series: The Audition

“Wow,” gushed Raghav, his eyes wide in disbelief. “What a mind-blowing performance, Archana. Hard to believe you are a newbie. You nailed it like a pro, that too at the very first try itself.”

Vamsi nodded in agreement, adding “I must admit I was skeptical about how you would respond to Zakir’s navel-teasing moves. They happen to be very instrumental part of Raghav sir’s movies. But the way you adapted to the moves, especially with the ones with Zakir touching your navel with the sword, was so mesmerizing to watch. And got to say you have a real show-stopper of a navel, Archana. Use it well and it’s going to take you places you never even imagined.”  

Archana blushed, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red as she averted her eyes from everyone in the room. I could sense her discomfort, knowing how shy she was. She wasn’t ignorant of the allure her navel carried as she knew too well how attracted I was to her navel and the big part it played in our love life. But she probably never imagined having to get it exploited in this manner. She was still struggling to process the things that just happened because it was wildly out of character for her. And now, to hear Raghav and Vamsi openly praising her for it and even complimenting the beauty of her navel, was making her even more uneasy. 

“Anyways we got no time to waste. Shall we get on the next round?” Raghav asks.

“Huh? Umm yes sir.” Archana says after a moment of hesitation, looking anything but ready. 

“Hmm so Archana, as an actor, you need to maintain the intensity of your emotions during some of the more intense scenes in real-time shooting. It can be a challenge to keep switching in and out of that particular emotional state repeatedly across several shots. So, to make it easier for you, we prefer to shoot such scenes in a single shot rather than several. This way, we can give you instructions as you carry on performing, without breaking the flow of the scene. This next and final round we will do it like that. I will tell you the scene you have to start off with and then will give you further instructions on how you proceed as you play along. Understood?”

Archana nods nervously not knowing where he was going with this. 

Raghav continued “So, this next round is going to be a key scene from the movie itself. This will give us a better idea of how you will fit into the role you are supposed to play. The character you are playing Indu just got married to the hero Surya, who will be played by Zakir for this audition. In this scene, Indu is entering the bedroom with a glass of milk for their first night. Surya stands up as she approaches, takes the glass of milk off her hands and just as he raises his hands to touch her cheeks, Indu steps back looking at him with a shy smile. Surya advances on her again and Indu keeps walking back until her back hits the wall. Surya then traps her in place keeping his hands on both sides of her against the wall and slowly proceeds to kiss her neck and cheek. And his hands will wander down to her waist and squeeze it. This is gist of the scene. Feel free to tweak and improve anyway you see fit. ”

Archana’s eyes widen with surprise and a hint of nervousness as she listens to the instructions. I could sense the tension in the room as Zakir and Archana exchange a charged glance. Raghav senses the tension in the air and speaks up, “Remember, this is just acting. We need to create a believable scene, but it’s not real. You both are professionals, and I trust that you will be able to perform this scene without any issues.”

Archana nods, trying to push aside her nerves and focus on the task at hand. I watch as they prepare for the scene, and my heart races with anticipation and jealousy, unsure of what to expect.

“Allright take positions then. When I say action, start performing.”

Archana nods and starts taking deep breaths to calm herself. Then she takes an empty cup that had been laying on the props table and takes position on the other end of the room, facing us. As she stands there, I can see the rise and fall of her chest with each deep breath she takes, and the way her hair falls over her shoulders, framing her delicate face. Her eyes were closed as she focused on her breathing, and I can see the tension slowly starting to dissipate from her body. 

“Allright then.  Ready? Action !!” Raghav yells.

Again just as earlier Archana’s whole demeanor changes in a second. All the indecision and uncertainty vanishes from her face and gets replaced by a coy and seductive aura as she starts walking towards Zakir with her head held down shyly. I have to admit she was pretty good at this. The ways she was able to slip in and out of character in a moment’s notice was amazing.

As I watched, Zakir took the glass from my wife’s hand and pretended to take a sip from it, all while keeping his eyes locked on Archana’s form. I could feel my jealousy rising as I saw the way he looked at her, his gaze burning with an intense desire. 

He brought the glass to her lips, and she obliged by taking a sip, her eyes still shyly avoiding his intense gaze. But as he set the glass aside, his entire demeanor changed, and I knew things were about to get heated. He stepped closer to her, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek, but before he could make contact, Archana stepped back, a shy smile on her face.  Zakir gives her a naughty predatory grin and move to grab her again with both his hands.

But Archana ducks out of the way with a squeal of delight and runs towards the wall where I am sitting. As she reaches the wall, she stands against it with her hands resting on it, briefly looking sideways and meeting my eyes, her eyes glinting with excitement. She really seemed to be reveling in the attention from Zakir, and I couldn’t tell whether it was all just acting at this point.

Zakir reaches her quickly, grabbing her shoulders and turning her back around to face him. The scene was unfolding just a few steps away from me, and I could feel the intensity of the moment building up. My heart was pounding hard in my chest as I watched Zakir’s every move. His face was too close to hers, as he slowly brought a hand up and moved some of her hair from her shoulders, clearing that portion. And in the next second he leaned into the nape of her neck and began kissing away at her neck and shoulders.

I watched with a mixture of fascination and jealousy as Archana’ s eyes fluttered close as she gave into the pleasure and tilted her head back letting the sensations wash over her.  I strained to see what he was doing, but his head was obscured by her neck. But judging by the way Archana was whimpering and moaning, I knew Zakir was attacking her neck with deep kisses, or worse, sucking and licking on it. 

