They
are interrupted by Chandan, who just happened to be in the area. Through a
mouthful of betel leaves, he asks what's going on. The gatekeeper tells him that
this young lady wishes to meet with Rahul, but he doesn't want any visitors.
Chandan asks her why she wants to see him, and she explains she's a performer.
Chandan lights up at this news. After some convoluted discussion, he learns that
Rashmi's dad is an affluent doctor. He tells her that she should convince her
father to finance an album for her, and she can perform some of Chandan's new
"shock music," guaranteeing an overnight rise to stardom.
Before she can say anything, he is called to get the car ready for Rahul. He
gives Rashmi his card and heads out. The gatekeeper tells her that Chandan is
only a driver for Rahul, and she looks discouraged. Rahul drives past her and
over to Mallika's house, leaving Rashmi in the driveway looking frustrated.
We look in on Mallika's garden, where she sits in a swing and looks at the
paper. Rahul sneaks up behind her and gives her a fright. He then happily
informs her that her new record has opened to a great start, and he's expecting
great sales figures. She asks him if he ever talks about anything besides work.
He goes on to tell her about how her magical voice has made her a star, and
other such ego inflating comments.
They
cut rather abruptly to some time later, at the office. Manmo comes into Rahul's
office to discuss the sales of the new disc. While it is true it had an
impressive start, it did not sell well after the initial release, and was not
well-received worldwide. He cautions Rahul about her future projects, and how
they are likely to fare in the marketplace. Rahul takes a calm, almost
patronizing tone in his reply. He tells Manmo that one album's sub-par success
isn't going to derail Mallika's career. She's got star power, and that will
carry her through! Or something along those lines. He then sends Manmo off to
scout some locations for Mallika's next project. Manmo concedes this discussion
with a hint of "okay, as long as you know what you're doing" in his voice.
Mallika's
next project seems to be a photo shoot. We see various scenes of her posing with
microphones, being tousled with wind machines, and looking pouty. As the little
scenes snap by, it might just be me, but it looks as if Mallika is getting
tired. Her little poses and so forth look forced and weary.
As if to accentuate this effect, we go over to Manmo's office. He takes a few
phone calls from his underlings in various cities around the country. All of
them are reporting that Mallika's album is tanking hard, and the press is
starting to call her a washed-up has-been. Manmo goes to deliver the news to
Rahul, and to see what he thinks they should do next.
It's not quite clear just how much time has passed here. Manmo goes on to
say that Mallika's last three albums have not done well. Earlier, they were
talking about a new one that had just been released as "one bad album," so
either quite some time has elapsed or they weren't being very clear on the
matter earlier.
Rahul doesn't seem to have a clear path ahead of him. Manmo offers his two
cents. He says that even though Mallika has earned a lot of money for Rahul, she
is no longer capable of doing so. He thinks Rahul should not produce any more of
her work. Rahul gets very angry at this idea, and explains that Mallika is not
just a performer for his company, she is also his best friend. He doesn't mind
spending a lot of money to get her work out there. Manmo apologizes for being so
brash as to think he could advise Rahul in his business. He merely points out
that he was thinking of the company that has been his generous employer since
the days it belonged to Rahul's father. He then takes his leave, while Rahul
stays behind and looks pensive.
We
go over to Mallika's house, where she is happily feeding her fish. Rahul comes
over and starts acting nervous. Mallika tries to get him to relax, and talk
about whatever it is that is causing him so much stress. He finally is able to
come clean, and tells her that he thinks it is in everyone's best interest if
they halt the work on her new album.
This comes as something of a blow to Mallika, but she quickly shrugs it off.
She tells Rahul not to worry about hurting her feelings. She knows the reality
of the situation - that she is a fading star, and her time in the limelight is
soon to be over. Rahul tells her not to talk that way, but she says she's faced
up to the facts. Besides, the relationship that she has with Rahul isn't merely
a business one. The halt on her work doesn't mean they will not still be the
best of friends. He apologizes to her once again, and she gives him a hug.
Back home, Rahul is seen going upstairs. The gatekeeper tells him that we've
added some plot thickener, I mean, that a young woman was by earlier, and left a
CD for him to check out. He goes to his room and puts it in the player, and
finds it is a video CD. The footage is the same as we saw during the opening
credits - Rashmi hurling herself around the living room in her skimpy outfit. I
would like to point out that she is not singing in this clip, so it's not much
of an audition. Anyway, Rahul is intrigued enough to get an idea.
