MOVIE STAR ENGINES

Based upon "Thomas Goes to Bollywood" by Becky Overton

Originally written April 30, 2019

Following the incident with Trusty Trunky, James had settled quite well in India. Early one morning, Charubala arrived at the sheds, aided by an important looking gentleman.

"Who's that?" asked James, looking at the man.

"This gentleman is a movie director," explained Charubala. "He and his crew film Bollywood movies."

"Bollywood?" asked James. "What in Trevithick's name is that?"

"Bollywood, dear James," explained Rajiv, "is the Indian movie industry. Almost like how Hollywood is the American movie industry."

"Except Bollywood is a genre, not a location," added Shankar in a deadpan tone.

"Miss Charubala here has brought me to the yards because I was wondering if one of you would like to take part in my upcoming film," said the director.

"Oh, please, sir! Can I have the role?" the engines all begged. Charubala laughed and held up a hand for silence.

"You can't all be in the film," she said. "However, the decision over the lucky engine will be based upon how well you do your work."

The engines promised they would behave themselves and set off for work. However, James and Rajiv were the last ones to go.

"If anyone is best suited for the main role," said Rajiv proudly, "it should be a royal engine like myself!"

"Well, you can forget about that," scoffed James, "because I'm more likely to get the part! I'm sure giving a starring role to a guest on the railway like myself would be most splendid…" He chuckled to himself as he began to imagine…

Spotlights flashed and crowds cheered loudly. James puffed proudly onto shiny gold rails with red sleepers as cameras took many photos.

"Oh, thank you, everyone," he grinned. "You are much too kind. No, please don't fight; there's plenty of my splendidness to go around."

"Oh, sure, the engine who got dead last at the Great Railway Show would make a grand impression," remarked Rajiv's voice. This reminder caused James to snap out of his imagination…

…and glared angrily as Rajiv puffed away, laughing.

"You're going to wish you hadn't brought that up, Your Royal Highness…" sneered James, saying that last part in a venomous tone.

Rajiv's first job of the day was a passenger train. Because he was of an older design, he was restricted to pulling only two coaches at a time and wasn't built for shunting duties. As he passed a station, he could see the director with some cameramen.

"Ah, now's my chance to prove myself to them!" Rajiv happily said to himself. Unbeknownst to him, James had something else in mind. There was a muddy puddle on his line and he accelerated towards it, splashing mud all over Rajiv!

"Ugh!" the royal engine spluttered as he spat mud out of his mouth. "I'm a complete mess!"

"How's it feel to go from riches to rags?" laughed James.

"You did that on purpose!" snapped Rajiv.

"Did I?" asked James innocently. "I'm more likely to get the role now; they see that mud on you, and they'll turn away."

The red engine puffed away, laughing to himself, while Rajiv growled angrily. Ashima had seen everything and was not happy.

"Just ignore him, Rajiv," she insisted. "It's no competition who gets the role. It's merely the director's choice."

"We'll see about that," muttered Rajiv to himself. "You want to play dirty, huh, James? Well, two can play that game!"

Meanwhile, James had arrived at the next station to deliver some crates of fruit including bananas, oranges, grapes and papayas. Noor Jehan was on the other platform.

"Namaste, Noor Jehan," James greeted. "Have you heard about Rajiv's incident with some mud?"

"What incident, James?"

"Well, I tried to warn him about a nearby mud puddle, but he wouldn't listen to me and got himself dirty." This wasn't true, of course, but Noor Jehan believed James.

"Well, it is like Rajiv to not pay attention when showing off," she sighed.

"That probably wouldn't land him in the movie role any time soon," James muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Have you ever been in a movie before?" James asked, hoping to change the topic.

"No, but I had thought about it from time to time," said Noor Jehan. "I could never make a living out of starring in many films a year, being perfectly honest."

"Perish the thought!" agreed James. "It would be tiring."

"It would indeed," said Noor Jehan. "Were you and the other engines from Sodor ever in a movie, James?"

