tosses more sheets of paper on to the pyre.
I notice that Salim is tearing pages from a magazine.
'Which magazine is this? It looks new.'
'It is the latest issue of Starburst. I will destroy as many copies as I can lay my hands on. I could only buy ten from the news-stand.'
I grab a copy that has not yet been mangled. It has Armaan Ali on the cover, with a screaming headline:
'THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT THIS MAN'.
'But it has your idol on the cover. Why are you destroying it?' I cry.
'Because of what they say inside about Armaan.'
'But you can't read.'
'I read enough and I can hear. I overheard Mrs Barve and Mrs Shirke discussing the scurrilous accusations made against Armaan in this issue.'
'Like what?'
'That Urvashi left him because he could not satisfy her. That he is gay.'
'So?'
'You think they can abuse my hero in this fashion and get away with it? I know this report is a load of nonsense. Armaan's rivals in the industry are jealous of his success. They have hatched this plot to destroy his reputation. I will not allow them to succeed. I will go to the Starburst office and set fire to it.'
Salim's anger is white hot. ,And I know why. He hates gays. To tarnish his idol with the brush of homosexuality is the ultimate insult in his book.
I, too, know of perverts and what they do to unsuspecting boys. In dark halls. In public toilets. In municipal gardens. In juvenile homes.
Luckily, Starburst retract their allegation in the next issue. And save a dabbawallah from becoming an arsonist.
* * *
Meanwhile, things are hotting up off screen, in seat A20. The old man slides closer to Salim. His leg casually brushes against Salim's. The first time, Salim thinks it is his own fault. The second time, he thinks it is an accident. The third time, he is convinced it is deliberate.
'Mohammad,' he whispers to me, 'I am going to give a tight kick to the bastard sitting next to me if he doesn't stop his wandering leg.'
'Look how old he is, Salim. It's probably just tremors in his leg,' I counsel.
The fight sequence has started and Salim is busy watching the action. Armaan has entered the villain's den and all hell is breaking loose. The hero uses all manner of feints and tackles –
boxing, karate, kung fu – to give his opponents a licking.
The old man's hands are also getting into action. He presses his elbow against the common armrest and lets his arm slide next to Salim's, touching it ever so lightly. Salim hardly notices this. He is engrossed in the film, which is reaching its climax.
The most famous scene of the movie is about to happen. The one in which Armaan Ali dies after killing all the bad guys. His vest is soaked in blood. There are bullet wounds all over his body.
His trousers are coated with dust and grime. He drags himself along the ground towards his mother, who has just arrived on the scene.
Salim is in tears. He leans forward and says poignantly, 'Mother, I hope I have been a good son.
Don't cry for me. Remember, dying an honourable death is better than living a coward's life.'
Armaan's head is in his mother's lap. He is mimicking Salim: 'Mother, I hope I have been a good son. Don't cry for me. Remember, dying an honourable death is better than living a coward's life.'
The mother is crying too as she cradles his bleeding head in her lap. Tears fall from her eyes on Armaan Ali's face. He grips her hand. His chest convulses.
Tears fall into my lap. I see another mother who kisses her baby many times on his forehead before placing him in a clothes bin, rearranging the clothes around him. In the background the wind howls. Sirens sound. The police have arrived, as usual, too late. After the hero has done all the work for them. They cannot do anything for him now.
I see that the bearded man's left hand has moved on. It is now placed in Salim's lap and rests there gently. Salim is so engrossed in the death scene he does not register it. The old man is emboldened. He rubs his palm against Salim's jeans.