Krithika smiled. She handed the wireless microphone back to the DJ, who stood behind his console on the stage.
She turned around, lifted the hem of her deep green lehenga slightly, and prepared to walk down the wooden stairs to return to her seat in the front row. She did not make it to the stairs.
Before Krithika could step down, Anjali, Sneha, Priya, Kavya, and Riya intercepted her. Anjali blocked the right side of the stairs, Sneha and Priya took the left, and Kavya and Riya stood in the center.
"Wait," Anjali said, holding her hand up. "Do not go down."
"I finished my song," Krithika said. "I am going back to my seat."
"No, you are staying right here," Sneha instructed. She stepped forward, placed her hands on Krithika's shoulders, and pushed her back to the center of the stage.
Anjali turned and pointed at Siddanth, who was sitting on the front row sofa.
"You too," Anjali commanded. "Up here."
Siddanth stood up and walked up the stairs. The girls escorted him to the center of the stage, positioning him facing Krithika. The five girls stepped back into a semi-circle around them. Anjali gave the DJ a nod.
The lively, festive beats of "Navrai Majhi" from the movie English Vinglish played through the speakers. The audience cheered in recognition. The five girls launched into their choreography.
Navrai Majhi Laadachi Ladachi Ga (My bride is so deeply beloved)
Avad Hila Chandrachi Chandrachi Ga (She is so fond of the moon)
Navrai Majhi Navsaachee Navsaachee Ga (My bride is the fruit of our prayers)
Apsara Jashi Indrachi Indrachi Ga (Like a fairy from Lord Indra's court)
Navrai Majhi Laadachi Laadachi Ga (My bride is so deeply beloved)
Avad Hila Chandrachi Chandrachi Ga (She is so fond of the moon)
Navrai Majhi Navsaachee Navsaachee Ga (My bride is the fruit of our prayers)
Apsara Jashi Indrachi Indrachi Ga (Like a fairy from Lord Indra's court)
The girls began with graceful, synchronized steps. They stepped lightly to the beat, rolling their wrists and framing their faces to signify the beloved bride. They pointed upwards, moving their hands in a soft arc to mime the moon mentioned in the song.
Navrai Chali Sharmaati Ghabraati Woh (The bride walks, feeling shy and nervous)
Piya Ke Ghar Ithlaati Balkhaati Woh, (To her lover's home, swaying with grace)
Surmai Naina Chalkaati Chalkaati Woh, (Her kohl-lined eyes overflowing with emotion)
Piya Ke Ghar Bharmaati, Sakuchati Woh! (In her lover's home, she feels hesitant and coy!)
Sneha and Priya stepped closer to Krithika. They pulled imaginary veils over their heads and looked down, playfully acting out how a shy, nervous bride walks to her husband's home. They nudged Krithika, teasing her about her romance.
Chunar Mein Iski, Sitaare (In her veil, there are stars)
Saare Chamkeele Chamkeele Chamkeele (All sparkling, sparkling, sparkling)
Kangan Mein Iske Bahaare (In her bangles, there is the joy of spring)
Aaj Hariyaale, Hariyaale, Hariyaale (Today everything is prosperous and green)
Anjali gestured toward Krithika's deep green lehenga. The girls shook their wrists near their faces, mimicking the clinking of bangles, and spun around Krithika in a circle.
Navrai Maajhi Laadachi Laadachi Ga (My bride is so deeply beloved)
Avad Hila Chandrachi Chandrachi Ga (She is so fond of the moon)
Navrai Maajhi Navsaachee Navsaachee Ga (My bride is the fruit of our prayers)
Apsara Jashi Indrachi Indrachi Ga...Ga...Ga...Ga! (Like a fairy from Lord Indra's court)
They returned to their core routine, bouncing lightly on their heels and clapping in unison, keeping Krithika framed in the center.
Sunyoji Isko, Rakhyo Jatan Se (Listen, keep her with great care)
O Badi Naazuk Hain Naazuk Hain Naazuk (She is very delicate, delicate, delicate)
Kali Hai Anmol.... Kali Hai Anmol... (She is a priceless flower bud... a priceless bud...)
