A Lot Actually Happened Over Coffee!
I'll never forget this year's birthday - my 2023 birthday for all the special reasons! Before spilling the beans on what happened, let me take you a little into the last week.
Glance into the Past
I happened to talk about something with Zeba ma'am over the phone the evening before my birthday.
Yes, Zeba Sajid, the famous TV Costume Designer!
So, we were discussing something when she suddenly said, "OK, I'll do it tomorrow after our meeting."
I asked, "What meeting?"
I thought it must be something related to our work, a conference call, the details of which I might have missed!
But she said instead, "I have a meeting with Sharad tomorrow, and I'll do this afterward or if it's late, then the day after for sure."
I wondered, 'Who's Sharad?' The name didn't strike me at first.
Then she added, "Sharad Malhotra dear; he's a TV actor."
I felt a little embarrassed for not knowing an actor despite being a journalist! I googled him while talking, and when I saw his face, I couldn't believe what I saw! He was none other than my 'Raunak'! I literally jumped out of excitement!
Raunak
I admired Sharad Malhotra for his role in a TV serial named 'Muskaan,' whose episodes I binge-watched during the 2020 lockdown without skipping even a single second. So, my hero Raunak's official name is Sharad, and I, claiming to be his top fan, never cared to Google his original name even once!
Back to the Pavilion
I suddenly changed the topic. "So, what are you giving me on my birthday tomorrow?" I asked Zeba ma'am.
She responded, "Anything you want!"
"What if I want someone?" I smirked.
I added, "Can you help me meet Raunak?"
She smiled and said, "I can ask him, but you'll have to come to Mumbai."
Day of my Birthday
Zeba ma'am kicked off my day with good news. She said, "Your Raunak can come to meet you. I've asked him; all you need to do is visit Mumbai this weekend."
So, this is how this meeting was planned!
Two days later, Mumbai Starbucks
Do you know what it's like to have a crush on someone and yet behave normally? Well, I learned that day. Though I'm a little crazy for this person, I wasn't supposed to jump in excitement or shout. I needed to act mature, or at least behave with maturity if I couldn't hide my happiness! It's more difficult when you're a professional or even more so if that person may work with you sometime in the future. So, I kept all the butterflies in my stomach and pretended to be cool, but I wasn't, and I guess he could tell from my expressions. Somehow, I managed to stay calm.
Our Chit-Chat We sat there for almost a couple of hours, talking about almost everything under the sun. I realized how fond he is of Zeba ma'am. This charming young man has a beautiful aura, full of life and positivity, but he was talking highly of someone else. Wow! Nevertheless, Zeba ma'am is a strong woman, as he referred to her as a "one-woman army." Indeed, she's a powerful and confident lady, rather bold and straightforward, you can say! Raunak also believed so! Oops, sorry, Sharad! Pardon me for that. If I refer to him as Raunak now, you can assume him to be your Sharad, just in case! A Little Background Sharad and Zeba ma'am have known each other for some 15-16 years now. Interested to know how they met? Remember Sharad's debut TV show, 'Banoo Main Teri Dulhan' way back in 2006? And the award ceremony where he was awarded the Best Actor for that show? If you remember so much, you can also recall the outfit he wore that day for the award function as well as his dance (try, try, ok you can Google it also)! So, his costume was designed by none other than Zeba ma'am. They've known each other since then!
Back to Starbucks
So, here we were, chitchatting in the middle of the night, with waiters glancing at us and sometimes at their watches, as it was already past their closing time. But we continued talking. Honestly, I didn't want to leave, and you know why! 😉
I even told him, "You can go today and come back tomorrow, and you'd still find me here!" 😉
Zeba ma'am got an important call, so she stepped out for a while. With the two of us sitting amidst an awkward silence, I started talking about the two of them. And then we laughed a lot, with Zeba ma'am wondering from a distance what we were talking about. Now, she'll know after reading this!
Sharad recalled their earlier days and told how he has known this 'iron lady' for years now and how brave it is to be in this industry for a single lady to survive with no support. He really admired her for standing firm in her principles all this while. He further said, "Nothing has changed in these years; she's still the same." He stated, "I think she got confidence from her mother. Zebaji's journey is really inspiring, and I'm quite motivated."
The moment got very serious, so I changed the topic as ma'am was still on the phone, signaling from a distance that she's coming!
I asked Sharad how he still looks the same as he did in his first show and also the reason behind his charming glow. He said, "It's because I do one project at a time. I'm very selective about my scripts, and I choose only those which I can do from the heart, thereby being less stressed and enjoying more." He added, "I also check whom I'm working with, their aura, etc. And I work with people only if I get good vibes."
(Yes, even I believe in this positive aura thing. Keep yourself surrounded by positive vibes, no matter what!)
He said, "I want to see Zebaji as lively, confident, and independent even in the future, like she is right now. May she continue to be the same forever and never have a single inch of doubt within."
Zeba ma'am ended her call and joined us in our photo sessions. We bid each other goodbye until next time, which may happen anytime soon! Stay tuned!!
- Contributed by Avalokita Pandey October 7, 2023
