DARE TO DREAM

I always dreamed of being an actor, and my mom supported it wholeheartedly as a kid. She used to take me to all the auditions, but I failed every time. So, dad told me to quit wasting time on useless endeavors and start focusing on studies. I failed my medical entrance exam but cleared engineering.

So here I was, having finally graduated from engineering and worked at a company with not-so-much pay. My dad was well off, and I deliberately chose a company far from home to escape my dad's criticism. I was a failure in my dad's eyes. He hated how I wasted a lot of years on auditions for a dream I had no talent or looks for. And finally, I started to accept he was right,

One day, I got a call from an unknown no.

“Hello,” I said, picking up the call I had just returned from work and was extremely tired. Maybe it was one of those interviews I had attended.

“Are you Akash?”, he asked 

“Yes”, I responded.

“You have attended an audition for a movie before”, he said,” Are you still interested in acting?”

My heart pounded in my chest as I replied,” Yes”

“Okay”, he responded,” We have shortlisted you for a male lead.”

“Lead?”, I said, astonished

“Yes”, he responded,” but there is a catch: you will only be paid after the movie is released; if it fails, you may not receive payment.”

“Okay”, I replied, feeling like it was a scam.

“So are you interested?” the male voice asked.

“Can I think about it and let you know?” I asked, not wanting to reject him.

“Sure”, he replied,” Text me back on this if you are   interested.”

I collapsed on the bed and took off my tie, throwing it on the floor of our shared apartment. I slowly drifted to sleep thinking about this.

Later that night, I was slowly shaken awake by my best friend Manu.

Manu smiled at me,” Take off your stinky clothes before sleeping on my bed.”

“Sorry”, I murmured in a daze from my sleep,” I had a weird dream.”

He laughed, and I told him about the call.

I got up, ready to shower. This was Manu’s apartment, where we met during our medical entrance coaching.He always dreamed of being a doctor and was a repeater. We both didn’t clear and we became engineers. Manu is a successful one, and me a struggling one. 

I finished my shower and began to make dinner. I took care of all the household chores as I contributed very little financially. Manu still helped out, but his work was more demanding than mine.

Manu rushed into the kitchen, his eyes wide, holding my phone in his hands.

‘Did something happen to my parents?’, I thought, scared.

“Dude”, he said as I turned off the stove. ,” The call was real, he texted,”

I took the phone from him

Dear Manu,

I know what I am offering is almost impossible to accept.I have sold all my belongings to do this film. I saw the hunger in you in the last audition. Maybe this could be an opportunity to achieve your dream. I hope I hear a positive response from you.

I stared at Manu in shock.     

Manu smiled,” I am so happy for you”, he said.

“Let's have dinner”, I said, taking the utensils to the table. I served the food, and Manu sat across from me, frowning.

“You are not going to take it?’, he asked.

“It's stupid,” I said,” What if it fails and I end up with nothing?”

“What if you win?” Manu countered,” And you get the life you dreamed of.”

I smiled at my friend, trying to encourage me. ,” I am not good enough, I would have to quit my job,  dad will kill me.”

“I just don’t get people like you.”, I said,” You are willing to work a job you hate rather than take a chance with your dream? What is wrong with you?”,  he said sounding disappointed,” You don’t even have a good pay scale, you can barely survive on the money you are making. So why not risk it for a chance to live your dream?”

“Dad”, I said.’I cannot even begin to think what he would do to me if he ever found out.’

“Dude, don’t tell him. Your parents don’t even visit you, just act like you are working. If things work out, it's good; if it fails, you can find another job.”

“Getting a job is hard these days”, I reasoned,” And you want me to quit my current job?”

“Look, I still regret not being a doctor, but I know I did everything in my power to make that dream possible, but I failed.”, he replied, taking a final bite of his food.

“One day you are going to regret not taking this chance, and when that day comes, you are going to live with the pain till the day you die.”

I sat there processing our conversation as he took his plate and walked into the kitchen,

I couldn’t sleep that night. The next day was an even bigger mess. I couldn’t focus at work and got scolded by the team leader as usual.

By lunch, I was tired of thinking. I took my phone and I told him I would do it,

Manu was overjoyed when I told him the news. He promised to cover for me and not get a new roommate, but I resigned the job immediately; there was no notice period in the company I was working for.

Two weeks after that, I went to the location and met the director. I wanted to go back as soon as I saw him because he was the one who always gave flops, but since I had nothing to lose, I decided to try. All the actors were rookie actors with a passion and we worked day and night and completed the shoot in three months. 

I went back to Manu’s apartment. He was happy I gave my dream a chance, and he kept his promises. But then came the news: no theaters were willing to run his film. I lost hope and started looking for jobs. Eventually, I ended up working as a call operator, but the pay was slightly better. I liked this job better,

Manu and I had stopped talking about that movie, but it was still on my mind. Thankfully, my dad didn’t know about this.

As usual, I got home from work since Manu had a night shift, I decided to skip dinner and went to bed. I talked to my mom, and dad, as usual, didn’t forget to remind me of how I wasted my time at auditions because of which I couldn’t get a good score and a great job like Manu.

I slept, cursing myself for committing too much to a stupid dream. The next morning, I woke up to my phone beeping continuously. I gently sat up, rubbed my eyes, and my eyes widened at the number of notifications from social media. 5 lakhs were credited to my account. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

I opened my social media and saw my followers had increased, and I had received lots of DM’s. The movie had been released, and it was a huge hit!

My first instinct was to call mom, but I called Manu because if he hadn’t talked some sense to me, I would have never been here.

“    Congratulations dude”, he said , I could hear the happiness in his voice.

“Thank you”, I said, tears streaming down my eyes,

“Let's celebrate when I get home, okay?”, Manu said before hanging up.

I called my mom.

“Ma”, I said but all I heard was her crying. I got worried, did something happen to dad? I wondered.

“Manu”, Dad's voice said, sounding like he had been crying.

My heart pounded as I wondered what was wrong.

“I am proud of you. Congratulations my boy”, he said through his tears.

I broke down in tears and we were all crying on the phone together,

My life changed that day, I got more film offers. Instead of complaining about me dad started bragging about me. Mom was finally happy because dad and I were now on better terms plus she started chasing her dream. Manu was not only my best friend but now my business partner. I thank him everyday for talking me into chasing my dreams, all those failures were worth the life I am living right now.