Junoon | Obsession

2

As soon as Madhu got through the doors of her home, she quickly placed everything down on the table, quickly washed up, and grabbed her makeup kit as well as some clothes.

"Madhu? Madhu, what are you doing," Padmini asked.

"Deedu's got an emergency," Madhu explained, putting Trishna's clothes in her bag, as well as some of her stuff.

"What?"

"Deedu got caught in the rain and is a complete mess, she needs my help."

"Hai bhagwan-! Well where is she now?"

"Still at the studio, ready to panic."

"Okay, well, go there as quickly as possible before she actually starts panicking."

Madhu nodded, slung her bag over her shoulder, and quickly headed out, her makeup kit in tow. She quickly got an auto and headed to the studio, getting there rather quickly as their colony wasn't so far away from it. In fact, the colony was owned by the studios, almost everyone that lived in her colony being members of the filming industry - from crewmen to junior artists, to everything in between. 

Once she arrived, Madhu quickly paid for her trip and headed to the gate where security stood.

"Madhubala! How are you," the security member asked.

"I'm fine uncle, how are you?"

"I'm good! Come on in!"

Madhu smiled at him and went inside. Many of the people who worked at the studio knew her due to her family, given that her mother used to be a junior artist for some time, Roma being a junior artist as well, and then Malik a stuntman, while Trishna an aspiring actress.

She took a glance around, seeing the variety of people wandering this way and that.

All of our lives changed because of this place. Ma got a chance to start a new life because of this place - give me a chance at life because of this place! All because of that Balraj Singh Choudhry....

Madhu's grip on her makeup kit tightened at the thought of her biological father.

That man will always disgust me. The way he treated and tortured Ma and Deedu... the fact that he wanted to kill me just for being a girl... disgusting!

Ma ran away when she was nine months pregnant with me, and she took Deedu with her as well. She came here to Mumbai and of all places, she ended up here. She met Roma and Malik, who happily took her in, became family with all of us. Malik even gave Deedu and I his name!

Several junior artists went walking past Madhu, one of them fixing a fake pregnancy bump she was wearing over her stomach.

It's still crazy that I was actually born here - here, on an actual film set! But of course, being born in such a place resulted with me having such a unique name - Madhubala. And yet, regardless of being named after a legend, I have zero interest of this world- oh my gosh, Deedu!

Remembering why she was even here in the first place, Madhu quickly fumbled to get her phone out of her bag. She quickly reached in to pull it out, but in her rush, she managed to drop it, and it went plopping and bouncing right into a puddle.

"No," she cried out.

Madhu quickly went to pick it up, shaking it to dry. 

"Please work, please work, please, please, please work!"

As Madhu tried to dry it, it began to ring, but the sound was slightly off.

"At least it's working!" She checked the screen and saw that it was Trishna. "Yes Deedu, I just got here, what studio are you in?"