Sumith Prasad
Created by Sri Rao, Netflix’s Indian series ‘The Fame Game’ revolves around the disappearance of Anamika Anand, one of the highly renowned Bollywood actresses. Anamika’s absence unravels her intricate and troubled private life, which also leads to severe consequences on the lives of her husband Nikhil, co-star Manish, and her daughter Amara. As the authorities investigate the presumed abduction and possible homicide, police officer Shobha Trivedi unfolds the mystery behind Anamika as an actress and person. The first season of the mystery series ends with breathtaking revelations and awe-inspiring developments. If you are looking forward to a detailed look at its ending, let us guide you! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fame Game Recap
‘The Fame Game’ begins with famed Bollywood actress Anamika Anand’s disappearance. The Mumbai police start an investigation to find the actress and the public goes haywire upon knowing the news. Even though her family wants her back as soon as possible, Anamika’s husband Nikhil, mother Kalyani, and children Avinash and Amara hide significant events that happened in the preceding months. Six months earlier, Anamika and Nikhil met Manish Khanna to pitch their new film. To rekindle his feelings for Anamika, Manish agrees to act with her. Manish’s re-emergence in Anamika’s life discloses her troubled marriage with Nikhil.
When the police fail to produce any significant leads, Avi suspects Nikhil’s involvement. Shobha, the investigating officer, meets Manish to know more about his relationship with Anamika. The family of Anamika continues to expect her return. Amara recollects the day she expressed her wish to be an actress like her mother. She also meets Madhav, an ardent Anamika fan, who sneaks into Anamika’s bedroom to collect a comb. Manish thinks about the days he spent with Anamika during the shoot of their new film. Months prior to her disappearance, Anamika found out that her mother and husband spent her money to gamble, leaving the whole family financially insecure.
The revelation infuriated Anamika, who sought comfort and intimacy in Manish. Anamika also came to know that Manish is bipolar. Shobha interrogates PK Sharma, who has invested in Anamika’s new film. She finds out that Nikhil is double-crossing PK to use his money to settle his loans. Madhav gives Anamika’s hair for a maternity test but the test result proves that Anamika isn’t his mother as he assumes. Harilal, a painter living in a village in the outskirts of Mumbai, looks after Anamika, who is confined in a hut.
Avi recollects the time he came out as gay to his mother. Months before Anamika’s disappearance, Nikhil hurt Anamika due to her bonding with Manish. Billy, Anamika’s makeup artist, investigates the whereabouts of Madhav, thinking he is behind Anamika’s disappearance. During their investigation, Shobha realizes that Anamika’s family is the sole reason behind her abduction or potential murder. Madhav attacks and inadvertently kills Billy for investigating him. Madhav, an orphan, met Anamika in the past to say that she is his mother. She asked Billy to “take care” of Madhav to retrieve photographs of her with Manish. Amara went to an audition and failed to get a callback, leading her to severe disappointment.
During the music launch of Anamika and Manish’s new film, Amara receives a call from Anamika which gets disconnected soon. Tracing the call, Shobha finds the hut but fails to locate Anamika. She finds out that the hut and the grounds are owned by Nikhil. Avi shares his suspicions about Nikhil to Shobha while recollecting his death threats to Anamika on the day Nikhil found out that Avi is Manish’s son.
The Fame Game Ending: Why Does Anamika Stage Her Abduction?
Anamika’s re-encounter with Manish was nothing but a relief to her as a person. The sense of belonging and independence she felt with Manish, however, made her realize how much she is suffering in her own home. Her troubled marriage with Nikhil, the exhausting pressure to deliver a super hit to save her career and financially secure her family, competition with emerging stars, and her overbearing mother were more than Anamika could handle. When Nikhil came to know that Avi is Manish’s son, inciting him to harm and threaten Avi and her, Anamika got forced to fire a gun to scare Nikhil and her mother.
Anamika realized that a solution to her numerous problems is inevitable. Staging or faking her abduction was the way Anamika chose to end her miseries, at least for a while. By staging her own abduction, Anamika aims to punish her abusive husband. Since she is aware that the circumstantial evidence, including the bullet hole, discrepancies in Nikhil’s accounts, his death threats, and Avi’s testimonies, will one way or the other lead to the arrest of her husband, Anamika frames Nikhil as the possible abductor or murderer. Even though she doesn’t wish to keep Nikhil forever in prison, she is confident that such an occurrence will at least expose him.
Anamika also aims for the success of her new film by staging her abduction. As someone who hasn’t delivered a super hit in years, she knows that her new film decides her fate, especially since she is on the verge of leaving her acting career to join Bollywood dance reality shows. Thus, she uses the sympathy the presumed abduction or murder create among the public to make her film a hit. As Anamika wanted, the audiences start to go haywire to see Anamika “one last time” on the big screen, turning her film into a blockbuster. The sympathy and sadness her presumed death create defeats her film’s competitions, solidifying her finances.
Why Does Manish Commit Suicide? Why Does Manish Confess to Killing Anamika?
When Anamika and Nikhil offered Manish an opportunity to become Anamika’s co-star, he accepted it without even charging a fee. He believed that the film will turn out to be a pathway for their reunion after the long wait of twenty years. His belief turned out to be true when Anamika decided to spend her life with him. At the same time, Anamika’s married life with Nikhil became worse than ever. Nikhil’s death threats and assaults, especially after he came to know that Avi is Manish’s son, painted a picture that Nikhil will hurt Anamika in the mind of Avi.
When Avi revealed what happened on the day Anamika fired a gun in the house, Nikhil’s arrest became inevitable. Nikhil’s ownership of the hut, Avi’s statements, and the possibility of Nikhil killing Anamika for the insurance claim forced the police officials to arrest him for murder. When the media starts to claim that Anamika is most likely murdered by Nikhil, pangs of guilt defeat Manish. He thinks that Nikhil killed Anamika due to her affair with him. His vulnerable mind tells him that his love for her motivated Nikhil to do the crime.
Such guilt becomes more than Manish can handle and he commits suicide thinking he is the reason behind Nikhil’s action. His wrong belief that he indirectly killed Anamika in such a vulnerable state of mind leads him to confess to killing Anamika.
Why Does Amara Lock Anamika Up?
When Anamika decided to stage her abduction, she wanted a trustable accomplice. She realized that Amara can help her since her absence will also benefit the latter. As Anamika instructed, Amara does charity events, makes public appearances, and takes advantage of the sympathy her mother’s disappearance creates. However, when she comes to know that Anamika is going to separate her from Madhav by framing her boyfriend as the one behind her abduction, Amara realizes that she should act selfishly for her life.
Amara realizes that Anamika’s absence and the public sympathy it creates do propel her career more than anything. When Nikhil decides to launch his daughter through a remake of one of Anamika’s films, Amara decides to cash in on the sympathy. She uses “Anamika’s death” and “her loss” as stepping stones of her film career. She understands that the audience will remain empathetic to her to pave the way for her success like they did for Anamika’s film. Thus, Amara instructs Harilal to lock Anamika up to continue the false belief that her mother is dead for her own good. Since Anamika asked Amara to not let anyone or anything come between her and her ambitions, Amara follows Anamika’s success mantra by locking her own mother up.
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