My Musings on Life, Poetry and Short Stories

Even as a school boy I was deeply attracted towards the Great Mahatma and read a lot about him. I was impressed by his unique brand of fight against the Mighty British, his enchanting charisma and his witty remarks. When the movie Gandhi, with Ben Kingsley doing the lead, was released I was very eager to watch the movie. The role of Gandhi was played so well by Ben Kingsley and his striking resemblance to the Mahatma added more fervor. The scene when Gandhi tells Om Puri to adopt a child, especially a Muslim one, and raise him as a Muslim takes the Cake!

Julia Roberts has always been my favourite actress for a long time. Her performances in "Erin Brokovic" and "Pretty Woman" were of very high standard and fetched her the coveted Oscar! In Step Mom she did the role of a professional photographer in love with a divorcee with two children and the stress of endearing herself to the kids. She carried the burden with aplomb and I still remember the scene in which she tells the mother of the kids, Susan Sarandon, about her fears that the girl might still be thinking about her mother on her wedding day to which Susan replies that she is afraid that she may not be thinking that way! An emotional and sentimental scene not usually seen in an English Movie.

Playing the role of a mundane activist would deter the strongest of actors from accepting the role. Not Julia Roberts. She not only accepts the challenge but goes on to win an Oscar for her role in that movie.It was made as close to the original events as possible that it had the credibility and ready acceptance of the viewers. Alfred Finney as the Lawyer who employs Julia was brilliant too in his role. His humour and affection for her was beautifully picturised throughout. One scene, towards the end, when he goes to her office to handover her cheque for handling the case, was the icing on the cake. He remarks after surprising her with a generous bonus amount. "Do they teach the Beauty Queens how to apologise?, because you suck at it!". A movie I wouldn't mind seeing again.