Fiction: Bollywood aspirants are forced to reckon if they’re the hero or villain of their lives

The waiting room is abuzz with gossip about Sakshi Rai and her faux pas at a recent talk show. Riding on the success of her fifth consecutive super-hit film, she had ridiculed a rival’s unflattering body shape.

“No wonder this campaign about body positivity was cooked up within a month of the controversy. Why do you think the brand suddenly wants dusky, chubby, curly-haired women flanking Sakshi?” a model says in low tones.

“It’s all a whitewash campaign, meant to make Sakshi look more inclusive and to offset the beating her brand image has taken owing to the backlash in the media. Ironically, the duskier you are, the better,” another one adds.

“I even applied extra bronzer to look the part!” confesses a third.

The trio chuckle as they scan the models streaming in through the front door, until one of them says, “This could take all day. I don’t want to miss my audition at Mickey Taneja’s studio later today because I’m waiting for my turn here. It’s not every day that one gets a call from his casting office, and that too for a primary character. Another hour, tops, and I’m out of here.”

Someone scurries out of the studio and thunders, “Silence! There...

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