THE TOM ALTER WE DIDN’T KNOW

He was the most different American India has ever seen. Actor Tom Alter, who passed away on 29 September, was an actor but also a cricket fan, teacher and a shayari exponent. He was 67 when he lost the battle against skin cancer.

Here are some facts about him you might not know:

* Born in 1950 in Mussourie, Tom Alter was the son of American missionary parents whose family moved to India from Ohio way back in 1916.

* As a child, Alter would be made to read the Bible in Urdu by his father, a priest. In later years, his love for the language inspired him to play such great Urdu literary figures as Ghalib, Sahir Ludhianvi and Bahadur Shah Zafar on stage.

* He was drawn to Bollywood after seeing Rajesh Khanna in Aradhana. Inspired by Khanna’s crazy stardom, he came to Mumbai to try his luck in acting. “I didn’t know who Rajesh Khanna was before Aradhana. But in just one week I saw that film at least thrice,” Alter had said in an interview.

* He was also an avid cricket fan who did the first ever TV interview of Sachin Tendulkar, and also gave commentary in a one-day match India played in

* He acted in Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Kumaoni, Marathi and Malayalam cinema.

* He was the only actor who appeared as two key figures spanning a momentous near-century of the country’s history - portraying both Bahadur Shah Zafar and Lord Mountbatten.

* He made his debut with Ramanand Sagar’s Charas (1976).

* He was also among the handful of actors who played both tyrant colonial officers and figures from India’s freedom struggle. That’s right, he played Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mahatma Gandhi.

* His last TV show was Rishton Ka Chakravyuh, and on the big screen, he was last seen in Sargoshiyan. He also shot for a short film The Black Cat, in which he plays acclaimed author Ruskin Bond.

* He also worked with late actor Peter O’Toole and Ben Kingsley.

* He was conferred the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour, in 2008.

ANUPAM KHER: FTII CHAIRMAN

Anupam Kher, the newly appointed Chairman of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute (FTII), says he will work towards sharing his experience with students rather than setting agendas as an administrator.

The 62-year-old says, “I’m happy and humbled to facilitate students with my 40 years of experience in Indian and international cinema, travel and stage acting. I think sharing experience adds up to perspectives and that’s what I want to do.”

Kher’s appointment as the FTII chief was announced early this month. He will succeed the controversial Gajendra Chauhan, whose appointment in 2014 triggered widespread student protests.

Kher, a vociferous BJP supporter, had often remarked that the FTII Chair needed to be a person who was more than just a producer, director or actor.

Now Chauhan, in reaction to Kher’s appointment, returns the favour and says the FTII needs a good administrator rather than a good actor.

Of course, Kher brushes off these remarks. “I think it is a great honour and a great sense of responsibility”.

Earlier, Kher served as the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and from 2001 to 2004 he was the Director of National School of Drama, where he finished as a student in 1978.

Kher also runs his own acting institute Actor Prepares. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2004 and with Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution to the field of arts.

Will his new responsibility as FTII Chairman affect his film work?

“No, no. My grandfather used to say, ‘A busy man has time for everything’.”

ASHA PAREKH: 75, NICE GIRL

Asha Parekh, who turned 75 on 2 Oct and doesn’t feel her age at all, is happy to share her birthday with Mahatma Gandhi.

But there is the downside too.

“Every birthday of mine is a dry day. So my friends never get to toast my health and wellbeing with a glass of wine...! Aah, never mind. I am happy to be alive, well, healthy and still not pushed into oblivion, as many of my colleagues are.”

Oblivion is far from Asha’s ambit of activity. In fact, 2017 has been a particularly eventful year for her.

“That’s right. My memoirs The Hit Girl came out. I was apprehensive that it may hurt some. But I was determined to tell the truth. Or else, no point in writing about your life.”

Asha boldly spoke about her relationship with filmmaker Nasir Hussain. Was there any negative impact on Nasir saab’s family?

“None at all. I didn’t expect there would be. When I was so careful not to hurt his family during our relationship, why would I cause them any hurt now?

Nasir saab’s family has always been close to my heart. They all respect me. In fact, (Nasir Hussain’s nephew) Aamir (Khan) is always very respectful and affectionate.”

On the downside, the year saw her dream project, her hospital for the poor, shut down.

“My hospital will now be turned into a 5-star health facility. That means the facilities will no longer be available to the poor and the underprivileged. That’s why I ran this no-profit hospital, for the poor. Alas, the dream has ended.”

Ever the optimist, though, Asha is thankful for what life has given her. “I am still around and healthy. I was called the ‘hit girl’ because of the success ratio of my films. It was God’s blessings.”

“It’s sad to lose friends at my age, though. Watching them go one by one is a very scary experience. I just wish when I go, I go without pain. And that people will remember me as a nice girl.”

