clutched onto him, “shsh… main tumhe woh sab yaad dilana nahi chahti thi… Rahi baat maafi maangneki toh woh toh mujhe bhi maangni chahiye… thappad toh maine bhi tumhe maara tha…”

“Nahi…”, he started to say…

But she interrupted, “haan… dekho Sameer… Uss waqt jo hua tha usme galti hum dono ki thi… Tumne soch liya ke apni tension mujhse chupaake tum mujhe khush rakh paoge, aur darr bhi gaye ke tumhari nakamyabi sunke kahin meri nazro me tumhari image kharab naa ho jaaye… Aur main apni hi alag duniya me mashgul rehne lagi thi, tumhari uljhan dikhti thi, pucha bhi tha, par shaanti se kabhi samajhne ki koshish nahi ki… Hum dono bhool gaye the ke rishte ko jode rakhne ke liye sirf pyaar kaafi nahi hota… Ek dusre ke liye izzat, ek dusre ka saath dena bhi zaroori hota hai…”

He drew back to cup her cheek, “lekin phir bhi mera tumpe haath uthane ka koi haq nahi tha… Woh galat tha…”

“Haan… tha”, she agreed, “aur mera tumpe haath uthana bhi galat tha… Par galti ho gai… hum dono se hui… Usse seekhke aage badhne me samajhdaari hai… Humne waada kiya tha na ek dusre se Mumbai aane se pehle, ke hamesha ek-dusre ka saath denge, kabhi kuch nahi chupayenge…” He nodded, and she smiled, “toh bas… wahi baat yaad rakhna… tumhe har tareeke se support karne ke liye main hun… papa bhi hai ab toh… tum bas apne kaam pe dhyan do, aur koshish karna mat chodo… Iss sapno ke sheher me nirasha bhi bahot o ko milti hai, lekin jo apne poore dum se koshish karta hai na use kamyabi zaroor milti hai… Aur mujhe Sameer Maheshwari ka naam TV pe dekhna hai… Yeh mera sapna hai… Karoge na poora?”

He smiled wide, “zaroor karunga… Aur main waada karta hun Naina, iss baar chahe kitni bhi musibat aaye main peechli baar ki tarah koi bewakufi nahi karunga… Badi mushkil se tumhara saath aur yeh chota sa parivaar mila hai… Tum mere liye sabse pehle ho Naina, aur iss parivaar ko saware rakhne ke liye main kuch bhi kar sakta hun…”

She gestured towards the temple and said, “ab sabko pata hai hamare baare me toh… uh… mujhe mera mangalsutra pehna doge?”

He looked inside the temple… Her mangalsutra was kept along with a small silver box containing sindur… Till now she kept both of them tied in a silk cloth inside the temple, but today they were in full view near Ganeshji’s feet… His fingers trembled a bit as he picked up the black beaded necklace with NS locket, and his mind flashed back to the moment he had tied that around her neck in-front of so many people… A serene smile curved his lips as he looped the mangalsutra around her neck and hooked it… His fingers traced the beads now lying against her smooth skin, finally after so many months, and unable to resist he dipped his head and kissed the side of her neck just over the mangalsutra. She drew in a shuddering breath, her eyes closed, a beatific smile on her face. Cupping her face he kissed her forehead just near the line of her hair, and then took the silver box in his hand… He didn’t ask her, even though he did remember that she didn’t always apply sindur in Ahmedabad… Today just felt like the right day… And so he pinched a bit of sindur between his thumb and forefinger, and applied it at the center of her forehead, tracing a line in her hair. The smile on her face bloomed even more, her eyes closed and just like on the wedding day a pinch of vermillion fell on her nose.

As soon as he kept the box back in temple, she flung her arms around his waist, hiding her face against his cream shirt. He hugged her to himself, a breath of relief leaving his lungs… He was worried about his auditions, but more than that he was content that now everyone knew that Naina was his wife. It gave him an enormous amout of satisfaction that they didn’t have to hide their relationship anymore. Today was the last day of his current shoot, and tomorrow he had to go for the new auditions… He mentally prepared himself to face disappointment there, and also started to think of an alternative career.

The sound of doorbell separated them, and she shyly smiled, “papa aa gaye honge morning walk se… Tum haath dho lo… Nashta me garam-garam mung dal ka cheela bana rahi hun.”

He grinned, “okay… main darwaza kholta hun pehle…”

Rakesh nodded at Sameer, showing the fresh paneer and fruits he had bought. Sameer took the bags, and Rakesh went to freshen up. Some time later, when Naina came out to serve tea and two plates of cheela, Rakesh gaped at his daughter and then looked at Sameer, who grinned happily. Rakesh smiled at his son-in-law’s obvious delight, and noticed that his daughter also looked content and there was a certain glow on her face this morning. It made him happy to see her like that… He hadn’t realized that even though he knew she was Sameer’s wife, he had been getting quite used to only referring to her as his daughter, but now on seeing the mangalsutra and sindur he once more had the epiphany that his little girl was now actually a grown-up woman. And that in turn made him conscious of the fact that, with him constantly being around them, the young couple hadn’t really been able to spend much time together… Even on weekends Sameer and Naina stayed at home… He kept on thinking while eating.

Thirty minutes later Sameer dropped a quick kiss on Naina’s forehead, taking care to not be seen by Rakesh, and left for the shoot. Naina cleaned the kitchen, and then left with her father to go to work. Even though the threat of Kabir was most definitely eliminated, they had decided to not take any chances for few days. It didn’t escape her notice how the society members stared at her as she walked out, obviously noticing the mangalsutra and sindur… She smiled at each one of them, not avoiding her gaze on purpose. There was no reason for her to be ashamed of anything… Yes, they had hidden a very important fact, but she was proud of being Sameer’s wife, and she would make that visible for everyone.

