Actors and Roles

 Some actors made some roles/characters they played famous. Just like some professors- Kotler, Parasuraman, CK Prahalad- made the universities they worked in famous.

Good to recall a few-

Sean Connery, Roger Moore- James Bond

Peter Sellers- The Pink Panther's Inspector Clouseau.

Charlie Chaplin- Hitler, in The Great Dictator. A tramp, common man in many films. 

Amol Palekar- Man next door, in Rajnigandha, Chitchor and Chhoti si Baat

Amjad Khan- Gabbar Singh in Sholay

Rekha- Loveable rebel in Khoobsurat.

Rajesh Khanna- a positive thinking cancer patient in Anand

Rishi Kapoor- a young romantic, often paired with Neetu Singh

Sanjeev Kumar- Khilona, a 'mad' person

Amitabh Bachchan- Angry Young Man

Mithun Chakraborty- Disco Dancer

Dev Anand- the romantic, in many films

Helen- Club dancer, in multiple films

Julie Delpy- Before Sunrise, first of a trilogy - of two people meeting in a train, spending a night talking..

Typical Roles -Hindi Films

There were a few set people for certain roles in Hindi films in the 70s.. the decade in which I saw the maximum number.

Mother, usually the hero's mother- Nirupa Roy

Mother-in-law- Lalita Pawar

Villain- Ajit (Raabert, Maikal, Mona, etc. were equally entertaining sidekicks)

Inspector of Police- Jagdish Raj

Commissioner of Police - Iftikhar (always)

Hero's sister- Nazima, Farida Jalal

Hero's sidekick (comic role)- Mehmood

Old man- Sanjeev Kumar

Sad old man- A.K. Hangal

My Avatars On Earth- 1

We all grew up hearing stories of how Gods come in different avatars on earth. Vishnu had ten, for example. But we also have avatars- right here, according to my theory. These are phases in our lives, or makeovers that some of us go through while playing different roles, very different ones at times.
Starting with the Samurai avatar.

 Above- book writer and launcher- Pune Crossword, launching my autobiography with Jaya Jha and Sharu Rangnekar. Below, the Duke of Pleudiry, with the Duchess.

 Above- the reader. Kalyug is writtten by my student from IMT.

The tourist- with Anil Lahoti and Suresh Prabhu.

Changing Roles

The roles, they are changing.

Kanhaiyya used to dance with the Gopis. Now, he shows bhai-chara with Laloo.

The farmers used to cultivate land. Now they don't know whom to cultivate, with all the politicians vying for their attention.

The bankers used to be conservative. Now you can't bank on it.

Kejriwal specialised in dharna. Even he now finds it Odd.

Trump built a fortune with his casinos. Now he plans to gamble the future of a country away.

Babas were once spiritual; now they are commercial.

Mallya was the King of Good Times. Now he's targeted by the Times.

Being backward was once infra dig. Now it's aspirational.

There were once Reality Shows. Now it's Virtual Reality.

Avatars- They are all Right Here

We in India have heard stories of the avatars of Vishnu- ten of them. So what's the equivalent for us?

Maybe the roles we end up playing in life. Though not as spotless as those played by the Gods, we do play them in our own way. Sometimes (to use filmy analogies) we are the nanha munna mischief-maker who is every grownup's pet, sometimes the Rajesh-Khannaesque lover boy (Sharmilaesque lover girl), or the Bachchan-like angry young man out to avenge a thousand wrongs done to self or society. Sometimes the jester, a la Asrani or Deven Verma or Mehmood (or Tuntun aka Uma Devi). And sometimes the extra on the sidelines.

Sometimes the Soorma Bhopali who boasts about his (mythical) conquests, the all-protective Bhaiyya (big brother), the cudgel-picking daughter-in-law, or the gyan-spouting philosopher father. I remember one dialogue of that kind from Saira Banu's dad in 'Padosan' in particular. When his wife (Saira's mother) pesters him about how their daughter is of marriageable age and he is not concerned about it, he replies philosophically, "Jab jab jo jo hona hai, tab tab so so hota hai" (what has to happen will happen when it has to).

Coming to the self, the boring academic, the bored student, the leader of an enthusiastic bunch, author, the 'virtual friend' of many in the ether (you might call this an ethereal role), and that of a blogger with some readers (a wonder, in this age of distractions), are some others that come to mind.