"Well… no," admitted James. "But we are in books by the Thin Clergyman."

"Oh… oh, yes," said Noor Jehan. "I remember Ashima mentioning that; Thomas told her about it." At that moment, she heard the sound of her guard's whistle. "Oh, I must be off," she said as she started up. "I'll see you this evening, James."

"Yeah, see you too, Noor Jehan," said James.

Rajiv was still in a sulky mood as he was having the mud cleaned off of him.

"That James splashed me on purpose!" he grumbled.

"Why did he do that to you?" asked Shankar; he was away in another part of the yards when Rajiv had gotten splashed with mud.

"Probably to make sure I wouldn't get that role in the movie," said Rajiv. "I swear, James is such a sore loser, all because I beat him in the Great Railway Show!"

"That's what it's all about?" asked Shankar, unimpressed. "It's hard work that matters most, not fifteen minutes of fame in a movie."

"But you don't understand!" protested Rajiv. "It's been my passion since I was just a boiler on a set of frames to be in a Bollywood movie! I will not let that scarlet deceiver take it away from me!"

"I'm pretty sure Bollywood movies didn't exist when you were first built," sighed Shankar, rolling his eyes.

"You mark my word, James," Rajiv muttered. "I will get you for this insult to my pride!" Shankar had left to do another job; it was no use talking to Rajiv when he was being overly dramatic.

Soon, James was returning to Varkala after delivering crates of fruit at every station. He could see a camera crew in the distance.

"Aha!" he said to himself. "Now's my time to shine." He sped up to show off for the cameras when suddenly, he began to slip on the rails. "Whoa!" he cried, speeding past the camera crew and slipping into a siding, hitting the buffers. Luckily, they stayed intact and James didn't derail.

"Are you alright, James?" called Ashima.

"Sort of…" he groaned, more startled than hurt.

"Oh no, James!" cried Rajiv, pulling in with an oil tanker. "I must not have realized that this tanker leaked out onto your line." There was a hint of pretend innocence in his voice.

"You slipped me up on purpose!" snapped James, scowling angrily. "Admit it!"

"Only after you admit you purposely splashed me with mud!" argued Rajiv.

"Is this true, James?" asked Ashima in a stern tone.

"A-absolutely not!" stuttered James. "Rajiv's lying!"

"No, you are!" argued Rajiv.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Tell you what, James," smirked Rajiv.

"What?"

"We shall settle this matter once and for all with… a showdown."

"A showdown?" asked James.

"You're not telling me you're rusty red scrap iron… are you?" Rajiv smirked again. Hearing that insulting name made James redder than ever. Ashima was afraid that James would explode with fury, but luckily, he took a deep breath and glared at Rajiv.

"You're on."

"Oh dear…" muttered Ashima. "I hope no one gets hurt…"

The next morning, James and Rajiv faced off against each other in the yards. As the two engines glared at one another, a familiar western tune began to fill the air with an Indian influence to it.

"Will you turn that off?!" the engines snapped. The music had come from a nearby radio, which one of the workmen quickly shut off and apologized for.

"That position for a movie role's not big enough for the two of us," said James.

"There can only be one!" declared Rajiv.

"So how shall we settle this?" asked James.

"Whichever of us can earn the attention and respect of the most people will be the most deserving of that role," explained Rajiv.

"All too easy," grinned James.

But… how can I do it? Rajiv thought to himself, feeling a bit nervous. I can't pull heavy trains, and I'm not exactly the fastest engine around… Suddenly, his lamp lit up with an idea. "We shall do it by having… a shunting competition!"

"Shunting competition?!" cried James. "But… tender engines don't shunt!"

"Royal engines don't shunt either," said Rajiv, a hint of smugness in his tone. "But surely it's worth sacrificing a little dignity just for the role…?"

James scowled at first, but then he smirked. "Bring it on!" Ashima and Shankar were watching nearby with worried expressions.

"I'd better get the breakdown crane," sighed Shankar.

