Author’s PoV
Lavanya woke up to her alarm that told her it is time to get ready for her first day in her new college. She kept snoozing the alarm that it was already an hour after her targeted time.
“Pch!” She woke up and walked to the restroom in half sleep. After an hour, she came running down the stairs as she was late.
“Slow down!” Dhilip told her. He was waiting for her in the hall. She looked at him as if he was an alien. He went home very late last night and he is now here all ready and it is just 8Am.
“Two minutes, anna.” She told him and ran to the dining table. There she saw Varun eating his breakfast.
“Go.. good morning, athaan.” she said, unable to hold his eyes on her. Her purple color salwar with lemon yellow pants and dupatta made her more attractive. Her mid-back length hair is left open with a cross partition and her face has no make-up except for the eye-liner. She left her dupatta flowing.
“Where the hell do you think you are going? You are going to college to study, not for some fashion parade. Pin the dupatta properly and the college has some rules about hair styles. No college allows open hair. Pin it up with a clip. Also, you are already late. No breakfast for you. Go!” he told her while eating his chicken broth and boiled chicken.
“Aunty, bring me that mutton curry and idli.” Lavanya sat near Varun and shouted looking inside.
“Pavam, thambi!” Tharini brought a plate full of idli for Laya.
“Don't look at me like that. You promised to take good care of me and now you are not even letting me eat breakfast? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast is not very good for your health. I cannot concentrate on my studies if I am hungry.” She talked to him while stuffing her mouth.
“Stop talking while eating. It is revolting. You have no basic manners or good habits.”
“Pch, aunty, Varun athaan also wants mutton curry and idli.” Laya shouted. “Venum na kettu vangi sapdanum. Atha vittutu enkita kova patta?(if you want, you just have to ask for it. What is the point of getting angry at me?)” She asked him for which he fisted his hands to control his anger.
After gobbling up her food, she ran upstairs again to make the changes he asked for. She knew these rules. She thought since it is Chennai it would be ok. I mean that is what the movies show us, right?
“Dhilip anna, I am ready!” She told him and Dhilip with a nod to Varun went to the car.
“Why do you always make him angry?” Dhilip asked her as he drove towards her college.
“I politely said good morning and he was the one that told me not to eat breakfast. Poor him, he earns so much but yet he can not eat whatever he wants to.”
“Haha, he loves what he does.”
“Of course! He gets paid for all the illegal things he can do on camera in the name of acting.”
“Wow, you are so harsh! It is his profession, Vanya.”
“Would you be ok if your wife romance with different people in the name of acting?”
“Haha so you think of him as your husband and that is why his acting is revolting to you?”
“No! You are wrong. I cannot even think of him in that place because my husband should be a man whose hands never felt another girl except me. So he doesn't even pass the basic need to be my husband.”
“You are so good at talking.” Dhilip told her and stopped talking. He doesn't like her talk ill of his friend. He has seen so many actors who misuse their power to take women. But Varun is a gentleman. He cannot tolerate her idea about Varun.
“Thanks, anna. I will manage to come home in the evening.”
“Varun wanted me to check for your college bus details.”
“Anna, I am not a child. I can enquire about it. See you, anna.” She chirped like a bird and ran into the huge gates.
After enquiring about her classes and bus, Laya walked to her classroom. Everyone was so eager to see the new girl.
“May I come in, mam?” Laya asked the lecturer who was teaching. Every head in the classroom turned to her side.
“Are you the transfer student?”
“Yes, mam.”
“Come in!” The lecturer told her and turned to the students. “She is a new student. Make some room for her.”
“Thank you, mam. Hi everyone. My name is Lavanya. I am from Pollachi. We moved here and hence had to transfer in my final year. I hope we shall make some good friendships this year.” She introduced herself. Everyone instantly liked her and so did Mahat.
“Hi, come here.” A girl called her near her in the third desk and Laya went to her with a full blown smile.
“Hi, my name is Rithanya.”
“Hey, your name rhymes with mine. Nice to meet you!” Laya exclaimed and merged one in the class in a matter of hours. In the break she spoke to everyone including Mahat.
Varun was tired of the repetitive shots. The director was giving up more everyday and this was not a good sign. For the thousandth’ time he was regretting his foolishness for signing this movie with this director. He was one of the first directors who gave him hits and he was in a bad state now. He wanted to help his director, the story was good and had the potential to make a blockbuster but his director was so poor in his choice of heroine.
“Preethi!” He shouted in the mic and she started crying.
“Come on, Preethi. This is nothing. When I started, I was much worse than you. Come on. Let’s rehearse.” Varun cheered her up. It was not his scene actually but he rehearsed with her. She felt so at ease with him.
“You are very natural with me, Preethi. Just try to bring the same with others in the scene.” He told her and showed a thumbs up to the director.
“Varun sir!” She called him. He turned to see her. “Um… can you stand behind them? I feel comfortable when I see you.” She said and he smiled at her. He nodded his head and stood in a place where she could see him and just like that, she made it in the first take.
Varun understood that Preethi needs him to get the courage to act flawlessly. Varun realized that to make this movie a hit, he needs to spend his time with her more.
“Preethi, you are so good at acting. You just have to trust yourself.” He told her.
“Thank you, Varun sir. It is all possible because of you. I don't know why, but I feel at peace whenever I see you. I am a big fan of yours, sir. I cannot still believe that I am your heroine in my first movie.”