My spine chilled as I watched Zakir’s big dark hand begin to slide down her side to come and rest on her bare hip in stark contrast against her fair skin. From my vantage point, I had a direct view of the exposed part of her hip, making it impossible for me to look away. As I watched his big palms squeezed into her waist, grabbing a handful of delicate flesh, making her jump  – in pain or arousal? I couldn’t tell.

Raghav’s voice broke through my trance, interrupting the steamy scene unfolding before my eyes. “Very good, very good,” he praised, “but don’t stop. Keep going with the flow. Switch to her other neck and continue kissing.”

I let out a silent scream in my mind, begging for it to be over as I watched Zakir continue to kiss down to Archana’s chest and over to her other shoulder. His hands never stopped their caressing and squeezing of her tantalizing hip, and I could feel my jealousy consuming me whole.

“Very good. Now Zakir, slowly go down on your knees while continuing to kiss her, move the pallu of her saree to the side and kiss her belly.”

NOOOOOOOOOO!!! PLEASEEEE… a part of me mentally screamed as my jealousy and possessiveness boiled to nuclear levels. But oddly there was another part of me that was really relishing in the high of a strange feeling of arousal. And that part of me was thrilled in anticipation of what was about to come. 

The instructions seemed to surprise Archana as well, because even in the aroused state she was in, her eyes had opened up wide on hearing that and she was now looking at Raghav in utter disbelief. But even as she looked, Zakir had already started kissing down her body and was on his knees. Without missing a beat, he moved aside her little pallu, and pressed his lips into her sensitive belly. 

Archana gasped out loud –  throwing her head back as pleasure overtook her senses. Zakir continued kissing all over her belly in rapid succession, small butterfly kisses. Her eyes flickered open briefly and looked over at me, her gaze a mixture of helplessness and apology.  She knew it would be killing me inside having to watch her belly – my favorite and one of the most sensitive parts of her body being devoured by another man. I didn’t know what to think. Her belly was one of the parts of her body she considered very intimate. A sentiment I shared alongside her.  And I knew too well how sensitive she was in the area and what it did to her when she was stimulated there -which made having to watch all this even more terrible as well as erotic.  

I was torn between wanting to keep looking at her face and looking at her belly which was being devoured by Zakir like a wild animal.  By no conscious decision my eyes decided it was more interested in what was going at her midsection than her face. And I was met with the excruciatingly erotic sight of Zakir’s lips pressing deep suckling kisses on the area around her navel, juicing out her belly for everything it’s worth. It was one of the most erotic things I have ever witnessed in my life. Are such intense love scenes even allowed in regular movies? I wondered. His kisses were getting too close to her navel now.

God !! this is too much to watch, yet impossible to look away from.  Zakir’s lips were hovering over her navel now, blowing air right into the mysterious depths of her inviting navel making her belly tremble alluringly. Next second, his lips was over her navel, in a deep searing kiss. Something inside me snapped, exploded and felt violated seeing that. 

Archana whimpered as she felt that kiss on her precious navel, making her quiver with reluctant pleasure. My own arousal was churning like hot lava watching this intimate moment between them. But at the same time, my jealousy and possessiveness were also growing to suffocating levels, making it hard for me to continue watching.  I wanted to look away, to run out of the room and escape having to witness this, but I was frozen in place, unable to move or tear my eyes away. 

Archana’s belly was tensed tight in anticipation as she sensed what was coming next. And as if on cue Zakir’s tongue darted out and began drawing slow deliberate circles around her navel.  Archana whimpered audibly as she felt that wet appendage slithering around the skin of her gasping navel, driving her absolutely crazy. And what surprised me even more was the size of his tongue. It was large, powerful and long. 

And as I watched he drew his final torturingly slow circle along the very rim of her navel before slowly starting to enter into her navel, painting the walls of her navel with his saliva in the same circular motion. Gasping and whimpering she opened her eyes and locked her eyes with me again as though apologizing for what is happening. And then suddenly her whole torso writhed up in an almighty gasp, and a loud erotic moan escaped from the back of her throat. And I knew what must have happened. Only one thing could have made her react like this and that was a direct touch on her ultra-sensitive navel knot. It has been a source of intense pleasure for her as long as I had known her. So sensitive that each touch sent electric shocks of ecstasy coursing through her body, which is the reason why she reacted so intensely to the whole sword poke sequence earlier. 

His tongue must have succeeded in penetrating her deliciously deep navel all the way to the bottom and touched her ultra-sensitive navel knot to draw that kind of reaction from her. A feat I myself was never able to properly accomplish due to the extraordinary depth of her navel and my own small adequate tongue which was never able to get past halfway of her navel. Her hands suddenly shot up and gripped hard into Zakir’s hair. For a moment I thought she was finally going to pull his head off her belly. But to my surprise she pulled his head in even deeper into her belly, goading him to keep going. She was experiencing something she has never experienced in her entire life. The feeling of a powerful tongue stroking and caressing her navel knot. 

And now that she got a taste of the erotic sensation, she wanted more, way way more And Zakir gladly obliged, by thrusting his tongue even deeper into her navel, attacking her navel knot with powerful strokes over and over sending a tsunami of pleasure crashing over her senses, utterly and completely overwhelming her. The room rang with the sounds of her moans and the wet slurping sounds of his tongue. 

