I'm a Master in India

You know, the prospectors we hired actually found some good stuff.

"Mr. Sur, look, there's not only limestone here, but also gypsum!"

"Gypsum?" Ron curiously squeezed the white, powdery stone.

"It's an associated mineral, which is very beneficial to your cement business."

"How so?" Ron became interested.

"Adding gypsum can act as a retarder, which is very much needed on construction sites, and it is also a building material itself."

"Sounds good, any other discoveries?"

"I've also looked at a few other mines. Besides limestone, there's also dolomite. This is also a building material, and it can be used to assist in the production of steel and glass."

"Is it worth mining?" This was the question Ron cared about.

"Dolomite isn't the main focus, Mr. Sur. This kind of ore is usually associated with metal ores."

"Hmm?" Ron turned his head, "You mean..."

"If I'm not mistaken, there might be iron ore here, but I don't know how much is in reserve?" The prospector shook his head.

"Iron ore, huh," Ron immediately lost interest, "Let's focus on cement first."

India does not lack steel companies, most of which are state-owned.

Private individuals who can enter this field are usually big players who have obtained monopoly resources.

Ron currently has no plans for steel; that stuff requires too much investment and has passed its period of high returns.

"How is it? Ron." Ratan walked over after wandering around outside.

He wasn't interested in mines or anything like that. Hemp was the way out for Uttar Pradesh!

"The limestone reserves are abundant and of high quality, and the other scraps are also passable."

"Should we ask Uncle Aditya to bring people to build the factory? He built a dam and is very experienced."

"Forget it, let's not trouble Uncle Aditya. I've already arranged for an industry expert, and he will be responsible for all the design from the factory building to the process."

What a joke, it wasn't like he hadn't seen the trick of one becoming four, and he had already suffered a loss with Langchao Company, so how could he step on a landmine again.

Professional work like a cement factory should be left to professionals.

With the mine sorted, the next step was to order equipment, recruit personnel, and purchase basic building materials.

All of this would take time, and a long time at that.

Leaving a few subordinates to patrol the area, Ron and the others returned to Varanasi in a grand procession.

Muna also stayed behind. He was injured and wanted to follow but was powerless.

After pleading bitterly, Ron agreed to hire him, on the condition that he recovered from his injuries.

Before leaving, Ron also specifically left some wound medicine and instructed his family to take good care of him.

They did need a local guide to report in time. Muna had already submitted his letter of allegiance and could be trusted.

Originally, Ron was a little strange as to why Muna was so persistent in wanting to be his servant.

Ratan scoffed, saying that Muna had to find a new master for himself.

Otherwise, if a low-caste person killed a landlord, the surrounding high-caste people would definitely kill him.

His family would also have a miserable end, unless Muna completely abandoned his relatives and fled to another place.

He was a human being after all, not a beast.

It was different with a new master; Muna was acting on orders.

Isn't it natural for a servant to obey his master's orders?

Muna was free, but he put a collar back around his neck.

Born in rural India, and a low-caste at that, he had no choice.

No, he had a little bit of a choice. For example, between Ratan and Ron, he chose the latter.

No matter what, a doctor wouldn't be a bad person, right?

Well, the thugs from the Sur family had the most say in this.

Heaven help them, in the past, when they fought, if they died, they died.

How could there be a doctor accompanying them, let alone the young master personally treating them?

Some of them were injured, but they didn't have to worry about losing their lives at all. This was a great victory.

As Ratan galloped through the wilderness, he couldn't help but cheer and shoot into the sky, and a large group of thugs also joined in the fun.

Tsk, this scene, Ron thought he had arrived in the Persian Gulf countries.

The chess piece in Mirzapur was in place, and it was time for him to return to Mumbai.

When Ron returned to Mumbai, it was already October. The rainy season had just passed, and the autumn air was crisp and refreshing.

The open-air tea room in front of the Trident Hotel in Bandra was perfect for a few friends to enjoy tea and chat.

"What did the film censorship board say?" Ron asked.

"Not much hope." Director Shiv sighed.

"It's a shame about all this publicity." Vikram had a few magazines on his hand.

There was "Screen" edited by Raj, with a full-page color advertisement for "Praise to the Mother Goddess" prominently displayed.

The actress wore fifteen-centimeter high heels and a super-short skirt that revealed the outline of her buttocks. The style was unusually explosive.

In Raj's own words, it was the shortest mini-skirt he had seen in his many years in the industry.

There was also a copy of "Super Film" magazine, also building momentum for "Praise to the Mother Goddess."

"Recently, a mythological film that achieved excellent box office in Uttar Pradesh has emerged unexpectedly. Religious themes are evergreen, occasionally sweeping the entire market like a tornado."

Unfortunately, this tornado gradually turned into a gentle breeze as it moved south, and finally completely dissipated.

It didn't even pass the review, so how could it be released?

"They won't let the movie pass the review because the committee is mainly composed of housewives and men with a lot of free time. Yaar, you know, Indian women cannot accept this scale." Vikram's sister, Anu, said.

