51 pages 1 hour read

Megha Majumdar

A Burning

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Chapters 38-45Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 38 Summary: “Lovely”

Lovely visits the office of a Mr. Jhunjhunwala, a film casting agent. She is surprised at how dirty and unglamorous his office is, but she hands over her demo CD hoping that he will help get her cast in famous director Kamal Banerjee’s new film. Lovely is disappointed that Mr. Jhunjhunwala has her in mind for the hijra character, but he reminds her that few people can simply walk into the film industry and become a star. Lovely is eager for the opportunity but further discouraged when she finds out she must pay Mr. Jhunjhunwala a fee. Despite the disappointing meeting, Lovely decides to try his agency. Feeling sad and vulnerable, Lovely walks to Azad’s house to catch a glimpse of him, but he is nowhere to be found. A nearby mechanic asks her to leave.

Chapter 39 Summary: “Jivan”

The attention Jivan’s case receives in the news motivates people to ask more about life in the prison Jivan is held. The inmates are forced to clean and beautify the prison so that a film crew can document their lives. Later, Jivan tells Purnendu about leaving school after grade 10. She told her mother that she wanted to get a job to help the family, but her mother was devastated that her daughter would not pursue the opportunities of school to the very end.