The intensity of the scene was so palpable that I had lost myself in the moment, forgetting everything around me, including the fact that I was watching my wife being pleasured by another man. But suddenly, I was brought back to reality as Raghav’s voice rang out from nowhere, calling out, “CUTT!!”

My heart leapt into my throat as I was jerked back to reality. The scene was over. Zakir and Archana were no longer lost in their passionate moment. Archana stood there, panting, still reeling and shaking from the intensity of her orgasm. And Zakir was looking up at her from his kneeling position panting. Suddenly Archana’s eyes opened wide as though she had just completely come back to her senses and she looked at me, this time with a mix of guilt and embarrassment in her eyes. And I just looked back blankly.  I barely heard the compliments Raghav and Vamsi were showering upon her as they clapped and cheered. 

My mind has shut down by now, unable to process the myriad of conflicting emotions coursing through me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel, or what I was feeling. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react. I felt lost and broken. And I did the only thing I could think of doing at the moment. I stood up silently and left room without uttering a word, without meeting anybody’s eyes.

Shortly after Archana gives her consent, Raghav says her getup needs to be adjusted a bit before they can start with the audition rounds. He asks Rosita to take her to a side room and get her ready quickly. I watch uneasily as Archana, looking bewildered, follows Rosita into a small adjacent room and locks the door behind them. After a few minutes, I began to overhear hushed sounds of arguments trickling out of the room. I strain to listen, but couldn’t make out much of what they were bickering about, but it did sound like Archana was putting up resistance towards whatever Rosita was persuading her to do. 

After a few minutes, the door finally slides open and Archana stumbles out like she was being pushed forward by someone from the back. She straightens back up blushing furiously and looks for a moment like she was about to run back inside. And I immediately notice why. Though she was still in the same attire she came in, she looked different – very different.

Her long hair has been let loose behind her, making her face look more sensual. Her facial features have been highlighted with makeup now.  But what made the most difference was the rest of her. The pallu of her peacock blue chiffon saree which was folded in generous wide pleats when she came in has been re-folded into much narrower pleats which now only served to cover a fraction of her torso. And her saree waistline which has been at least at level with her navel when she came in has been pulled down almost 5-6 inches below her navel. Feeling exposed and vulnerable in front of these unfamiliar men she quickly scrambled to conceal as much of her belly as she could with that inadequate pallu and clasped her hands together in front of her stomach to shield it from any inappropriate gazes. But judging by the open mouths and saucer-like eyes of the three men, I was pretty sure they got an eyeful before she managed to conceal herself.

And to be honest, I couldn’t really blame them for staring as I found myself doing the same. With milky skin, captivating brown eyes, a perfect nose and rosy cheeks, she was an effortlessly beautiful woman as it is. Now with the added sensuality of the provocative way she was wearing her saree, she looked downright irresistible.

Yet, her most striking feature was something that was not always in plain sight. It was something she kept very private to herself. Something as her husband only I was privy to viewing and enjoying. I may probably sound a bit biased when I say this, but my wife has hands down the most gorgeous and sensual belly in the whole world. The claim might sound a bit outlandish when said like that but if even freaking Raghavendra Rao who has worked with the best navel beauties in the entire Indian film industry through the generations was looking as entranced as he was right now after having caught just a glimpse of her navel, you know I am not that far off from the truth. Her deep round navel was like a hypnotic vortex that drew all attention toward it. One glance was enough to make the pulse of any testosterone-driven man race with desire.

With Rosita’s gentle touch on the small of her back, I watched as Archana made her way to the front of the room, her face flushed and eyes cast downwards, unwilling to meet anyone’s gaze.  I couldn’t help but empathize with the uncomfortable position she was in. She wasn’t accustomed to dressing in such a manner for anyone other than me, yet here she was, on display for the visual pleasure of four strangers.

“Wow Sir. We may as well sign her right away. We are not going to find anybody better than her. She is perfect.” exclaims Vamsi – the cameraman, looking at her in awe.  

Raghav sniggers and says “Perhaps. But we still have to record her audition to show our producers so that we can convince them that she is really worth the money we offered her.”

Damn, that was clever.  They were subtly suggesting that while they like her enough already to be offered a contract, she still needs to perform well in this audition in order to secure the promised 40 lakhs.

Archana forces an awkward smile, but I can tell she’s starting to steel herself. “I’ll do my best, sir,” she says.

“Awesome!” Raghav says, leaning forward. “ So, Archana, listen. Since we have already seen you perform dialogues in the previous audition, we won’t be testing that again. With the dialogue-based rounds omitted, we are left just left with dance rounds and a few scenes from the movie script itself. These tests will further confirm whether you have what it takes to perform this role.”

Archana nods seriously. “Got it, sir”

“Great, let’s get started.” Raghav turns to Zakir, who’s been staring at my wife like she’s his next meal. “Zakir, are you ready?”

“Oh yeah,” Zakir drawls, standing up and stretching his arms and legs. He saunters over to Archana, standing way too close to her for my comfort. He looks down at her with a smirk. “I’m always ready, baby. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Archana squirms, clearly uncomfortable with his advances, and I feel a surge of jealousy as I watch him hit on my wife right in front of me.

“As we mentioned earlier, Zakir here is a model and junior artist. He will be playing your male counterpart in the audition. ” Raghav explains.

