"Congratulations, Anika, we would love it if you would be our Sita."
Two weeks later, those words were still echoing in my ears, like a song stuck in my head. A really, really good song.
For the last week, I'd run lines with dozens of potential Ramas. Plenty of them were good, but none had blown any of us away.
After running lines with the fourth actor of the day, I took a break for lunch. I followed the scent of waffle fries and began loading up my plate. I noticed a man enter the line next to me and we gave each other a small smile and nod. He was Indian, and very handsome.
"They really don't mess around with the food around here, huh?" he said, this time smiling with his teeth, which made the skin around his eyes crinkle in the most adorable way.
"No kidding," I said with a laugh. "This is definitely the best catering and craft services I've experienced so far."
After I said it, I kicked myself. That made me sound like a loser who did not belong here. I already felt that myself but wasn't out to make others think that.
"Oh, same here, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I'm Anil, by the way."
"I'm Anika. So are you on crew or are you a part of the cast?"
"Well, neither yet. I'm actually here for a call-back, for Rama. I'm supposed to run lines with the actress for Sita in a bit, so I'm pretty nervous."
Not wanting to make things awkward, I decided not to tell him it was me. So, I told him I had the role of one of Sita's sisters, and we spent the next half-hour talking about ourselves, where we came from, how we ended up in L.A.
It was so nice to talk to someone who knew what it was like to be raised by Indian immigrants, and we laughed about all the things that Desi parents are known for.
"Anika, are you ready?" I started at the sound of someone else's voice, having been so transfixed by Anil and our conversation that I didn't notice the woman with the clipboard come up to our table.
"Oh, yes!" I jumped up from my chair, grabbing my plate to throw away. "Anil, it was so, so nice to meet you, and I hope to keep seeing you around. Good luck!" I smiled brightly, realizing I really meant it.
"It was lovely to meet you, Anika. And thank you, that means a lot. I will hope for the same."
***
Around an hour later, the director, Nina, told me the next actor's name was Anil. I smiled in anticipation, and then became nervous, wondering if he would be upset at me for lying to him.
When he saw me, his face went from a smile to puzzlement, and then he shook his head with amusement and walked towards the chair next to mine. His hand outstretched, I placed mine in his to shake it in greeting. It was warm and much bigger than mine. I liked the feeling of it.
"Hi, I'm Anil."
"Hi, I'm Anika."
As we went over the scenes together, I began to truly feel myself becoming Sita for the first time, to envision that the man before me was the great Rama, to feel a glimpse of the emotions that they shared. I knew Anil felt it, too. The spark in his eyes could mean nothing else.
The last scene ended with a kiss, but all the actors had been told we wouldn't be practicing it. Nina told me, however, that I should initiate it when the chemistry felt right. I had done this with a few of the potential Rama's, but hadn't felt chemistry quite this intense with any of them.
What the hell, I thought. Here goes nothing.
Trying to hide any nerves I felt, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me, pressing my lips against his.
It only lasted a few seconds, and as I pulled away, blushing and smiling shyly up at him, I heard clapping. Startled back into reality, I stepped away from him and looked around at the faces in the room, all with satisfied or awed expressions.
Nina approached us, pulling me in for a side hug and clapping Anil on the back.
"Anika, Anil, that was tremendous. The energy between you two, it was as if you'd known each other your whole lives. We have three more actors to run through, but Anil, you'll hear back from us by the end of the week."
As Anil left the room, he looked back at me with the biggest grin, right before bumping into a table near the door. We all laughed, including Anil, who gave us a mock-bow before exiting. All I could think was, How adorable.
***
Image Information: Pinterest
Bibliography: Tiny Tales from the Ramayana
Author's Note: In the Ramayana, Sita is the daughter of Janaka. Janaka has a bow that used to belong to Shiva, and for a long time no one could lift it. One day, Sita lifted it, and Janaka said that the man who could lift and string the bow could marry Sita. Many tried and failed, and when Rama heard about it he decided to try his luck. Sita meets Rama and Lakshmana in the palace gardens, where it is said Rama and Sita fall in love immediately. After that, Rama is able to lift the bow and the two are married and head back to Rama's city of Ayodhya.
My story is a modern retelling of the Ramayana, but I still wanted to convey that instant connection between the two main characters. I decided to do a modern retelling because I wanted to show that love and relationships are still largely the same as they were at the time the Ramayana was written. I have always found it interesting that we can go back and read something from hundreds, thousands of years ago and empathize with what the characters or people were going through, because human nature has not changed over time. So, I thought it would be fun to write about two people who love the Ramayana experiencing similar things in their relationship even as they act it out on screen.
I also wanted to note that because the film in my storybook is an Americanized adaptation of the Ramayana, not everything will be accurate. For instance, kissing in front of others is a big no-no in Indian culture. Even most Bollywood films shy away from kissing on screen, and those that do result in controversy. However, American films are the complete opposite, so of course there will be kissing in this film. It's also likely that this film would upset some for not being faithful to the original epic, but my Storybook is focused on the actors not necessarily making the film perfect. Thanks for reading!