“Kathy, Kathy! No, that is dead! Give it more energy!” shouted Danny Appiah, who was very happy about shooting the last scenes of his new blockbuster, “The End”, which was about the apocalypse through the eyes of a young woman. The lead role was played by a young beautiful starlet named Kathy Tobias. This was Danny’s 35th movie and his last; he boasted 48 awards for his work.

Today, Danny wasn’t feeling the mood around the set. To him, everyone was dead and didn’t show the energy needed for the movie’s final stretch. “Come on, what’s wrong with you people?” he shouted. The problem was that everyone was drained after seven months of shooting, but with Danny, the more time went by, the more energy he seemed to have. Even his starlet’s sparkling sky-like eyes were turning a dull hue.

Kathy wanted to make him happy, as this was her first big role with an award-winning director. She had fought tooth and nail to be chosen above other well-known actresses who had been vying for the role. Danny liked Kathy, as he saw something in her that he had never seen before: the innocent façade of Natalie Portman crossed with the striking and intimidating facial character of Angelina Jolie.

Danny only wanted the best for his latest “art feature”, and he gave it his all, from the budget to the screenplay. All of Danny’s movies were a roaring success. However, he had one dream he still wanted to fulfil: he wanted to win an Oscar. This was his goodbye to the film world, and he had dreamt of an Oscar ever since he had started making movies. For years, he had failed to make an impact at international awards. The bone was snatched out of his mouth when he was nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film” for his movie “99”. Somebody else had scooped the title.
The weather was smiling down on Danny now, and to him this was the approval he needed from the movie gods. He needed these clear skies for his last shots, as they were the basis of his wrapped-with-a-gold-ribbon finale. He needed everything to be in harmony so that the film became a perfect work of art. So far, everything was in that perfect harmony – except for the dull, tired faces of the cast and crew.

Two months later, everything was ready for the release. There was an uproar around the movie’s release, with interviews and invites to festivals around the world. To Kathy, this was her shot at the big time; she would finally be recognised as a force to be reckoned with. She hoped that this would open opportunities with much bigger directors. In one interview, she admitted that it was her dream to act in a James Cameron film.

To Danny and Kathy, this movie was a leaf of hope: for one to start a bright career and for the other to end his on a high and blissful note. They were counting on the fact that they had poured their hearts into this screenplay, and that somehow it would hear their cries, play genie for them and make their wishes come true.

The big day had come and the movie was finally going to be premiered. The who’s who of the industry and the media were all there. They wouldn’t miss a Danny Appiah film for the world, but most of all they wanted to pay tribute to this great filmmaker. Danny was very excited. “You can never get used to it, seeing the result of so many months of sweat and tears is always rewarding,” he said to an art journalist of The Times.

The delicate starlet looked like a swan, as if she was going to a ball. The minute she stepped out of the limousine, her long, beautiful white dress lured all the cameras in her direction. “KATHY TOBIAS STEALS THE SHOW,” read the headline on the front page of The Times. Everyone couldn’t get over how effortlessly she owned the night. The article even closed with a banger line: “This blue-eyed, gold-locked princess is the future of South African film.”

The movie’s first weekend was a roaring success, grossing over 30-million rand. In every review, there wasn’t a line that didn’t praise Kathy’s absolutely spotless performance. She became an overnight star, and all was well for her as interviews and magazine features came running from all directions. Kathy was over the moon. Finally, she was on the way to her dream’s final destination: stardom.

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Tell us what you think: How do you think Danny will feel about Kathy’s success?