Roger Moore Forever

A piece I wrote for The Hans India  - a reputed daily in Telangana 

Roger Moore, the renowned English actor died a few days ago. Another great Hollywood actor’s presence has been robbed off from us. Moore was an incredible actor who never failed to charm the audiences with his on-screen persona. Although he had starred in several television series, including  “Ivanhoe”  “The Alaskans” “Maverick” “The Saint” “With Earl Green in the Saint” and “The Persuaders!”, he would be hugely remembered for his role as 'James Bond' in the Bond movies, which he donned with a panache. 

This man literally swept women off their feet with his charming personality and evoked laughter from his audiences with his quirky acting that combined mischievousness amusement with deadly action. Of course, he may not be on an equal footing with Sean Connery, who unfortunately called it a day in playing the role of James Bond in 1972, but definitely commands respect for filling the big boots of Sean Connery as James Bond. 

Moore’s first appearance as 007 was in the movie “Live and Let Die”. The resounding success of this movie had a slew of other projects lined up for him.  Moore continued to portray Bond in ”The Man with the Golden Gun” “The Spy Who Loved Me” “Moonwalker” “For Your Eyes Only” “Octopussy” and “A View to a Kill”.  Unlike Sean Connery, Moore lent a sense of casualness to the Bond personality and a smug attitude that had its own devious but powerful approach. 

The quirkiness of Roger Moore in Bond films was that he used to make "the mission" look silly and “the damsels” significantly important. Though, not many were in favour of this line of depiction, he still had his own crowd whistling at his performance. In some incidents, where the Bond personality was generally supposed to be silent and introspective, he altered the pattern and used to don a sporty attitude punctuated with an unexpected wink. Eventually, he still used to pull off a surprising on-screen manipulation. Which incident would only send the villain up the wall crying and seething for his blood! 

What perhaps endear anyone are his Karate chops, which made him stand in a fine line and length and deliver the chop with a flamboyance that is totally inimitable. Of course, this being cinema, the villains would fly off and land gently on a sofa or padded table. Sofa, because, you can't see Moore, as a person, who would want to seriously hurt others, even if he had to draw some powerful karate chops. Such was the endearing personality of Roger Moore. 

His movie, Octopussy, had captured the rich flavour of his acting as well as India's uniqueness. The movie, which was shot in India, had Vijay Amritraj, the renowned Indian tennis player, donning on a significant role. The damsels, the spectacular palaces, crocodile infested waters; the never-ending adventure… the movie would send anybody’s adrenaline pumping. Yes! Moore is the man if you are hunting for movies with fun and adventure in the same breath. 

Apart from the Bond Movies, Moore also starred in other flicks that showcased his extraordinary acting skills. In fact, he donned several different hats, including that of acting, directing, producing and of course playing a key role as the good will Ambassador of UNICEF.  He had a checkered career amply accentuating his versatile personality. Unfortunately, he lost his battle against cancer. We are sure to miss this terrific film personality.  

Click on the link to access the epaper 

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/1223841/SUNDAY-HANS/SUNDAY-HANS#page/22/1

The Musical Marvel

A piece I wrote for The Hans India a reputed daily in Telangana

Unbeatable is perhaps the word that best describes Bahubali 2 – The Conclusion, success. The movie has swept the nation with a never-before craze and is steadily edging towards a mind-numbing record of 1500 crores at the box-office. A feat that is sure to be etched in golden letters in the chronicles of Indian cinema.  

While Bahubali 2 is blazing guns at the box office, the songs of the movie are receiving rich accolades for their high-octave compositions and soothing lyrics. Hats off to M.M. Keeravani for his masterpieces! Poignant drumming, restful violins, melodious guitars and haunting choruses have all been breathtaking. Even the background score is highly evocative.

While the songs are lauded across on all parameters, fervent discussions on global platforms are rife as to in which language one should listen to these songs?  However, YouTube comments’ section is flooded with remarks from across the world that mellifluous Telugu lyrics have struck the right chord and added their own charm to the songs. Many north  and south Indians  have also laid it threadbare that Telugu lyrics have a soul of their own and are greatly pleasing to the ears. News that is sure to put the Telugu speaking states on a different plateau altogether with delight. 

For those who are a little unaware, Telugu language is considered to be the sweetest among the 22 other languages that exist in India. 

Whether its Saahore, Dandaalayyaa, Hamsa Naava, Kannaa Nidurinchara or Oka Praanam, it doesn’t take a genius to sort out that all lyrics end in vowels. Perhaps the reason why the language has a very calming and soothing effect on people. This unusual vowel-ending was first noticed by the 16th-century Venetian explorer Niccolo' de' Conti, who visited the Vijayanagara empire. He discovered that almost every word in Telugu ends with a vowel much like his native language - Italian. It is no hidden fact that Italian is one among the sweetest sounding languages on Earth. Similarly, Telugu is mellifluous to listen and boasts of 56 alphabet just like the Italian language. Little wonder it  is called "The Italian of the East".