The music shifted, and the five girls stopped spinning. They turned directly to Siddanth. Anjali pointed a finger at him. The girls folded their hands in a mock plea, acting out a warning for him to treat Krithika with care because she was delicate and priceless.
Aaoji Aao... Thumka Lagaoon... (Come, come... let's dance to the beats...)
Zara Behko Ji Behko Ji Behko (Let yourself go a little, let loose...)
Khushiyon Ke Baaje Dhol (The drums of happiness are playing)
Khushiyon Ke Baaje Dhol (The drums of happiness are playing)
The girls executed sharp hip movements, gesturing for Siddanth to join the celebration. Siddanth, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, stepped forward on the beat. He reached out, pulled Krithika gently by the waist, and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
Krithika gasped and laughed, lightly hitting his shoulder with her fist. The girls cheered on stage. In the audience, Dhawan whistled, Virat and Sameer cheered, and Rajamouli and Sachin clapped.
Aankhon Mein Iske Ishaare (In her eyes, there are signals)
Bade Nakhreele Nakhreele Nakhreele (Very playful, playful, playful)
Sapno Ke Lakho Nazaare (Millions of dream-like views)
Saare Rangeele Rangeele Rangeele (All colourful, colourful, colourful)
The girls formed a tight circle around Krithika again. They winked and pointed at their eyes, mimicking the lyrics about mischievous signals and colorful dreams.
Navrai Chali Sharmati, Ghabrati Woh (The bride walks, feeling shy and nervous)
Piya Ke Ghar Itlathi Balkathi Woh (To her lover's home, swaying with grace)
Surmai Naina Chalkati Chalkati Woh (Her kohl-lined eyes overflowing with emotion)
Piya Ke Ghar Bharmathi Sakuchati Woh (In her lover's home, she feels hesitant and coy)
They performed more synchronized spins, their lehengas flaring out as they circled the couple.
Navrai Maajhi Laadachi Laadachi Ga (My bride is so deeply beloved)
Avad Hila Chandrachi Chandrachi Ga (She is so fond of the moon)
Navrai Majhi Navsaachee Navsaachee Ga (My bride is the fruit of our prayers)
Apsara Jashi Indrachi Indrachi Ga.. (Like a fairy from Lord Indra's court..)
Krithika stopped protesting. Fully caught up in the music, she joined Anjali and her friends in the choreography. She mirrored their steps, executing the elegant wrist rolls, hip sways, and gentle spins right alongside them. Siddanth stood in the center, clapping to the rhythm as Krithika and the girls finished the dance together.
The lively beat of the music finally tapered off. The song stopped, and the stage filled with the sound of the girls catching their breath and laughing.
Krithika stood in the center of the formation, breathing heavily. Her sister, Anjali, gave her a high-five, while Kavya and Riya leaned against each other for support.
Deva looked at Krithika, offering a smile. He had stood perfectly still in the center of the stage throughout the performance.
"Any more ambushes planned for tonight?" Deva asked quietly.
Krithika wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. She stood up straight and adjusted her heavy dupatta. "I don't think so. But you handled that perfectly."
He offered her his hand. She took it, and they turned to walk down the short wooden stairs back to their seats.
"Stop right there!"
Sameer's voice, amplified through a plastic megaphone, echoed through the Kakatiya courtyard.
Deva stopped on the first wooden step. Before he could react, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Arjun, and Feroz rushed the stage. They bypassed the stairs entirely, vaulting up onto the wooden floorboards.
Jadeja and Sameer reached Deva first, grabbing his arms firmly.
"Hey," Deva said, planting his feet.
"Too late, Sid," Jadeja grunted.
They physically pulled Deva away from Krithika, dragging him backward into the center of the stage. The girls instantly backed away toward the edge of the stage, laughing and pointing at the incoming cricketers.
"Secure the perimeter!" Sameer yelled, tossing the megaphone onto the DJ console.
The DJ hit a button on his laptop. The fast, rebellious guitar riff of "Bhaag D.K. Bose" from the movie Delhi Belly blared through the massive speakers.
