Of Course, The Quintessential Bollywood Heroine Gyrating In A Sheer Sari Cannot Feel Cold!

“Avantika, this is your first time shooting in Switzerland. How does it feel?”

“It’s like a dream; the Alps, my debut, working with Hitesh Sir, and starring with a hero like Kabir. I feel privileged and blessed.”

“Thank you for this interview. We wish you all the best. You are looking lovely in the saree.”

“Yes, this is specially designed for a song. I can share with you that this is a dream sequence and very romantic. Hey, I’ve got to go now. It’s time for the shoot.”

Avantika bid the journalist goodbye and pulled the coat over her. What was the point of her coat anyway? She winced at the thought of what lay ahead.

The cabin was heated, she wouldn’t need it there. She would wear her coat in the cable car that took the crew from the cabin to the top of the snow-clad mountains. There, the coat and the woolens would come off. She would face the cold winds and gyrate, all the time with a smile on her face, while her hero would be dressed to the nines in sweaters and mittens.

Did directors think that actresses were cold-proof?  There was no point cribbing. One had to accept and move on.

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They regrouped at the cabin while the shot was getting ready. They hung up their coats on the racks since the temperature was regulated in the cabin and it was quite warm there. Hitesh and Kabir sipped on their drinks. They offered Avantika one. “You better have one or two. Helps face the cold better.”

That’s when you are wrapped in fur. But what drink in the world would give you warmth when you are decked in a mid-riff revealing paper-thin chiffon?

Lukas, the concierge in the cabin announced that the cable car was ready. They reached the top of the mountain, the shoot location, where the crew had assembled, and the cameras were in position. Avantika looked on enviously at the technicians there; they looked cozy and comfortable in winter wear.

“Ready, Avantika?”

Avantika took off her coat. A blast of icy wind hit her.

“Brrr….” Her teeth chattered.

She could do this, she told herself.

Kabir had taken off his designer sable-coat.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?” he winked at her.

You have no idea, you moron. You at least have a sweater and a scarf. Something, anything, to protect you.

“One, two, three…. action.”

The song played in the background, and Avantika began her steps. She was supposed to glide along gracefully, waving her pallu.

“Cut. Avantika, you look so rigid. Smile more. This is a love scene, not a horror movie.”

To me, it feels like horror. I can even think of a title. ‘Death by Hypothermia,’ she grimaced.

Three shots later, Avantika stopped pretending. It was getting difficult to breathe, her skin was tinged blue, and she felt light-headed. She felt the world going dark.

“Help!” Kabir screamed.

When Avantika woke up, she was wrapped in thick bedsheets in her hotel room, and a doctor was standing over her.

“Exposure to intense cold. She will be alright in a day or two.”

You didn’t have to be a genius to figure out the exposure part.

She heard Hitesh yell.

“A day or two? We are losing time and money.”

He came by to see her, later that day.

“Are you better? Do you think you can resume the shoot tomorrow? You will get used to the cold, eventually.”

Avantika was appalled at his callousness.

“Do we need this scene? Is it fair that the heroine is scantily dressed, while the hero is suitably attired to brave the cold?”

Hitesh’s face changed.

“You are a heroine- you can easily be replaced. Remember that.”

With that ominous warning, Hitesh left, leaving her shivering. This time, it wasn’t from the cold.

The next day, they all got back to the cabin. It was as though nothing had happened at all.

Hitesh and Kabir sipped drinks and cracked jokes.

“This time let’s hope Avantika doesn’t faint!” they guffawed, and Avantika forced a smile on her face.

Lukas turned up to remind them it was time to go. The team got ready to pick up their coats from the hangers.

They had just gotten into the cable car when Kabir started itching badly.

“What’s wrong?” Avantika asked.

“Something wrong with my coat. A bug perhaps?”

He took the coat off.

“Uff… it’s freezing. Wait, even my sweater is itchy.”

He pulled it off.

“Phew, the itching is fine. Hey…. but it’s so cold. I don’t know which is worse.”

Avantika looked at Hitesh who was undergoing something similar and was rapidly pulling off his woolens.

“What is causing me to itch this much? God, it’s cold.”

“You will get used to it, eventually. Look, we’ve reached.” She smiled sweetly.

Kabir took one step out of the cable car onto the snow and howled.

“I will catch pneumonia in this cold. Can this scene. It’s a dream sequence. It can be shot anywhere. And get my coat dry cleaned as soon as possible!”

The Alps-saree scene was cancelled. Hitesh thought it was jinxed anyway. They did the song amidst colorful flowers in a garden, and this time Avantika got to wear warm clothing of her choice. The shoot went ahead without a hitch.

It was the last day of the shoot. Avantika made her way back to the cabin, one last time. She had someone to thank.

“Lukas. Thank you for everything!”

She passed him some crisp Swiss Francs. He nodded, as he pocketed the money.

It had been Avantika’s idea to teach her team a lesson. Lukas had been the perfect accomplice. He had dusted Hitesh’s and Kabir’s coats with itching-powder, just before they left for the shoot. And it had worked. They got to know what the cold was like. She hoped they realized how hard it would have been for her.

She walked back with a smile on her face. She didn’t feel any guilt for her actions.

“Someone had to teach them that heroines are not cold-proof.”

Image source: a still from the film Chandni

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