While Naina had a normal day at work, only with a few questions here and there about the sudden appearance of the marital symbols, Sameer also wrapped up his shoot without much problems… It was only in evening when he changed back into his original shirt and went to talk to the director, thinking to let him know about his marriage by himself, that something happened… The director, Manish Dalal, was sipping tea when Sameer arrived. He smiled to greet the boy he was getting quite fond of, but then frowned, and asked, “aree… yeh shirt pe kya laal-laal lag gaya? Kahin chot toh nahi lagi…?”

Sameer looked down at his shirt, unable to see anything, “kahan?”

“Collar ke paas”, the director informed.

Sameer rubbed the area, and then looked at his hand, surprised for a moment to see a slight red tinge on one of his fingers. It didn’t take him long to understand what had happened… When he had hugged Naina after applying the vermillion, some of it obviously had rubbed against his shirt as well… Despite the upcoming difficult conversation, he couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips. As he sat down the director commented, “toh… maamla ladki ka hai? Lekin yeh lipstick toh lag nahi raha…”

Sameer was puzzled, “aapko kaise pata ke ladki ka maamla hai?”

Manish grinned, “humne bhi bahot gul khilaye the apne zamane me…”

Sameer laughed, and then became solemn again, “darasal main aapse aaj subah hi baat karne wala tha… Lekin aap aaye nahi…”

Manish nodded, “aakhri din tha… sirf kuch bache hue segments shoot karne the… Itna toh assistant director khud sambhal sakta hai… Kya baat karni thi tumhe?”

Rubbing the ret spot on his finger with his thumb, he admitted, “yeh nishaan lipstick ka nahi… Sindur ka hai…”

Manish queried, “sindur kahan se aa gaya? Mandir gaye the kya?”

“Nahi”, Sameer shook his head, “mandir nahi… yeh… yeh nishaan Naina ke sir se aaya hai meri shirt pe…”

Manish tried to comprehend, “Naina… uh… wahi na jiski tabiyat kharab thi? Tumhari rishtedaar…”

Sameer smiled, and confessed, “rishtedaar nahi… meri biwi hai woh… Meri Naina…”

Manish was stunned to silence for a moment, and then chuckled, “mazaak mat karo Sameer…”

Sameer sighed, “mazaak nahi kar raha sir… yahi baat karni thi aapse… I am sorry ke maine sabse yeh baat chupai… Meri shaadi ho chuki hai… Ek saal ho jayega bahot jald…”

There was sound of a chair toppling over as Manish stood up, “yeh kya bol rahe ho Sameer? Tum shaadi-shuda ho? Iska matlab yeh shoot… tumne audition ke waqt jhooth bola… Aisa kaise kar sakte ho tum…? Main tumhe itna support kiya…”

“I am sorry”, Sameer interrupted the rant, “I am truly sorry sir… Main jaanta hun aapne mujhe bahot support kiya aur motivate kiya… Isiliye main aapko pura sach batana chahta hun… Please ek baar meri baat sunn lijiye… Uske baad agar aapko aisa lage ke maine bahot galat kiya hai toh aap… uh… aap mujhe iss shoot ka koi payment mat dena…”

Manish remained silent for a whole minute, thinking, and then straightened the chair, sitting down again, “bolo kya bolna hai…”

Sameer took a deep breath and started to tell about his and Naina’s love story, trials and tribulations, wedding and the reasons that made them shift to Mumbai is as concise way as possible. He clarified about how they knew that the industry here wouldn’t even pay heed to his talents if he told everyone about his marriage, and hence they decided to hide their marital status… He told him about how this fact wasn’t just hidden at his work but also at their society, and then gave him a detailed explanation about the stalking incident and Kabir’s proposal, the events that finally made him realize that compromising on his family and love for his career was foolishness.

Manish listened to everything in silence without any interruptions… The lights and equipments used in the shoot had been packed up; the spot boys left; the assistant director came to ask if they were leaving. Manish refused, saying he would leave in some time… Sameer waited patiently… After everyone else were gone, Manish asked, “kal jo audition hai usme kya karoge? Maine mere dost, Indrajit, se kaha tha ke tum bahot talented ho aur usi wajah se woh tumhe genuine chance deneko ready hua tha… Warna woh sirf ad shoot ke experience wale ko koi importance nahi deta…”

“I know sir”, Sameer stated, “agar aap kahenge toh main audition dene nahi jaunga… lekin agar yeh chance mujhe mila toh bhi main Indrajit sir ko pehle se hi sab sach bata dunga… Audition se pehle… Form me hi jhooth nahi likhunga…”

Manish warned, “this could make you lose work… ho sakta hai aage chalke bhi tumhe kahin kaam na mile iss industry me… Socha hai tumne kabhi?”

Sameer nodded, “jee sir… bahot socha hai… lekin aaj subah jab Naina ke sir pe sindur lagaya aur uske gale me mangalsutra bandha, bilkul shaadi ke din ki tarah, tab jo sukoon mila usise ehsaas ho gaya ke hero banne se zyada khushi mujhe Naina ka pati banne me milega… Iss industry me kaam nahi mila toh kuch aur kar lunga… Naina ki suraksha meri zimmedaari hai, uske chehre ki hasi meri zaroorat, uski khushi meri dhadkan, aur uska pyaar meri himmat… Naina ke aage aur kuch nahi ho sakta meri life me… Par haan… Uska sapna hai mera naam woh TV pe dekhe, isiliye main koshish karna bandh nahi karunga… Shayad kabhi koi din aisa bhi aayega jab iss industry me shaadi-shuda logo ko bhi kaam milega.”

