‘Oh, come on, didi,’ said Meera, while looking at some contracts Kamal had left for her to read. Kamal, who could not hold down a single job, had matured beyond recognition. Managing his sister’s career was a job he took seriously for the first time in his life, diving head-on to learn the trade inside out. She was grateful for his knowledge and guidance when it came to the business of singing and making money, but he still insisted that she read every contract carefully before signing it.

‘Should I write in for Malik saab,’ Veena wondered aloud.

Meera’s jaw tightened as she tried her best to hide her discomfort. She had never spoken to anybody about Sahil’s assault – she wanted to move on as quickly as possible and focus on her career. Sarhad had launched her into instant stardom, but she’d quickly signed up for projects with other composers, even though Sahil had sought her out several times, partly to mitigate any future accusations.

‘I think I should. He deserves it,’ Veena looked up at Meera, who remained silent.

‘Meera?’

‘Yes,’ said Meera. She turned her face away, hoping she had not given away even a hint of her disgust for the man. ‘You should.’

‘And who is this Gregory Peck?’ Veena inquired, turning the page to a large cut-out of a handsome man with kind eyes.

‘A famous American actor,’ replied Meera, relieved that her sister had moved on.

Gregory Peck had been invited to the awards, and all of Bombay was in a tizzy. Sadly, he couldn’t make it in the end as his flight from Colombo was delayed. Neither could any of Meera’s family members as they had booked tickets to Kashi – a trip they were going on at Kamladevi’s request. So, Meera was left to attend the function alone. The organizers even wanted her to perform at the show.

Years before Subhash Ghai turned the foyer space into a prison for Khalnayak, before Yash Chopra installed stalls selling bangles at the premiere of Chandni or before Dimple Kapadia’s debut film, Bobby, premiered on its screens, the Metro Cinema was where the elite crowd of Bombay would dress up and watch MGM movies. Metro Cinema had been chosen as the venue to host the awards, just like the lane on which it stood, Cinema Galli, was chosen to carve Bombay’s identity as tinsel town. In 1938, a former army barrack that housed Indian and British soldiers was cleared out and an American studio was invited to build a movie hall. Ever since, the pink art deco walls had seduced many. Years later, it was torn down and restored, and torn down again to make space for six screens instead of one.