"And I'd better let Miss Charubala know," added Ashima.

Meanwhile, James and Rajiv had set their lines up, and waited for the clock to strike the hour. As they waited, a tumbleweed randomly blew across the line. Needless to say, they ignored this surprise, and narrowed their eyes firmly. After what seemed like ages, the minute hand hit twelve.

"Go!" the two engines cried. They charged towards the lines of scattered trucks.

"Points!" called James. A signalman changed the points, allowing James to biff into some flatbeds.

Over at Rajiv's side, the royal engine was not faring as well as he'd thought.

"Why… did I… think… this was… a good… idea?" he gasped as he shunted one truck at a time. "I… can't… lose this!"

Unfortunately for them, it was about to get worse. As James called "Points!" again, the signalman pulled the wrong lever by mistake. James was now diverted onto Rajiv's line!

"Look out!" cried Rajiv. James applied his brakes, but it was too late! The two engines collided, causing Rajiv to crash into a siding full of coaches. The coaches came off the rails just as Ashima and Shankar returned.

"James! Rajiv!" gasped Ashima. "Look what you've done to Noor Jehan's coaches!"

"This was your fault, James!" snapped Rajiv.

"My fault?!" cried James. "You were in my way, so it's your fault!"

"You are both at fault!" came a stern voice. Stepping down from Ashima's cab was Miss Charubala, and she was not happy.

"Uh-oh…" whimpered James and Rajiv.

"I am deeply ashamed of you two," scolded Charubala. "Your fighting has caused nothing but trouble for the railway. And now Noor Jehan's express will be delayed until her coaches can be re-railed and inspected for damage!"

"We didn't mean any harm, ma'am," insisted James.

"No, indeed," added Rajiv. "We only wanted to prove which one of us was better for the movie."

Charubala sighed and rubbed her temples. "I told you all that the decision would be based on your behavior," she said. "It was not a contest. And from what both of you have displayed right now and yesterday, neither of you will be in the new film."

James looked down in shame. "Say it isn't so!" Rajiv cried dramatically. "I, the engine of royalty, denied his moment of sunlight! It cannot be!"

"Pardon us for asking," said Ashima, "but who does that role go to now?"

Charubala smiled. "For quick thinking following this accident," she decided, "the role shall go to… Shankar!" The other engines (barring a sulky James and greatly dismayed Rajiv) cheered for the brown and orange diesel, who was left speechless by this announcement.

That evening, the engines were singing their praises for Shankar.

"Please, don't make a fuss," the small diesel insisted with a smile. "I was only doing my job."

"You're about to become a star in the new movie," said Noor Jehan. "This is news worth making a fuss over."

"Do you know what your role will be?" asked Ashima.

"Not yet," said Shankar. "But if I did… well, as they say on screen, if I told you, I'd have to scrap you," he added with a wink.

"How are Rajiv and James handling this?" asked Noor Jehan.

"Well, James didn't seem too bothered about not getting the role," said Ashima. "He was more upset about having let his railway and controller down. Rajiv, however, acted as though it were the end of the world."

"For a supposed 'royal engine'," Shankar remarked, "he acts like he just came out of the workshops."

"Never mind about that," said Ashima. "Before long, another big event will come about, and I'm sure they'll forget all about the movie."

I hope that Ashima is right. Don't you?

Author's Comments

Here's the adaptation of Thomas Goes to Bollywood! If there was any international episode during Series 22-24 that was indicative of how they could go wrong, this would be my first pick as it felt like it put international culture before story and character, and it remains an episode I hate six years since it first aired. It doesn't help that Thomas' role could easily have been taken by anyone else, James or (if they just wanted to stick with international characters) Rajiv in particular, which is part of the reason I started The International Railway Series to begin with. Making James and Rajiv competitive with one another for a movie role was fun to do, especially with throwing in a few movie clichés to go with the theme of the story.

Next time, watch your pockets, because it's an invasion of The Thieving Monkeys!