Archana nods, giving Zakir a tentative smile, and throws a quick worried glance in my direction to gauge my reaction. I quickly force a smile to reassure her and she relaxes, turning her attention back to the front. Though it was just a momentary glance we communicated volumes with it.

Raghav began, “So Archana, I know you’re an accomplished classical dancer. But what we need to see today is how well you can perform as a cinematic dancer. So for this round, we will randomly play you parts of some popular songs. You will have to try and capture the mood and rhythm of the song and dance accordingly while synchronizing with Zakir, who will be your dance partner. “

Archana fidgets and throws a momentary glance at Zakir before looking at Raghav again and nodding. I can sense the apprehension in Archana’s eyes, and I can’t blame her. This is her first audition in front of strangers, and she’s a classical dancer who’s used to more traditional performances.

Raghav continues.  “If you look behind you there is a table laden with a variety of props. Feel free to use any of those.“

I look behind them along with Archana and see the table he was talking about. It was mostly filled with food items like fruits and some other random stuff. Of course.. I slap my forehead. I initially assumed they were there for refreshments. I should have known better. Archana of course looks puzzled, probably wondering how on world she can incorporate them into her performance but remains silent. 

Raghav continues “Now, I won’t be giving you any specific, step-by-step directions for any of the rounds. I want to see for myself what your strengths and capabilities are, and having the freedom to spontaneously adapt will allow you to showcase your skills in the best way possible.”

Archana nods. “Understood sir.”

“Alright then, get ready. I’m about to start playing the music,” Raghav says.

Archana closes her eyes and takes deep, steady breaths. It’s something she always does to calm her nerves and center herself before a performance. Vamsi turns on his camera, and with a press of a button, Raghav starts playing the song.

I recognize the song as soon as I hear its opening music. It was a song called “Manohari” from the popular telugu movie Baahubali. The moment it started, Archana’s whole demeanor changes. She seemed to transform into a whole new person, one filled with grace and poise. With a fluid motion, she lifts her arms up above her head, finally letting the entire expanse of her creamy midriff and alluring navel be seen openly by everyone in the room, and the eyes of the three men immediately get glued to her midriff as though they have been waiting for that very moment. She starts moving with effortless grace, her body responding to the rhythm of the music in perfect sync. She twirled and swayed, her hips gyrating with a sensuality that left no doubt that she was in complete control of her body. Her peacock blue saree flowed around her like a second skin, clinging to her curves in all the right places and accentuating the allure of her exposed midriff and navel.

I found myself getting lost in the sheer sensuality of Archana’s movements. With each step she took, every touch she made, my desire for her grew stronger. It was as if she was bewitching us all with her seductive dance, and I couldn’t help but feel myself being drawn in deeper and deeper. As she walked towards Zakir, his spellbound expression mirrored my own, and my pulse raced with anticipation as she danced around him, touching his chest and brushing his arm with seductive grace. 

Suddenly Zakir’s hand comes up, and gently traces the curve of her right cheek with the back of his fingers, while lipsyncing to the male voice in the song, “Manoohari…” My wife looks momentarily surprised, but quickly recovers, meeting his touch with a shy smile and a graceful acceptance of the moment. The chemistry between them was palpable, and the room seems to heat up even more as they exchange a charged glance. When Zakir’s fingers started tracing down her neck, she gracefully turned her back to him and stands with her hands crossed above her head in mudras, cocking her hips seductively to one side, making her love handles jut out temptingly. Zakir continued tracing with the back of his fingers, this time along the sides of her raised arms and down her armpits right up to the titillating skin of her tantalizing love handles, and gives it a flick with a couple of his fingers. I watch as Archana gasps sensually at the flick and retracts her hips, her movements keeping in perfect rhythm with the music.

Deep inside I knew it was all an act, but still, it did nothing to minimize the jealousy and possessiveness that was bubbling inside me. I wasn’t sure if it was because Zakir was starting to get touchy, but Archana begins to slightly move away from him while dancing, keeping out of his hand’s reach. Zakir doesn’t bother to follow. Instead, he sashays over to the props table and takes an apple from the fruit basket. He brings it near his mouth, kisses it, takes aim at Archana’s belly, and throws it. It finds its mark right beside her navel, making her belly wobble deliciously. Archana who wasn’t expecting that shrinks her belly as the apple makes contact and gasps out audibly. It only takes her seconds to realize what happened and she immediately adapts her expression to sell it off like she was in pleasure. I find myself getting oddly aroused seeing my wife’s belly getting teased like that. 

As she continues to dance I notice that she was now not only trying to maintain a distance but also keeping her back turned towards Zakir – probably a subtle attempt to protect her belly from further fruit projectiles from him. Zakir probably realizing this smirks and begin to slowly sneak up behind her. And suddenly bends over and presses his cheek against Archana’s hips just as she was finishing a step that cocked her hips to that side. Archana gasps in surprise as she feels her bare waist brushing against Zakir’s stubby cheeks, but this time instead of pulling away she just smiles shyly and lets his cheek linger against her skin. I clench my fists tightly, reminding myself over and over that it is just a performance and nothing more. 

Suddenly the song changes and Archana takes the opportunity to break her pose and scoots away from Zakir again while making it seem like it was all part of her dance performance. But I knew her well enough to know that she was doing her best to keep her body contact with Zakir minimal without making it obvious.  Zakir again saunters over to the props table. Seeing him heading towards it again Archana turns her back towards him probably thinking he may start throwing fruits at her again and she didn’t want to give him the chance.  The dance was almost starting to seem like a sensual cat and mouse game now. 

