Mischievous Chicken Productions

The Audition

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Sushmita Kumar dreams of being a film star. Her mother, Sanchita, is extremely pushy and also wants her daughter to be famous, claiming “so she can do Baba’s work for him”. Sushmita’s Auntie Nina and father disapprove of this attitude recommending a life of simplicity and obedience. But when an advert appears in the newspaper, asking for actors, singers and dancers to audition at Bombay Studios, Sanchita writes to Baba on behalf of her daughter asking him to ‘turn the key’.

Why would Baba help me?
Is he going to make you rich and famous?
Why has he abandoned me?

Mehrgaon in the 1960s

Mehrgaon is a fictitious village in Maharashtra, more or less equidistant between Bombay and Ahmednagar. It is populated by some colourful characters who are up to their own sorts of harmless mischief. But despite the village’s name, there is only one family of Baba lovers. And while some in the community are curious about the guru followed by the Kumar family, little is known about him.

The Kumar Family

Sushmita

Sushmita is a humble girl who has a secret desire to be a film star. She struggles for confidence, but loves acting and dancing. She also has a nice voice, though not as nice as her mother thinks. Sushmita loves Baba, but she is torn between following his wishes and her worldly quest for success, as she is easily swayed by the different personalities in her family.

Veena

Veena would never admit it, but she is secretly envious of her elder sister Sushmita. She sits on the sidelines pretending not to care, but she’s always watching, ready with a sarcastic remark and more than happy when things go wrong for her sister. And unlike her sister, she is more of an independent personality and does not always toe the line.

Sanchita

Sanchita Kumar is the archetypal pushy mother. Not only does she know what’s best for her daughter, but also for the rest of her family, neighbours and anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity. And she is more than happy to share her good advice with Baba by letter, regardless of the fact that all correspondence is forbidden during Baba’s seclusion.

Auntie Nina

Sushmita’s Auntie Nina (Vijay’s brother) is a model of calm amidst the storm of Sanchita’s crazy schemes. Implicitly obedient and devoted, she urges Sushmita not to get carried away by dreams of fame and fortune and to want what Baba wants. Her greatest desire is to meet Baba in this lifetime.

Vijay

Despite being married to Sanchita, Vijay sides much more with his sister Nina and encourages his daughter to be more restrained in her pursuit of success, rather than trying to force Baba’s hand. As a husband and father he is a calm presence but has a tendency to procrastinate leaving many of his household tasks unfinished.

Indu and Chanda (Servants)

Indu has only recently started working for the family and is desperate to be of service, but she does so with an enthusiasm bordering on the intrusive. Always eager to please she does not know when or how to hold back.

On the other hand her mother, Chanda, is desperate to avoid any work whatsoever. And when work cannot be avoided she deliberately does it so badly that they ask her to stop.

Nilesh and Raju

Nilesh is the local postman who does not respect the borders of privacy – or envelopes. The Post Office employs him to be a messenger, and in his eyes to be a good messenger he needs to be directly involved in the chain of information. As a hard-working and conscientious member of this chain of information, he is obviously required to read people’s letters before he sends or delivers them. He is very proud of the service he provides and feels compelled to delve even deeper into the mysterious identity of this ‘Baba guru’ with whom the Kumar family corresponds.

Raju is a local chaiwalla and friend of Nilesh. He has an innocently warped view of reality, naively believing himself to be much more of an important figure in the community of Mehrgaon than he really is.

Arjun and Balu

Arjun and Balu are two friends of Nilesh and Raju who regularly hang out at the chai stall. Arjun fancies himself as a bit of an entrepreneur and is always turning his hand to new business opportunities, while Balu tags along innocently. They are curious to know why Nilesh and Raju take such an interest in the Kumar house.

Mrs Kapoor and Mrs Sharma

Mrs Kapoor (left) and Mrs Sharma (right) are two neighbours of the Kumar family. While Mrs Sharma is a relatively mild personality, Mrs Kapoor has a very superior attitude and her comments are often acerbic. Her relationship with Sanchita Kumar is extremely competitive as they are always looking to outdo each other.

Casting Directors

The two Casting Directors live in a completely different world from Mehrgaon. Their world is that of movies and celebrity in 1960s Bombay, not that of Mehrgaon village life.