The crowd recognized the frantic anthem. The six boys formed a tight, closed circle around Deva, trapping him inside. Deva crossed his arms over his chest, planted his feet shoulder-width apart, and looked at his friends with a deadpan expression.
The boys launched into their heavily practiced footwork.
Daddy mujhse bola, Tu galti hai meri (Daddy told me, you are my mistake)
Tujhpe Zindgani guilty hai meri (Because of you, my life feels guilty)
Saabun ki Shakal mein, (In the shape of soap,)
beta tu toh nikla keval jhaag, (son, you turned out to be nothing but froth,)
jhaag jhaag... Bhaag (froth, froth... Run!)
The boys stepped forward aggressively, shaking their heads in unison. They pointed their index fingers directly at Deva, perfectly mimicking a disappointed father lecturing a hopeless son, urging him to run away.
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
They jogged in place to the fast beat, closing the circle tighter around Deva.
Oh by god lag gayi (Oh by God, we are screwed)
Kya se kya hua (What has it come to)
Dekha toh katora (Looked like a bowl)
Jhaanka toh kuaan (But peeping in, it was a deep well)
The circle opened up. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan stepped forward for a coordinated mime act. Virat looked down into his imaginary cupped hands like a beggar with a bowl, then widened his eyes in horror as he pantomimed peering over the edge of a bottomless well.
Piddi jaissa choohaa (A tiny little mouse)
Dum pakda toh nikla kala naag (Held its tail and it turned out to be a black cobra)
Naag naag, (Cobra, cobra,)
Bhaag... (Run...)
Dhawan dropped to his knees, pantomiming grabbing a tiny mouse by the tail. As the lyric hit, he leaped backward in terror, acting as if the tiny mouse had instantly transformed into a massive, striking black cobra. The crowd roared with laughter at the warning that things are never as harmless as they seem.
Bhaag bhaag DK bose, DK bose, DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag.. (Run run DK Bose, DK run..)
Aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK Bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK Bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
Aandhi Aayi hai... (A storm has come...)
During the chorus, the boys scrambled around Deva in a frantic, side-stepping circle. When the lyrics warned of the approaching storm, they all stopped and pointed dramatically toward Krithika, identifying her as the incoming disaster he needed to escape.
Hey hey hey ... hey hey hey hey (Hey hey hey ... hey hey hey hey)
Kisne kisko loota (Who robbed whom)
Kiska maatha kaise phoota (Whose head got smashed and how)
Kya pata…. (Who knows....)
Ravindra Jadeja pushed his way to the center. He rubbed his forehead, staggering slightly. He looked around with a dazed, battered expression, acting confused about how he got trapped, pantomiming the reality of being robbed of his bachelorhood.
Itna hi pata hai, Aage (We only know this much, running ahead)
daudein toh bhala hai (is good for us)
Peechhe toh, (Because from behind,)
Ek aandhi aayi hai, sandesa laayi hai.. (A storm has come, bringing a message..)
yeah.. (yeah..)
Jadeja frantically waved his hands forward, urging Deva to sprint straight ahead without looking back at the storm coming from behind.
Bhaag bhaag DK bose, DK bose, DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag.. (Run run DK Bose, DK run..)
Aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK Bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK Bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
Aandhi Aayi hai... (A storm has come...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Hey hey hey ... hey hey hey hey (Hey hey hey ... hey hey hey hey)
The boys retreated slightly, allowing Sameer and Arjun to take the front for the next act.
Hum toh hai kabootar, (We are pigeons,)
Do pahiye ka ek scooter (A two-wheeled scooter)
Zindagi (is Life)
Sameer and Arjun gripped imaginary handlebars in the air, pretending to bounce along on broken-down scooters. They looked tired, representing the loss of freedom.
Arre kismat ki hai kadki, (Oh, luck is completely broke,)
Roti Kapda aur Ladki (Food, clothes, and a girl,)
teeno hi (all three)
Yeh bheja garden hai, (This brain is a garden,)
aur tension maali hai.. yeah.. (and tension is the gardener.. yeah..)
Mann ka taanpoora, (The instrument of the mind,)
frustration me chhede ek hi Raag.. (plays only one tune in frustration..)
