The Nidhi Kapoor Story (13 page)

Vicky kept talking. “Nishant uncle knew that he commanded a large fan following. And he enjoyed it. Who would not? Hell, if I could get as successful, I would love it. Every new actress wanted to work with him and despite his flaws, even seasoned actresses couldn’t say no. A movie with Nishant Kapoor meant an extension of your acting career by 2 - 3 years. There were rumors that he ruined quite a
few lives while he was at it. Most women accepted it as fate, a side effect of working in the industry, an occupational hazard. Some did fight against him. But he was the great Nishant Kapoor. Nothing, no one could touch him.”

Rujuta had expected an established film producer to have a little more tolerance for alcohol and little more restraint on his tongue. But she could not complain. She had stumbled upon a gold mine. She had not even started talking about the fire. Nishant’s story was captivating in itself and the murders and the fire seemed like incidents from a different life.

She brought her hands animatedly to her face and said, “Oh my God. I thought he was worshiped and all that. Did his family know about these things?”

“Of course they knew. It’s a very small industry and everybody talks. Especially when Neelima aunty was part of the fraternity itself,” Vicky said.

Rujuta was about to say something but she saw the waiter appear with the beer. Her journalistic instincts told her to stay shut. Good journalists are probably the best set of people to learn the art of conversation from. They know when to talk and when to stay quiet.

Vicky took a long sip. He continued talking.

“That argument between Nishant uncle and Neelima aunty at that party? It was really ugly. He beat her up mercilessly in front of the entire industry. If Nidhi did not stop him, he would’ve killed Neelima aunty. That night, I thought she was probably the most sensible Kapoor around. Of course now, she is nothing like that. She is a carbon copy of her father. She seeks and commands attention. And she is
temperamental. She has an insatiable appetite for making out. She would sleep with an AD, a spot boy, a director and even a stranger. Thankfully Payal is not like that.”

Rujuta was amazed at this monologue. “Oh, I did not know that about Nidhi. I have met her once and she didn’t look anything like this to me,” she remarked.

Rujuta started to pull the line. If she pulled too fast, the line could break. If she let the line too loose, if may get heavy and thus tougher to pull back later.

Suddenly, Vicky Taluja threw the most unexpected thing at her. “You know Rujuta, that the incident with the pets, it is not the first in their family. Even Nishant uncle had a dog that he loved a lot. It went missing all of a sudden. Gone without any clue or trace. Nishant uncle put up a huge reward for it. This was, I think, after that party. But nothing came out of it.”

“Really? Surprisingly no one mentioned that,” Rujuta said. She realized her mistake. She checked herself and improvised. “What dogs? How do you know about it?”

How could Vicky Taluja know about the pets? He had to be talking to either Payal or Naveen Verma. Or the servants. No one else knew about the pets. Not even the guards. They hadn’t called an animal van to carry off the dead bodies. Prakash had been careful like that. More than the killing of pets, Rujuta wanted to know if Vicky Taluja knew about the letter that the murderer had left in the typewriter. It was like a game of poker. She did not want to reveal her hand yet. So she had to put a blocker bet or something to try and figure out Vicky’s hole cards.

“Rujuta, we move in the same circles. I am surprised
that it is still not on TV.”

Rujuta nodded.

Taluja continued, “You know that age-old saying? Skeletons in the closet? I bet the Kapoors have many more skeletons in their closets. You must be careful while you knock on their doors, Rujuta. You must talk to Payal though. She holds the keys to quite a few such closets at the Kapoors.”

At the mention of Payal, Rujuta could notice a certain glint in Vicky’s eyes. She now knew when to pull the rope.

“OK, I’d do that. You know, I often wonder why is Payal not an actress herself? She is a good-looking girl!” Rujuta tugged at the rope faster.

“She is a fool. Payal is far better than Nidhi. Before I signed Nidhi, I sat down with Payal a couple of times and we discussed the role, money and other things in detail. She is a very smart woman. It’s a shame that she is stuck with Nidhi. I did get an impression that she wants to be an actress but as long as she is with Nidhi, she can’t do anything.” Vicky finished his second beer.

Rujuta knew now that Payal was Vicky’s weakness. “I don’t get it. If Payal is smart and talented, why is she not doing anything about it?” Rujuta asked.

