Chapter 2: Bombay Dreams
Arjun woke up on a busy street.
Not Kolkata.
Not even modern India.
Cars honked—but they were different. Boxy, vintage. Posters covered the walls—bright, hand-painted film posters with dramatic expressions and bold fonts.
"AMAR PREMI – NOW SHOWING!"
"THE ANGRY HERO RETURNS!"
Arjun blinked. "What… is this place?"
A man brushed past him, wearing bell-bottom pants and a wide-collared shirt. Another walked by with a cassette player slung over his shoulder.
Then Arjun saw it.
A giant poster of a young Bollywood superstar—sharp jawline, intense eyes, hair styled in a way that screamed 1980s stardom.
And below it, the year printed in bold:
1983
"No way," Arjun whispered.
His heart pounded. He looked at his wrist—the watch had stopped humming, but its hands were still spinning backward slowly.
"I've… time traveled?"
Before he could process it, a commotion erupted nearby.
"Move! Move! Shooting chal raha hai!" someone shouted.
A film shoot.
Arjun followed the crowd, curiosity pulling him forward. Cameras rolled, lights blazed, and in the center stood the man from the poster—the superstar himself.
Charismatic. Magnetic. Larger than life.
The actor delivered a fiery dialogue, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Main haarne ke liye paida nahi hua!"
The crew applauded.
Arjun stood frozen.
He wasn't just in the 1980s.
He was standing in the middle of Bollywood's golden era.