Junoon - Chapter Four

"Glycerin, this is fantastic news!"

Madhu was instantly seized into a hug, Roma giving her a tight squeeze.

"I'm so, so, so happy for you," she exclaimed as she grinned away.

"Hug her even tighter, and her arms will break off," Malik chuckled.

"Oops!" And Roma quickly let go. "Can't let these hands malfunction, you're going to need them for the job!"

"I still can't believe they just randomly offered you the job like that," Padmini said as she brought over a variety of sweets.

"Me too, Ma," Madhu said as they all reached forward to grab a bite. "I'm a little surprised myself that I even said that I did Deedu's makeup," she frowned slightly.

"Well it's a good thing you did," Trishna said. "Imagine I get the role? Then both of us sisters can work together!"

"That would be amazing," Roma beamed.

Everyone fussed about with excitement, very happy for Madhu and her new opportunity. Seeing them like this made Madhu happy as well, so she left her worries and wonders aside, and focused on her family instead.

But while there were smiles and happiness spreading about in Madhu's home, across elsewhere in the city, darkness mainly surrounded the home of RK the Superstar's. In fact, almost his entire penthouse was dark, all of the staff having been let go for the day, their boss remaining in his room as he silently rocked back and forth in his father's old chair. His only source of light was the moon, peeking through the clouds and pouring in through the open doors of his balcony. It was as if it were being his own personal spotlight, presenting the heartthrob himself. But RK couldn't care about any of that, not when his own mind was still very cloudy itself.

After the unfortunate disturbance at the studio, RK had wanted nothing more than to get home, quite irritated. He just wanted space and time to himself, that's it - and yet it had been interrupted! He was even ready to leave Bittuji behind and just head home on his own, but being the dedicated assistant he is, Bittuji had met up with him in the nick of time and they had gone home. On one end it was good that he had, saving him from screaming at his staff and letting Bittuji take care of everything before the man headed off to his own home.

This day was always a rough one, no matter how many years went by. Today was the day of his parents' anniversary, and what once used to always be a day of celebration filled with happiness, was now only a cruel reminder. It was a cruel reminder that Rishabh's family was broken. It was cruel reminder that Rishabh's father was gone, having taken his own life. It was a cruel reminder that his mother, Radha Mohan Kundra, was no longer his mother but the wedded-wife Radha Kuku Bhatia, or as he liked to call her, janam dene wali aurat - the woman who had given birth to him.

RK slowly rocked back and forth in his father's chair, memories of his youth and adolescence coming to mind. The stereotype goes that sons are usually a mama's boy, but that wasn't the case when it came to him. True, Ma had been his first word as a baby, but as a kid, RK was very close to his father. He wasn't just that, but he was also his best friend. Everything he knew - almost everything that he had learned - was from his father. Whether it was school stuff, filming, or life - his father was his teacher in almost everything. That's probably why he feels so much betrayal over the fact that his father had decided to take his own life. Not only did he feel betrayal from his father, but from Bappa as well - who he and his father always looked up to, who RK once used to consider his friend. Now, there wasn't even an idol of him in his home.

Anger is what fills him. Anger and rage had been fueling him for so long in his life, ever since he first discovered his father's body, dangling around as the ceiling fan turned. It was a traumatic experience, and yet the way he had coped with it, was with disbelief and anger. It fueled him and made him strive for the thing he always wanted - stardom. And five years ago, that was exactly what he had gotten. Despite his first movie being a flop, he didn't give up, his rage channeling through and making him work harder. Everyone that had doubted him and had frowned upon him, quickly turned their heads around and applauded him after his second movie had been a huge box-office success. His ego even took a boost; and so, RK the Superstar was born, men wanting to be like him, women screaming and pining for him.

All the fans, and all the attention, and yet RK's loneliness never left him.  Despite the fact that he felt betrayal from his mother because she had remarried, he still allowed for her and her second husband, Kulbhushan "Kuku" Bhatia, to live here in his penthouse. Not only them, but he allowed for his stepbrother, Sikandar "Sikky" Bhatia, and his wife - who is also RK's ex-girlfriend - Deepali Singh, to live with him in his penthouse as well. The public, after all, liked a family that stayed together - but what they liked even more was a family with drama. It was no wonder to the media that RK clearly did not like his family, giving them headlines for days.

Fortunately, for some time now, everyone else but Deepali had shifted to his home in Delhi, Deepali having gone to London to visit her family. RK didn't care where anyone went, but of course, Bittuji just always had to tell him this stuff like the responsible assistant he is. He was grateful, however, that in this time and especially on this day, he could be alone. If any of their faces had crossed his today, there's no knowing how angry RK would have gotten. After all, if a stranger could trigger him that much, why wouldn't a family member?

The woman's face flashed before RK's eyes as he remembered the chance encounter. She had looked so confused, which very quickly had changed into annoyance and fear thanks to him. 

As he remembered the woman from earlier in the day, the clouds began to move away, fully revealing the moon. RK looked up at the bright moon, and oddly enough, his anger began to fade away. A sense of peace spread through him, which truth be told, was strange to him. Usually on this day, he never felt any peace, nor any bit of comfort. Yet oddly enough, he just did.

Be as big as he may, there are even some powers that RK the Superstar couldn't control - especially the acts of fate.