The Filmmaker's Dream

Chapter 33 - An ideal mother

"What nonsense! My daughter is married to that criminal? How dare you say that?" Dhwani's father, Suresh, fumed at Latha. As expected, he and his wife were furious when Latha told them everything they needed to know.

Chris and Vikram stood behind Latha, looking anxious. Dhwani stood in a corner, next to her brother, Bhuvan. He held his sister's hand throughout the exchange, protectively.

"Calm down Suresh garu" said Latha. 

"I refuse to believe this. You are plotting against me. Latha garu, if you don't want Dhwani getting married to Vicky, just say it. Don't defame my family and me." He raised his voice.

Vikram tried to say something. Latha stopped him. "We both know this is not true."

"Let him speak. I have heard the news. Ask him to say it himself. He has found someone more beautiful and now he is no longer interested in my daughter. So, he is trying to get Dhwani and that Chris together. What an utterly disgusting man he is!" Suresh yelled.

Shubha and Naveen gasped. She was about to give a fitting reply to the man, when Naveen pulled her back and shook his head. It didn't go unnoticed by Vikram. He grinned.

"Enough! Not a word against him." Chris, who never raised his voice, shouted. "Sir, if you have a problem with me, you are free to speak whatever you want about me. But not him. You have no right to say anything about him. He is the reason your daughter is alive. You should be thanking him on bended knee."

"What is he doing? He is supposed to impress my father." Bhuvan whispered.

"He always takes offense at abuse directed to Vikram." Shubha whispered back. 

"Relax Chris. Let me do the talking. Suresh garu, I understand, it's difficult to accept this. But this is the truth. There are two ways of doing this. You can either bless them and welcome him into the family. Or you can go ahead and post that video you made to threaten Dhwani. If you choose the first option, I will support you. If you choose the second option, I assure you, I will do everything in my power to protect him. I hope you know who I am and what I am capable of." Latha said calmly.

"Do you even know what you are saying? Who said I made that video?" Suresh tried to look confused.

"Didn't you threaten Dhwani that if she doesn't end her relationship, you will ruin Chris's career and get him arrested?" asked Latha.

"We received the video through email. When we saw it, we were scared that Chris is involved in some illegal activities. The guy in the video is not a normal criminal. He is a famous gangster's assistant. That's enough to scare any parent. So, we threatened her and asked her to breakup with him" said Suresh. His wife, Jamuna, nodded in agreement.

"Are you telling the truth? You didn't make that video?" Latha was mildly surprised. 

So was Dhwani. When she thought about it again, she didn't seem to recollect her father saying he made the video. He just showed it to her. She wondered whether she misunderstood him for a year. Chris and Vikram looked at each other equally shocked. 

"Of course he did. He is lying" said Shubha, making everyone turn towards her. Naveen facepalmed.

"Who is this ill-mannered girl?" Suresh glared at Shubha. 

"Let Shubha speak" said Latha.

Shubha continued. "First, that look on his face when he first heard about the video was not confusion. It was fear. Fear of being caught. Second, how do they know who the man in the video is? He is not a world famous criminal. Just a gangster's assistant. But still, they know his exact identity. Third, how is it that they just happen to have received this video through email, a week after Dhwani garu told them that she wants to marry Chris garu? If it is true, who sent it? Why would they send it to them?"