After the Applause

Dim work lights. Red velvet seats. Dusty stage. A faint spotlight still glows center stage.

NANDITA (31), rehearsal clothes, smudged eyeliner, script in hand, stands near the third row. Tired, radiant.

JHANVI (30), black T-shirt and cargo pants, headset around one ear, spotlight remote in hand, emerges from stage right.

A beat. They clock each other like professionals first.

Last cue thoda late tha.

Tumhara entrance thoda jaldi tha.

Main? Main toh hamesha on time hoti hoon.

Stage pe ya life mein?

Nandita smirks. Jhanvi hides a smile.

Dono mein struggle chal raha hai.

Nandita sits in a seat, flips through the script.

NANDITA (CONT’D)

Audience ko lagta hai theatre glamorous hota hai.

Asal mein hum log makeup, insecurity aur

unpaid overtime ka combo hain.

Technicians ke baare mein bhi wahi.

“Lights on kar dete hain.” Bas.

Tum log lights on nahi, mood on karte ho.

Jhanvi looks at her, surprised by the warmth.

Waah. Compliment bhi cue ki tarah deliver kiya.

Training hai.

A small silence. The auditorium hums.

Applause ke baad sabse zyada khali lagta hai.

Haan.

Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai log mujhe nahi,

mere character ko dekh rahe the.

Main lights ke peeche khadi hoti hoon.

Sabko clearly dekh sakti hoon.

Khud ko dekhna phir bhi mushkil hai.

Nandita studies her.

Tum hamesha itni serious rehti ho?

Tum hamesha itni dramatic rehti ho?

Sirf stage pe.

Sirf tumhare saamne.

A beat. That lands.

Nandita turns a page and freezes. A folded NOTE CARD falls out.

Yeh...

She opens it. Reads.

“Second pause perfect tha. Don’t let the silence apologize.”

Nandita looks up, stunned.

Yeh tum likhti thi?

Jhanvi looks away, suddenly shy.

Haan.

Har night.

Main soch rahi thi koi secret admirer hai.

Secret hi rehna tha.

Tumhari face pe smile dekh ke himmat nahi hui.

Kyun?

Kyunki tum stage pe sab kuch de deti ho.

Mujhe laga stage ke baad koi poochta hi nahi

ki tum theek ho ya nahi.

Nandita is moved, quiet.

Maine har note sambhal ke rakha.

Kyunki pehli baar kisi ne mujhe role ke bahar

notice kiya tha.

A soft beat.

Nandita closes the script and pulls out a taped note card from the last page.

NANDITA (CONT’D)

Main bhi kuch likh ke laayi thi.

She hands it to Jhanvi.

“Kal rehearsal ke baad coffee? Sirf cues nahi,

tumse baat karni hai. —Nandita”

Jhanvi reads it. Her smile breaks open, warm and real.

She clicks the spotlight remote. The faint spotlight warms slightly.

Coffee after cues.

Dangerous habit hai.

Main risk lene ki aadat seekh rahi hoon.

Jhanvi steps closer. Nandita steps onto the stage mark tape.

Kal?

Kal.

They hold each other’s gaze. No performance. Just two women, seen.

The empty theater feels full.