Who painted my lust Red?
When Bollywood meets Cricket meets Politicians
A work of fiction
by
Sree Iyer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text Copyright 2020 Sree Iyer.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law.
First Edition.
ISBN: 978-1-7320256-6-0
Visit the authors website at www.sreeiyer.com.
Cast of characters
Bollywood
Vishaal Six-pack Saxena Once upon a time body-builder/ aspiring hero turned producer, his nickname comes more from his ability to down a six-pack of beer cans in one shot than his once impressive abs. Added an extra a after advice from his astrologer.
Preeti Ahuja A budding Bollywood actress, beauty with brains, unable to understand why despite talent she does not get the breaks she thinks she deserves, until
Sonya Keni Smart as a whip with looks to match, she decided to leave a professional career in the US to pursue a career in Bollywood. And then luck smiled on her.
Nirav Chopra Smart, aggressive but quirky, Nirav came to Mumbai chasing stardom and found success as an Agent/ Manager.
Pragya Gupta An upcoming model, hoping to make it big in Hollywood, usually found on the arm of a cricketer, her latest beau being Ronnie Irani.
Nitin Kapur Self-made actor, rose through the ranks of junior artists to stardom. Believes that this formula for success is to be unpredictable in the choice of roles he takes up. Popular at the Box Office but not so much at the Awards Office.
Cricket
Ronny Irani called R2 because of his homophonic name, this sometimes-express pace bowler intimidates his adversaries with this build and bounce.
Arif Masood Pakistani cricketer, thinks he is modern-day Javed Miandad but there is one catch Arif is yet to win a match with a last ball six. Flatters to deceive on the field.
Vikas Mehta The first of the three V s of India, a solid #3 batsman, who often held Indian innings together.
Vijay Surya Flamboyant, fastidious and a fabulous stroke maker, the ideal #4 batsman that any team could ask for.
Viraj Verma - Rounding out the three Vs, Viraj can blunt any attack and make it look ridiculously easy. A nervous starter, he can get out fishing outside the off stump but once he gets his feet moving, can score quickly and hurt the opposition.
Varun Singh Arguably one of Indias best all-rounders, he was roped in to run a new league and tasked with signing big-name yesteryear stars.
Politics
Mailapore Damodaran Smooth, suave, and sophisticated, this clad-in-white politician from Chennai can charm anyone to his bed. Often ragged by his nickname Maida, always tries to one-up his perceived rival Dalda.
Dalpat Dalvi Oily, smooth, and slick, Dalpat can match Maida manoeuvre for manoeuvre, always trying to beat Maida but often coming up short. Called Dalda for short, he lives up to his nickname.
Giridhar Gulati Rising from the earthy Gangetic plains, with a rustic humour and wit that never fails to find its target, Girgut can surprise himself with some of his decisions, often made for the general good.
Madhav Mantri Mama-ji as he is fondly called, controlled the shots in the ICB till an upstart industrialist from Chennai Sambasivam Natrajan spoilt his applecart. Soft spoken but always carrying a big stick, he never allowed anyone to challenge his hegemony.
Maker Funtoosh Wirewala Pronounced Makar. Flamboyant and free-spirited, this poster-boy for a Barbara Cartland hero went to all the right schools and colleges. Known more for his bombastic use of the Queens English and his sexploits than his intellect.
Rajshree Solanki Catapulted into the Chief Ministers seat due to the sudden demise of her husband, she relied on her childhood friend Manohar Munim to run her state, increasing his stature, and giving him a larger-than-life image.
R K Ranga An upcoming Maida wannabe, thinks that by aping the senior minister, he can attain the same dizzying heights. Goes by the nickname Rocky.
Suhas Patil Rival of Mama-ji in Maharashtra and loses the post of Chief Minister to him citing a breakdown in law and order.
Supremo A charismatic, self-made man, who rose from the Gangetic plains to rise to become a Cabinet Minister. Fluent in several languages, a scholar and a gentleman with a steely resolve.
Dipika Sharma Granddaughter of the first Prime Minister of India, quietly controlling the levers of power without assuming any responsibility.
Joginder Parshad An ex-Freedom Party member, bright, ambitious, and enthusiastic, from the most populous state of India, lost out to Maida but proved a point by contesting and winning his Lok Sabha seat as an independent.
The Bad guys
Dilawar Mustafa A bright kid forced into becoming a Don because of a mistaken identity, Dilawar enjoyed political protection in the form of Mama-ji, giving him carte blanche powers.
Matka Dada Local hoodlum of Mumbai, whose empire Dilawar steals with the help of Saroja, Matkas girlfriend.
The Good Guys
Karan Dixit Born leader, smart, shrewd, and articulate with a penchant for languages. Speaks Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, and many Indian languages fluently, accent and all. Leader of the mission and ace solver of the Rubiks cube.
Priya Menon A striking beauty, intelligent and quick witted. Proficient at handling weapons and can go head-to-head with men on just about any physical exercise. A wizard with computers.
Other
Steve Langer Tough as nails, an ex-Special Forces operative who is troubled by what he experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan, is also a gentle giant. Especially when he is around Preeti Ahuja.
Harshvardhan Agarwal - Swashbuckling entrepreneur, Media mogul, started Bharat Cricket League with commentaries in English and Hindi and used his channels exclusively to garner ratings despite Indias official Cricket Board putting obstacles in his way.
Manohar Munim 2M as he is called, born into a rich family and quick to learn the ropes of how things worked in India, he became the prime mover of the Indian Professional League.
Anmol Rane Mumbai based journalist, who starts an internecine gang warfare. Considered to be close to Madhav Mantri.
Dr. Arvind Rajan Rockys childhood friend and physician. For all the flamboyance and flair of his friend, he was the exact opposite solid, dependable, almost dull. A friendship that proves the adage that opposites attract.
Nikhil Shirke Owner of Blue Bulls Securities financial company in Mumbai. A man with a roving eye.
Chapter 1. Where it all began
The Miss World Pageant had promised the world for Preeti Ahuja. She had made it through the various stages of the contest and reached the final. It had been a tough battle, and winning the Miss Femina India contest, which enabled her to participate in the world event, was only the beginning. A lot of sweat, tears, and hard work watching what to eat and drink, sticking to a rigorous regimen of workouts, and brushing up on her general knowledge had gone into the exercise. Preeti now understood that behind the glamour and public adulation lay years of sacrifice. She had that dazzling smile which won hearts; that perfect body whose every contour had been sensuously accentuated in the tight dress she wore; that measured gait which would be the envy of a nubile deer; and, she had given the most politically correct answers to questions the jury had posed. For instance, when she was asked the tricky question as to how she viewed the Rohingya refugee problem, Preeti had said that both humanitarian and security considerations had to be taken into account by the government before taking a decision.
