The next morning, Siddanth drove his car to the NEXUS headquarters in Hitec City.
He walked down the quiet hallway and opened the door to the main lounge of the animation studio.
Four men were already sitting inside, drinking coffee and talking.
Prabhas sat on the large sofa, wearing a loose shirt and jeans. Next to him sat Gopichand, looking relaxed. On the other side of the room, Anirudh Ravichander was tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair, wearing his usual dark sunglasses.
Sushant Singh Rajput stood near the coffee machine.
Siddanth walked into the room. He greeted them all, shaking their hands. When he shook hands with Sushant, he noticed a clear difference in the actor.
Sushant looked much bigger. His shoulders were wider, and his arms filled out the sleeves of to his t-shirt. The lean frame he had during the MS Dhoni movie was gone. He looked solid and heavy.
"You put on weight," Siddanth said, taking a cup of coffee from the counter.
Sushant smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to. The military training for the Uri movie started last week. The director wants me to look like a proper commando. I spend three hours in the gym every morning and eat a lot of boiled chicken. It is a tough routine."
"It shows," Prabhas said from the sofa. "You look ready for a fight."
"I just hope to do justice to the character," Sushant laughed.
"Is everyone ready?" Siddanth asked, looking around the room.
They all nodded. They put their coffee cups down. Today was an important day. They were going to see the first fully animated teaser for the Ramayana trilogy. They had seen rough sketches and raw character models over the past few months. Anirudh had composed the background music using only uncolored, rough video clips. Today, the rendering was complete.
Siddanth led the group out of the lounge and down the hallway. They stopped in front of a pair of heavy, soundproof doors.
Siddanth pushed the doors open.
They walked into a small, private screening auditorium. It had twenty plush recliner seats and a large cinema screen. The room was dark and quiet.
"Take a seat," Siddanth said.
Prabhas, Gopichand, Sushant, and Anirudh took seats in the middle row. Siddanth walked up to the small control panel near the wall. He pressed a button. The lights in the auditorium dimmed until the room was completely black.
Siddanth sat down in the seat next to Prabhas. He tapped his phone to start the video file.
The heavy speakers mounted on the walls of the auditorium came to life. The screen lit up.
The five men sat in the dark. They did not speak a single word. They just watched the screen. The heavy bass of Anirudh's background score vibrated the floorboards beneath their feet. The light from the screen flashed across their faces as the short video played.
A minute and a half later, the music faded out. The screen went black.
The auditorium lights slowly turned back on.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Gopichand let out a long, heavy breath. He ran a hand over his face. He turned his head and looked at Siddanth. A wide smile spread across his face.
"That is exactly what I wanted to see," Gopichand said quietly. "It is perfect."
Prabhas leaned back in his recliner and crossed his arms. He nodded his head slowly. "I have never seen anything like that in Indian cinema. The details on the armor. The way the shadows moved. It does not look like a cartoon at all. It feels heavy."
Sushant was smiling brightly. "The facial expressions matched the voice acting perfectly. You couldn't even tell it was animated."
Anirudh took off his sunglasses. He looked very pleased. "The final sound mix came out clean. The bass drop at the end hit right on the visual cue. The software your team uses is very good, Siddanth."
"The animation team worked long shifts to finish it this week," Siddanth said, standing up from his seat. "I am glad you all like it. Let's go get some food. We have a lot of things to discuss."
They walked out of the auditorium. The mood was very light and happy. They felt confident in the project they were building.
They took the elevator up to a private dining room on the executive floor. The staff had already prepared lunch for them. They sat around a round table. The waiters brought out bowls of hot rice, chicken curry, dal, and fresh vegetables.
They served themselves and started eating.
"So," Prabhas said, mixing rice on his plate. "When do we show this to the public?"
Siddanth put his spoon down. "We have a strict release schedule. We need to build the story step by step."
He looked at Gopichand. "The teaser we just watched is focused on Ravana. We will release this video on June 12th."
Gopichand raised an eyebrow. "June 12th? That is my birthday."
"Exactly," Siddanth smiled. "We release the Demon King teaser on your birthday. It sets the dark tone for the entire trilogy. The audience needs to see the villain first."
Gopichand nodded. "I like that plan."
Siddanth turned to Prabhas. "We wait a few months. Let the internet talk about the first video. Then, on October 23rd, we release the Lord Rama teaser."
Prabhas grinned. "My birthday."
"Yes," Siddanth confirmed. "It will show the contrast. We show the dark, and then we show the light."
Sushant leaned forward, taking a sip of water. "And my teaser?"
"January 21st," Siddanth told him. "On your birthday. The Lakshmana teaser will focus on the action and the anger. By the time your video comes out, the audience will know the entire main cast."
"It is a very clean marketing strategy," Anirudh said, eating his food. "I will have the background scores ready for each specific date. I will use a different central instrument for each character. Heavy brass for Ravana, a quiet flute for Rama, and fast percussion for Lakshmana."
