35053668-Empire-of-the-Soul-Paul-William-Roberts

240
EMPIRE OF THE SOUL
were not silk, they were still new – packaging and labels visible. I
discovered Venkatagiri’s population exceeded ten thousand. After
the free clothes came another tradition: free food, the sweating
rajkumar now seen ladling rice and curry onto banana leaves: I
assumed he hadn’t served all ten thousand meals personally. What
with this, the wedding itself, and a more lavish function for about
two thousand private guests, not to mention gifts and a dowry, the
rajkumar’s coffers must have suffered a dreadful plundering. It was
a good job Prohibition still existed in Andhra Pradesh.
I asked about the expense. The little princesses said only that
Daddy had many responsibilities. I supposed they knew little of the
world beyond their purdah quarters.
Except films. These girls lived for films. Mainly Indian films, of
course – screened for them privately. Films were their sole source of
contact with the outside world. Indian films hold no mirror up to
life; thus, I wondered what exactly the girls imagined went on beyond
the palace gates. All singing, all dancing, all fighting, all sex – such
was the content of virtually all Indian films, apart from the few that
were all religion, all singing, all dancing, all fighting, and a little
subliminal romance – but hold the sex.
I asked them if they’d like to live the way people in films lived.
More giggling, more whispered consultation between them. It
dawned on me that they thought I was asking if they wanted to live
the way film stars did off-screen. They clearly read the scandalmongering,
shameless and salacious gossip that comprised film
magazines like Stardust (‘IS NEETU CARRYING KUMAR’S
BABY?’) and were not quite sure how to answer this.
‘Movie world is most unreal,’ was the eventual reply. ‘These stars
are not understanding that movies are being fantasy only. But they
are living same life when not acting, isn’t it? This is why they are
having too much of troubles. Very bad. Always problem with the
marriage, isn’t it?’ They looked earnest.
It sounded like something their father had told them. I could see
this life of sexual liberty, of liberty alone, for God’s sake – something
they could not even imagine both fascinated and terrified them. They
were so secure in their small and ancient world, yet it was a security
that made them terribly vulnerable and insecure, as well. And what