“I know. I asked her the same thing. I even told her that I could give her the break. But she refused. I have been telling her this for years now. Years! But she won’t listen. She needs to think about herself, her future. She says that she and Nidhi are sisters and she doesn’t want to steal the limelight from Nidhi, she would never leave Nidhi’s side and all that. I think she just needs someone to talk sense into
her. See if you can do so.”

The interview so far was going as per her expectations and Rujuta did not want to interrupt. It took considerable resolve to keep her face straight and continue with the interview. Payal was definitely more beautiful and mild mannered compared to Nidhi. She would’ve made a logical heir of Nishant Kapoor’s legacy. If Nidhi was to be removed from the scene, Payal stood to gain a lot. Payal would inherit Ronak and other assets owned by Kapoors and she could very well launch herself as an actress. Rujuta did not expect to get a break in the case so soon.

“Strange. If she’s spent all her life in a filmy family, she ought to know that friendship and relations only go so far…” Rujuta said.

“Exactly my point!” Vicky interrupted, “the Kapoors haven’t done anything for her in all these years. She is very good-looking and has potential. And she’s just been left to rot as a second fiddle. They may call her part of the family, but at end of the day, she is just an adopted, unwanted child. And you know, Rujuta, it’s the perfect time. There is no one but Nidhi at the top and someone, sooner or later will come and dethrone her. Lives of actresses are anyway short-lived compared to male actors. So why not Payal?”

“Didn’t you ask her?” Rujuta prodded.

Vicky was more eager to answer. “I did. She said she couldn’t compete with her own sister. She says Nidhi had helped her through tough times in the past and she wants to now help Nidhi in her career.”

“And you believe her?”

“I think she’s bullshitting me. It’s a big industry and
is growing fast. Why can’t we have both of them as famous actresses? I remember Nishant uncle wanted Payal to become an actress. She was training in dance and music and other things back then. I have no clue why she trained like that when she was not going to work in the films at all. But… really, these Kapoors are fucked up in their head. They only know what happens at Ronak behind closed doors.”

Rujuta laughed, gave her legendary smile. “Ha ha… Even Nidhi is like that?”

Vicky was laughing as well now. “Yeah, she is no less. Have you met her?”

“Yes, just a couple of times. Once at her home and then at your set.”

Vicky was about to say something but suddenly his phone started ringing. Vicky answered it without looking at Rujuta. “Yes… I am at the Taj. I am almost done here. Come home. I’ll be there in some time,” he said and hung up.

“Hey, so sorry, but I have to push off. Someone is coming home and I can’t avoid it. I don’t know if I was any help. You have more questions?”

“I wanted to know more about Nidhi actually. And I wanted to know if you suspect someone for the fire at your set. But if you have to go, we can speak later, right?”

“OK. I can spare just some more time. What about the set?” he asked.

“What do you think about the fire? Was it an accident? Or you think someone did it deliberately?”

Taluja got worked up. “Of course it’s a conspiracy. I have shot at Vie a million times and there has never been an
unwarranted incident. This has to be planned by someone who wants to hurt me.”

“Who could it be?”

“I don’t know. If I knew, I would’ve had had a word with him already. I may just be a film producer but I have my contacts.” Vicky Taluja spoke menacingly.

“Any guesses? Between you and I,” Rujuta was trying to push her luck.

“Check on Vinod Bhasin. And on Siddhesh Mehta. They are the ones I compete with most often. I have actually had spats with Vinod in the past, so he may have something to do with this. There is some bit of professional rivalry but I don’t think he’d sabotage a film set. Trust me, this is definitely not the underworld or politicians.”

“Underworld?”

“Yes yes. They are still active. In the garb of unions and politicians. Some things never change. Don’t tell me you did not know of this either. I am not supposed to talk about them, but what the hell. To be honest, I am not worried about the underworld. My father taught me how to take care of them. They’re like dogs and I keep them well fed. In fact, I was thinking I’d talk to my contact there. After all, I had paid the damn protection fee. They bloody well honor the contract now!”

Rujuta nodded silently. The two incidents may be unrelated after all.

Taluja’s phone rang again. He glanced at it and said, “I have to go now. We will talk more on this. And this stays between us right?”

Rujuta nodded.