Manish stared at him for some time, and then smiled, “meri wife bhi meri girlfriend reh chuki hai… college se… main spot boy ka kaam karta tha, hero banne ka shauq tha… Isi chakkar me shaadi bhi nahi ki thi… Auditions me kuch khaas kamyabi nahi milti thi… Lekin phir ek assignment pe Suryakant Tripathi sir ke saath kaam karte hue assistant director ki training lene laga… Unko pata nahi kyun aisa laga main hero toh nahi ban sakta par director ban sakta hun… Thanks to him mujhe stable salary milne lagi, aur main jisse pyaar karta tha usse shaadi kar paaya… Main tumhari majboori aur jazbaat dono samajhta hun… Isiliye mere saath jo shooting ki hai tumne uska toh pura credit aur payment dunga… Lekin iske aage ka safar tumhe khud tay karna padega… Kal audition dene zaroor jaana… Ho sake toh subah thodi jaldi jao, 8am ke kareeb… Main bhi aa jaunga… Indrajit audition se pehle material review karta hai, dialogues jo diye jaane wale hai aur baki sab… Tabhi baat kar lena usse… Main bas saath rahunga…”

Sameer felt gratitude fill his heart, “thank you so much sir… main bilkul nahi socha tha ke koi mujhe aise support karega… Thank you…”

Manish chuckled, “pyaar ka maamla hai isiliye kar raha hun support… Aur tumne dialogue bhi bahot achcha maara hai… Agar kal Indrajit maan jaata hai toh apni wife se kehna ke mitha banvake bhijway mere liye…”

Sameer grinned, “aree sir… sirf mithai kyun… pura dinner karwaunga… aapko aur madam ko dono ko… Naina bahot achcha khana banati hai…”

“Chalo dekhte hai”, Manish laughed, thumping his back, “ab ghar jao… kal subah 8 baje milte hai sets pe.”

Sameer was right on time to meet Naina and Rakesh at the bus stand as they alighted the bus… He rushed towards them, “papa… Naina…”

Her eyes brightened, “Sameer… tum itni jaldi aa gaye…”

“Haan aaj wrap-up tha toh zyada kuch nahi tha karneko”, he responded, looping an arm around her shoulder, still extremely pleased to see the sindur and mangalsutra.

Rakesh queried, “tumne baat ki kya?”

Sameer nodded, “haan… aur sir ne poori baat sunne ke baad mujhe support kiya… Kaha woh samajhte hai humne kyun aisa kiya… Kal ke audition se pehle main Indrajit sir se baat kar lunga, tab bhi Manish sir mere saath aayenge, aisa kaha unhone…”

“Yeh toh bahot achchi baat hai”, Rakesh smiled.

Naina folded her hands in glee, “sab kuch achcha hoga… mera dil keh raha hai…”

Sameer grinned, “chalo… ghar chalte hai… kuch sabji leni hai?”

She shook her head, “nahi… papa subah paneer laaye the na… toh aaj alu-matar-paneer aur parathe banaungi…”

“Perfect”, Sameer agreed, “main bhi help karunga…”

As the three of them walked to their home, Sameer happily told them about how Manish sir had demanded sweets if he managed to secure the role in tomorrow’s audition, and how he had proposed a dinner. To his surprise Naina immediately started to plan the menu as if she was completely sure of his success. Rakesh looked on happily at his kids, and decided his own little surprise, irrespective of Sameer’s success in auditions.

Once at home, while having tea, Rakesh confided, “main jis public library me bethta hun poore din, wahan pe staff ki zaroorat hai… maine apply kiya hai, kal interview hai…”

Sameer frowned, “par papa… iski kya zaroorat hai…”

Naina also added, “haan papa… main aur Sameer sab sambhal lenge.”

“Jaanta hum tum dono sambhal sakte ho”, Rakesh agreed, “lekin… main poore din free betha rehta hun… thoda kaam karunga toh ghar pe bhi support ho jayega… Aisa mat samajhna ke sirf paise ke liye kar raha hun… Itni umar bhi nahi hui hai meri ke ghar pe bethke mala japu… Aur har baat pe oh bai bolu”

Naina and Sameer laughed out at this, Rakesh joined them as well… Calming down the couple looked at each other, silently communicating… A small nod passed between them, and Sameer asked, “papa… aapne theek se socha hai na? Aap sach me yeh karna chahte hai? Hume ghar ke liye koi paise nahi chahiye… Hum dono jaante hai aapne hamesha kitni mehnat ki hai… Ab hum hai zimmedari uthane ke liye.”

Rakesh felt overwhelmed… He had expected such gestures, such respect from his own son Arjun, but instead he had found it from his son-in-law Sameer… While Arjun considered his anger to be unreasonable and his sacrifices to be a duty, Sameer understood the love and pain behind his anger and the generosity of the sacrifices he had made. And Naina… He would forever regret not showering enough love and affection on his daughter… The son whom he called his pride discarded him like he meant nothing, and the daughter whom he considered a liability made him a part of her life without a single objection. Gulping back the lump of emotions, he assured, “haan… mujhe yaqeen hai ke main yeh karna chahta hun… Kaam karunga toh man bhi laga rahega… Naina ke office ke paas bhi hai toh saath me aa-jaa sakte hai… Aur kuch saal baad jab khudse man karega toh sab zimmedaari tum dono pe chodke retire ho jaunga…”

Naina teased, “achcha… matlab kuch saalo baad hume iss ghar me bhi oh bai sunne ko milega…”

Rakesh laughed and teased right back, “nahi kuch saal baad ummeed hai ke koi chahega ke uske Nanaji ghar pe rahe…”

Sameer immediately coughed, turning red… It took some time for Naina to understand, but when she did, she promptly blushed and stood up, “main… uh… main khana banane jaati hun…”

Sameer also followed, “main help karta hun… aap rest kijiye papa.”