"Perfect," Siddanth agreed.
They finished their lunch. They spent another hour sitting around the table, talking about movies and cricket. Prabhas wished Siddanth luck for the upcoming Champions Trophy in England. By mid-afternoon, the actors left the NEXUS building to return to their own movie shoots.
Siddanth went to his office to finish some paperwork, and then drove back home.
The next morning, the sun rose over the Shamshabad farmhouse. The house was quiet.
Siddanth stood in his bedroom. He had a large, black duffel bag open on his bed. He was packing his clothes. He folded his blue Indian team practice jerseys, his track pants, and his formal team blazer. He placed his cricket spikes in a separate compartment.
His mother, Sesikala, walked into the room. She carried a small box of sweets. She placed the box inside his bag.
"Do not eat just bread and butter in England," Sesikala told him, watching him zip the bag. "Find a proper Indian restaurant. The weather will be cold there. Did you pack your sweaters?"
"I packed them, Amma," Siddanth said.
His father, Vikram, stood near the door. He held the morning newspaper.
"The pitches in England will swing early," Vikram advised him. "The white ball does not swing as much as the red ball, but the weather will help the fast bowlers. You have three fast bowlers in your squad. Use them well."
"I will, Nanna. We have a good pace attack," Siddanth replied, picking up his bag from the bed.
He walked downstairs. He set his bag near the front door.
Krithika walked out of the kitchen. She wore a simple blue kurti. She held a glass of water. She handed it to him.
Siddanth drank the water and placed the glass on the table. He looked at her.
"I am leaving for Mumbai now," Siddanth said. "I meet the team there, and we fly to London tonight."
"I know," Krithika smiled. "Play well. Call me when you land in London."
"I will," Siddanth said. He stepped closer to her. "You are coming to England, right?"
"Yes me and Anjali will be coming," Krithika said with a smile.
Siddanth smiled. "Good. I will tell Rahul to make sure our private jet is on standby and arrange the hotel room."
He hugged his mother and touched his father's feet. He hugged Krithika one last time. He picked up his heavy bag and walked out the front door.
Rahul was waiting near the car. Siddanth got in, and they drove to the airport.
Siddanth boarded his private jet. The flight to Mumbai was very short. He landed, walked through the private terminal, and got into a waiting car.
The car drove him to a luxury hotel near the Mumbai airport. The BCCI had booked this hotel as the gathering point for the national squad.
Siddanth walked into the hotel lobby. He saw a few of his teammates standing near the reception desk. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were talking and laughing. MS Dhoni was sitting quietly on a sofa, looking at his phone.
Siddanth walked over and greeted them.
"Captain is here," Rohit said, shaking his hand. "Are we ready for the cold weather?"
"We will be fine," Siddanth smiled.
Siddanth walked down the hallway to find his room. He needed to drop his bag before the team meeting.
As he walked down the quiet corridor, a door opened. Three young players stepped out into the hallway.
It was Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav.
They saw Siddanth walking toward them. They stopped and waited for him. They looked a bit nervous.
"Hello, everyone," Siddanth said, stopping in front of them.
"Sid bhai," Rishabh Pant said quickly. He stepped forward. "We just wanted to say thank you."
"For what?" Siddanth asked.
Kuldeep Yadav spoke up. He was a quiet, polite boy. "For fighting for us in the selection meeting, bhai. We know the coach and the selectors wanted to take the senior spinners and the senior batsmen to England. We know you argued to keep us in the squad."
Chahal nodded, smiling his usual wide smile. "We really appreciate it, Sid bhai. It is our first major ICC tournament."
Siddanth looked at the three young players. He saw gratitude in their eyes. They knew their spots in the team were entirely because of his backing.
"You don't need to thank me," Siddanth said calmly. "I didn't pick you as a favor. I picked you because I need you to win matches. The wrist spin will work in the middle overs, and Rishabh, I need you to hit the ball hard at the end of the innings."
He patted Pant on the shoulder.
"Don't say thank you," Siddanth told them. "Just go out on the pitch and play your game. Don't be scared of the occasion. Earn your spot."
"We will, bhai," Pant said firmly.
"Good. Now go get your bags. We leave for the airport soon," Siddanth said.
The entire team gathered. They boarded the official team bus and drove the short distance to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The team walked through the VIP gates. They went through security and entered a large, private airport lounge reserved entirely for them.
Their flight to London was delayed by an hour.
The players found comfortable chairs and sofas in the lounge. They ordered coffee and snacks.
Usually, the players would read magazines, listen to music, or sleep while waiting for a flight. But today, the lounge was very noisy.
Every single player in the room was holding a phone sideways in their hands. They were staring at their screens, tapping their thumbs rapidly on the glass.
They were all playing PUBG Mobile.
A few weeks ago, NEXUS had released the mobile version of the game. In the normal timeline, the game would not release for another year. But Siddanth had pushed his gaming division to finish it early. VEDA, the AI, had optimized the code perfectly. The game ran smoothly without any lag, even on cellular data.(Jio)
Almost all the players in the lounge were using the NEXUS Apex 3 smartphone. The large, bright screen and the fast processor made it the perfect gaming device.