She was the chief reporter for "India Today", her brother Vikram was a writer, and her sister Tanuja was a film director.

This whole family was a genuine world of literature and culture. To achieve this level, you didn't need to ask to know they were Brahmins.

"If it really doesn't work, we can only give up on South India." Ron shrugged.

"Wow, it seems the movie did very well in the North." Vikram teased.

"And thanks to the screenwriter you recommended, we have enough money to give the crew double bonuses." Ron laughed heartily.

Director Shiv and another producer were also beaming, the movie was a hit, so they naturally got bonuses too.

According to the initial agreement, if the movie's revenue was average, Director Shiv's salary would be 300,000 rupees.

If it was a hit, it would double, which meant Shiv would receive 600,000 rupees this time.

That was already a lot; it was almost comparable to the income of mainstream Bollywood directors.

He was from Bihar and was not well-regarded. After this, Bollywood would certainly look at him with new eyes.

Most of the other main creators of the crew received similar treatment, from the male and female leads to the producers and music directors, all their salaries were doubled.

"Praise to the Mother Goddess" grossed 24 million rupees at the box office in Uttar Pradesh. With the money, the copies naturally had to keep up.

Now it has been released in Bihar and Rajasthan, but it is difficult to replicate the glory of Uttar Pradesh.

Ron's reach couldn't extend that far, and the distributor Balaram would inevitably underreport some of the box office.

This was unavoidable, a characteristic of India.

Only after the movie made money did Ron fulfill the original agreement and issue bonuses to the entire crew.

Less than two million rupees, just a drop in the bucket.

"Lanka's dream has really come true this time." Raj, holding a teacup, said with a smile.

"By the way, why didn't I see him today?" Ron looked around.

"He's filming a TV series." Mary replied.

"Oh? He got a role?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Although 'Praise to the Mother Goddess' cannot be released in Mumbai, news in Bollywood is always well-informed." Mary smiled with a hint of pride.

"Did you help him find the TV series resources?" Ron had already guessed something.

"Of course, Lanka is the male lead our agency is heavily promoting. This time he got the second male lead in a TV series, which is quite good."

Mary and her team had already signed Lanka before the movie started filming. This was standard practice.

If the movie flopped, there was no loss. If the movie was a hit, a new Bollywood star would emerge.

Mary struck while the iron was hot and quickly arranged Lanka's future work.

The pay for filming a TV series wasn't much higher than for "Praise to the Mother Goddess."

But the real source of income for actors is advertising. The reason they take on low-paying movies is because if there were no movies or TV series, no one would recognize him in advertisements.

The income from commercial advertisements can easily exceed their salary tenfold.

Of course, the agency takes a large cut.

Ron and Mary and the others not only established an agency but also registered a production company called Sun Entertainment.

The producer of "Praise to the Mother Goddess" this time was Sun Company, which is often referred to as the investor in the entertainment industry.

Ron was planning to make it a business, and the entertainment industry was one of his future directions.

Otherwise, with Sur Electrical so busy, why would he take the time to organize a Bollywood salon? Wasn't it to expand his network?

"By the way, Mr. Sur," Vikram's sister, Anu, suddenly spoke, "Actually, there is one person who can make the film censorship board approve 'Praise to the Mother Goddess' obediently."

"Who?" Ron asked subconsciously.

"Bal Thackeray."

Ron was startled, and the others also lowered their voices.

That Shiv Sena big boss, a name that resonated throughout Mumbai.

Only his word could make the film censorship board people listen and obey.

"I heard that you have a very good personal relationship with him." Anu probed.

"It's not bad, but not this time," Ron shrugged, "'Praise to the Mother Goddess' is a low-budget movie."

With a small investment and a relatively fixed audience of religious films, it wasn't worth Ron going to see that tiger.

Away from the villages of North India, this film depicting rural suffering actually had little market in the cities. Ron didn't even bother to insert air cooler advertisements.

Mumbai was too developed compared to North India; no one died of famine.

What this city needed was not a goddess who insisted on being vegetarian, but a goddess who solved housing problems, a goddess who eased traffic, and a goddess who restrained the government.

Thackeray's favor wasn't to be used like this; Ron wasn't that extravagant.

Seeing Anu hesitate to speak, Ron understood.

"Miss Chandra, is there something you need to ask Thackeray for help with?"

"Do you know Sanjay Dutt?" she asked.

"Oh, that big guy." Ron had heard the name.

Sanjay Dutt usually appeared in movies as a villainous boss. Because of his physique far exceeding that of ordinary people, he stood out among the many male stars in Bollywood.

"Yes, it's him. Sanjay has encountered some trouble. So..."

"What happened to him?" Ron looked at Mary beside him, who clenched her fists and crossed them.

"He was arrested, taken away by a police officer named Ajay Lal. I heard you also know this Officer Lal?" Anu asked.

Ron blinked. Of course he knew him, he knew him very well.

PS: Muna's story is far from over.