Acting: the art or occupation of performing in plays, movies, or television productions. The dream of so many young girls and boys around the world. They aspire to achieve fame, money, and success. This is also the ambition of Aria Banerjee, an Indian teen living in California where dreams come true.

Aria, with a smiling face, sits at her desk, her head resting on it. She explores the life and imaginations of a fantasy world, daydreaming. Her dream? To become an actress. She is incredibly passionate about acting and is determined to reach her goal. However, her Indian parents do not think of acting as a viable career and do not support her. Acting to them is a joke and not a career. In a world filled with glamour, it entices people to think beyond their wildest dreams. Nowadays, with movies featuring young characters, it gives other teenagers hope of becoming world-famous actors and actresses. My story is about this one smiling girl sitting at her desk, daydreaming…
Christmas, a time of love and joy, is Aria’s favorite season. She becomes incredibly excited as Christmas draws near. It is her opportunity to make a wish to Santa and ask her parents for a green screen and a camera to act and audition online. With determination, she musters up the strength and confidence to ask her parents for what she wants. When she informs them, they exchange glances before returning their gaze to her. “Sweetie, we’ll try,” her mom tells her. Aria nods and returns to her room. She climbs onto her bed and envisions receiving the green screen on Christmas Day. Yet, she avoids having high expectations, fully aware that her parents do not approve of her dream of acting.
Despite her carefree nature, she continues to be cheerful, completely oblivious to the fact that her impending destiny is patiently anticipated just around the corner. She is thoughtful, exemplary, kind, and caring. Her morning routine consists of waking up at 5:30 am, praying for her family and herself, having a shower, and going to school. Unfortunately, she attends a substandard, ordinary, and a lousy school with a harsh teacher named Mrs. Edna Bitters. Aria despises her greatly. Mrs. Bitters never speaks kindly to Aria, which results in her struggling academically. Concerned, her parents assume that Aria’s constant focus on acting is causing her educational decline. They are unaware of the impact Mrs. Bitters has on her. One evening, upon hearing about Aria’s grades, they sat her down at a table. Aria feels a mixture of worry and confusion. Why do her parents want to talk to her? Her parents wear serious and despondent expressions. As they begin speaking, Aria’s heart fills with sorrow upon hearing each word that falls from their mouths. Her parents are banning her from acting because of her terrible grades! She’s broken. By the end of their discussion, tears stream down her face and her heart pounds with rage. In a fury, she rises from her chair and storms back to her room. Her life lives on the dream of acting!

The entire night, she sobs into her pillow, burying her face in it. When she awakens in the morning, her eyes burn, and her body is soaked in sweat. She attends school feeling numb and depressed. Her dreams and passion have been crushed by the people she loves. She could hardly believe it. That day, instead of returning home, she runs away to Hollywood, an hour away from her home. In her mind, she thinks, this might be my chance to shine. I might find something for me here. Meanwhile, her parents are distraught. Six hours have passed since she left, and the police are searching all over California. Somewhere in the city of Hollywood lies Aria, disguised in a black hoodie and blue jeans, blending in with the crowd to evade detection by the police. She stole a few couple dollars from her mom’s purse in the morning, for food and a place to sleep. In the morning, she scours magazines, articles, and the news for walk-in auditions. Finally, she finds one listed in a newspaper that matches her age requirement. It’s perfect. She takes a shower at an indoor pool shower and dresses up. With the remaining money she has, she purchases a worn gray shirt with a flower on top and black tights. As she walks to the studio, she memorizes the lines she found on a library computer. Upon arriving, she waits for her turn. “Next!” a woman shouts. She enters the room, takes a deep breath, and begins reciting her lines. Everything goes perfectly! The casting director looks astounded at the end. He is taken by surprise. He tells Aria that she might receive a callback. She is overjoyed and has faith in her heart, that she might just get this role. She’s auditioned for things before, but because of her parents’ negativity, she got put down and couldn’t focus on acting.
Several days go by, and Aria earns some money by washing cars. Just as she is about to sleep in her motel room, the telephone rings. She picks it up. “Beep. This is a message for Aria Banerjee. You have been chosen to play the role of Alyssa in the movie All Day Long. Congratulations! Meet us at the Grand Hall Hotel in Sacramento, California. June 24, 2024. Beep.” She is filled with excitement. She has never been this happy in her entire life.
(Fast forward 20 years) “Look here!” “No, over here!” The paparazzi scream, cameras flashing at Aria. She has just finished her debut movie and is about to return home to her yearning parents. As her Black Corvette drives her home, she remembers her memories with her parents, that night that they gave her that speech, and the day that she overcame it. When she knocks on their door, a frail old hand opens it. “Alia?” an elder lady asks.
“Yes, Mother. It’s me. I’m back.”