Rakesh chuckled, leaning back on the sofa with a book in his hand, marveling at how his own life had changed for good with Naina and Sameer… Who would have thought that the man who was termed as kadva karela, safari suit, hitler, and several other names would tease his children about having a baby…

The next day Naina fed sweet-curd to Sameer, and also made his favorite breakfast just to motivate him. She also fed the same sweet-curd to her father, wishing him luck for the interview, surprising him. Sameer also wished him luck before leaving.

Manish Dalal arrived just ten minutes after Sameer did, and guided Sameer inside the sets. Indrajit Saha was a popular director, and this series of true life events events from Mumbai was one of his biggest ventures yet. The inside of the sets were a flurry of activity with everything being set up for the auditions that were scheduled to start in an hour. Indrajit was dressed in a white trouser and loose blue shirt, thick framed glasses perched on his nose, his salt-and-pepper hair and beard complimenting his sharp face. However, at that precise moment, he seemed to be in an extremely bad mood…

Sameer almost flinched as he yelled on his assistant director and a few other people, “yeh… yeh dialogues dunga audition me sabko? Agar dialogues hi theek nahi honge toh mujhe pata kaise chalega ke candidate theek hai ke nahi… Aree… Yeh koi sabun ka commercial nahi hai… Serial hai serial… Samajhte ho iska matlab… Log apne parivaar ke saath ghar me bethke dekhenge… Dialogues aise hone chahiye jo unke dil ko chooye, unke upar koi chhaap chode… Aise nahi ke TV bandh karde woh log…”

Manish cleared his throat, “Indrajit… dost… kya hua?”

The man turned to look at the guests, and his face relaxed on seeing his friend, “Manish… yaar… achcha hua tu aa gaya… main pareshan ho chuka hun… dekh yeh dialogues… Audition shuru hone wale hai aur aise dialogues se toh kya hi role final karunga…”

One of the men, who were being scolded, tentatively said, “sir, yeh final draft nahi hai dialogues ke… audition me toh final nahi hota na…”

Indrajit fumed, “mujhe pata hai final nahi hota… lekin kuch dhang ka toh hona chahiye na…” Just then he spotted Sameer, who was standing next to Manish, and asked, “tum kaun ho?”

Manish introduced, “yeh… wahi banda jisko maine recommend kiya tha… Sameer Maheshwari…”

“Hello sir”, Sameer greeted.

Indrajit nodded, “hello”, and then looked at his friend, “lagta hai tumhe yeh bahot zyada pasand hai Manish… Iske saath audition pe aa gaye…”

Manish chuckled, “pasand toh hai kyunki kaam bahot achcha karta hai… lekin audition pe nahi aaya hun… Darasal Sameer ko kuch baat karni hai tumse… Agar tumhare paas waqt ho toh…”

Indrajit rubbed his bearded cheek, “kar lunga baat… par pehle tum yeh padhke bolo… Audition dene aaye ho na? Toh help kardo… Yeh dialogue bolke dikhao taaki inn bewakufo ko samajh aaye main kya bol raha hun…”

Sameer took the offered paper, and read… It was a standard text page that was usually given out for audition. This one was for a character named Aryan who was in love with a girl called Maya, and was talking about the feeling of falling in love… He read the text, and tried to repeat as if he was on cue for audition, “pyaar me ek nasha hota hai… ek jadoo… Maya ke pyaar ne meri zindagi badal di… usne mujhe ehsaas dilaya ke meri life me kya missing hai aur mujhe apne me kya badalna chahiye… Jab woh mere kareeb hoti hai toh sab achcha lagta hai, aur jab woh mujhse dur hoti hai toh har baat pe mujhe chid hoti hai… Har pal zindagi rangeen lagti hai, har pal me khushi hoti hai… Aree Maya ne toh mera dressing sense tak badal diya…”

Sameer trailed off, frowning at what he was reading, and blurted, “yeh thodi na pyaar hota hai…”

“Exactly”, Indrajit exclaimed, “main bhi yahi samjhane ki koshish kar raha hun kabse… Iss dialogue ko padhke pyaar ki feeling hi nahi aa rahi… Log sunenge toh bore ho jayenge… Right Sameer?”

A bit taken aback by suddenly being pulled into a dialogue related conversation, Sameer hesitantly spoke up, “bore ka toh pata nahi sir… lekin yeh jo bhi hai pyaar nahi hai… main chahunga ke agar koi mujhse pyaar kare toh main jo jun, jaisa hun, waise hi pyaar kare… Mujhe badalke pyaar kare toh woh kaisa pyaar hua…” A recollection of Naina’s love made him smile, and he continued in a trance, “pyaar toh aisa hona chahiye ke uske liye main khudko badalna chahu, ek behtar insaan banna chahu… Uske saath sirf khushi ke pal nahi, poori zindagi bitana chahu… Woh paas ho tab har pal uske saath bitaau, aur agar kisi wajah se dur ho toh uske saath bitaye pal ki yaadein mujhe protsaahit karti rahe… Kamiya toh har insaan me hoti hai, lekin uske pyaar ke wajah se mujhe mere andar ki sachchai aur achchai bhi dikhe, woh mujhe ehsaas dilaaye ke main pyaar ke layak hun… Uski hasi meri khushi ban jaaye, uske aankhon ke aansu mere dil ka dard… Uske chehre pe muskurahat lane ke liye main duniya se lad jau… Usko inta pyaar karu ke uska har dard mit jaaye… Aur meri nazar me bas ek sapna ho, aane wali zindagi ke har din me uska saath deneke layak banu…”

There was a heavy silence on the sets as he finished speaking… Every eye was trained on him, but he was unaware as he was still lost in the memories of how he had fallen in love with Naina… Suddenly Indrajit exclaimed, “fantastic! Amazing!”

