A/N: I loved Om Shanti Om! I thought it was awesome, the first half especially. I highly recommend it for a good laugh and three hours of solid entertainment.
This is just a missing moment about how Shanti got her first break in the film industry. Please read and review!
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Worthy of a Heroine
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Shanti tried in vain to calm her soaring spirits. Nothing was certain yet, and if she allowed herself to hope, she would surely be unable to bear the disappointment. Of course, the auditions had gone well, and the casting director had all but told her that the lead part was hers, but to finalize it all, she still had to meet the producer and if and only if he liked her, she would be in.
Starring alongside such a big star and working under such a huge production house in her debut would do wonders for her acting career. It was a chance of a lifetime, a debut that many would die for. If she got it, that was. If not, well, she would simply keep trying elsewhere. She was young, after all; she estimated that she had a good fifteen or so years ahead. And then, when she turned thirty, she could decide then whether to go out with a bang or start playing the bhabhi/badi behen-type roles.
Although her parents weren't too keen on the idea of her leaving school to pursue an acting career, they were still supportive, especially her father, who defended her from her mother's wrath after the first, unsuccessful audition. Hopefully after this, she could tell him that she, Shanti, his little girl, had finally gotten her first break and landed the main role.
She was waiting here now, in a plastic chair inside the producer's office. He would be coming shortly, she was told. Mukesh Mehra. She tried to visualize a face for the name, imagining a portly, respectable-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair and a slightly receding hairline. The person who walked into the office, however didn't fit her pre-conceived idea of him at all. The man who walked into the office couldn't be more than twenty-five or so and he was, Shanti couldn't help but notice, extremely good-looking.
Sitting in another plastic chair beside her instead of behind the desk, the man held out his hand for her to shake. 'Mukesh Mehra,' he said, smiling at her. There was something strange, something not quite right about his smile. It was wide, and his teeth were showing, but somehow despite it all, it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Shanti started out of her reverie, realizing that he had been holding his hand out for some time now. Hurriedly shaking his hand, she introduced herself quickly. 'Shanti Chandrashekhar.'
Mr Mehra's strange smile flickered for an instant before it came back again. 'You're from the South? Can you speak Hindi?'
Shanti couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. The casting director had recommended her after seeing her audition in Hindi for a Hindi film, after all. 'Haan, of course mujhe Hindi aati hai. I grew up in Madras, but I studied Hindi in school for ten years.'
While she was speaking, she couldn't help noticing that Mr Mehra's eyes were not on her face. They were not on her face at all. This made her feel slightly uncomfortable. The next moment, his eyes moved up to meet hers though and he smiled again, showing glittering teeth. 'Okay, that's great... Shanti, was it? The casting director seems to have liked you and I don't see any problems. The role is yours on one condition.'
Shanti's heart soared. The role was hers! And now she would probably just have to fill out some paperwork or get dancing lessons or something. 'Of course, sir. What condition?'
Mr Mehra's eyes held a strange glint and the sight of it made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Somehow, Shanti knew this was not about dancing lessons. His hand gripped her shoulder, tightly enough for it to hurt. 'Shanti, casting you in this film is a gamble for me. You're new, and if the film flops, I'll be the one losing.' He spoke calmly, his tone at odds with the tension in the air. 'However, if you do me a favour, I won't think anything of it, as you'll have paid me in a way. If you do this for me, no matter how the film turns out, I'll make your career. Do you understand what I'm saying?'
No time was required to think. It was a pity. Shanti had wanted this role badly. She ripped Mr Mehra's hand off her shoulder and started walking briskly to the door.
Soft applause stopped her in her tracks. She spun around, both irate and confused at the same time. Mr Mehra stood watching her intently, as if weighing her up. 'Well done, Miss Chandrashekhar,' he said softly after a while. 'You passed my test. The role is yours.'
The confusion on her features cleared and despite her best efforts she could not contain her goofy grin. So it was all an act! Honestly, if even the producers were this filmy, how were the actors going to be? This industry was going drive her crazy! 'Thank you, Mr Mehra,' she said earnestly. 'You won't regret hiring me, I promise.'
Mr Mehra smiled that strange, cold smile of his again. 'I should hope not.' Then suddenly he frowned. 'There might be a problem though. About your name.'
Shanti stared at him, perplexed. 'What about my name?'
'It's not really a heroine's name. For one thing, it's a mile long, and for another, you musn't be thought of as a South Indian actress in Hindi cinema. You must be a host of different characters, and if your name doesn't reveal where you are from, your characters are that much more believable.' Mr Mehra was half talking to himself now, muttering worriedly.
She really didn't understand. What was in a name? Could it really cause such money problems and inability to reach the audience? But Mr Mehra probably knew more about this than she did. 'Could I just be Shanti, then? Lots of heroines are known just by their first names,' she tried.
Mr Mehra looked at her distractedly as if she had interrupted him. 'Just Shanti? No, no, that's too short. Maybe we could add something...' He looked around his office, deep in thought. 'How about Shantipriya? It's a name worthy of a heroine.'
Shanti tried to smile. 'That sounds fine. Shantipriya it is. Thank you for your help, sir.' She turned again to leave and this time Mr Mehra didn't stop her. From today, she would be Shanti Chandrashekhar, the daddy's girl no more. She would be Shantipriya, the multi-faceted heroine. And for some reason, this fact gave her none of the giddy happiness she had been expecting.
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PS. I made Shanti South Indian for two reasons, first because Deepika Padukone is South Indian and second because this way, she'll know Om was faking when he was pretending to be a South Indian superstar! It'll make that scene even more WTF to her. 'Yenna rascala' – LOL!
And also: Haan, of course mujhe Hindi aati hai. Yes, of course I know Hindi.
So anyway, please write any comments or criticisms – I'd be glad to hear them! And also, what was your favourite comedy scene in OSO? Mine was the Rajnikanth spoof – I laughed so loud I scared the people sitting to my right, LOL. The Filmfare Awards sequence, the Mohabbat Man scene and the 'Handicapped Love' episode all deserve honourable mention as well.
By the way, review! MIND IT!
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