The Filmmaker's Dream

Chapter 17 - Problems and more problems

"What's the problem?" asked Shubha.

"Manjula garu is ill." Vikram sounded worried. "I went to visit her in the hospital."

"What happened to her?" Shubha was equally worried. Manjula was the actress playing her aunt in the film.

"Malaria. Her husband said she will be fine soon. She talked to me for few minutes before falling asleep."

"Thank God." Shubha felt relieved. She sat down next to him. "She will be fine sir. She will join us soon."

"Maybe not." He said weakly.

"Why?"

"The production house says we have to cast someone else in her stead. They can't wait for her to return."

"Outrageous!" Shubha exclaimed. "Vikram sir. We have two more months to complete the shooting. She will be back in a month. We can afford to wait."

"She has combination scenes with other actors. If we postpone filming her scenes, then the other artists' time will be wasted. And we can't be sure if they will be available when she returns. I will have to handle scheduling conflicts." He held his head in his hand. 

Shubha, who has always seen a brave and confident Vikram, was surprised to see him so tensed. She hesitated for a while before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Vikram sir. There are two ways of doing this. We can either call Manjula garu's manager and say that she has been replaced or we can call the other artists and discuss the problem in detail."

"What if they refuse? They are all big stars Subbu." 

"In that case we will have the satisfaction that we tried to help her. Vikram sir, she is a great actress. This film is nothing compared to what she achieved in her two-decade-long acting career. If we replace her, it won't affect her stardom but it will affect our relationship with her." Shubha spoke clearly, trying to make him understand the consequences of the decision.

"But the production company needs money. For them, film making is all about making money." Vikram remarked. "Mom will agree with us. But she is not the only one in the production house. How do I convince others?"

"Remind them how they felt when Nisha quit." Shubha said, making him turn towards her so quickly that his neck cricked. 

She continued. "They all felt betrayed when she left. If I am not wrong, some of them even vowed not to give her work in any of the films produced by Latha Productions. It's not like they couldn't find another actress. It's because they were hurt. The person they trusted, left them when they needed her support. So, are they willing to do the same with Manjula garu? Leave her alone when she needs our support? If I were you, I would have asked them this."

He stared at her for a few moments. He met several beautiful, intelligent, brave and kind-hearted women. But he never met a person who had all the qualities. 

He observed few loose strands of her hair fall on her face. He pushed them backwards to view her face clearly. "I never thought I would meet someone like you. You are a perfect blend of beauty, brains, bravery and the most important among all, a good heart. It's very rare to find someone like you."

Had some other man told this to her, she would have been mad at him for flirting with her. But it was Vikram. A perfect gentleman. She knew he meant it. "Thank you sir." She felt her heart pounding. "You know what? People like you are also very rare to find. You are so humble and h--"

"Hot?" He smirked.

"Stop smirking. I hate it when you smirk." She glared at him. "I was going to say handsome."