Sameer jerked out of his trance, his heart thundering, and he realized how much he had spoken. Manish was looking at him with a knowing smile, obviously understanding that he was speaking from his own personal experience. Indrajit clapped twice, and rubbed his hands, “yahi emotions chahiye the mujhe… Tum likh sakte ho yeh? Dialogue banake… Jaise Aryan bol raha ho…?” Sameer blinked in surprise, too stunned to reply. Indrajit impatiently asked, “c’mon boy… jawaab do… Likh sakte ho?”

Sameer glanced once at the page in his hand and nodded, “haan… likh sakta hun…”

“Good”, Indrajit happily responded, “ab yeh batao… maano tumko college me kisise pyaar ho gaya hai… Aur tumhari girlfriend tumhe padhne me help karti hai… Agar tum padhai pe dhyan na deke romance me lage raho toh tumhari girlfriend kya karegi?”

Sameer’s eyes twinkled as he recalled his own library sessions, and he chuckled, “mere sir pe book maaregi aur kahegi ke padhai karlo warna shaadi ka rishta leke aaoge tab gharwale bolenge ke bewakuf ladke ko hamari beti nahi denge…”

Indrajit laughed out, and asked, “aur tum kya kahoge?”

Sameer grinned, “galti toh saari tumhari hi hai… Jab teacher itni khoobsurat ho toh mera dhyan kitaabo pe kaise rahe… Agar tum saamne rahogi toh meri nazre tumpe se hatne nahi wali… Isme mera kya kasoor…”

“Brilliant”, Indrajit enthused, “tum jaldi se yeh pyaar wala dialogue likho pehle… Phir library wala bhi…” Turning towards the assembled group, he ordered, “aree Rohit… Woh dusre dialogues bhi laana zara… Sameer se padhvaake dekhunga woh bhi…”

Sameer couldn’t understand what was happening around him, and he looked at Manish once, then tried to talk to Indrajit, “sir… actually… mujhe aapse baat karni thi…”

“Karenge… karenge”, Indrajit assured, “tum pehle yeh dialogue likho… phir yeh sab padho… Aur haan… Manish ne sahi kaha tha… Tum ladke bade kaam ke ho… Pyaar ka dialogue bol rahe the tab mujhe toh mere show ke liye Aryan ki jhalak dikh gai tumme.”

“Par sir…”, Sameer tried to explain.

However, this time Manish intervened, “Sameer… tum jaake likh do pehle… Tab tak main Indrajit se baat karta hun…”

Sameer nodded, and went along with someone who guided him to a table, and offered him pens and papers to write. The remaining five dialogues were also given to him to read… He looked once at the scene of the two men talking, and sighed, not sure of where this was leading. Closing his eyes he thought once of how Naina had kissed him this morning when they had woken up, and then started to write…

Fifteen minutes later when he had finished writing, he took up the other papers to read the dialogue wondering if he was expected to change them as well. He liked three of them, but the other two once more looked incomplete to him… He squinted at the fonts, starting to think, twirling a pen in his hand. That was how Manish and Indrajit found him… They both took chairs to sit in-front of him, and he jerked, “oh… sorry sir… mera dhyan nahi tha…”

Indrajit waved aside his apology and instead asked, “toh… baaki ke dialogues ke baare me kya bolna hai?”

Sameer once more looked at Manish, who nodded encouragingly… Taking a deep breath he honestly replied, “yeh teen dialogues to bahot achche hai… Sabse best yeh wala hai – Rudra ne jo dialogue gusse me bola woh perfectly uska mental stress dikhata hai… Office me aksar hota hai yeh… Lekin yeh  akhri do… Priya ka pyaar ka confession uske parents ke saamne, isme usne bas ladke ki naukri aur status ki baat ki hai… Likha hai ke caste alag hai toh kya hua successful toh hai… I mean, maana parents yeh saare qualities dhundte hai ladke me… Lekin Priya jab emotions bata rahi hai toh usko yeh bhi batana chahiye na ke Arnav uska kitna dhyan rakhta hai, usko kitna pyaar karta hai… Aur iss last wale me…” Sameer gulped, closing his eyes for a moment, “Aadil ne apne ek laute sahare, apne dadaji ko kho diya… Lekin iss dialogue me uska dard saamne nahi aa raha… Sabse pehli baat toh kisi apne ko aise khoke itna lamba dialogue koi bol hi nahi sakta… Aur agar kuch baat karta bhi hai toh mere khayal se… umm… kaise kahu… thoda disoriented hona chahiye… Jaise dukh ke saath kuch yaadein mix ho… Kuch aisa ki – dadaji aapne waada kiya tha ke birthday saath me manayenge… maine… maine jalebi mangvai hai… bilkul jaise aapne kaha tha dadaji… please uth jaiye na…”

Indrajit smiled, “lagta hai tumne bhi kisi apne ko khoya hai.”

Sameer nodded, “mere Nanu… jab main school me tha tab…”

“I am sorry”, Indrajit genuinely offered, and then slid a paper across the table, “yeh lo…”

Sameer took the paper, thinking it to be another dialogue, but was surprised on seeing an audition form… Only two places were filled – his name: Sameer Maheshwaei, and his marital status: Married. His heart skipped a beat when down below he spotted a scribbling in red which said – Selected. Hardly able to believe he looked up to find the two men smiling, and queried, “yeh… yeh kya hai?”