However, something about the song that was playing now nags at my mind. The tune of the song felt oddly familiar. But I wasn’t able to place it as the song was playing from somewhere in the middle instead of the start. It was then I saw Zakir picking up a new prop from the table. One that I didn’t notice lying there before. It was a long curved steel sword. And suddenly it clicks in my mind which song it was. It was the telugu version of the popular tamil song from the nineties called Ottakathe Kattiko. Along with the recognition came the realization of what Zakir was going to do next. 

Nooooo ! He wouldn’t dare ! Would he? 

Archana continues to dance unaware of what is coming, but I watch closely as Zakir begins to spin the sword around gracefully, slashing it through the air in a silver arc and rolling as he took steps to come forward until he was standing a little to the side of Archana. Archana looks momentarily taken aback seeing him dance with a sword in his hand. But probably assuming it is safe to turn toward him now, she slowly does so and freezes to the spot as Zakir does the unthinkable. He slashes the sword through the air and brings it down towards her, inserting its sharp tip right into the dead center of her deep navel. Archana’s whole torso heaves up in an almighty gasp as she feels that intimate touch on her alluring navel. 

My mind explodes seeing my wife’s precious navel, the centerpiece of her feminine sensuality being teased at a sword tip by another man. I knew too well how sensitive and intimate her navel was for her and understood the turmoil she must be going through now – trying to keep the unwelcome pang of pleasure she must be feeling at bay. She let the sensation wash over her for a moment before stepping away with her eyes still closed and turning away, taking a few precious seconds to gather herself before continuing to dance with her back turned to Zakir. 

But Zakir was relentless and doesn’t allow her the gap she needed to gather herself. He raises the sword towards her again and runs it along the skin of her exposed back making her quiver. He pauses the blade against the back strings of her blouse, subtly goading her to turn back and face him again. Archana looks down as though resigned to her fate and slowly turns back around to face Zakir again, her expression a mix of shyness and defiance. Zakir presses the sword tip under her chin and slowly begins to run it down her skin, over the gentle rise of her bosom, and all the way down to her belly, and pauses near her navel. Archana’s defiant expression begins to crumble as Zakir begins to draw slow deliberate circles around her navel. Her belly was heaving wildly now, and her eyes reflected her inner struggle as she tried to resist his advances and the singing pleasure coursing through her nerves with everything she got.

But Zakir pauses suddenly and briefly pulls back the blade from her stomach. My wife who was probably bracing for the sword to enter her navel again any moment now looks at Zakir surprised. But I could also sense something else in her expression. Perhaps a slight tinge of disappointment? But that couldn’t be. Does that mean Archana was beginning to succumb to his advances now? Zakir smiles at her smugly, relishing in the power he was gaining over her. As I keep watching in horror and suspense, Zakir finally moves his sword forward again and inserts the pointy tip of the sword right into the deep mysterious depths of her enchanting navel. Her expression morphs into a look of poor ecstatic pain, as her body convulses involuntarily under the onslaught of pleasure. An explosion of jealousy and arousal hits me like a bag of bricks seeing my wife’s navel being conquered and driven to peaks of pleasure at a sword tip by another man. Part of me is angry and jealous at the fact that another man is pleasuring her in a way that I might never be able to do, but another part of me is turned on by the sight of her in such a vulnerable and aroused state.

Archana’s breathing becomes heavy and ragged, her belly rising and falling with each breath as she struggles to maintain her composure. Zakir seems to be enjoying himself, his eyes fixed on Archana’s face as he continues to manipulate the sword inside her navel, drawing out every last bit of pleasure from her body. I can see the way her body is trembling under his touch, and I know that she is getting close to the brink of an orgasm.

Finally, with one last twist and thrust of the sword, Zakir brings Archana to the peak of pleasure. She cries out softly, as an onslaught of intense pleasure explodes from her navel, pushing her over the edge of ecstasy – overwhelming her utterly and completely. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. The scene was too arousing, magnificent, and infuriating all at the same time for me. 

“CUTTTT !!!” Raghav’s voice finally breaks the spell, everyone in the room was bound in and the music abruptly stops. Zakir finally withdraws the sword from her navel with a sigh breaking eye contact, leaving her trembling and still recovering from the orgasm. I watch as she blushes furiously trying to slow down her ragged breathing and looks apologetically in my direction. 

The conflicting emotions that rages inside me as I meet her eyes were too overwhelming. And I struggle to process it all. Why was I getting this strange thrill by watching my wife getting teased and pleasured by another man? I felt like I was on the verge of a new, dangerous addiction, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“Archana! Wait!” I call out, trying to keep my voice steady as I hurry up to her and the other woman. Both Archana and the woman turn to face me, their attention drawn by the urgency in my voice.

“Kesav !! What are you doing? Wait here !!” Archana hisses looking around awkwardly at the other girls who were throwing her dirty glances for being called up ahead of them despite having just arrived. Though she didn’t quite look it, she was also quite older and dressed very modestly compared to them. I might be biased, but if you ask me those heavily makeup-laden girls didn’t hold a candle next to my naturally beautiful wife. 

“Umm, is he with you?” the lady asks Archana.

