Chapter 7:
The first schedule of 'Sultan of the Streets' was in the bag. Jai had traded the scorching lights of the film set for the dim, comforting glow of his Delhi neighborhood. It was the middle of the night, and the city felt grounded, a sharp contrast to the artificial "masala" world he had just left behind.
As he walked past the local Kirana store, Jai tested the limits of his power. He focused on Mr. Gupta, the shopkeeper, who was nodding off over a ledger.
Nothing. No metadata. No percentages.
Jai shifted his gaze to a group of delivery riders sharing a cigarette. Again, silence. His "Critic's Eye" remained dark.
[ SYSTEM INSIGHT ]
[ Limitation: The Eye only opens for those 'On-Stage'. If they have no link to the Industry or the Craft, they are invisible to the Metadata. ]
Jai let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This was a gift. It meant his family—his father, the Professor, and his sister, Meera—were safe from his analytical curse. He could just be a son. He could just be a brother.
He climbed the stairs to his apartment, the smell of his mother's cooking acting as a tether to reality. Inside, the "Slice of Life" was in full swing: Meera was struggling with her math homework, and his father was lost in a book of Ghalib's poetry. For a few hours, Jai wasn't an actor with a secret; he was just a boy who needed a home-cooked meal.
But at 1:00 AM, the industry came knocking.
His phone buzzed with a notification from the studio's private screening link. *"Official Teaser – Final Cut (V.1)"*. Jai stepped onto the balcony, the cool Delhi breeze hitting his face as he hit play.
The teaser was 1 minute and 20 seconds long. But as the first few seconds rolled, Jai's brow furrowed.
The editing was atrocious. It used loud, brassy trumpets and yellow, high-contrast filters. The font for the titles was a tacky gold gradient that looked like it belonged in a 1994 B-movie. Aryan appeared for the first 15 seconds, doing a high-kick that looked ridiculously staged, followed by a dialogue that was mixed so loudly it clipped the audio.
In 2021, an era of sleek Netflix thrillers and grounded South-Indian masterpieces, this looked like an expensive joke.
[ TEASER METADATA ]
[ Overall Aesthetic Quality: 18% (Outdated) ]
[ Projected Audience Mockery: 92% ]
[ "Cringe" Factor: Critical ]
Jai watched, heart sinking. If the movie was marketed like this, even his best acting wouldn't save it. But then, at the 1-minute mark, the "90s Masala" music suddenly cut to dead silence.
The screen flickered. The yellow filter vanished, replaced by the raw, cold, bluish tint of a rainy Delhi night.
For exactly 20 seconds, the teaser transformed.
It was the tea-stall scene. No music. Just the sound of rain hitting a tin roof. The camera pushed in on Jai's face—Arjun. He wasn't doing a "cool" pose. He was just looking at the Hero with a terrifyingly calm expression, his eyes reflecting the streetlights.
Jai watched the Metadata shift violently.
[ SEGMENT: THE ARJUN REVEAL ]
[ Artistic Impact: 99% ]
[ Atmospheric Quality: 95% ]
[ Hidden Truth: The Editor accidentally left this raw footage in because he couldn't find a '90s filter' that fit the mood. ]
In those 20 seconds, Jai didn't look like a 2021 actor; he looked like a force of nature. He sips the tea, the steam blurring his face, and says the line: *"The Sultan is just a title, Vicky. The street is a graveyard. Pick your spot."*
The teaser ended abruptly on Jai's gaze.
Jai locked his phone, his hands shaking slightly. The "Critic's Eye" was showing him a split reality. The first 60 seconds were a failure, but the last 20 seconds were a masterpiece. The contrast was so sharp that it made Jai look like he was in a completely different, much better movie.
[ PROJECTED PUBLIC REACTION ]
[ "Who is the guy at the end?" – 100,000+ potential searches. ]
[ Aryan's Popularity Score: -10% (Due to being overshadowed). ]
Jai looked out at the quiet street. He realized the "Dark Truth" of this teaser. The studio was trying to market a 90s movie, but they had accidentally showcased a New-Age Legend.
"Jai? Why is your phone glowing so late?" Meera called out, rubbing her eyes.
"Just a work update, Meera," Jai said, walking back inside.
"Is it a good movie?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Jai looked at the "Stain" on his wrist, which was pulsing with a soft indigo light. "Half of it is trash. The other half... the other half is going to change everything."
He sat back down and picked up a pen. He knew exactly what was going to happen tomorrow morning. When this teaser dropped, the internet would tear the 90s-style editing to pieces—but they would worship the 20 seconds of the "Ghost of Old Delhi."
Aryan would be the face of the failure. Jai would be the face of the hope.
[ MISSION UPDATED: THE VIRAL DISRUPTION ]
[ CURRENT STATUS: THE TRAP IS SET ]
Jai closed his eyes, finally feeling the sleep take over. He had 24 hours of peace left before he became the most searched name in the country.