Uff, another week, another glorious chance to escape into a world of melodies. My heart does a little flutter-kick every Tuesday when Papa gives me my cassette money. It's not a lot, just enough for one single, but that makes the choice so important, right? This week, my ears are craving something filmy, something that'll make me dream. And of course, anything with Shahrukh in it sends my heart into overdrive. His poster, the one from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, still has pride of place right above my desk. Sigh. Raj is just… everything.
So, with my precious twenty rupees clutched in my sweaty palm, I skipped down the lane towards Sahitya Sagar's Cassette and Book Nook. It's my go-to place. It's usually pretty quiet during the day, everyone's either at work or college, so I wasn't surprised to see only a couple of uncles browsing the newspapers near the entrance. Perfect, less competition for the latest releases!
But wait… what's this? Right outside the shop, plastered on the glass, was a brand-new poster. It was for some song I hadn't heard yet. My feet practically stopped moving on their own. There were three faces on it, two pretty ladies all decked out, but… my eyes just zoomed in on the guy in the middle. It was like someone had flipped a switch.
Oh My God. He was… wow. Seriously wow. Even in a still picture, he had this… dashing air about him. His eyes looked straight out of the poster, like they could see right through you, and his smile… it wasn't all cheesy and Bollywood-y, it was… I don't even know the word. Just… intense. I couldn't tear my gaze away. It was like my eyeballs were glued to him with some super-strong Fevicol. Who is this? He's… so handsome. Way more… different than the usual heroes. There was something about his face… so sharp, so… manly. My heart did that little flutter-kick thing again, only this time it felt more like a full-on dance party in my chest.
Finally managing to drag my eyes away from the poster-wala dreamy boy, I practically marched straight to Pankaj Uncle, the store manager. He was arranging some magazines near the counter.
"Uncle!" I said, maybe a little too loudly. "Uncle! That new song… the one with the poster outside? Do you have its cassette?"
I pointed a little too enthusiastically towards the glass door, my eyes flicking back to the poster for just a second. I needed to know who he was. This week's cassette choice just got a whole lot easier.
Clutching the cassette like it was a treasure, I practically flew back home. Today was extra special because Diya didi, my older sister who studies at IIT Bombay, was home! She'd come back because she had a slight fever. As for Papa, who's a professor there, had already left for college. Usually, she's so caught up with her studies, getting her home is next to impossible.
Without even stopping to breathe, I made a beeline for our VCR. Nothing could wait – I had to see the video. Just as I was fumbling with the cassette player, Diya didi came out of her room, looking a bit pale but still her usual smart self.
"What's all the commotion, Chhoti?" she asked, a slight smile on her face.
"Didi! You have to see this!" I exclaimed, waving the cassette excitedly. "There's this new song, and the guy in the poster… he's like, the most handsome person I've ever seen!" I popped the cassette into the VCR and switched on the TV.
We both plopped down on the sofa, my anticipation bubbling over. The music started, and even without seeing the dreamy guy from the poster, I really liked the song. The singer's voice was so unique and catchy. I quickly checked the cassette cover – Falguni Pathak. Okay, new favorite singer alert! I'm definitely going to listen to all her songs from now on.
Then, finally, the scene came where the man from the poster was introduced in the video. My breath hitched. He looked even more breathtaking in motion! But I wasn't the only one who was completely mesmerized. Diya didi, who usually has her nose buried in textbooks and barely notices any actors, had gone completely still. Her eyes were glued to the screen, and when the scene came where he was… shirtless… well, let's just say her composure completely vanished.
"Oh my god," she breathed out, her eyes wide. "He's… he's even… wow." She looked almost dazed. "He's way better than Milind Soman in 'Made in India'! It's like… night and day."
But what was really strange was the way Diya didi was looking at the actor. It wasn't just admiration; it was like she recognized him. Her eyes were so intensely focused, like she was trying to place a familiar face.
Suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth, and she let out a sharp gasp. "I… I know him!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and a strange kind of recognition.
My eyes widened in surprise. "You do? Who is he, Didi? Tell me!" I was bursting with curiosity. Who was this unbelievably handsome guy who had managed to make my usually composed, IIT-studying sister lose her cool?
"But how is this possible? He was so… different." her sister muttered under her breath, making it hard to listen to her properly. She immediately went for the packet, likely to search for the name. She exclaimed loudly, "see, I was right!" with a triumphant smirk on her face.
Now, let me be very clear. I love my sister very much. There's no doubt about that. But sometimes, I feel like slapping the shit out of my arrogant sister. Always trying to irritate me purposefully. I paused the video and grabbed my sister's shoulder forcefully to make her completely focus on me.
"Tell me everything you know." I said to my sister, like Gabbar ordering his underlings from the film Sholay. "Fine!" my sister relented after seeing the intensity in my eyes.
We both sat on the sofa, the music video is still on pause. Her sister, Diya, started, "the actor's name is Rajveer Singh. He was my batchmate in IIT Bombay, studying Mechanical engineering." wow! Now, he is handsome and smart, a complete package. But her sister's tone was a bit weird. She immediately caught onto something. "What do you mean 'was'. Is he not anymore?"
"Well… here's the thing. When he was in college, he immediately became the centre of attraction because of his smartness and handsomeness. Few people didn't like that. So they started bullying him. He complained to the professor but nothing could be done because the one bullying him was the son of a politician. So he endured. Suddenly he stopped coming to college around six months ago so I thought he must have dropped out. I didn't know I would see him in a music video. And he looks totally different. He didn't have that sex–muscular body when he was studying in college. He totally changed himself."
Wow! Today is just like a roller coaster. And the day hasn't started yet. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was not my list. I don't know what to do with this information so I turned towards the VCR and played the video.
Atleast, now he is doing something with his life. I hope he is happy. I'll definitely tell all of my friends about this music video. With that thought, I continued my day.