Seeking stardom

When I was in school, eight decades ago, my classmates and I used to be taken on trips to museums, factories, the Madras High Court, sites of historical significance and other interesting places. Our teachers wished to impress upon us that a whole wide world awaited us, once we left the sheltering walls of our educational institution.

A visit to a film studio stands out clearly in my memory. That is probably because my fellow students and I were at an age when we had the usual teenage crush on actors and actresses. We were drawn to a group of stars who sat near the sets, waiting to be summoned for the shoot. One of them was decked in the finery of a princess, the main character in the picture.

Grabbing a chance to speak to this dazzling heroine, we asked her how we could enter the glorious realm she inhabited. The young woman condescendingly replied that anyone aspiring a career in films should first have ‘the looks’. At this juncture, a member of the camera crew pointed to one of us: A slim tall girl, with fine features and a dusky complexion. He smilingly said that maybe she stood a chance.

We were amused because the fair-skinned, acknowledged beauty of our class was seething with annoyance. She felt that she alone had the requisite attractive appearance. Actually, after spending a morning at the studio, each of us harboured a lurking desire to join the film industry. We knew, however, that such an opportunity was not even remotely within our reach.

Long after we left school, whenever we met somewhere, we used to laugh at our youthful dreams. The prettiest girl is now a leading doctor and would not have changed her job for any other. One from our group had become a lawyer, another a politician and several others had opted for the teaching profession. The majority (including myself) were content to be housewives.

Looking back, I feel that, while none of us acquired movie roles, we played the parts best suited to our talents. Over the years, I have lost touch with most of my friends and many have passed away. I like to think that they found happiness in their varied walks of life, however humble. After all, one does not need glitter and glamour to shine like a star.