A Prank and Changed Archetype

Riya sat at the table in the restaurant, waiting for somebody to take notice of the blood-stained knife lying on her table, but unfortunately, nobody came. Riya looked ravishing. Her streaked pixie haircut and a cocktail ring gave her an edgy look. She looked at the hidden cameras placed to record the scene. Riya was enacting a role in the web series “The Joy of Pranks”. She was sitting there to record the response of a stranger to the blood-stained knife placed beside her.

Soon, her producer alerted her about a young man entering the restaurant. The man came, she took hold of his hand and shouted that she had killed her boyfriend with the knife lying on the table. The young boy screamed in panic. The people sitting on far-off tables came running; they were part of the crew, and the young boy was made to understand that it was part of a shoot, just a prank. All the team members laughed and clapped. The victim wiped his sweat, and tried to smile at the hidden camera, putting up a brave front. Riya touched her make-up and settled again, waiting for her next victim. Soon, an elderly woman walked in, and Riya repeated the act. Unit members acting as customers gathered around. The old woman almost fainted with fear, but soon she was revived and pacified “Cool! It was just a prank,” controlling her fright, the woman frowned a bit and walked away. Riya was happy that she could finish another episode of her successful show.

Riya’s show had completed a successful season on Netflix. Riya was the only child of her parents and had joined this glamorous career against the wishes of her parents, who wanted her to pursue higher studies and be of some use to society. But with a friend’s help, she got some modelling assignments and won the protagonist’s role in the show, which won her much acclaim. By industry’s standards, her growth was enviable, and today, there was a celebration in The Taj and an announcement for the next season of the show. She reached the venue and became busy discussing the amazing response and the new twists to be added to the show to make it more engrossing and exciting. Riya thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and appreciation showered on her by the producer.

The media wanted an interaction, and she went to the washroom to touch up her hair and makeup. As she walked the long corridor leading to the restroom, she was attacked by a dishevelled man with a knife in his hands. He accused her of playing a prank with him, accusing him of molestation in a busy marketplace, later calling it a prank. It spoilt his life!

Riya pleaded that she was only an actor, but he told her that being an actor, she has a huge responsibility towards society to be a role model. Riya recalled the words of her parents, sought forgiveness from the boy, and walked with the changed archetype.

Dr. Ritu Kamra Kumar