Four years later, Raj had a degree in civil engineering, having cried on stage realising that he had fulfilled his late mother’s dream. Melodramatic as it was, it was real. But it also led Raj to know his heart was still in greasepaint, not in axle grease.
He returned to Bollywood. Producers lined up with scripts, hearing the box office explode with ticket purchases. Raj chose his favourite director, Karan Mehra1, who had a script for a big-budget historical. These things had been minting money recenly, especially when they were rewriting history to the government's taste.
On the first day of shooting, Raj walked onto the set of a grand medieval fortress and frowned. “Karan, this arch is all wrong,” he said, inspecting the set.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It won’t distribute weight properly. You’re looking at a collapse during the climax scene."
“Raj, it’s a set. It’s not real.”
“The fans deserve authenticity! Let me redesign it.”
What followed was chaos. Raj demanded stronger materials, real stone columns, and an actual moat. The budget didn't explode, it turned into a 1000 kiloton mushroom cloud. The set designer's team muttered, “He’s turning this into a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”2
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1There is only one Karan, whatever surname one chooses to hide it.
2Though to be honest, some Bollywood film sets should have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are better kept than the real ones.
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