I'll be honest. I've used AI (very purana ChatGPT version) to help me brainstorm the plot details, and then I let it fester, and then recently used Gemini's Nano Banana to do the comic panels. The sarcasm and snide references are 100% mine.
All this started because the original 'Urban Neanderthal' decided to complete (and actually did) his engineering degree, I dunno why. And so I imagined someone who went the whole nine yards.
So here goes:
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Raj Malhotra1, Bollywood’s reigning superstar, was your quintessential hero. With a Brad Pitt-esque face that made teenie boppers and aunties swoon alike, a Vinod Khanna-esque masculine swagger that made youn men want to imitate him, and pre-Sooryavanshi Amitabh Bachchaan-esque box-office numbers that made producers gleam, can one be anything else? Like the Shehenshah and then the Badshah2, he was unstoppable.
Until one fateful awards night. Clutching yet another Best Actor trophy, Raj made an announcement that left the nation gasping:
“I dedicate this award to my late mother, who always wanted me to be an engineer. I’m taking a break to fulfill her dream.”
The audience froze mid-clap. The host dropped her cue cards, and would cause a La La Land situation, but that's another story. Somewhere in the crowd, a producer went into a coma that is said to be still continuing.
The tabloids exploded the next day: “Superstar Raj Chooses Calculus Over Camera!”
(I know, I know. Very AI-esque language khichdi)
Raj, however, was unmoved. He traded his designer suits for engineering textbooks and enrolled in college. This wasn't difficult because which wouldn't want star power to get more people to pay more for the paid seats?
He was a superhit (academically). It turned out that he had a brain matched only by Isambard Kingdom Brunel3. While his classmates struggled with assignments, Raj tackled them with the intensity of a method actor preparing for a role.
“Raj, how do you solve this equation?” a classmate asked.
Raj smirked. “Just like a Bollywood climax—eliminate the villains and isolate the hero.”
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1It had to be that, because you know, Shah Rukh's stage name and all that.
2For those who don't know, and I hope you are a vanishing tribe, that's Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan respectively.
3My personal hero, Google him.
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