A Burning

Lovely grows impatient with Mr. Jhunjhunwala after a few weeks of not hearing from him. She calls to ask if there is any progress on her casting, but she interrupts his meeting and annoys him. Mr. Debnath explains that it takes many months, even a whole year, to cast for large films. Already discouraged, Lovely then finds herself alone with her thoughts during a power outage. She cries for Jivan and wonders why Azad has not visited her recently. Lovely reflects on the enormity of the world and how unfair it can be. When the power comes back on and she can charge her phone, Lovely sends a mass message with a video of her acting in Mr. Debnath’s class, still holding on to hope for her future.

The next day Lovely visits a popular tourist site to beg for money in exchange for blessings from a hijra. She runs into Mr. Jhunjhunwala, who excitedly tells her that he saw her testimony at Jivan’s trial, her demo reel, and her video from Mr. Debnath’s class. He says her hijra sisters must have widely shared the video because it’s all over WhatsApp. He has a job for her—a music video producer has specifically requested her.