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for a mysterious drifter called K.'
    'How mysterious!' I chimed.
    'Yes. K is of this world and yet not of it. He exudes a
power, a hypnotic pull which sweeps Chandni off her feet.
She falls under his spell, becomes his slave and only then
does she realize that the stranger is actually the Prince of
Darkness.'
    'Wow, the Devil himself?'
    ' Exactement! My plan is to narrate this story in two
voices, those of Chandni and K. It is the interplay of the
two stories, the dramatic tension in their relationship, that
will power the narrative. So what do you think?'
    I let out a deep breath. 'I think it is stupendous.
Something never seen before in Indian cinema. It will be
another Jay Chatterjee masterpiece.'
    'So are you in? Will you be my Chandni?'
    'Absolutely! When do we start shooting? I'll commit
dates to you straightaway.'
    'We begin shooting as soon as I cast K.'
    'What do you mean?'
    Chatterjee paused and fingered his straggly beard. 'I
mean that I want to create a new paradigm for the angry
young man. For K. I have been thinking, how long can we
continue to give audiences the same bicepped hunks
masquerading as action heroes or chocolate-faced nerds
pretending to be kings of romance? People want change, they
crave something new. I want K to be the harbinger of that
change. He will be the ultimate quasi-hero. Someone whose
persona combines the qualities of both a hero and a villain.
Hard, yet soft. Brutal, yet tender. Someone who has the looks
to melt your heart and the anger to chill your blood.' The Actress 35
    'Don't you think Salim Ilyasi would be perfect for this
part?' I asked.
    'My sentiment exactly,' Chatterjee said morosely.
'Trouble is, Salim refuses to work with me.'
    'But why?'
    'I made the mistake of bad-mouthing his mentor, Ram
Mohammad Thomas, in some interview.'
    'Then what are you going to do?'
    'Try to find another Salim Ilyasi. Till then, the film will
just have to wait.'
    Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous? A film
held up, not for want of a script or a director or finance, but
a hero who doesn't even exist. But then, that's Jay
Chatterjee. And when he says wait, you wait. So I'll wait.
    2 August
    The following letter arrived today, marked 'Private':
    Respected Shabnam Didi,
    Hoping you are fine with God's grace. Myself Ram Dulari
respectfully touching your feet. I am being Maithil Brahmin,
nineteen years of age, living in Gaurai village of Sonebarsa
block of district Sitamarhi and being only girl in village who
is Class Six pass.
    Myself now in great difficulty. Big floods coming to our
village and drowning everything. Our house and cattle being
washed away, respected father and mother dying very
unfortunately. I am being saved by army boat. First I am
staying in very bad camp made of torn tents in Sitamarhi
but now myself living in best friend Neelam's house in
Patna.
    Myself not knowing anything about you because in
village there being no big sinema hall like in Patna. But
Neelam seeing lots of your fillims and calling me your
younger sister. She is taking photu from her camera and
asking me to be sending you.
    I am being very good cook knowing very many types of
recipes including gulab jamun and sooji ka halwa . Nice
sewing also doing and knitting one sweater in only two days.
Since myself being Maithil Brahmin, I am cooking food
strictly as per rituals, full vegetarian, and all fasts and
festivals being observed properly.
    Kindly contacting me at above address and helping me
out by taking me to Mumbai and giving me shelter and job.
God showering you with full blessings.
    With feet touching to all elders in family and love to
children,
    Your younger sister
    Ram Dulari.
    There was nothing remarkable about the contents of the
letter. I receive dozens of such offers from young boys and
girls, willing to work as bonded labour in my house, simply
for the privilege of sharing space with me. But I was
intrigued by Ram Dulari's reference to herself as my
younger sister. I immediately thought of my real