Taluja looked in the direction of the waiter and signed in the air. “We have changed the location and we are shooting at a studio now. I will ask my PR team to contact you and give you some inside dope about the movie. Do ask your friends to write about it. I am planning to launch the poster very soon.”

After some small talk, he bid adieu and left.

Vicky Taluja, in a different life, could have been a part of Rujuta’s Jing bang. He came across as a typical hedonist who liked to live fast and seemed to have faith in himself more than anyone else. Rujuta made a mental note of checking his background when she had time.

Once Vicky Taluja was gone, she went to the smoking lounge, lit a Stikk and ordered another Diet Coke for herself. She then called Prakash.

“Hi, I just met Vicky Taluja. He gave me a lot of inputs to work on,” Rujuta beamed.

“Good good. Something you think I should know?” Prakash had a newfound respect for Rujuta ever since that fire incident. The Guru Dutt records had helped too.

“A lot of things actually. I would fill you in when I meet you. Are you done? You want to meet for dinner?” Even before Prakash could reply, Rujuta was lost in thoughts of undressing Prakash and devouring him when they met.

“No, I have some work here. Some film premier is happening and I am supposed to oversee the security detail there,” Prakash replied flatly.

“Prakash Mohile! You are so boring!” Rujuta
complained.

“My job expects me to be boring, Rujuta. See you later.”

And without waiting for an answer, Prakash disconnected the phone. Rujuta started at her phone. “Bastard! Wait for a few more days and I promise you’d come begging at my door.”

Little did she know that her door would soon witness something far more exciting than a policeman begging for physical intimacy with his head bent low and hands folded in request.

11. Day 5, Noon. Ronak.

The set was gutted completely in fire but apart from a few minor injuries, there were no fatalities. Both Nidhi and Payal had had miraculous escapes, thanks to Prakash and Rujuta. To show their appreciation, Nidhi’s office had sent them an invitation to call upon them. Despite Rujuta’s insistence, Prakash had refused to accept it. He told Rujuta that he had merely performed his duty and he did not expect to be rewarded for doing his job. He did not believe in incentives or bonuses. Rujuta, on the other hand, wanted as much from this life as possible.

While Rujuta was talking to Vicky Taluja, the Kapoors were huddled in Nidhi’s bedroom. Nishant was absent for he was still on the wheelchair and could not climb up to his erstwhile bedroom.

“I spoke to the Commissioner and told him about the two incidents. He has promised to help in any way he can,” Verma said.

“But Naveen, why did you talk to police? They are so insensitive!” Payal said. She called him Naveen. At his insistence. Nidhi on the other hand preferred uncle.

“Joshi is a friend. I know he would be discreet,” Verma replied.

“If you insist. It’s just that you can’t be very friendly with the police.”

“Guys. We need to sort this between us. I am sure of
few things. I cannot stop living my life because of some nutcase who wants to harm me. And I will not. Anyway, accidents happen all the time. If I were to alter my lifestyle at every tiny incident, I would have never achieved all this,” she gestured around her.

“I understand Nidhi. But all I want from the two of you is to be little cautious. Can you do it for me?” Verma said.

“Uncle! You are impossible. You are like mumma. Exactly like her,” Nidhi replied.

Neelima and Naveen were twins and had lost their father at an early age. Their father had a fledging film distribution business that Naveen had rapidly expanded since he got to the helm. After Neelima died in a fire few years back, Naveen had started taking an active interest in Nidhi and Payal’s lives. Naveen himself hadn’t married; he was content with a live-in relationship with a prominent film journalist. His work required him to spend most of his time with the who’s who of Bollywood and he was friendly with most of the celebrities.

Naveen smiled weakly. “I just want you guys safe.”

Nidhi nodded.

Naveen then looked at Payal and asked, “What about you, Payal?”

Payal pouted. “I’d try.”

Before they could talk anymore, Shankar came running into the room. “
BabyJi
, something is wrong with Nishant Saab. He is throwing things around and he may hurt himself. Please come. I have tried everything but I can’t stop him. Please. Quick!” he sounded tense.

Naveen shrugged. He was against the decision to get Nishant back at Ronak as he still blamed Nishant for his sister’s death. He felt vindicated at this mad display by Nishant. As far as he was concerned, Nishant Kapoor could go to hell. He did not care about Nishant’s wellbeing and he was oblivious to his shenanigans.