“Yes Mam. This is my husband Kesav.” 

“Oh Hi, Sir !!…… I am Rosita.“ She says with a warm smile offering her hand for a handshake. “Would you like to come inside as well??”

“Oh! May I ?”

“Of course! We have comfortable seating inside where you can observe the proceedings.”

“Oh, in that case, I think I’ll come along,” I say, casting a tentative gaze towards Archana. She nods eagerly, encouraging me to join.

‘What the hell am I doing?’ I wonder as I silently follow them into an expansive classroom-like space. My senses were screaming at me to stop her somehow. But how do I do it without creating a scene? Archana is sure to argue back if I try to stop her without any explanation. And explaining it is an awkward conversation I didn’t want to get into with all these people around. 

I quickly scan the room as soon as we get inside. There were just 3 other people inside besides Archana, Rosita, and myself. I immediately recognize one of them as the legendary director Mr. Raghavendra Rao himself – a charismatic elderly man with a bald head, white beard, and an obese body. 

Raghavendra Rao was a director who made a name for himself through his unique style of portraying the beauty of his heroines on screen – which usually consisted of an overabundance of scenes that gives a lot of attention to their midriff area of the actresses, especially their navels. By now it was no secret that the man was a crazy navel fetishist. Having navel scenes in the movie was kind of his signature. Such scenes were expected of his movies now by fans and actors alike. Those girls that were waiting for their turn outside for their audition certainly knew this fact. That was why all of them were wearing some sort of belly-showing costume because they know that their chances of getting selected for a Raghavendra Rao movie might be dependent on the glamor of their bellies.

For navel-fetish guys like myself, the man was a legend. Growing up the scenes in his movies and songs were often the subject of my daydreams. But Archana, who wasn’t familiar with Telugu movies, had no idea who he was or what would be expected of her if she were to be selected. She would never have come within a 10-mile radius of this place if she did. 

He was intently watching something on his laptop when we came in. Beside him was a skinny guy with shoulder-length hair and a goatee. Judging by his appearance and the professional-looking video camera he is holding I figured he is some sort of camera person -probably there to record the proceedings of this audition. He was also looking over Raghav sir’s shoulder and watching whatever Raghav sir was watching. They both look up and greet us when they hear us come in. 

But the guy that caught my attention most was neither of these two – but the third one who was lounged out in an easy chair a few feet behind them like he was enjoying his own private sunbath. Unlike the other two, he didn’t bother to look up or acknowledge our presence when we came in. For all, we knew he could be sleeping. If it wasn’t for his toes which kept rhythmically tapping each other, I would have assumed him to be asleep. But the reason he caught my attention was none of these but his appearance. Even sitting it was obvious he was quite a tall guy. Dark-skinned, lean, and muscular – he was surely a model or an actor. He was wearing stylish ripped blue jeans and a white shirt which he kept fully unbuttoned on the front, showing off his chiseled torso which was smooth, waxed, and rippling with muscles. Just looking at him was setting my insecurities and inferiority complex on fire. 

“Please be seated, Sir. ” says Rosita’s voice startling me. I look in the direction she was pointing and notice that the walls were lined with plastic chairs. I nod and scurry to sit on one against the sidewall which I assumed will give me the best view of the proceedings. 

Rosita starts to make introductions on behalf of everybody. I learn that the cameraman was called Vamsi and the big dude sitting behind them who was yet to acknowledge our presence was a model named Zakir. Once everybody (except Zakir) makes their initial greetings the audition officially starts. 

“Please tell us a bit about yourself Archana.” Raghav says pleasantly. 

“Sure sir. I am Archana Kesav. 35 years old…..”

As Archana starts speaking I notice Zakir finally stirring from his position for the first time since we came in. His eyes blink open curiously as he hears Archana’s pleasant chiming voice. I feel an uneasy feeling in my stomach as he pushes against his armrest to sit up straight and gaze at Archana with interest. I shake myself and look back at my wife. 

“……am a trained classical dancer. I teach dance at a small dance school in the village. My husband Kesav is a business owner who runs a small restaurant and my son Tanmay is studying in 3rd standard.”

“Wow, you are 35 and a mother of a kid that big? I would have guessed you to be only 28-30 years old max from your looks. And certainly never would have guessed you to be a mother as well. You are very beautiful and youthful for your age.” Raghav gushes.

“So true. You are a real-world Santoor mummy, Archana” Vamsi, the cameraman joins in grinning ear to ear.

Archana giggles shyly, looking very pleased at heaps of praises being laid upon her “Thank you so much, sir. ”  

“Now Archana, my assistant director Gopal who took your audition earlier forwarded me the video of your performance ahead of sending you here. I had a feeling he must have found a true gem based on how excited he was about showing your performance to me. And I was watching it with Vamsi here when you came in. And I must say, Gopal is right. You are good. Very good. ”  

Archana’s eyes filled with tears of happiness. “Thank you so much sir.” She says in a voice choked with emotion. “I never thought I stood a chance at this role being on the older side and married and all. And I am not even a native Telugu speaker.”  

I found myself tearing up a bit, seeing my wife getting recognized and complimented for her talent. 

“Younger candidates are given more preference in most circumstances. But here we are looking for a heroine to cast opposite veteran actor Balakrishna who is going to play the male lead in this movie. He is almost 60 years of age. So we are actually preferring to cast a more mature actress in this case so as to not look too weird next to him. And language is no barrier. Most mainstream telugu actresses aren’t native speakers either.” 

