Stardust Serendipity

◉ Chapter 20

Rohit stood before the vanity room's mirror, frustration evident on his face as he examined a minor scratch on his cheek. "God dammit! This better not leave a scar! Why the hell are there so many action scenes in this movie?" he grumbled, clearly agitated by the ordeal.

"It's just a tiny scratch. You can't even tell unless you look at it closely," Rohit's manager, Hemant Malviya, tried to reassure him, maintaining a calm demeanour.

"Come on! How can you be so calm when your artist got a scar on his face? Maybe that punk did this on purpose!" Rohit snapped back, his irritation palpable.

Hemant thought nervously to himself, "Well, to be honest, Abhimanyu did exactly as rehearsed, but you are the one who chickened out at the last moment, ducked and got hit."

"Aren't you worried? If something happens to my face..." Rohit began to ramble, but his words trailed off as his phone buzzed, displaying his wife, Riya's name on the screen. A mixture of nervousness and annoyance flashed across his face.

Putting on a facade, Rohit picked up the call, his voice suddenly overly enthusiastic and his words dripping with exaggerated sweetness as he greeted Riya. 

Hemant couldn't help but think, "If only he would act like that in front of the camera."

As Rohit continued his conversation with Riya, she inquired about his well-being, specifically asking about his face. With a forced reassurance, Rohit replied that he was completely fine. Seizing the opportunity, Riya then invited him to meet her friends next week, mentioning they were eager to meet her actor husband. 

This proposition visibly annoyed Rohit, but maintaining his facade of a loving husband, he graciously agreed to her request, his words still sweetened to perfection.

Upon ending the call, his jolly expression abruptly shifted to annoyance as he exclaimed, "This is just ridiculous."

-~*~-

Akshara sank into the plush cushions of the makeup room couch with a tired thud, weariness evident in her posture and expression. Her exhaustion was palpable, a result of the long hours they had put in on set since leaving home at the crack of dawn. Simran, noticing her friend's fatigue, moved closer, attempting to offer some comfort and solace.

"Oh, Akshu, I can see how tired you are," Simran remarked empathetically, her eyes filled with concern. "This industry can be so demanding sometimes."

Akshara managed a weak smile, nodding in agreement. "It's been a really long day, but you know what? As exhausting as it is right now, it's still so much better than how it used to be for me in the past seven years."

Simran nodded, understanding the sentiment behind Akshara's words. As they continued to converse, Akshara's mind wandered to the multiple wardrobe changes and makeup touch-ups she had to endure throughout the day. Once, she would have been envious of such luxuries, but now she realized that even beauty came with its own set of challenges and sacrifices.

"You know, changing makeup and outfits multiple times might seem glamorous, but it's exhausting in its own way," Akshara admitted, her voice tinged with a hint of realization. "I used to envy all these aspects of the industry, but now I understand that beauty, too, comes at a price. But truthfully, this is nothing compared to walking into the ocean in the middle of winter. It was a one-of-a-kind experience."

Simran nodded, her eyes reflecting a shared acknowledgement of the complexities and demands of the profession.

As she glanced at Akshara, her eyes reflected concern. "Honestly, Akshara, you look like you could use some rest. The director and Paras are occupied with the interview anyway, so why not catch a quick nap?" Simran said, her voice laced with genuine concern.