“You are beautiful, Preethi. If you prove your acting, you will go places in the industry.”
“Thank you, sir.” Preethi said with a shy smile. Varun is her dream hero. She is enchanted by his charms and handsomeness!
Of course, Preethi is beautiful. She has a perfect round face with chubby cheeks. She has a perfect size zero. Her hourglass shape is well shown by the costume designer in every shot possible. She has naturally big bosoms that everyone in the set tries hard not to ogle at it openly. Her fleshy yet shapely thighs give her a beautiful walk. If she refined her acting skills she would be in the top soon.
“But I think I need your help to achieve it, Sir!” She added.
“I am here to help you, Preethi. You just have to get comfortable with everyone.”
“I will try!” She said and they called her for her next scene.
It was a scene where the villain tries to misbehave with her and she has no other choice than to comply with him. It was a very hard scene to watch and Varun was visibly uncomfortable seeing the acting coach and the villain actor touch her in all bad spots. Preethi was very uncomfortable when her acting coach was around.
“I get it, sir. Please.” Preethi got ready for the scene avoiding her acting coach.
“Action!” the director said and the scene got going. It was all coming really well but the acting coach said something to the director and the director said, “cut”.
The acting coach went to her and took her to her caravan. Preethi looked at Varun in a pleasing way which told him to save her. Something was not right and he realized it in his bones. Varun went to the director.
“What happened, sir? Why did you cut when it was going well?”
“Parasuram said she isn't giving her best.”
“But you are the director!”
“Yes, I am, but when her acting coach says she can do better, what do you want me to do?”
“I think she is not comfortable with her acting coach. He is the problem. If we change him then she would do quite well.”
“But he is the one appointed by her father. Who are we to change it?”
“I am going to knock on her caravan.”
“Come on, Varun. There is a press around and this is none of your business.”
“Something is not right, Sir. I am going to knock.” Varun told him and went to her caravan. “Preethi!” He knocked and Parasu opened the door after a minute. When He peeked over to Preethi, he saw her crying. She was trying to make her face straight.
“Come on out, Preethi.”
“Varun sir, the class is still going on. We will be out in a moment.” Parasu told him.
“Preethi, are you ok?” Varun disregarded him and asked her for which Preethi shook her head in a no!
That was it. Varun walked into the caravan and pulled Preethi out of it. He brought her out and she was shivering. Without further delay, he took her into his caravan. He made her sit on the chair and gave her water to calm her nerves.
“Is he misbehaving with you?” Varun asked her and she cried her eyes out hugging him.
“Shhh, it’s ok! Relax. Why didn't you tell your dad about it?”
“He is my dad’s relative. My dad says I am to marry him.”
“Is he in love with you?”
“No! He wants to have sex with me. That is all he ever wants. He tries to touch me everywhere whenever possible. Even now he tried to molest me. He tried to grab my boobs and when I dodged him, he got mad and he bit me.” She slid her shoulder clothing revealing a bite mark on her chest.
“God!” He closed her clothes and tried to calm her down. “You have to tell this to your father, Preethi. He may even change his mind about marrying you to him.” Varun said and before she could stop him he called her father on his phone.
“Hello, Producer sir, this is Varun speaking.”
“Tell me, sir! Is everything ok?”
“Nothing is alright, sir. I want to talk to you about your daughter.”
“Is there any problem?”
“Yes, the acting coach! He is misbehaving with your daughter, sir. He is molesting her.”
“It is all part of her coaching, sir. She cannot be too sensitive about her body. Only then she can become a top heroine. I am investing a lot of money and I expect returns.” He spoke like a pucca businessman.
“But she is your daughter and she doesn’t like it. I will arrange for a proper acting coach for her and she will still go places in the industry. She will still give you returns for the money you have invested on her but this is not the right way. You don't talk like her father at all.”
“Well, she can have your acting coach for this one movie.” He cut the call as if the talk was over. Varun could not understand what kind of a father he is!
“Relax, Preethi. I will arrange for a good acting coach.”
“Huh, you saved me from this one movie! Thank you, Varun sir.” She spoke desperately.
“How old are you, Preethi?”
“17!”
“Just one year! You will become a major and you can decide your own life. Your father will not have a say in it. You can even move out of his house.”
“He is not my father, Varun sir.”
“What?”
“My mom fell in his trap. He misused her when she came to Chennai with me as a baby in dreams of becoming an actor. He kept her with him and gave her some movie chances. She has fallen so deep that she could not get out of it alive. Now he is using me.”
“Then you can very well move out even now. I thought it was your wish to act in movies.”
“No, sir!”
“Then just finish this movie, Preethi. I will make sure you are safe. I can arrange for a place and good education for you.”
“No, sir. You are underestimating my father. He will destroy your career. Please don't tell anyone else that I have shared this with you. Thank you for listening to me, sir. I am your fan, I only accepted without much fuss only when my dad said you are the hero. You are not just a screen hero, you are a real hero in my life.” She said and hugged him and kissed his cheek.
“Sorry, sir.” She said after kissing him.
“It’s ok, Preethi. I am not scared of your dad. But I want to respect your decision. Think well and you can contact me anytime you are in need of help. And let's be friends. Call me Varun.” He said and they came out of the caravan together. The rest of the shooting got canceled and he came home early that day.