BOLLYWOOD
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In search of stars who do not have starry airs: it is not such a tall order as you may have thought
A look At those stars who do not have starry Airs And don’t get carried Away by the shifting sands of fame And fortune
Given the sky- high levels of adulation and fame which movie stars command, it’s perhaps natural that they become narcissistic, self- absorbed and, more often than not, thoroughly arrogant. As soon as they have toted hits and are mobbed and monitored for every breath they take, there’s a disconnect with reality.
And Bollywood, in particular, is a breeding ground for celebrities who lose their way in the thickets of stardom. Gratifyingly, there are a few exceptions to the rule who can carry a conversation which is not ego- centric, pretentious or motivated towards self- publicity.
Moreover, these exceptions are articulate, well- read and are more than aware that it’s essential to be humane. A senior actor had once admitted to me, “I’ve never read a book in my life. And even in my social interactions, I watch how people behave at auspicious and tragic occasions so that I can use the observations in my performances. Actors stop leading a private life. We cannot think of anything beyond our profession.” by Khalid Mohamed
That’s a scary thought, actually. By contrast, Shabana Azmi, who has deservedly earned the reputation for being a thinking man’s artiste, believes, “It’s important to separate our real lives from the fictional characters created by writers and directors for us. I may have enacted roles of the urban and rural woman, of the rich as well as the poverty stricken, but I have to remember that they are ‘ roles’ and not myself. Or I would have gone insane.”
Here’s, then, looking at the Beautiful Minds who have remained untouched by the deleterious after- effects of the glitz and glamour of show business. Indeed Shabana Azmi, through nearly five decades ever since she made an impact with Shyam Benegal’s Ankur ( 1974), has involved herself in social activism. During her stint as a Rajya Sabha member, she sought to attend Parliament sessions regularly to voice her concerns about the state of the nation.
Simultaneously, she has involved herself in theatre, be it of the experimental kind or plays which run to house- full shows ( Broken Images, for instance), which are in the nature of monologues. Immersed in classic Urdu poetry and contemporary world literature, Shabana is an interviewer’s
No 1 delight, unquestionably.
Surprisingly, Shah Rukh Khan can hold forth, too, on every subject under the sun and moon, ranging from cricket and politics to history. He maintains a well- stocked library of bestsellers, classics and fantasy fiction. His day begins around noon, after he has read the newspapers and completed at least a couple of chapters of a book, in the seclusion of the bathtub in his mega- spacious restroom of all places.
His sardonic brand of humour, which takes potshots at his advancing age and the competition in terms of popularity he’s facing from Salman Khan, affirm that he can laugh at himself. Come to think of it, wit and off- the- cuff analyses were the most charming qualities of Khan’s personality during his peak phase of those Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ( 1995) days.
Of late, the SRK of yore may have changed — surrounded as he is by a durbar of fawning courtiers — but catch him one- on- one for a no- agenda conversation, and it’s clear that his high IQ and penchant for self- deprecation haven’t diminished at all.
Over the years, Naseeruddin Shah’s intelligent approach towards his métier made him the superstar — though no one has acknowledged that formally, to date — of art- house cinema. Without being cerebral or studied, Shah excelled in films which dealt with serious and social themes. And by his own admission, he was a “misfit” in the commercial potboilers.
The actor speaks his mind and doesn’t mince words when it comes to his take on brainless Bollywood movies confected in the name of ‘ time pass’ entertainment.
Last month, however, his frank speak on the late Rajesh Khanna, was extremely objectionable. Shah’s remark that the ‘ 70’ s superstar was no great shakes and was responsible for bringing mediocrity to Hindi cinema, was just not in good taste. Mercifully, at least he didn’t sit on a high horse, and apologised on a social media platform to Rajesh Khanna’s daughter, Twinkle Khanna, who had correctly protested again the slur.
A prolific commentator on Twitter, Rishi Kapoor has a flair for enmeshing himself in controversies. Trolled constantly, he has made it clear that those who don’t care for his opinions should ignore them or delete themselves from his account. A late- bloomer, Rishi has developed a fervent sense of righteousness on what’s right and what’s wrong in local, national and world politics.
A sharp writer, he has it in him to see beyond his nose, which actors normally don’t. Because ruffling feathers can erode an actor’s popularity. Rishi Kapoor’s popularity, curiously enough, is going through the roof. As a character actor, portraying a father or even grandfather, yesterday’s angelic- faced screen Romeo is scoring boundaries in his second innings. Part of the reason: today, he’s in the news for other matters besides shoptalk.
Among the other Beautiful Minds, I’d surely include the introspective Tabu; Vidya Balan, a post- graduate degreeholder in sociology; and Nandita Das, who works for gender equality and secularism, and accepts projects only of sense and sensibility. Konkona Sen Sharma is about to make a bow as a director with the film A Death in the Gunj, in the tradition of her actress- mother Aparna Sen.
Although her image as a fashion diva precedes her, Sonam Kapoor is a voracious reader and avoids self- aggrandisement when it comes to assessing herself on media platforms. Kalki Koechlin has established an independent identity as a film and theatre artiste besides creating awareness of the combative spirit of the physically disabled. And last but not the least, there’s Swara Bhaskar who won’t shy away from addressing a letter to the Prime Minister, when she needs to express her dismay against instances of injustice.
Truly, may the tribe of the Beautiful Minds increase. After all, both fame and fortune don’t come with a lifelong guarantee.
Catch Shah Rukh Khan one- on- one for a no- agenda conversation, and it’s clear that his high IQ and penchant for self- deprecation haven’t diminished at all [ from his days of yore]