Indrajit shrugged, “Manish ne mujhe bataya tumhare baare me… Yahi ke tum shaadi-shuda ho, aur thoda background bhi diya… I have to say, agar tumhara dialogue sunne ke pehle yeh baat pata hoti toh shayad main sach me tumhe kaam nahi deta… Not because I would feel ke tum talented nahi ho, lekin maine dekha hai shaadi-shuda actors ke zyada nakhre hote hai… Timings ko leke… Bahane bhi naye naye hote hai… Kabhi biwi bimar hai, kabhi bachche ki school chodna tha… Maine kaafi aise logo ke saath kaam kiya hai kyunki ek serial me jab hum badi umar ke log dhundte hai toh hum yeh expect nahi kar sakte ke unki shaadi naa hui ho… Par haan, main hero-heroine ke role ke liye unmarried logo ko hi chunta, kyunki unka screen time sabse zyada hota hai aur audience ko unse hi sabse zyada lagaav hota hai… Lekin tumne jis tarah se pyaar ko describe kiya mujhe laga tum acting toh achchi karte hi ho, par saath saath shayad likh bhi sakte ho kuch… Phir Manish se baat karke pata chala ke woh sab sirf acting nahi tha, tumne pyaar ko mehsoos kiya hai isiliye woh sab bol paaye… So… That’s why maine socha ke shaadi ho gai toh kya hua… Talent toh hai… Aryan Avasthi ka role toh tum hi karoge…”

Sameer’s eyes glistened with tears of joy, “th…thank you… thank you so much sir…”

“You are welcome”, Indrajit smiled, “achcha yeh batao… gussa karte ho kabhi?”

Sameer was confused, but replied, “haan… karta hun… pehle zyada kartha tha lekin Naina jabse meri life me aai main kaafi shaant ho gaya…”

Indrajit quizzed, “Manish ne bataya tumne abhi do din pehle kisiko maara…”

Sameer’s hand automatically clenched in a fist, “Kabir… Meri biwi ka peecha kar raha tha… Uske liye rishta leke aaya tha… Aur mere saamne usko I Love You bol raha tha… Maarunga hi na…”

Indrajit chuckled, “Rudra ke role ka bhi audition karoge?”

“Kya?” Sameer’s eyes widened, “do-do role?”

“Guarantee nahi hai”, Indrajit clarified, “pehle audition do… Phir dekhenge… Lekin haan, meri ek shart hai… Mere saath kaam karte hue tumhe dialogues aur kuch scenes likhne me help karni hogi… Interest leke kar paoge?”

Sameer smiled, “kahaniya toh Naina likhti hai… Lekin main koshish zaroor karunga… Jo naa kar pau usme Naina madad kar degi…”

Manish laughed, “yeh lo Indrajit… Miya-Biwi dono mil gaye tumko… Jo aakhri do kahani hai usko inse hi likhwa lo…”

Even though it was meant to be a joke, Indrajit took it seriously, and asked, “tumhari wife… Naina… uski likhi koi kahani hai?”

Sameer nodded, once more confused, “ghar pe hai…”

“Monday ko le aana”, Indrajit demanded, “mujhe padhna hai… main kuch naye lekhak bhi dhund raha hun jo iss serial ke liye chune gaye sachchi kahaniyo ko ek show me dikhaye jaa sake aisi kahani me dhaal sake.”

Sameer beamed, “main pakka le aaunga… Naina bahot achcha likhti hai… School me maine usko sirf chaar shabd diye the, uspe se usne itni achchi kahani banake sunai turant hi ke main toh chaunk hi gaya tha…”

Indrajit chuckled, “theek hai… woh baad ki baat hai… Filhaal chalo… Auditions ka time ho gaya hai…”

The day which he hadn’t expected to bear much fruits for him, came to an end at 4pm in evening with the confirmation of two roles for him… The shoot would start in two week’s time, but before that Sameer still was asked to visit Indrajit Saha’s office, to meet his team of writers and work along with them to fine-tune the dialogues of the first five stories. Each story would run in a series of ten episodes – Aryan’s story was the first chosen one to shoot and run… Once that ended, another new story would run for ten episodes. Sameer’s payment was to be finalized by next week, and it would include both the payment for playing the characters, and the salary for assisting the writing team. Thanks to Manish sir, even Naina’s talent at writing might get considered by Indrajit sir… It wasn’t confirmed, but definitely a hope worthy to be held on to. It seemed to Sameer that as soon as he had sorted his personal life, his professional life was also getting a boost… The love that had driven him to be a better human being had also helped him today in securing those roles. He closed his eyes, humming to the tunes of Maine Pyaar Kiya on his bus journey back to home.

Naina meanwhile was in middle of a cooking frenzy… Rakesh had tried to calm her down, asked her to rest, but she had refused. She had already made gulab jamun, dal fry, jeera rice, chole-paneer, and was now busy in making ajwain paratha… She also had kept aside some coarsely grinded soaked dal to make pakoras when Sameer arrived. Finally at almost 5:30pm the doorbell rang, and she jerked, immediately rushing to open the door… But before her, Rakesh had already reached, and was now holding the door open to let Sameer in… He grinned, “hi papa”, and then spotted his wife who was sweating profusely… Concerned he asked, “Naina… kya hua tumko? Itna paseena kyun aa raha hai…?”

Rakesh grumbled, “jabse ghar aai hai tabse kitchen me lagi hui hai… paseena toh hoga hi na… Kabse bol raha hun ke araam karle thoda… par meri sunta kaun hai? Tum hi sambhalo apni biwi ko…”

Sameer smiled, toeing off his shoes, and sauntered up to her… Pushing aside a few sweat-wet strands from her forehead, he hooked a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head up, “tension?”

She sighed, “thoda… jaldi bolo kya hua aaj…”

He smirked, “pehle yeh batao ke kitchen me jo toofan leke aai ho, usme kuch meetha hai?”

She nodded, “haan… gulab jamun… par kyun?” Suddenly realization dawned and she gasped, “iska matlab… tumhe…”

He grinned, “haan… mujhe role mil gaya…”

“Oh Sameer”, she squealed, throwing herself on him with so much force that he almost staggered backwards. Quickly holding onto her, he balanced himself, and laughed softly. Rakesh cleared his throat, “aree… uski shirt kharab ho jayegi paseene se…”

“Koi baat nahi”, Sameer immediately assured, not letting her pull back, “waise bhi subah sindur lag gaya tha toh dhona hi padega.”