Raag Raag.. (Tune tune..)
Bhaag..... (Run.....)
Sameer grabbed his own hair with both hands, ruffling it to show a mental breakdown. Arjun tapped his temple rapidly, visually demonstrating the tension and frustration they were warning Deva about.
Bhaag bhaag DK bose, DK bose, DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag.. (Run run DK Bose, DK run..)
Aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK Bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK Bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
Aandhi Aayi hai... (A storm has come...)
As the final verse began, Krithika, who had been standing near the stairs watching the performance, decided she had given them enough time. She walked directly toward the center of the wooden stage.
Seeing her approach, Sameer panicked.
"Hold the line!" Sameer yelled over the loud music. "Protect him! She is coming!"
The boys instantly closed the wide circle around Deva. They physically linked their arms together, locking elbows and planting their feet wide to form a human barricade between Krithika and Deva.
Krithika stopped three feet away from the wall of boys. She folded her arms firmly across her chest and locked eyes with Deva through the gap between Dhawan's and Jadeja's shoulders.
Daddy mujhse bola, Tu galti hai meri (Daddy told me, you are my mistake)
Tujhpe Zindgani guilty hai meri (Because of you, my life feels guilty)
Saabun ki Shakal mein, (In the shape of soap,)
beta tu toh nikla keval jhaag, (son, you turned out to be nothing but froth,)
jhaag jhaag... Bhaag (froth, froth... Run!)
The boys maintained the barricade, singing the lyrics loudly at her.
Krithika did not speak. She simply offered a slow smile. She raised her right hand and deliberately crooked her index finger twice, signaling Deva to come to her.
Deva didn't hesitate.
"Excuse me, boys," Deva said calmly.
He placed his hands firmly on the inside shoulders of Dhawan and Jadeja. With a simple motion, he parted the two men, breaking their locked elbows. He stepped right through the middle of their defensive line.
Bhaag bhaag DK bose, DK bose, DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
bhaag bhaag DK bose DK bhaag.. (Run run DK Bose, DK run..)
The boys gasped in theatrical horror, dropping their arms to their sides simultaneously.
Krithika gave a triumphant hair flip. She turned perfectly on her heel and casually walked down the wooden stairs. Deva obediently trailed right behind her.
Sameer dropped to his knees on the wooden stage, clutching his chest. "Treason! Betrayal! We lost him!"
Virat threw his hands into the air, staring at Deva's retreating back in disbelief. "We risked everything to save you! We showed you the black snake! And you just surrender without a fight?"
Aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
aandhi aayi aandhi aayi (A storm has come, a storm has come)
Bhaag bhaag DK bose DK Bhaag (Run run DK Bose, DK run)
Bhaag bhaag DK Bose DK bose DK bose (Run run DK Bose, DK Bose, DK Bose)
Aandhi Aayi hai... (A storm has come...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag... (Run run...)
Bhaag bhaag.... (Run run....)
Deva paused at the bottom of the stairs. He turned back to face his devastated friends. He reached up and pulled the lobes of his ears firmly in a sheepish apology.
"Sorry, boys," Deva called out with a helpless grin. "She already knows all my secrets. The resistance is futile."
The DJ immediately faded the heavy track down to silence. The courtyard erupted in laughter and applause.
Krithika walked back to her sofa and sat down next to her mother, Suma, who was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. Deva took his seat right next to her.
On the stage, the exhausted boys were breathing heavily.
"I need water," Jadeja announced, abandoning his persona.
"We need a drink," Sameer corrected him.
The boys walked down the stairs and headed straight toward the bar.
The DJ bypassed the cinematic tracks, dropping a heavy, continuous electronic dance beat that signaled the start of the unstructured party. The guests flooded the open space in front of the stage.
Deva sat on the sofa, accepting a cold water bottle from Rahul, his assistant. He drank half the bottle in one sip.
"You did not look like a scared pigeon," Krithika noted, watching the dancers.
"My brain is also not a garden," Deva replied, screwing the cap back onto the bottle. "Their assessment of my future was highly inaccurate."
"We will see," Krithika smiled.