Like thousands of other young boys in India, Sahil had also come to Mumbai to become a hero. Like all of them, he also had a big dream. The dream of becoming Shah Rukh Khan one day.
Sahil was born and brought up in the small town of Phulera in Rajasthan. From the time he remembers, everyone who used to visit his place used to tell his parents, "Aapka beta itna sundar hai. Ye zarur bada hokar hero banega." So, from the time Sahil can remember, all he wanted to become, was a hero. Every time someone asked him, "Beta, aap bade hokar kya banoge?". He used to say, “Main bada hokar Shah Rukh Khan banunga.”
The only child to his parents, Sahil lived a luxurious life in Phulera. His father worked in the Indian Railways and had managed to build a small house for them with his decent Government salary. Being the only child, Sahil was treated like a prince by his parents. His father had bought him a bike on loan, so that he could attend his college in Jaipur without having to travel by train.
On completing his graduation, Sahil told his parents that he now wants to go to Mumbai to become a hero. His parents were taken aback. They didn't know that the Sahil would take his childhood dream seriously enough to pursue a career out of it. His parents flatly refused. But he didn't give up. He pleaded, he begged, but they didn't agree. So, he stopped talking to them, stopped eating and even stopped drinking water. And one day, he had to be hospitalized.
Finally, his mother gave up and convinced his father to permit him to go to Mumbai. Though his father let him go, but he voiced his disagreement even while saying his goodbyes.
Finally, Sahil was here, in the city of dreams – Mumbai. His mother's second cousin worked as a light-man in one of the studios in Mumbai. He had invited Sahil to stay with him and had also arranged a meeting for him with one of the producers.
Next day Sahil wore his best clothes for the meeting – a replica of one of the shirts that Shah Rukh had worn in DDLJ, which he had especially purchased from Delhi. He was undoubtedly a good looking boy, but so were a hundreds of others who came to Mumbai everyday to become a hero.
The producer's name was Bhatia. And like every other name in Bollywood, even his was suffixed with a ‘ji’. So, he was Bhatiaji.
Bhatiaji took one look at Sahil and told his uncle, “Bhai aapka bhaanja dikhta toh bada achcha hai. Ye toh badi aasaani se hero ban jayega. Ek kaam karo, ise aath baje mere ghar bhej do. Ek script ready hai, suna denge. Pasand aa gayi toh picture bhi shuru kar denge.”
Sahil's uncle thanked Bhatiaji and touched his feet in gratitude. He asked Sahil to do the same and Sahil obliged.
Sahil was overjoyed. He had not expected it to be this easy. He got out of the studio and called his mother and friends to tell them the good news.
He got ready at 6 that evening and took a taxi to Bhatiaji’s place. Bhatiaji started talking to Sahil about how big a hero he’ll make of him one day. As time passed, Sahil started to grow a little uncomfortable with Bhatiaji’s physical proximity to him. And the moment he realized what Bhatiaji was upto, he ran out of there.
Next day Sahil's uncle came back from the studio and shouted at Sahil for misbehaving with Bhatiaji. “Itne achche aadmi se teri pehchaan karwayi aur unhone picture ke liye thode paise kum dene ki baat ki toh tu waha se uthkar chala aaya. Arre, log toh pehli picture ke paise tak nahi lete. Kitni mushkil se tere bare mein baat kit hi aur tu unki bezzati karke aa gaya.”
“Mamaji aisi baat nahi hai. Darasal unhone......”
“Abhi chal aur maafi maang unse.”
Sahil refused to apologize. His uncle was hurt and angry with his behavior and asked him to make his own arrangements. Sahil left.
Sahil was now one and a half years old in Mumbai. He was out of money and out of work. He did odd jobs for his survival but never asked his father for any money. Every time his mother and friends asked him that when was his movie going to release, he used to reply saying that the project being very big, it is going to take considerable time. He was frustrated of not having any work or money, disgusted of living in a dingy chawl, sick of the bad roadside food he had to eat everyday, of falling ill every now and then, of running all over the town in the locals for auditions, of answering his family and his friends. He was tiered of struggling.
On several occasions he thought of going back to Phulera. But the sheer thought of being looked at as a failure held him back to this city.
Everywhere he went, the people either refused to give him a role or asked him to compromise.
One day Sahil told himself that enough is enough. If sleeping with a producer just once could get him the break he wanted and solve all his problems, then he would do it. After all, how bad could it be? Doing it just once. He wouldn't even remember this incident a few months down the line.
Finally, he made up his mind and called the secretary of the last producer he had met and said that he is willing to come for the meeting.
He reached the producer’s flat at 10 that night and left at 4 in the morning. That’s what the producer's servant said when police came to enquire about Sahil.
His mother and his friends called him several times after that night but every time his phone was switched off. That’s when his parents came to Mumbai to lodge a complaint for their missing son. Even after months of extensive search and identifying hundreds of bodies, neither Sahil, nor his body was not found.
Mumbai lost another Shah Rukh Khan amidst the bright lights lit in its dark nights.