She detangled herself slightly to see the mark he was talking about and blushed in mortification. He smiled down at her… Still keeping a hold on her waist with one hand, he combed his fingers of his other hand through his hair and told them of everything that happened that morning on the sets. To say that his family was overjoyed would be an understatement… Naina jumped in delight, almost kissing his cheeks in excitement… Rakesh squeezed him in the tightest hug he had ever received… He truly felt cherished in that moment as apart from Nanu no one ever celebrated his success like this… Amid the madness, Naina rushed off into the kitchen to get three gulab jamun… She popped one in Sameer’s mouth, one in her father’s mouth and then both of them stuffed the last one in her mouth…

The next few months were like a dream come true… The shoot started and Sameer slipped into Aryan’s role as if he had been born for it, the only hiccup being when he had to perform a romantic dance amid candle lights in a room. Somehow he was unable to find the rhythm and he kept distancing himself from the girl playing the role of Maya… After almost ten retakes, Indrajit got in Naina who had come over that day for a story reading with the writing team. She managed to make Sameer calm down, telling him it was just a role, and the sooner he gave the right shot, the sooner it would get over… Indrajit modified the sequence a bit, eliminating the nuzzling and instead keeping it to pure dancing, which made Sameer much more comfortable. Immediately after that shot, Sameer moved around to find Naina amid the gathering on sets, and hugged her, only then could he breathe… That gesture made several hearts melt and the girl playing the role of Maya even said that it was such a bad luck that Sameer was already taken.

Indrajit had liked Naina’s writing style and set her a task of writing few sections, and another month later it was finalized that she would be writing the final two stories… But what came up as a surprise was that he also asked Sameer to contribute to one of the stories. When Sameer asked in confusion, “sir main kyun?”

Indrajit kindly explained, “dekho Sameer… Tum acting achchi karte ho, lekin itni achchi bhi nahi ke seedhe koi badi movie me kaam mil jaaye… Competition bahot hai… Iss industry me paav jamate-jamate bahot waqt nikal jayega… Maine dekha yeh kuch mahino me ke tumhari priority hero banna nahi, balki tumhara parivaar hai… Isiliye yeh sujhaav hai mera… Tum likhte bahot achcha ho… Naina agar kahani likh sakti hai, toh tum usme dialogues daalke usko ek screenplay ka form de sakte ho… Auditions ke wajah se tumhe experience bhi mil gaya hai… Aur iss industry me abhi achche lekhako ki bahot zaroorat hai… Kab tak yeh chote-mote roles karte rahoge? Ek baar apne likhne ke talent ko bhi try karke dekho… Kya pata, tumhara future isime ho…”

He gave a lot of thought to it, and then discussed with Naina as well… She was visibly tensed, and queried, “par tumhara hero banne ka sapna? Sameer… uska kya hoga?”

He hugged her and sighed, “kuch cheeze hamare sapno se kam aur kismat se zyada judi hoti hai… Socho na… Camera ke saamne rahunga toh hamara rishta chupaake rakhna padega, jo mujhe manzoor nahi hai… Aur peeche rahunga toh tumhara saath har pal milega… Shayad ise hi kismat ka khel kehte hai… Shayad yahi hamara naya safar ho…”

She clutched onto his shirt, and agreed to the idea after a lot of thought… Once he gave his consent to Indrajit, things started to move at an astonishing speed. And then it was another journey for him to learn and grow… He had loved acting, but he realized that he truly loved writing too… It was a different kind of challenge to think which words would resonate with audiences, and an even bigger thrill to see his words being acted onscreen… And on top of that he found that he loved working along with Naina… Just like in real life they had managed to bring something in each other’s life to complete the other, similarly in stories too they brought in different perspectives that ultimately turned whatever they wrote into a wholesome package of emotions.

Sometime in those months, they also reached the one year mark of their marriage, and what a day it was… Sameer surprised her with tea in bed, which led to a morning round of lovemaking… Rakesh brought back fresh flowers for them and to decorate their home when he returned from morning walk… All three of them went to the temple to pray… Both Sameer and Naina had taken a day off, and to their surprise Rakesh mentioned that he would be going to the library as usual which meant that they had the house to themselves for the whole day… They cooked a light lunch together, watched movie, reveled in the freedom of being alone… In evening Sameer had arranged for a restaurant to deliver food, Preeti’s family joined them and gifted them a beautiful showpiece for their home. Rakesh gave the biggest surprise that night after the guests left… He handed over a manila envelope to the couple, who opened it with extreme curiosity thinking it to be some letter or card, but were stumped on finding a travel guide for Darjeeling, along with train tickets and hotel booking for a week in the month of December.

It was so unexpected that Sameer kept flipping through the papers, and finally queried, “yeh kya hai papa?”

Rakesh looked away briefly, “uh… ghumne jaaneki ticket hai aur kya…”

“Par yeh toh… yeh sirf hum dono ki hai”, Sameer stated perplexed.

Rakesh scowled, “akkal sets pe chod aaye ho kya? Ghumne tum dono hi jaoge na… main kya karunga wahan…”

Naina blinked back tears, and her voice shook as she mumbled, “papa…”

Rakesh looked at his daughter wondering if she was also going to ask something stupid… But Naina simply hugged him, and whispered, “thank you…” Rakesh smiled, stroking his daughter’s head, “achche se ghumo… bahot maze karna…”

Slowly it started to sink in Sameer’s brain that this trip was like a honeymoon… A second honeymoon… His heart leapt with joy, but the rational part of his brain still made him question, “par papa… aap yahan akele kaise rahenge…?”

