Toluram
gives Mallika a talking-to about dealing with the press when he's not around. He
doesn't want her saying the wrong thing and spoiling her image. He also informs
her that they're done shooting for the day, and she's to go straight home and
get ready for "the function" that starts that night at 10:30. Dejectedly, she
heads off.
When she gets home, her aunt and cousin are there. We quickly learn they are just as nasty as Toluram is. Her aunt tells her that she looks terrible in her latest movie, and that she looks tired and worn out while dancing. Her cousin is using one of her costumes to dry her hair, and gripes about how the servants don't do anything around there. Nice people!
Her aunt tells her the party's been rescheduled for 11:30. Mallika mentions that's pretty late, and that she has to be on the set at 7 the next morning. Her aunt tells her to suck it up and not act like such a big shot. The movie's doing a good job of showing that Mallika lives with some pretty major jerks.
Uncle Toluram comes home, and listens while the ladies lie to him about Mallika's reaction that afternoon. The cousin says that she threw a fit about using the costume to dry off, and the aunt says that Mallika completely refuses to attend the function because it's so late. Toluram gets that "someone's catchin' Hell" expression, and heads upstairs.
Mallika is sitting in her room minding her own business when Toluram comes in. He tells her that she must attend the party because there will be government people there. He insinuates that if she doesn't attend, they'll get mad and find a way to put her in prison for tax stuff. Whatever! This makes Mallika cry, as Uncle Assho... I mean Toluram goes back downstairs.
The
next day, Kittu heads to the studio Mallika is shooting in. It just so happens
his driver is the Self-Proclaimed Handsome Rickshaw Driver again. He asks why
Kittu hasn't gone home yet. Kittu tells him that he's not met Mallika yet, and
is going to try today. We get some more back story on SPHRD and learn that he
hates Boney Kapoor so much that he's invented new swear words to call him since
he's already used the ones they had.
They arrive at the studio in time to catch Mallika performing a song! This one is "Hey Rama Krishna," and has her dancing all over a garage with other people all in what appear to be mechanics coveralls. I'm told this song is about liking someone and being too shy to tell them, but it's not subtitled so I'm taking Money's word for it. Of course, Kittu takes the opportunity to imagine himself in the mix there as well.
When
the song ends, Mallika basically shuts down. She was very energetic (and at
times, rather spastic) during the performance, then she marches straight to her
chair and sits in silence until she is called upon again. Kittu sees his big
chance to talk to her, and moves in.
Now, this is what he says to her. I swear, if someone came up to me and told me this, I'd be calling the police.
"I'm Kittu. I work in the restaurant opposite your house. I'm a big fan of yours! I've come from Poona to see you! I see every film of yours in the first show at least a dozen times over. I have at least 2000 photographs of yours. That's right! I've got cuttings of all the pictures published in every magazine. I have a big poster of yours too, but Dad tore it up. I couldn't take it, so I walked out of home and came here. [She asks why that would make him leave home.] Yes, it was a mere poster for everyone else, but it wasn't just paper for me. It made me feel as if you were with me, in my house. May I say something? I used to talk to the poster."
At
this point Toluram comes up and shoos him away from Mallika. Truthfully, if I
heard half of that speech I'd chase him off too. Kittu looks all hurt while he
watches Toluram chastising Mallika for encouraging her fans. As her business
manager, I'd think that he would want her to encourage her fan base, but what do
I know?
Kittu wants to help this delicate flower that's being crushed under the heel of her oppressive guardian.