The room was filled with the sounds of virtual gunfire and loud shouting.
"Revive me! Revive me!" Shikhar Dhawan yelled from his sofa. "I am crawling behind the rock! Come fast!"
"I can't come! There are two guys shooting at me from the house!" Virat Kohli shouted back, his eyes glued to his screen. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, completely tense. "Throw a smoke grenade!"
"I don't have smoke! I only have an energy drink!" Dhawan complained.
Siddanth smiled, watching the chaos. They had created a custom room. All fifteen players of the squad were in the same match, playing against each other in teams of four.
"Where are you, Yuzi?" Rohit Sharma asked loudly, walking his character around a virtual building. "I know you are hiding somewhere. You are playing like a coward."
"I am playing a tactical survival game, Rohit bhai," Yuzvendra Chahal replied from across the lounge. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall. "I am waiting for the safe zone to shrink."
Chahal was playing solo. His character was lying flat on his stomach in the virtual grass, hiding near a large tree. He had a sniper rifle, but he was too scared to shoot anyone and reveal his position. He watched the player count drop on his screen.
"Someone is driving a car!" Jasprit Bumrah announced. "I hear a car near the bridge!"
"That is me! Move out of the way!" Rishabh Pant laughed loudly.
On the screen, Pant was driving a virtual jeep across the map at full speed, honking the horn loudly to attract attention. He didn't care about hiding. He wanted action.
Chahal watched the jeep drive past his hiding spot. He stayed perfectly still in the grass. "Keep driving, Rishabh. Don't look at the tree."
Chahal opened his inventory on the screen. He tapped a medical kit to heal his character back to full health. A small green bar appeared on his screen, slowly filling up. It took six seconds to use the medical kit. During those six seconds, his character could not move.
"Okay, almost healed," Chahal muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Chahal's character on the screen.
Chahal frowned. He tried to move the camera angle.
Standing right behind his character in the grass was another player. The player was not holding a gun. The player was holding a black, cast-iron frying pan.
"Wait," Chahal said out loud. "Who is behind me?"
Before Chahal could cancel his healing animation and run away, the player on the screen swung the frying pan.
CLANG.
The loud, metallic sound of the pan hitting a virtual head echoed loudly from someone's phone speaker in the lounge.
Chahal's character dropped dead on the screen.
A message popped up in the corner of his phone:
You were killed by R_Sharma45 with a Pan.
Chahal stared at his phone in absolute shock.
"ROHIT BHAI!" Chahal screamed, throwing his head back against the wall. "You hit me with a pan?! You didn't even shoot me?!"
Rohit Sharma burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter from his sofa. He laughed so hard he dropped his phone on his lap.
"You were just lying in the grass!" Rohit wheezed, pointing at Chahal. "You were drinking a health potion! I couldn't waste bullets on a guy sleeping in the grass!"
The entire lounge erupted in laughter. Virat Kohli threw his head back, laughing at the disrespect of the pan kill. MS Dhoni chuckled softly from his chair.
"That is the ultimate insult, Yuzi," Dhawan laughed, leaning over the sofa. "You got sent back to the lobby with kitchen equipment."
"I am uninstalling this game," Chahal grumbled, putting his phone in his pocket.
"Don't worry, Yuzi. I will avenge you," Pant yelled, turning his virtual jeep around to hunt for Rohit.
The loud banter and shouting continued for another ten minutes as the game reached its final circle. The tension in the room grew as Kohli and Pant fought a close battle near a virtual wall.
"Attention passengers on Flight Air India 101 to London Heathrow," a polite voice announced over the lounge speakers. "Boarding will now commence at Gate Number 4."
"The game is not over!" Kohli shouted, moving his thumbs frantically. "Just two more minutes!"
"I have no health left!" Pant yelled back.
"Boarding time, boys," Siddanth announced loudly, standing up from his chair and grabbing his bag. "Turn the phones off."
"Hold on, Sid! I just need to shoot Rishabh!" Kohli pleaded, not looking away from the screen.
"If you miss the flight, Virat, you can swim to London," Siddanth said, walking toward the exit doors.
Kohli groaned, tapped his screen quickly, and shoved the phone in his pocket. "It's a draw, Rishabh! We will finish this in the hotel in London."
"I was winning anyway," Pant grinned, grabbing his backpack.
The players slung their bags over their shoulders. They walked out of the lounge together, chatting and laughing about the game. They walked down the airport terminal toward the gate. The mood was light. The pressure of the upcoming tournament had not hit them yet.
They handed their boarding passes to the staff and walked down the bridge onto the plane.
Siddanth found his seat near the window. He sat down and fastened his seatbelt. He looked out the window at the dark tarmac of the Mumbai airport.
The plane engines started. The journey to England had begun. The Champions Trophy awaited them.