Lights, Camera, Drama!

ONE: Dream-Like

Akshara

"Ladies and gentleman, moving on to the next award of the night-

The Best Debut Actor- Female. And the nominees are..."

As soon as I hear the words, my heart beat grows 10x faster.

This is it. This is the moment.

I would be lying if I said I would be okay if I lost because frankly, I wouldn't. I know it sounds really desperate but I know the price I've paid to get to this point. And I need this award to prove to myself that I made the right decision.

I feel a hand on my thigh and I realise I'd been tapping my foot like crazy due to nervousness.

Veer gives me a slight sad smile as he shakes his head telling me to stop getting paranoid but how could I not be anxious? I mean Veer had been extraordinary in what was our debut film and a few minutes ago, he lost the award to another debutant.

Of course, that defeat doesn't take away from the fact that he had been exceptional throughout the film, probably better than me.

"And the award goes to..."

Suddenly, my attention snaps back to reality! I had missed the nominations because of my nervousness. I'm a good actor and so probably nobody noticed my inner chaos but I feel like someone's playing an orchestra inside my chest, a boom boom tishhh sound echoing inside of me.

"Miss Akshara Goenka for 'Love at first fight!'"

For a second, I stay quiet. Absolutely quiet, like what happened was merely a dream.

"Wohoooooo" a loud cheer and a crushing hug make me realise that it's all true. I goddamn won!

Although I'm internally screaming with joy and I feel like being myself for just a minute to break into my freestyle dance, my years of training stops me from doing any of it.

Like a graceful winner, I stand up and smile charmingly, then give Veer a side hug before making my way to the stage.

On my way, I nod at Vidushi, another nominee who was sitting close to me, acknowledging her work before finally giving a genuine, wide smile facing the camera.

As a senior director hands me the trophy and I am handed over the mic for my speech, my mind flashes back to all the times when I prepared for this moment with a shampoo bottle in the shower or with a ladle while cooking.

"Good evening everyone! To say this is a surreal moment would be an understatement. I'm absolutely overwhelmed because this feels too good to be true." I let out a breath. "A big thankyou to BigFrame Productions for making my dream come true. And I wouldn't be here without the support and guidance of my crew, my fellow cast members and my team"

My smile grows wider as I prepare for my next words "Lastly, I would like to thank the 11-year old Akshara who was courageous enough to dream so big. She's the reason this Akshara holds this award today. Thank you. Have a good night everyone!" I say as I walk off the stage after having lived one of the biggest moments of my life.

My team welcomes me with open arms and I hug each of them, muttering thankyous all the while.

The show continues with performances by various actors but I admit I'm not paying attention at all. My eyes are glued to the glass trophy in my hand and my name that is inscribed on it.

Suddenly, a huge cheer makes me look at the stage and there on the stage, stands a very shirtless Abhimanyu Birla!

No wonder the female voices from the crowd are creating a deafening impact.