Speaking on the beauty of the language, Rabindranath Tagore, the great Bengali poet and writer, when he heard Telugu, exclaimed ''Is this language or music?'' The distinctness of Telugu language was also noticed by other renowned poets and writers of yesteryears. Tamil poet Bharatiyar praised the language as 'Sundara Telugu' (Beautiful Telugu). 

The unforgettable praise, of course, comes from Sri Krishna Devaraya, the south Indian king and non-native speaker of Telugu, who said "Desabhaashalandu Telugu Lessa" (Telugu is the best language in the country) which has become a sobriquet of sorts and is often taken as a reference to revel in the grandeur of the language. 

There exists a good influx of Sanskrit words into Telugu language. Telugu retains a lot of the features, especially with regards to the pronunciation of some vowels and consonants. Approximately 10,000 inscriptions of Sanskrit exist in Telugu language. In fact, the melodious Telugu lyrics of Bahubali 2 movie are so captured that their Sanskrit flavour is at its peak. No wonder the lyrics are incredibly outstanding! 

Click on the link to access the epaper

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/1215276/SUNDAY-HANS/SUNDAY-HANS#page/20/1

The Man Who Made the World a Better Place

A piece I wrote for Hans India, a reputed daily in Telangana 

Born on 16th April 1889, Charlie Chaplin was an incredible English script writer, actor, and filmmaker. He is perhaps one amongst the most brilliant actors to have ever graced the silver screen. His inimitable acting, unbridled energy, and impeccable timing are sure enough to rib-tickle anyone into splits. Even today, close to a century later, his movies strike a chord amongst audiences and are hilarious without a trace of being archaic. However, if you thought he had it all on a silver platter, you are miles away from the truth.

Charlie Chaplin’s is more of a ‘rags to riches’ story’ and perhaps the only kind of it. Early on, his father abandoned the family. His mom, who was an occasional nurse and dressmaker, was barely able to make ends meet. Financially, the family was on a terribly rough patch. Chaplin was living in utmost poverty, struggling for basic necessities.

As a result of the financial crises, Chaplin along with his brother was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine. Later, his mother, as a result of malnutrition, developed mental illness and was admitted into an asylum.

Undaunted by poverty that set him to fend for himself, Chaplin started acting at a young age. He started out touring music halls and performing as an actor and comedian. At 19, a lucky break with the prestigious ‘Fred Karno’ company took him from England to America. His scorching desire to star as an actor in Hollywood led him to scout for acting roles. Subsequently, he appeared for keystone Studios. This was when he developed the Tramp Persona and honed his film personality further. Shortly, he changed companies from Essanay Film Manufacturing Company to Mutual Film Corporation to First National Corporations. Steadily his fan base grew and he became an extremely popular actor! By 1918, Charlie Chaplin’s fame knew no bounds; people across the world recognised and adored him for his funny yet affable acting.

Chaplin was greatly obsessive about his work. His obsession, which fringed on impractical levels of perfection, led him to script, compose and direct his own films from an early stage. In 1919, with the intention to have complete control over his films, he co-founded the distribution company ‘United Artists’.

The move ensured he got the opportunity to do some phenomenal films, which went down the history as unparalleled. His first feature-length film ‘The Kid’ (1921) was made after the unexpected death of his child with his marriage to his first wife.The movie’s phenomenal success ensured there were others in the pipeline: A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). Later, he refused to be a part of the sound films in 1930s, and went on to shoot silent films like City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) which have gone on to script a new history.

Looking at the funny acting, he dons in his movies, one could easily assume he might be a nice person, but definitely not courageous. But sorry! Nothing could be more wrong.

During the Nazi regime, Hitler had Chaplin's name printed on the hit list in a book of Nazi propaganda. The book, Juden Sehen Dich An (The Jews are Watching You), brands him a "pseudo-Jew".  In response to this, in 1940, Chaplin makes a complete mockery of Hitler in his first talkie movie, ‘The Great Dictator’. Chaplin plays a Nazi-like tyrant, Adenoid Hynkel, dictator of Tomainia, obviously satirising Hitler. This proves how audacious this seemingly slapstick comedian in reality was.

Unfortunately, the 1940s also saw his fame gradually dwindle. He abandoned the Tramp image in his later films like Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight  (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Towards the fag-end of his career, his personal life was in lot of legal entanglements because of marrying women much younger to him. He was compelled to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland.

In 1972, for his contribution to the world of motion picture and as part of a renewed appreciation for his cinematic work, Chaplin was handed out an Honorary Academy Award. An achievement totally well-deserved! Even after all these years, a glimpse of his acting and the way he donned the Tramp persona with a panache none could match, Chaplin will forever remain an actor par excellence.  

Today, as the film industry celebrates his 128th Birth Anniversary; let’s remember this soul who often delighted in lighting up our faces with smiles! Frankly, the curtain might have fallen on his film career, but the memories of his awesome acting won’t cease playing in our minds…

Click on the link to view the article on the epaper 

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/1173170/SUNDAY-HANS/SUNDAY-HANS#page/22/1