Gulshan Grover
Image: Ash Gupta. LA
Interior. Morning. Pali Hill Bunglow. Mumbai. 1988. Jaggi, the guest, is anxious. He arrives at 7.30, a good 30 minutes ahead of scheduled time. “Can he sense my twitchiness?” the young man wonders. The host of the breakfast meeting, after all, is notorious for spotting flaws in characters, is brutal with his assessment, and has an envious track record in terms of churning incredible blockbusters such as Kalicharan, Vishwanath, Karz, Vidhaata, Hero, Meri Jung and Karma. No wonder, Mahavir is getting jittery. He drags himself towards the edge of the chair, places his elbows on the table, and props up his tapered chin with his sweaty palm. Balma’s roving eyes are hunting for the celebrated Bollywood director, and is quivering with an unknown anticipation of a windfall. “Will I get a role? What will it be?” wondered Chandar Kishan, who is still clueless about the ‘why’ behind the meeting. “It has to be a role in his movie,” Noor continued with his soliloquy.
(This story appears in the 29 December, 2023 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)