Little steps to Fame

He mopped his brow and reclined on his customized Lazyboy. A set hand brought him a tall glass of his favorite pick-me-up drink. Suzie, the prosthetic artist was fussing over the makeup which made him look like an out-of-this-world character that he was supposed to be playing in this multi-starrer Hollywood fantasy.

These Hollywood guys sure were professional, he thought to himself. Sipping his drink, he sat absolutely still to allow Suzie to do her work, which would take the better part of an hour, sometimes more, just for a touch-up between scenes. He allowed his mind to wander.

Back home, Bollywood had seen him in several comic sidekick roles. He'd landed his first big role in a mainstream movie playing the protagonist's best friend when one off-beat filmmaker decided to cast new faces in his movie. The film turned out to be a big hit and he never looked back. Roles of every kind landed at his doorstep but eventually he came to be known for the his sinister and villainous roles. He wondered dispassionately if he was really good at playing the meanie or his unusual countenance aided those menacing characters he portrayed.

Looking back further, he acceded that the little accident in the traveling circus did have a fortuitous outcome after all. When he fell off the trapeze and landed on his back, the audience and even his friends had burst out laughing. He was in a world of pain and barely managed to crawl backstage without any help. As he sat, wincing at the sharp pain shooting every time he moved his body to divest himself of the multicolored costume, he gazed at his pathetic frame in the mirror. Something inside him just cracked. He had to get away from this world and create a new one for himself. One where people would look up to him. 

He'd definitely done it, hadn't he? He sighed contentedly as he reveled in the foot massage, a service the producer had graciously arranged for his special star from India. He wasn't a little nobody now. He had avenged himself and his name.
His mother had named him, the eight child, after the then smallest currency in India when she noticed how tiny he was. Pie was unsure if she ever loved him but he was sure she would be smiling from above at her little midget son, smallest at barely 4' he was definitely not redundant like his namesake. Life had been good to Pie.

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 Image source: Flikr Vancouver Film School

Pie:  A pie (abbreviated as Ps) was a unit of currency in India, Burma and Pakistan until 1947. It was the smallest currency unit, equal to 1/3 of a paisa, 1/12 of an anna or 1/192 of a rupee. During the mid-nineteenth century, one pie was worth 12 cowry.
Minting of the pie ended in 1942, though it remained in circulation for a further five years. The pie was demonetised in 1947 as it had become practically worthless due to inflation.
Source: Wikipedia 

Linking this post to the BAR-A-THON edition 2 at Blog-A-Rhythm

I am writing on today's prompt which is: Life of Pie

 

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