MEANWHILE, AMITABH BACHCHAN, 75, STILL THE INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST DRAWCARD

Amitabh Bachchan may have turned 75 on 11 Oct, but shows no sign of slowing down or retiring into history as “decent bloke”. (Sorry, Asha P).

Filmmaker Karan Johar announced that he is collaborating with the megastar and actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt for a fantasy adventure called Brahmastra. It is going to be a trilogy, no less.

The first edition will release on Independence Day, 2019.

The project is to be directed by Ayan Mukerji, known for Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

SHARMILA TAGORE: WHAT ABOUT SENIOR FEMALE ACTORS?

Veteran Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore, who was presented the Excellence in Cinema India Award at

AMITABH BACHCHAN the opening ceremony of the 19th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on 12 Oct, is calling for a rethink on the industry’s senior women.

She feels there are very few scripts for “elderly” heroines, while the same is not true for their male counterparts.

“So many scripts are written for elderly male actors,” Sharmila, 72, laments. “The girls have to be very young and the men can carry on forever.”

She adds, “Life doesn’t stop… at 30 or 40. There are plenty of interesting phases in life (after this age).”

Sharmila made her acting debut at the age of 13 with Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar (World of Apu), the last in the celebrated Apu trilogy.

She went on to receive many industry awards, as well as the government honour Padma Bhushan, and also served as the head of the Central Board of Film Certification.

Sharmila still faces the camera once in a while, and she has observed changes in the industry.

“(In my day) acting was not considered a very good profession, but now that has changed. Films have become a very coveted profession and the roles of women are getting stronger. Films like Piku and Neerja being made and doing well proves that.” screen experience.

There’s also “healthy appetite for diversity”, she notes. Today, female actors get to play more varied roles, even negative characters.

So why don’t we see more older women on screen?

Hmm, trust Sharmila to raise this issue in her trademark manner: gentle and dignified, with plenty of underlying spunk.

Anyone listening?

Youthful Vibes

And so, youthful vibes continue to dominate.

The nation is going ga-ga over the trailer of the much-awaited Padmavati. Not only did it garner the highest number of views in 24 hours on YouTube for a Hindi film trailer, its lead star Deepika Padukone “looks ethereal” in the titular role, the media has been gushing.

Deepika tweeted recently, “I cannot even begin to express the gratitude and joy I feel today. I sometimes wonder, ‘What have I done to deserve so much love and appreciation’... And while I seek, all I can say is a big thank you.”

Her (youthful and virile) co-stars Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapur too are “overwhelmed” with the reactions. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the movie will be out on 1 Dec to tell the tale of the valour and heroism of the Rajputs. Deepika features in a powerful role, dressed in intricately embroidered ensembles and bespoke jewellery. She sports a unibrow - but of course she looks good in anything!

The trailer shows the high production value, panoramic shots and carefully curated looks that Bhansali has become known for.

Ranveer, who describes the filmmaker as a “crazy genius” and “a master craftsman”, guarantees that what is shown in the trailer, is but a “fraction of what this film has to offer”.

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE!

Director Pooja Bhatt’s Sadak 2, the sequel of her 1991 hit film Sadak, deals with the issue of depression. It features Sanjay Dutt “in his true and present time” as a drug abuse survivor. The Mahesh Bhatt directed Sadak had starred Sanjay Dutt, playing the character of a young man in love with a sex worker (played by Pooja Bhatt). Meanwhile, Pooja’s last produced film Cabaret, starring Richa Chadha and Gulshan Devaiah and scheduled to release in 2016, is yet to hit the screens…

And now, yet another sequel, starring Sanjay Dutt. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 is well underway. Nafisa Ali and Kabir Bedi play Sanjay’s parents in this crime drama franchise. But recent pics of Sanjay show he himself is ready to play the parent role now…

What Tweety Bird Told Us This Week

Match the following tweets to the celebs that made them.

Twinkle Khanna, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone

Yes, (Padmavati’s) determination, courage & strength was like no other & for me a reflection of today’s women!

Although this film, for me, is beyond numbers… this is a pretty amazing record! Congrats to the team!

#PadmavatiTrailer

Scientists studying longest living mammals, bowhead whales found for a long life what is needed is a slow metabolism & not wives who fast :)

Just wish no one is in this situation. I hope something productive comes out of it.

What is CAPTION CONTEST WIN MOVIE TICKETS!

ROSHAN thinking here? LAST

Send your response to: media@indianlink.com.au TO WIN A MOVIE TICKET!!

CONTEST

TARANJEET BEDI Stanhope gardens

Taran wins a Hoyts movie ticket

Another good one: Hey guys! I am in this industry thanks solely to my talent - I am not a product of nepotism.

CHINTAN D