Chapter 20: The Auction Hammer and The Idiot
February 20, 2008. The Oberoi Hilton, Mumbai.
The ballroom was thick with tension, expensive cologne, and the smell of old money. This was the inaugural IPL Auction.
Aarav Pathak sat at the round table designated for Kings XI Punjab. Next to him sat Preity Zinta, looking radiant in a red blazer, holding the paddle like a weapon.
Across the room, Shah Rukh Khan sat with Juhi Chawla at the Kolkata Knight Riders table. Mukesh Ambani was at the Mumbai Indians table. Vijay Mallya, dripping in gold and arrogance, commanded the Royal Challengers Bangalore table.
"Player on the block," the auctioneer Richard Madley announced in his crisp British accent. "Mahendra Singh Dhoni."
The room erupted.
"1.5 Million!" Mumbai shouted.
"1.6!" Chennai shouted.
Aarav leaned back, sipping his coffee. "Let them fight for the Captain," he whispered to Preity. "We need the Prince."
Dhoni went to Chennai for a record $1.5 Million.
Then came the name Aarav was waiting for.
"Yuvraj Singh. Icon Player status waived. Bidding starts at $400,000."
"One Million," Aarav said instantly, not even looking up.
The room gasped. He had jumped the bid by 2.5x in one second. It was a "Don" move. Intimidation.
Mallya looked at him. SRK raised an eyebrow.
"1.1," Mallya challenged.
"1.5," Aarav countered immediately.
Preity kicked him under the table. "Aarav! That's too much budget!"
"He's the son of Punjab, Preity," Aarav whispered. "We don't buy him for runs. We buy him for the soul of the team."
"1.6," Mallya hesitated.
"Two Million," Aarav said.
Silence.
"Sold to Kings XI Punjab for $2 Million!"
Preity screamed and hugged Aarav. The cameras flashed. It was the image of the tournament: The Superstar and the Actress, building their empire on the field.
[System Update]
[Status: Sports Tycoon]
[Team Sentiment: High]
[Public Perception: 'He puts his money where his heart is.']
June 2008. Villa Vienna.
The IPL was a hit. Kings XI Punjab didn't win the cup (Rajasthan Royals did, the underdogs), but they played with fire. Aarav and Preity waving flags in the stands became more popular than the matches themselves.
Aarav was happy. He was retired.
Then, the doorbell rang.
It was Rajkumar Hirani (Raju) and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
They sat in the living room. Raju looked nervous. He had a script titled Five Point Someone (Working Title: 3 Idiots).
"I can't do it, Raju," Aarav said, pushing the script back.
"Why?" Raju asked, heartbroken. "You are Rancho. You are the genius who defies the system."
"I am 38 years old," Aarav sighed. "I played a college student in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ten years ago. If I do it again, it's pathetic. People will say Aarav is clinging to his youth."
"It's not about age," Vidhu Vinod Chopra argued. "Aamir is 43. He wanted to do it. But we want you. You have that... mischievous silence. The 'All Is Well' face."
"No," Aarav stood up. "I'm done with heavy lifting. I'm on vacation. Cast Ranbir. Cast Imran. Let the new kids take over."
He walked them to the door.
Raju stopped at the threshold.
"Just read the scene where he tells the Dean that a pen can't be used in space," Raju said quietly. "It's not a college movie, Aarav. It's a protest."
Aarav closed the door.
That night, he couldn't sleep. The word "Protest" stuck with him. He had fought the Industry System his whole life.
He picked up the script from the side table where Raju had "accidentally" left it.
He started reading at 11 PM.
He laughed at 11:15 PM.
He cried at 1:00 AM (The suicide scene).
He felt a strange lightness at 3:00 AM (The baby delivery scene).
He looked at the character of Phunsukh Wangdu. A scientist who leaves the rat race to teach kids in Ladakh.
"That's me," Aarav whispered. "The man who walked away."
He picked up the phone. It was 3:30 AM.
"Raju," he said. "Get the t-shirts. We are going to college."
September 2008. IIM Bangalore (Rebranded as ICE).
The shoot was a secret.
