Chapter 18 : Sameer-Shristi version

ARORA MANSION

A heavy silence is shattered as TAWDE slams a newspaper front page onto the glass coffee table.

TAWDE Look at this. Just look at it! Sameer is back... his show is actually happening.

ARORA snatches the newspaper, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief. MEHTA leans over his shoulder, staring at the headline, dumbfounded.

Tawde rolls up his sleeves, a bitter, triumphant smirk twisting his face.

TAWDE(pointing a finger)You all slapped me. You called me mad. You even threatened to throw me out of my job!

PRADHAN steps forward, hands raised in a desperate bid to pacify him.

PRADHAN Tawde, calm down... let’s not stretch this—

TAWDE : (cutting him off, laughing bitterly) Hey, let it be, man! I’m just an alcoholic whose brain has rusted, right? That’s what you thought. Now look at that paper... see your own death sentence laughing right back at you.

A tense beat. Pradhan looks from the newspaper to Arora and Mehta, the weight of panic finally settling in.

PRADHAN : Look, if Tawde is speaking with this much conviction... we need to go and see this for ourselves.

MEHTA : (nodding anxiously)Come on, let’s go. Right now.

Arora snaps, turning a sharp, icy glare onto Mehta.

ARORA : Really, Mehta? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. If that man is actually Rohit, and he sees the three of you walking in together, we are dead in the water. We're a gone case.

Arora straightens his jacket, his expression hardening.

ARORA : I’m the only one he hasn't seen yet. I’ll go alone.

*

The crowd is screaming "Sameer...Sameer...Sameer"

*

The tension in the room is palpable.

SAMEER : Everyone knows what they have to do? Alright then, let’s do this right. Good luck.

The team nods grimly and disperses to their stations. Rishabh and Kabir turn to walk away, but Sameer calls them back.

Rohan remains standing in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on Sameer.

SAMEER : (To Rishabh and Kabir)Rishabh, we need to start operating the cameras immediately. And Kabir, you—

Sameer notices Rohan staring at him with a look of quiet dread. He stops mid-sentence, his expression softening. He walks over to Rohan.

SAMEER : What’s wrong, Rohan? Why are you looking at me like that?

ROHAN :( Voice cracking)Brother... I’ve already lost you once. I can’t lose you again.

Sameer steps closer, looking into Rohan’s eyes with absolute certainty.

SAMEER : You are not going to lose me again, Rohan. I promise you.

Sameer gently places a hand on Rohan’s cheek. Rohan mirrors the gesture, placing his hand on Sameer's face, anchoring themselves in the moment.

Nearby, Harry Uncle, Christine Auntie, Shristi, Rishabh, and Kabir pause. They watch the brothers in silence, deeply moved by the bond between them.

The quiet moment is broken by Harry Uncle's gentle, grounding voice.

HARRY UNCLE : Rohan. Come on, son. We need to get to the TV room.

Rohan takes a slow breath, nods, and lets his hand drop. He walks over to join Harry Uncle.

Shristi steps forward, taking Rohan's place in front of Sameer. She looks at him, her eyes filled with unspoken worry.

SHRISTI : Sameer... all the best. Please, take care of yourself.

Before Sameer can respond, a voice cuts through the room from the doorway. A woman stands there, looking urgent.

WOMAN : Hey, Shristi! Your father is waiting for you in the green room. We need to go now.

*

GREEN ROOM

Shristi rushes toward her father, her expression a mix of relief and urgency.

SHRISTI : Daddy!

ARORA(Eyes wide, pacing) : Shristi, where have you been? You’ve been missing for so long! Who have you been with? And tell me—is it true? They’re saying Sameer is back.

SHRISTI : (Shaking her head)No, Daddy. It’s not Sameer. It’s Sahil. Sahil Chopra.

ARORA : Sahil Chopra?

SHRISTI : His face is identical to Sameer’s. I met him in New Zealand. He’s helping us expose the people responsible for what happened to Sameer.

Arora stops dead, his face draining of color.

ARORA : The men who killed Sameer?

OUTSIDE STADIUM

The roar of the crowd swells, drowning out the tension inside.

CROWD(Chanting)Sameer! Sameer! Sameer!

TV MONITORING ROOM

Rohan is glued to the screens, his eyes scanning the crowd with surgical intensity. He is looking for the disguised culprits: Tawde, Pradhan, and Mehta.

GREEN ROOM

Back inside, a frantic assistant peeks into the room.

ASSISTANT : Shristi, the show is about to start!

Shristi grabs her father’s hand, pulling at his sleeve, her eyes pleading.

SHRISTI : Come on, Dad, come on!

ARORA : You go ahead, Shristi. I’ll be there in a minute.

Shristi hesitates, then rushes out. As the door clicks shut, Arora’s demeanor shifts. The concerned father vanishes, replaced by a calculating, panicked man. He pulls out his phone and dials a number.

MEHTA : (Voice distorted, voice on the other end)Hello?

ARORA : (Whispering harshly)Mehta, where are you?

MEHTA : I’m at the stadium.

ARORA : Have you lost your mind? I explicitly forbade you from coming here!

MEHTA : Don’t worry, Arora. Even you wouldn’t recognize me.

ARORA : Listen to me carefully. Shristi knows everything. But you don't do anything—it isn't Sameer. It’s his lookalike, Sahil Chopra. Do you understand? Stay away!