Insignificant now but forever significant for me - Arvind Swamy!

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"Favorites change every Friday when Box Office opens!"

I have never been able to ever answer these unanswerable questions on networking sites or by people in general (Ok! Kids exempted!). How can you ever pick out a favorite or two when there is an entire Encyclopedia to choose from? I think favorites are like some fever that come and grip you over and go and then come back in greater or lesser mercury levels... As for my favorites - it can be even a Bhagyashree – A one time Wonder! And her MPK flick! For me a favorite could be a Manisha Koirala for her innocence in 1942 A love story…A Sri devi in Chandni or why favorite could be even Amrish Puri in Mr. India, Pankaj Kapoor in Maqbool…There surely must be something favorite about everybody in the film industry across the world and hence they are there damn-it! And so one other actor that comes to my mind is Arvind Swamy! For the simple reason – that I spotted him in Chennai and hence the blog! While I quickly slipped in and out of Hotel “Chola Sheraton” after a leak (For me venting out possibilities exist only in these 5 star hotels apart home and office…FYI!!!!) I happened to spot a certain somebody at the parking lot of the hotel. After wondering for good 10-15 secs, thinking where I have seen this guy… It came as a surprise, disbelief and a mild shock - Hain???? Arvind Swamy hai ye???? And then I realized quickly enough that, I haven’t seen him, I have actually watched him and tons of times. I have adoringly watched him and sometimes only for him in films like Roja, Bombay and even Devaragam (Even though Malayalam is like writing from my non-writing hand). And we all have repeatedly watched him especially on every 15th of August and 26th of January till about 5 years ago, until films like Gadar, Veer Zaara, Lakshya’s, Rang De Basanti’s and now Chak De’s – replaced them. But when it came to southy flicks the general perception was more of shake your bon-bon…shake your bon-bon… thing! I have often heard my north Indian friends joke about Southern Film industry with their witty and outrageous/hilarious comments! Some I still remember… Maximum qualification for an actor was – to be NOT at all handsome, good in monkey jumping dance and for actresses – Weight lifter Karnam Malleshwari type with Thunder Thighs would make for supermodel looks! (I mean heavy duty here and nothing personal) Comments like if you want to watch porn, try watching the Southy channels at night. I think somewhere down the line even I felt the same about the common perception. This Arvind Swamy came as someone who I was and I am still very proud of, someone I could use as a weapon to win arguments with my friends and Yes when this name cropped up – there was never 2 ways about what we were talking!!!! Arvind Swamy might have done handful of films but we all have seen them despite the dubbing… Give equal credit or more to the makers of those films… but this blog is about him… So kindly excuse me! From a passionate Indian to a passionate lover – I doubt if any of those post-10pm viewing on the channels would induce that much passion, as much a single passionate scene of this guy in his films. Be it his romantic fling with Madhu in the Kitchen in Roja or Manisha in Bombay.. to his serious role in Devaragam. This is one classy actor and I have not heard anyone talk anything about this actor – No never. I have had people talk extremes about even Big B, SRK also but I am yet to find people say anything about this one! That was the charisma of this actor. An actor for whom acting was more of a hobby and work more of a priority. Apparently an adopted son of an Industrialist, Arvind Swamy is equally famous in his current work profile! But Hello!!!! what happened then?

Seeing him and his receding hair line – I realized what my dear friend Misha often says… Time flies!!!! And yes the so called “Favorites” have changed…But in this bald look also, the real Arvind Swamy is still there somewhere…Outside of his now and then pictures/ mould, there is still that fine, brilliant and a captivating actor residing… They say it is extremely important for people to maintain themselves for people generally take the usual famous nautanks as role models. But I think in Due-south, it’s more like “I don’t have any pretentions – I am what I am!” Motto! Look at Rajnikanth! While I dare not comment yet on Rajnikanth – For Arvind, a little fitness on the girth side and weighty issues can sort it out! But big deal – If we can have favorites in Pankaj Kapoors, Irfan Khans, and why even SRK’s – not ideally the most beautiful people around – with some kind of flaw this way or that way… Arvind can be back like Alaizpayuthay(tide) and blow us away once again…

And while I had decided to end the piece, something came to my mind…It might be slightly out of context, I am not sure but, one other not so beautiful, handsome, charming or good looking – lets say nothing of all of this and yet everything of all this was actor Raghuvaran (for people who haven't seen much of him in Hindi, His hit dubbed films in Hindi include that of RGV's Shiva and of course another hit of Ratnam - Anjali!) . But with his untimely demise, we have definitely and undoubtedly lost a fine, fine actor... There are only few of these rare breed of actors in the entire Indian Film Industry I would say, who can fit in any role, father, son, villain, hero, husband, you name it... and when somebody like Raghuvaran leaves us in lurch, shouldn't actors like Arvind Swamy come to rescue and think aloud if they could try and fill the shoes of actors like him... If not a hero now, then a passionate father, brother, son...maybe even a villain...the roles and scripts will automatically be written once fine actors are around...

Anyways, I strongly feel some people should never give up acting, they can act less but they should never quit – AS I say again Arvind Swamy, come entertain us, once again!