FilmIndia (1940)

November, 1940 FILMINDIA he had to make a concession. Surekha was being rigorously trained in singing, dancing, cycling, motordriving, swimming and even horseriding. True, she was now a more magnetic picture of beauty. Surekha herself took to her new work with the passion of a child for a new toy. She did all that Bapurao Kapalik wanted her to do. She strained all her nerves to please him and to earn an occasional smile from him. Bapurao didn't smile so much now, nor was he so near now as in that first picture show. He seemed miles away and didn't show much interest in Surekha's training beyond the daily reports he got from his assistants. Forf in the studio Bapurao was not merely an actor but a producer who had to maintain an appearance of discipline. Surekha didn't know that he was watching her very closely frcm a distance and thereby drawing her closer to him. Surekha would wait in the evening for hours to catch his eye. Whenever Bapurao stepped out of his office-room, Surekha would manage to meet him. Bapurao with a short smile would say, "Well, Surekha Devi, I hope you are making good progress by learning things. You will soon be starred in our next picture." "But are you not going to teacn me acting, Bapurao, before I actually start in the picture?-' asked Surekha. ,"Look) my child. I have no time personally. I am so busy the whnlp day here. But I'll ask our rehearsal man to teach you. Will that do?" And Bapurao gave his inscrutable smile. "That won't do. Bapurao," said Surekha with a lovely frown," "you had promised to teach me yourself, but now you seem to forget. If you have no time here, I'll come to your house after the day's work and you can teach me there." "How simple you are my child" In "Sneha Bandhan a Great India picture Bibbo and Navin Yagnik make a thrilling drama. said Bapurao soothingly) "I am a widower and live alone in my flat. How can I take you there in the evenings and teach you? Besides, the scenes that are difficult to learn are the romantic ones. Do you think, it is safe to take you there? What will the world say?" "Damn the world" snapped Surekha "I want to be a great actress and I don't care what sacrifice I've to make for it." "Alright, then", said Bapurao smiling, "we will begin to-morrow at eight in the evening. But don't say afterwards that I didn't warn you." With this, he went out smiling— less and still less — as his thoughts seemed to take a shape. The happenings of the next fortnight were seen by God alone. Bapurao had put realism in his histrionic lessons and given Surekha a second life. Surekha was now a different woman. She became dominant and volatile. She returned home well after midnight in Bapurao's car. Sudhir waited patiently at home keeping her meals ready every night. But Surekha never felt like eating. She was too tired after the day's "work". Sudhir tried to understand but he couldn't miss the fact that Surekha was drifting further away from his bed every day. Fresh and flushed she would arrive home, but in a minute she would be cold and tired. She begged to be left alone and Sudhir, like a tfer.tle husband, didn't impose himself on her, while little Arun met his mother only in the mornings. Days passed into months. Surekha was becoming a terrific success on the sets. Shooting in the morning, shooting in the afternoon, shooting in the evening^ shooting in the night. It was one mad whirl of work and Surekha enjoyed every bit of it under the loving guidance of Bapurao Kapalik. 39