A chill goes down my spine upon learning this new information. There was probably no other hero in the entire Indian movie industry that had played with navels of as many actresses as Balakrishna has. Even actresses that have shied away from doing glamorous scenes their entire career have ended up getting their navel played by him onscreen while starring in his movies. I always thought it was a miracle how he is able to pull that off with even the shyest and most reserved of actresses. I was pretty positive that he demands such scenes in every movie he acts in. A Balakrishna movie directed by Raghavendra Rao is sure going to be a navel treat for the audience. 

Archana who was clueless about all these facts was of course looking quite pleased with the developments so far. 

“Now I must warn you about a few things before we proceed with the audition. This is going to be a hero-centric masala movie, Archana. There will be action, item songs and love scenes. The main purpose of the female lead will be to serve as the hero’s love interest and as eye candy for the audience. Therefore it goes without saying that the role is going to be quite glamorous in nature.” 

Archana goes pale hearing that. “Oh no. I can’t do glamorous roles sir”.

“Sure you can. You are in good shape. You can dance. And you have proven you can act as well. I am sure you will do great.” Raghav says earnestly, misunderstanding her inhibitions completely.

Archana shakes her head looking down, embarrassed and disappointed. “I am sorry sir. It’s not that. I come from a reserved and traditional family. I am also a wife and mother. It would be unbecoming of me to do such things at this point in life. It will adversely affect my life. Gopal sir didn’t tell me anything about the role being glamorous before sending me up here. If I had known this beforehand I wouldn’t have come. Anyways I don’t want to waste anymore of your time sir. I am really sorry, but I am afraid I am going to have to withdraw.”

I sigh in relief hearing her response though I pretty much expected it. She suddenly looks in my direction uncertainly as though she was seeking my reassurance and I nod at her letting her know she made the right call.

Raghav looks crestfallen by her response. “Are you sure Archana? Opportunities like this don’t come knocking at your door often. In fact this could very well be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. “ 

“I am sure it is a great opportunity sir. But for me its not worth going through the backlash and criticism I may face from family and society.” 

Raghav sir nods understandably. “I understand where you are coming from. However, I am not so sure about it not being worth it. I am going to share some information that we don’t usually reveal during the audition phase. But I am making an exception in your case to give you a reason to reconsider your decision. You see Archana, if you were to work in this movie, you will be the second most paid person in the whole cast. When it comes to newcomers the usual pay for new heroines in our industry is 5 to 10 lakh range. But I can negotiate with the producer to increase it up to 40 lakhs if its worth it. And in this case, I certainly think it would be worth it.” 

40 lakhs? 40 freaking lakhs? My mind screams. He was willing to pay that much for Archana?  The things we could do with that kind of money. All my problems flash through my mind. My crumbling restaurant business that was in dire need of a renovation, our home which was running the risk of getting seized by the bank any day now due to defaulting on several months’ worth of loan payments and even our life in general which we were living with limited means. Looking at Archana’s face I could tell she was also thinking the same things. This was a golden chance that could potentially solve all our money problems in one fell sweep.

“Umm sir….Do you mind if I take a couple of minutes to talk it over with my husband?” she asks.

“Certainly Archana. But don’t take too long. We have other candidates waiting outside.”

She nods and comes straight toward me. “I think I should do it,” She says in a low voice as soon as she was near me. I was almost expecting this from her. She was the kind of person that would go to any length to help our family survive, even at the risk of tarnishing her image in society. But she still needed my strength and support to go through with it. However, this was an impossible decision for me to make. Was going through the turmoil of insecurity and jealousy of watching my wife performing intimate scenes with another guy worth the money? 

“If you think you can do it, then go ahead.  I am with you whatever decision you make. You will have my full support.” I finally say knowing very well that I am probably going to regret this for the rest of my life. Archana nods and gives me a quick hug, which I promptly return. I knew she needed it. 

Then she goes back to the front of the room and announces. “I have decided sir. I will give it a shot.”

For some reason, I instinctively looked toward Zakir right at that moment and to my surprise, he was looking right back at me with a snide grin playing upon his lips that makes my insides curl uncomfortably. I am definitely going to regret this.

“Maybe I should tryout for the role of hero’s mum when we get there.” Archana announced out of the blue while passively looking out the car window looking at the passing buildings.

“What?” I spat out incredulously slowing down my second-hand Maruthi Zen car to a slow pace to look at my dear wife to see if she has finally gone nuts. 

Archana turned her gaze to look at me with gleaming eyes and started earnestly. “Think about it. Most of the young women that would show up for the audition will be trying their hand at the heroine role. And the slightly older ones will try out for role of hero’s older sister. Hardly any girl would want to audition for the role of hero’s mum. I am also a mother. So…”

“ARCHANA….YOU ARE THIRTY-FIVE.”  I interrupt her loudly. “Don’t be absurd. You hardly even look your own age. Nobody would guess you are over 30 as it is and you want to play the role of a 60-year-something woman? ”

She smiles pleased at the indirect compliment on her looks and says while shrugging “Calm down babe. It was just an idea. I just wanted to increase my odds. From what I found out from Ramya, there is only a handful of prominent female roles in the movie. I just wanted to make sure I got something that gets us some substantial money.”

I softened as I understood where she was coming from. She was more concerned about bagging the best deal for us than her self-image. 

