The Actress

Kamla was the famous actress of her days. Her memories are still alive among her fans. The heroine of several hit movies. Only her acting was sufficient for making any movie super hit.

I don't know why and how did she choose acting as a career. She was my classmate. She was a beautiful and shy girl. There was nothing special about her except her beauty. I was impressed with her beauty. She used to talk to me sometime over studies and would like to take my help in her studies. After completing college we parted with each other. I had to leave my home town for getting job.

I were busy in my job having no time to find whereabouts of old friends and classmates. One day I got surprised by seeing her photographs on a magazine. Reading an article on her on that magazine, I came to know that she had become an actress. Curiously I watched her one or two movies. Her career as an actress gradually grew brighter and brighter and she became a superstar.

Years had passed. One day I had to go to Goa on regard to my job. After a long and boring meeting, I was strolling on a beach. Somebody called me. I turned back and find a man. He told me that madam had been calling you and pointed to a car parked at a corner. I looked at that car someone was waving her hand at me. I recognized her. She was Kamla. With surprise I went to her and said, "are you Kamla, aren't you?"

She opened the door of the car and said, "How are you?" and pointed to come in.

She took me to a resort where she was stayed. Here we talked to each other for a long time. She was happy to find one of old familiars whom with she could afresh her memories.

"Why did you choose acting as career?" I questioned her.

"After graduation, my parents found a boy for my marriage. Unfortunately my parents had died in a road accident before my engagement and the boy refuge to marry me. I had no brother or sister and I left alone and other relatives did not come forward to help me. One of my father's friends came forward to help me. He was a film producer and gave me a chance in film industry as an actress but he exploited me for this," she told me.

"And you married?" I put a question before her.

Looking at me she said, "I don't believe in marriage system. It gives just a certificate from society to live with a person of opposite gender." She paused for a moment or two and continued, "I can't marry anyone until I feel a true love for him and he too, feel true love for me. Nowadays, nobody fall in true love."

I said, “It is very hard for anyone to live alone."

She replied, "But in my view realising that someone loves you only for money, beauty, fame and power is harder than living alone."

She looked at me and asked me with smile, "I always look for someone who loves me without any reason. Who loves only me; not to my money."

I said mischievously, "And that someone is Vijay, isn't he? I have read in magazines about a love affair between you and Vijay."

She cried, "That bastard, that Vijay. I can never think of such a mean person. All you have read is just a gossip. It is just a gossip for publicity. This gossip will give him publicity and the publicity would give him money. There is no emotion in life, money is above all." She paused for some moments and then sighed and said, "Gossips are a part of us cine artist. Leave it. Are you married or single?"

"Married" I gave brief answer.

"How is your wife? I would like to meet her. Someday come with her." she said with smile.

I said, "She is fine. She too, would like meet you."

"One comes alone in this world and go alone from the world. This is my philosophy and I shall go alone leaving no one to survive by," she said.

I can see loneliness in her eyes. In spite of all outer boldness, there was an inner weakness in her.

It was my first meeting with her.

I had been transferred to Mumbai after some days. After shifting Mumbai, meetings with her began to occur often. A very few people could meet with her and I was one of them. She began drinking. When she was advised to give up the drinking, she replied that it was her companion in her alone life. Although one or two actors wished to marry her, but she refused them saying they were not of her desired quality. She had her own dreams about marriage and spouse. Those days she was on the apex of her career. Having millions of fans all around, she was alone looking for true love. Flowers made of paper don't give out fragrance.

Days were passing. With each passing year in her growing age, her beauty was fading. One day she decided to take retirement from film industry. After retirement there was a great vacuum before her, she felt herself alone. Nobody was with her to take care of her and gave her a company. She soon lost control over habit of drinking and due to heavy drinking, she soon fall ill and was soon admitted to hospital.

She was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors tried their best to save but she succumbed to cancer.

Some days before her death I had gone to meet her in the hospital. Cancer had reduced her to bag of bones. I was moved by her plight. She said to me, "I will live a few days more. Then I will be free from all my bonds, joys and sorrows. I got more than what I expected from my life. I got all in my life except one thing and that thing is true love. And I am very unhappy over this. Those who get true love in their life are very fortunate."

At this I felt sorry for her and could not say to her except a few words of consolation. And some days after this meeting, came the news of her death.

She remained alone and thirsty of true love in all her lifetime, however, thousands of her fans were present at the time of her funeral.