The Superman of Bollywood!

Is there a Superman in Indian Cinema? Can Rajnikanth, the southern demigod be considered one? Does the one and only Shahenshah of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, qualify? Or Baadshah Shahrukh? One real Superman like characer spawned by Bollywood - the Krisshh franchisee shows no sign of continuing. So, I have come to this conclusion.

THE "ONLY" SUPERMAN OF BOLLYWOOD IS Aamir Khan!

Sample this.

Lagaan

He coaches a team of discordant individuals, one of them infirm, in the village to form a ragged team. A team whose members are always out to cut each others throat! Then he bowls and fields away like Superman. But the icing on the cake comes last! Aamir, with the help of the same infirm teammate, bats like God and hits a last ball six to pave the way for the righteous and downtrodden team to win after much drama! The ultimate triumph of “good over evil”

Here is the last ball from Lagaan.


Taare Zameen Par

A small child has a problem in reading. The parents have given up hope even though the child comes across as being cute, smart, and cool and whose only problem seems to be in studies. The school too gives up hope on the 7 year old and he is sent to a boarding school. There the child is isolated by overconfident classmates and bullying masters (who seem to belong more to the mileu of the village school – than a modern day upper class boarding school). Enter the Superman in the form of the Art teacher. He diagnoses the child’s problem, takes him in hand, counsels the parents, other teachers, helps the child to study and the child comes out a winner – all seemingly in one school season! To make the complete the Superman, the art teacher also runs an orphanage for children with problems.



And finally my favorite Superman

Three Idiots

Rancho can do anything. From building a remote controlled air plane with an inbuilt camera, in the first year he graduates to delivering a baby on a TT table with the help of vacuum cleaners, batteries and other students with a doctor giving instructions over the web. The baby gives its proverbial first kick too in response to Rancho’s slogan “Aal Izz Welll”. In the meanwhile he counsels the students and teachers of his premier institute on the pitfalls of learning by rote, gets his friends to follow their dreams and get jobs, brings a friend back almost from dead, all the while topping in class! All actually turns out well for Rancho in the end when it is revealed he holds the patent to hundreds of scientific inventions. It actually gives life to the term “too good to be true”. Cho chweet! I don’t wonder Chetan Bhagat is cringing with remorse. After all “5 Point Someone” scored big time because of its realistic portrayal of life at the IIT.

So tell me, who needs a real Superman?

I have nothing against these three movies. They are among the best in Hindi cinema, individually taken. In fact Three Idiots is breaking all box office records and looks like being the biggest Indian movie of all time. However, all three from the same actor? Two of which are his home production? It is like Tom Hanks acting in three types of Forrest Gumps!

Come on Aamir, get over your Superhuman complex and give us some more earthy characters!