Rakesh chuckled, “chota bachcha nahi hun… reh lunga… thoda bahot khana banana bhi aata hai aur phir Preeti ka sasural bhi toh saamne hi hai… Tum dono meri bilkul fikar mat karo…”

Smiling wide, Sameer also hugged him, “thank you papa… yeh sabse best anniversary gift hai…”

Their Darjeeling trip was spectacular… Sameer couldn’t help but feel that in ways more than one this was their actual honeymoon… For a start, there was no distance between them; neither emotional, nor physical… He was more understanding of her ways, of her apprehensions, of the way some things were new for her… And she was more open to talk, to discuss, to ask without feeling that he would judge her… They visited many places, clicked pictures, bought stuff for back home, made love as often as they could, and sometimes just sat in each other’s arms enjoying the cold weather, the sunrise and sunsets, or the sky full of stars at night… And they talked – of their past, of their present, of their future… Sameer discussed about his plans to start saving up for future, invest in few things, and also how they can buy few things for their home, especially some proper furniture. Naina added her own thoughts to it, suggesting that they could visit few shops around Mumbai to look for second-hand pieces of furniture, and also that she wanted to invite Vishakha over to visit at least once… One thing that they never forgot was to call home everyday to talk to Rakesh…

By the time they returned home, Indrajit was waiting to meet Sameer and Naina with an offer of writing another story, and also he had recommended them to some friends of his. Slowly as the months passed the family of three started to settle down in their work, and with careful planning they were able to bring several changes in their home. The old rickety sofa was replaced with a sturdy wooden second-hand piece they had found in the lanes of Colaba… Their kitchen now sported a fridge which made work easier for Naina as she could do meal preps in advance for morning… A brand new bone china dining set was bought along with cups-saucer set just before Manish Dalal and Indrajit Saha came over for dinner at their home… This was followed by a new bed for their bedroom and a comfortable foldable bed in the living room for Rakesh.

Their income stabilized, and Naina also started to look into avenues of getting some of her stories published. Another few months passed down the line, and Naina gave up the job in the accounting firm to focus full-time on writing… And as they marked two years in Mumbai, Sameer celebrated the occasion with a brand new Maruti 800 air-conditioned car, which he gifted to Rakesh. The entire society came down to see the gleaming white car… Rakesh felt overwhelmed as he traced his hand on the roof of the car, recalling the time when he had ridiculed Sameer as Arjun had won the car which was the prize for man of the match… He had gotten to know later from Naina, that Arjun had cheated to get Sameer run-out… Just like he had cheated before when he had stolen the papers and the blame had landed on Sameer… He recalled the taunts, the slaps, the insults… How much had he wronged the boy? And yet here he was, somehow finding it in himself to respect and love him as if he was his own father, and fulfilling all the dreams he had seen. Words weren’t enough to convey the emotions he felt in that moment, and so he simply hugged Sameer, promising himself to be a father always for both him and Naina…

They spent the evening visiting nearby places in their new car, and then having dinner outside. That night as Naina lay in his arms, panting after making love, he stroked her bare back, his sluggish mind flickering to the thoughts he had been having since last few days. She traced circles on his chest with her fingernail and asked, “kya soch rahe ho?”

He hummed, smiling at how she understood that he was thinking something, and asked, “tum itni kahaniya likhti ho ab… main soch raha tha… kya tum hamari kahani likhogi?”

She lifted her head to look at him, “hamari kahani? Tumhara matlab… hamari love story?” He nodded… She further queried, “kyun?”

“Pata nahi”, he confessed, “kuch dino se man me khayal aa raha hai… Abhi hum dusre producers aur directors ke liye likhte hai… Socho agar future me hum khud apna production house khol sake toh… Directors ko hire kare aur jo kahani hume pasand ho uska show banvaye…”

Her eyes widened in surprise, “yeh bahot zyada badi soch nahi hai…?”

He shrugged, “haan shayad… lekin main ek-do saal ki baat nahi kar raha… zara long-term soch raha hun… Hum jis line me kaam kar rahe hai usme yeh mumkin hai… Aur sapne dekhenge toh hi toh unko haasil kar sakenge na…”

She smiled, “baat toh tum theek keh rahe ho… lekin isme hamari kahani ka kya kaam?”

He sifted his fingers through her long hair, still feeling ecstatic on seeing the sindur marking the partition… Dropping a kiss on her head, he said, “agar kabhi kamyab hue khud ka production house shuru karne me toh main chahunga ke hum apni kahani logo ko bataye… Socho zara… Hum school me the tabse leke aaj tak me kitne badlaav aa gaye… Toh phir aaj se 10-20 saal baad ki generation kitni alag hogi… Hum hamari love story dikhake unko iss daur ke baare me sab batayenge…”

Her eyes sparkled, “bahot hi romantic hoga… baalo me chewing gum lagne se shuru hui love stoty…”

He chuckled, “aur phir school ka romance, safari suit ke naak ke neeche… college ki bewakufiya…”

“Sapno se bhi sundar shaadi, dry honeymoon”, she added chortling, “aur Mumbai ka jadoo…” And then asked, “par ending kya hogi?”

He cupped her cheek, pulling her down for a kiss, “ending toh likh hi rahe hai na hum…”

She smiled into the kiss, “haan… yahi toh ekdum pefect end hoga… Sameer aur Naina apni kahani logo ko batayenge ek naye show ke zariye… Logo ko sachche pyaar pe yaqeen karna sikhayenge… Ending scene hoga jab hum dono onscreen Sameer aur Naina chunenge…”

He gazed into her eyes, amazed at how she was giving form to his dream, turning it into their dream, their vision, their future… “I love you Naina”, he said, his throat choking with emotions. She hugged him, nuzzling against his chest, “I love you too Sameer…” As the full moon rose outside, they slowly fell asleep, with dreams in their eyes, their hearts full of love and hope; their togetherness being their biggest strength which would surely lead them on the right path to fulfill their destiny and dreams both…

THE END… OR A NEW BEGINNING…