Aarav Pathak, the Billionaire Don, had to transform.
He lost the muscle he built for Don 3. He stopped the gym. He started doing yoga to look leaner, softer.
He shaved the beard. He cut his hair short, messy, like a boy who cut it himself.
He wore loose jeans and t-shirts that looked cheap.
[System Skill: De-Aging]
[Level: Max]
[Effect: Altering body language (slouching, wider eyes, faster walking pace) to simulate youth.]
On the first day of the shoot, Aarav walked onto the set.
R. Madhavan (Farhan) and Sharman Joshi (Raju) were waiting.
Aarav didn't walk like a star. He walked like a guy looking for the canteen.
"Hi," he grinned, scratching his head. "I'm Rancho."
Boman Irani (Virus) watched him from the monitor. "My god," Boman whispered. "He actually looks twenty-two. How does he do that?"
The Ladakh Schedule.
The final scene. The reunion.
Aarav stood by the Pangong Lake. The blue water stretched to infinity.
He wasn't wearing designer clothes. He wore a simple beige jacket.
When Kareena Kapoor (Pia) rode the scooter towards him, Aarav turned.
He didn't do the "Don Smirk." He didn't do the "Raj Stare."
He gave a smile that was pure, unadulterated sunshine. A smile that said, I am free.
"Cut!" Raju Hirani wiped a tear. "That's the shot."
December 25, 2009. The Release.
The marketing was unique. No "Don" style helicopters.
Aarav traveled India in disguise. He went to Varanasi, to small villages. He disappeared, just like Rancho.
The media went crazy: "WHERE IS AARAV?"
Then, the film dropped.
India:
It wasn't a movie; it was a revolution.
Students watched it and quit engineering. Parents watched it and cried, hugging their children.
The phrase "Aal Izz Well" became a national mantra.
The Box Office (India):
Day 1: ₹40 Crores (Highest Non-Holiday).
Weekend: ₹100 Crores (First film to join the 100 Cr Club in a weekend).
Lifetime:₹350 Crores (Shattering Gadar's record).
The World:
But the real shock came from the East.
China.
Aarav had built a base in China with Don 2. But 3 Idiots hit a nerve. The Chinese education system was just as pressured as India's.
The film released in 3,000 screens in China.
Videos surfaced of Chinese students clapping in theatres.
Jack Ma (Alibaba founder) tweeted: "This film explains why we need innovation, not just memorization."
Overseas Collection:
China: $40 Million (Unheard of for Bollywood).
Japan: $10 Million.
Traditional Markets (US/UK): $30 Million.
Total Worldwide Gross:$120 Million (approx ₹600 Crores).
It wasn't Don money (which was an action franchise), but for a drama about three guys in college? It was astronomical.
The Aftermath. January 2010.
Aarav sat in his office. The System panel was glowing gold.
[Achievement Unlocked: The Cultural Icon]
[You have conquered the Box Office (Don).]
[You have conquered the Heart (3 Idiots).]
[Reputation: God Tier.]
Preity walked in. She threw a newspaper on his desk.
Headline:"AARAV PATHAK: THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG."
"They are calling you the conscience of the nation now," Preity laughed. "From Gangster to Guru."
"It's just a role, Preity," Aarav smiled, leaning back.
"No," she sat on the edge of the desk. "Rancho is who you really are. The guy who wants to build things. Speaking of building..."
She slid a file towards him.
"What is this?"
"A proposal," she said. "Not for a movie. For a studio."
Pathak-Zinta Studios.
"We have the money," she said. "We have the power. Let's stop working for others. Let's make our own monsters."
Aarav looked at the file. Then he looked at her.
"Partner?" he asked.
"Partner," she smiled.
He signed the paper.
The Actor was retiring (again). The Mogul was rising.
But the 2010s were coming. And a new storm was brewing. A storm called The Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Aarav Pathak, looking at the global landscape, realized that Bollywood needed its own Universe if it wanted to survive.
"Get me Rohit Shetty," Aarav said suddenly.
"Why?"
"Because I want to blow up cars again. But this time... with cops."
[End of Chapter 19]