A few good actors

Here’s a list of the actors/actresses whom I most enjoy watching. I will watch a movie just because one or a combination of them (wow!) is in it. Often it’s their sincerity and passion for the art that shows through and takes a performance from good to great!

Abhay Deol: Although this is not a ranked list, Abhay is my Hero No. 1; not only for his natural, graceful acting but also for his sense of individuality and truly artistic choice of films. He may have made use of his family connections in the beginning, but has since blazed his own glorious trail. (Did you know he’s an artist, and made and sold t-shirt designs before his acting days?)
I disliked him in Socha Na Tha (then realized it was his character Viren that I actually disliked) and liked him in Ahista Ahista & Manorama 6FU; but with Oye Lucky & Dev D, I fell for him hook, line and sinker! He’s a curious mix of wackiness, intelligence, naturalness, subtlety and vulnerability; each of which he can turn off and on like a tap. Waiting with bated breath for his next release… (Junction?)

Kay Kay Menon: For many of us, the name Kay Kay Menon conjures up a vivid close-up image of Sarkar‘s Vishnu leering at a starlet as he urges her to accept an expensive gift – it’s a scene not easily forgotten. Kay Kay doesn’t go over the top, but just hovers tantalisingly there, his face a changing canvas that conveys enough to make any dialogue redundant. And yet, this brilliant scene is only a minor speck in Kay Kay’s career spanning many memorable performances, with a lot more still to come. He has the gift of gliding smoothly from role to role, running the gamut from the temperamental wannabe-don (Sarkar), the tense, pragmatic cop (Black Friday) and the angry prince (Gulaal) to the suave ‘other’ man (Main Meri Patni Aur Woh), and the conservative, childish husband (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd). Versatility, thy name is Kay Kay!

Konkona Sen: A breath of fresh air! Konkona made her mark in style as the completely authentic Minakshi, er, Meenakshi Iyer in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer, getting the Tamil accent to perfection. A believably portrayed South Indian character in a nonSouth film is as rare as an agnostic Tam-Brahm! As the mentally disturbed, lonely girl in 15 Park Avenue, played naturally and with professional restraint, she made me weep. Omkara had her as the friendly, rustic, feisty sister-in-law; once again her accent and dialogue delivery were spot-on.

  She elevated the quality of Luck By Chance with another convincingly played lead role. Konkona is a born actress – she is so totally comfortable in any role. Even in a run-of-the-mill Yashraj movie like Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Konkona was her natural self, lending a touch of class to the proceedings. Truly, there’s no limit to what this actress can achieve!

Farooque Shaikh: Perhaps it was the pleasant, warm ambience of the movies that he did, but Farooque Shaikh always seems nice, suave yet somehow grounded.  He used to be part of a hit jodi with Deepti Naval (remember Chamko!).   His flawless, effortless Urdu and laconic style of humour are what I like best about him. My favourite FS roles are those in Chashme Baddoor and a DD telefilm titled Hindola (both had great music too).

 

 

 

 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio: Chalo Hollywood! Titanic’s prince-of-hearts cast his spell on almost a whole generation of girls who swooned over Jack Dawson, the tragic romantic hero. While that was a tad too filmy for me, I later saw Blood Diamond, and Leo’s performance hit me right between the eyes. His turn as the unfortunate police mole in The Departed makes you want to reach out to him and comfort him – I remember going almost hysterical whenever Costigan was in a dangerous situation and didn’t know it. Leo has a restless energy that magnetises the screen. He manages to convey emotion with such depth that you can almost see the layers of feeling behind each subtle expression.

Kate Winslet: Titanic would have been incomplete if Rose were played by anyone but the breathtakingly beautiful Kate W. Her graceful femininity, near-perfect features and that charming British accent are a deadly combination, and even if her acting skills had been a notch lower, she would still be on my list. Besides, she’s a brave, natural artiste who doesn’t try too hard to fit into the stereotype of the Hollywood star.

Well that’s all I have the time for right now. Sitaare aur bhi hain, but maybe in another post. (Sorry Ghalib sahab.)