My wife  Archana was a trained classical dancer. She taught classical dance at a small dance school in the village. One of her students, a beautiful young girl named Ramya told Archana about this audition that was happening in the city for an upcoming south indian movie about a week ago. Apparently, they were head-hunting for newcomers for a variety of different roles in the movie including that of the heroine. Ramya who was an aspiring actress and a model was already planning to attend and knowing Archana’s skills she suggested Archana should try out for a role as well. Archana laughed it off then, finding the whole idea absurd. She told me about it later in the night as a sort of joke. But I, on the other hand, who have always been an admirer of her dancing and expressive skills, thought it was a good opportunity for her.  After a lengthy discussion, I convinced her it was worth a try at least for the money involved. In our current situation, any amount of additional money we can find would be a huge relief.

After a couple of hours of expert maneuvering around the busy Banglore traffic, we finally managed to reach the studio where the audition was happening. I felt self-conscious parking my little scratched car next to the rows of expensive ones that were parked in the parking lot. A feeling that only grew with each passing second as we stepped out and made our way toward the entrance of the fancy glass building. Everybody seemed so stylishly dressed and well-groomed. I felt so out of place in my modest clothes which were just a plain maroon shirt inserted into black trousers. And based on how Archana was clutching my elbows and clinging close to me as we walked, I could tell she too was feeling the same. Which was sort of absurd because unlike me she was looking gorgeous and classy in a beautiful peacock blue chiffon saree.

After filling out some forms Archana was given a large badge with the number 83 written on it and was directed toward the third floor of the giant building where the auditions for all the side roles were taking place. There were already a lot of people waiting for their turns when we arrived. So it wasn’t until almost 2 hours later Archana’s number was called. Archana visibly tensed and looked at me nervously.

“Relax !! You are gonna do great. Good luck.” I said standing up along with her and squeezing her hand. She nodded silently and took a couple of deep breaths before drawing herself to her full height and followed the lady that called out her number into the audition room. I began pacing outside silently like a man awaiting the arrival of his newborn as I waited for her to come back out, drawing the irritating glance of others who were waiting for their turn. I paid them no heed and continued to pace up and down the corridor. 

After about 20 minutes the door finally opened and a beaming Archana walked out grinning ear to ear. She came straight towards me, caught my hand, and immediately began dragging me towards the lift excitedly.  “Woaa Woaa !! Slow down honey !! What happened? How did it go?? And where the hell are you pulling me?” I asked bewildered. 

“Just follow me. I will tell you everything on the way.”  She said cryptically. 

As soon as we got inside the lift and the doors closed Archana cheered happily and threw her hands around me hugging me close. I hugged her back laughing and said “I take it you got a role?”. 

“Even better. They loved my performance so much that they want me to tryout in the audition for the female lead of the movie as well. They think I got a real shot at it. It is happening on the 10th floor and the director of the movie himself is conducting it. We are headed there right now.”

“Woaa !! Really?” I ask, stunned. 

“Yes, I was shocked too. Apparently, the hero of this movie is someone in his fifties. So they actually prefer a middle-aged woman to do the role of female lead so that it won’t look too weird on screen.”

I struggled to process the sudden turn of events.  I know I was supposed to be happy for her but what I was actually feeling was alarm. My wife, a heroine? 

“That ….That really is amazing….But…”. 

Just then the lift door opened again and she resumed dragging me along with her. “Come fast….Assistant Director said he would phone Raghav sir and arrange for me to have the audition right away. So we won’t have to wait long.”

“Raghav sir?” 

“Yes. That is the name of the director. Raghavendra or something.”

I froze on my tracks truly shocked now. “You mean Raghavendra Rao?”

“Ah yes. That is his name. You know him? They said he is a veteran movie director in telugu film industry. ”

“Woa, Of course, I know him. I am a big fan of his works. He is a legendary director in telugu cinema. ” I say amazed. 

Archana jumps up and down excitedly. “So it’s true? He really is a great director? I thought they were bluffing. This is unbelievable. Come on let’s get inside fast.” She said dragging me the rest of the way.

Soon we arrived at a room that can only be described as heaven for someone like me. The room was filled with gorgeous women, all wearing some sort of belly-baring outfits – Crop tops, Sarees, Lehengas…. I have never seen so many female navels in one place before. 

“Ouch !!” I yelped in pain as I felt a sharp pinch on my arm. 

“Quit staring !!” Archana hissed while staring daggers at me although with a knowing smile playing on her lips.  Being my wife, there was nobody else in the world that knew about my crazy navel fetish better than she did. I pouted my lips rubbing my sore arm.

Suddenly I froze as a realization struck me. I remembered exactly why director Raghavendra Rao was so famous, and why I was one of the biggest fans of his works. I looked around at all the navel-baring girls in the room once again, this time with a dawning realization of why they were all dressed like that. Just then the door opened up and a flushed and disheveled-looking young girl who had just finished her audition walked out.  She was surreptitiously rubbing her abdominal area just over her navel as she walked past us. I began to get an inkling of what this heroine audition may consist of. 

Damn  !! I have to stop Archana !!

“NUMBER EIGHTY THREE…”  a short woman with a clipboard yelled out from the doorway just as turned towards Archana and opened by mouth to warn her.

“HERE MAM !!” Archana yelled back excitedly raising her arm and rushing towards her already. 

SHIT !!!