Breaking The Pot

In a large villa in southern Los Angeles, the MV of Kid Z's latest song was playing on the screen. A black man with a large belly was looking at the screen with narrowed eyes.

His hair was already grey. His hairline had receded as well. But, there was a glint of intelligence in his eyes. Those eyes looked calm as if they had seen through everything in the world.

Just then, the black man paused the video when the frame of Natasha sitting on the hood of a car came. His eyes took on a shine as he looked at the image in front of him.

"Are you sure you want to hire this girl, Cody?"

An impatient voice came from the side causing Cody Murphy to take his eyes off the screen and look in that direction. There was a fat man, sporting eyeglasses, sitting there with a displeased expression.

Even though Cody didn't reply, the man continued on.

"She doesn't have any performance experience. She is a complete newcomer to the circle. Till now, she has only acted in one MV. That too as a passerby. You want to make her act as the second female lead in a commercial production. Are you out of your mind?" the fat man wheezed angrily.

"Why? Is there any problem with that?" Cody Murphy asked lighting his cigar.

"Problem? Aren't you listening Cody? This isn't like the films you produced before. They are art films. So, it doesn't matter if we introduce a newcomer. Even for that, a girl with no performance experience like her isn't suitable," the fat man gestured angrily at the screen.

"But, this is a commercial film. A commercial film with a black male lead and a black female lead. It is already a big risk. We don't know if the public will accept such a thing. Introducing a known face will be good to draw people into the theatres. Even though it is a second female lead, we can promote as if she is the first female lead and get people into the theatre," the fat man wheezed.

The fat man unceremoniously reached out and took a gulp of the water present on the table. As he did that, he furtively looked up to see the reaction to his words. But, Cody's face was impassive. There were no clues on it. The fat man cursed internally and started speaking again.

"We need someone with a box office appeal. Not some newcomer. So, don't do this. This will only bring harm. Moreover, there are rules we must all follow. We are already trying something new. Let's try to keep it to a minimum," the fat man stressed.

A strange emotion flickered across Cody's face for an instant. Then he smiled slightly and nodded.

"Ok, I will think about it," Cody said nodding at the fat man. "You can go now. Don't worry, I won't be hasty with money. After all, we do business to make money, right?"

"Yes, business is business," the fat man nodded happily thinking he had gotten through to Cody. "I will take my leave."

Cody nodded and the fat man left the room. Cody watched him go with a strange smile on his face.

"So, you are going to go with who the fat man recommended?" another rough voice came from the side.

Cody turned and looked at Kyle, the director of the film. He was a fellow black like Cody. But, Cody was the producer and Kyle knew he didn't have much voice in the crew. The fat man who left now was Cody's friend who helped Cody a lot when he started a small production house.

And there was another reason Kyle acted as if he wasn't present before. Cody Murphy wasn't your ordinary black man. He was one of the most powerful blacks in the entire Los Angeles.

He was involved in almost all kinds of black deals and gang stuff in Los Angeles. Normally, someone like him wouldn't be very approachable. But, Cody was different. As ruthless as he was, he also understood the necessity of keeping a civil veneer. That was the reason he could mingle in the upper circle of the city despite being connected to gangs.

And there was yet another reason for Kyle to keep his thoughts.

Cody Murphy was also an influential figure in the black circle in the entertainment field. He has a record company that has star rappers like Kid Z. After achieving great success in the record industry, he turned his eyes toward the film circle.

Few years ago, he opened a production company. He didn't do that to earn money. His intention was to provide opportunities for talented black artists who were stifled due to the lack of opportunities in the film circle due to racial discrimination. So, every black artist in the film circle had great respect for him.

Kyle didn't want to disrespect Cody in front of outsiders. That was why he kept his mouth shut. He was the one who recommended Natasha Lyons for the role. So, the fat man's actions were as if slapping him in the face.

Cody didn't reply immediately. He took a deep puff of his cigar and let the smoke flow out. The silence lasted for a minute or so before Cody replied.

"Kyle," Cody said looking at the screen in front of him. "When I opened a production company, my aim was to let our people have representation in the film world."

"But, I also knew that muscling in on someone else's territory is not an easy thing to do. So, I agreed to play by their rules. I paid the tuition fees and integrated into the circle slowly. I am in my sixties now. I don't have any wife or children. My only aim is to better our people's lives. Provide them with new opportunities and let them flourish."

"Do you think I don't know that art films don't make much money," Cody laughed. "I am not that stupid. I know the money is in commercial films. And our people also like commercial films. So, it was only natural that I take commercial films. But, I didn't. Do you know why?"

"I don't know, Cody," Kyle shook his head.

"I am not an artist Kyle. I don't understand shit about films talking about deep issues. I am a gangster. A smart one, a successful one, but in the end, I am simply a gangster. I didn't take commercial films because it is like grabbing their cake."

Cody stood up agitatedly and took puffs of his cigar repeatedly. He started pacing the room with a dark frown on his face.

"I didn't go to grab their cake. But, they came over to grab my cake. Do they think I am stupid? Every film I take, they persuade me to spend money to get awards that never come. Every film I take, more than half the people in the crew are theirs. I opened this production house to give opportunities to niggers who are sidelined and these bastards come over and grab those opportunities as well," Cody spat angrily.

"Do they think that I won't notice it? Do they think they can ride over my head? Do I look like a punk who shows the other cheek when you slap one? Huh?" Cody raged. "Damn bastards. I played by their rules and they screwed me over. So, I decided to go for their portion of cake."

"But, what does it have to do with changing the second female lead?" Kyle asked in confusion.

"Don't be naïve Kyle," Cody grunted. "You know damn well who runs this circle. Do I need to spell it out for you? The second female lead recommended by that fat man is their person as well. Moreover, that damn fat man wants me to promote the movie as if she is the first female lead," Cody sneered.

"It is as if I am making a hotdog while I am hungry for them to feast. How can something like that happen? Do they think I'm an imbecile? What's wrong with promoting a black girl as the female lead? Isn't this movie about black people?"

"Damn, that fat man is very cunning. I thought he was your friend," Kyle asked in a shaken voice.

Just imagining the situation Cody described was enough to shiver from the maliciousness present in that fat man's words. These bastards are letting the blacks make a commercial film and are secretly pulling the rug under them.

After the movie is promoted and released, the limelight of the black heroine would be gone. And their person would enjoy the benefits that blacks have meticulously prepared for one of their own. How insidious!?

"Heh, friends?" Cody chuckled. "Tell me, how many times have our people been nominated for awards? How many times have they even given us awards? How many of their people have got the awards? Friends, don't make me laugh. Interests are paramount in this circle."

"They can smile at you now and they can stab you in the back tomorrow. There is no permanent friend or enemies. Only interest reigns supreme. Never forget this. This capitalistic society is like this," Cody said grimacing.

"So, what do we do now? That fat man is strongly recommending his own person. If we reject it, he will tell us that the film has no market and will refuse to distribute it. Then our film can only go directly to disks. That will be a huge loss," Kyle fretted.

"It is not the first time I lost money, Kyle," Cody said taking a large puff from his cigar. "And it won't be the last as well. What we do is look after our own interests first. It doesn't matter if we get a theatre release. If we get it, well and good. If not, I will mobilize our entire community to buy the disks from stores. I can earn this way as well."

"Cody, that is like breaking the pot. They won't react well to that," Kyle cautioned.

"Sometimes, you have to take your guns and have a showdown Kyle," Cody said letting out a large puff.

*****

A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...

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