From Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony to Manisha Koirala in Khamoshi: Memorable Catholic Characters in Bollywood : Bollywood News

There have been several eminently memorable Christian characters in the past in Hindi cinema. For example, Lalita Pawar’s Mrs. D’Sa in Hrishikesh Mukherjee Anari and of course Amitabh Bachchan’s Anthony in Manmohan Desai (Manji as he was called) Amar Akbar Anthony.

From Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony to Manisha Koirala in Khamoshi: Memorable Catholic Characters in Bollywood

The Big B once said of the experience: “It was a pleasant departure. The very name Amar Akbar Anthony because a film arrived at a time when there were more sober and domestic titles. So, it surprised me, especially since Manji was starting his in-house production with this film and I felt like he was making a big mistake. But he was right, as always. Anthony’s attitude, his lingo, his style and his clothes were all Manji’s idea. I simply followed what he required. The character details all come from Manji and I think it comes from his keen observation of the Christian community, mostly living in Bandra. One of its most important sequences was filmed in the backyard of this very special suburb. He himself knew the language of this community very well. Yes, it was a style of language that was foreign to me, but if you’ve lived in Mumbai long enough, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to miss it.

Katrina Kaif got a chance to play a Catholic girl in Rajkumar Santoshi Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. She did her research, bought her own clothes on the sidewalks of Bandra, studied the behavior of Catholic girls, the clothes they wore to parties and to church. By then, she had worked very hard to rid me of my Hindi accent. But for Jenny’s character, Santoshi and Katrina felt that her Hindi was very good.

Katrina said: “I wanted to dress and talk like a typical Catholic girl from Bandra. I didn’t want her to come across as stereotypical, but typical nonetheless.

Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringhee Lane focused on the desolation of a single Catholic woman. The film’s fabulous authentic details about Jennifer Kapoor’s character, her inner and outer life served to reflect the ethos of the community with unprecedented integrity.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a Bollywood filmmaker who has spent a very large part of his creative time in the Christian-Catholic community. The epic filmmaker’s first directorial project, Khamoshi: the musical is set in a Christian family in Goa. Manisha Koirala played Annie, the beautiful daughter of a deaf and mute couple Joseph (Nana Patekar) and Flavia Braganza (Seema Biswas). The attention to cultural and religious details was incredible. Once again in the highly acclaimed Black And GuzaarishBhansali returned to the Catholic community.

The filmmaker said: “My fascination with the Christian religion and community dates back to my childhood. We lived in a chawl. For me, my school, my teachers, and the entire quiet, spacious environment of my Christian school were a symbol of a life I could not live at home. My love for churches and religion is unconditional. In BlackI actually paid homage to my Anglo-Indian teacher at school.

Sanjay Bhansali lights candles at a church in Bandra every Wednesday. Its production, My friend Pinto (which he didn’t direct) again featured Catholic protagonists played by Prateik Babbar and Kalki Koechlin. Prateik as Michael Pinto paid tribute to Saeed Mirza Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai. At one point in the film, Prateik referred to Albert as his uncle. Mirza’s film is the uncle of all Hindi films about the Catholic community. It was a rare attempt to examine the issues facing the community with candor and conviction.

Naseeruddin Shah’s portrayal of Albert Pinto remains an exemplary effort to portray a Catholic character devoid of caricature features. Naseer was believable because he didn’t worry about getting the accent right.

Also not so talented was the talented Lilette Dubey, who gave an excellent performance as a hyper-nervous Anglo-Indian Emily Lobo in Anjan Dutta’s film. Bow Barracks Forever. The film, based on a real story, shows the trials and tribulations of the Anglo-Indian community living in Bow Barracks, an old dilapidated building in North Kolkata. Much of the story analyzes the decaying building with merciless frankness. A lack of romantic desire results in the presence of a captivating frankness.

What the sassy script lacked was subtlety. The characters are as largely brave as they are uninhibited in their expressions. The one tenement of Anjan Dutt’s plot seems to encompass characters of all kinds – from the rebellious housewife (Moon Moon Sen) to the battered wife (Neha Dubey) and the free boy (Clayton Rodgers) who sneaks in Neha’s bed at the fort and a dignified mother (Lilette Dubey) who continues to believe that her eldest son will call her to Australia even though he hasn’t spoken to her in four years. They’re real people given that cinematic setting that separates the models from the flesh-and-blood guys.

The other commanding performance comes from the irrepressible Victor Banerjee. It’s a joy to watch the veteran actor essay the role of a twinkling-eyed trumpeter who laughs loudly in the face of adversity. He even asks Lilette for a little kiss just to remind her that life goes on… whatever happens. Bow Barracks Forever transforms fringe stereotypes into something distinctly glorious, even grandiose.

Lilette said: “Typically, in the previous films especially, the Christian community was pretty stereotypical. They were portrayed as good-hearted people who spoke funny Hindi, like Lalita Pawar in Anari or Prem Nath in Policeman. But the characters in films about the Anglo-Indian community have become more nuanced. Emilie in Bow Barracks Foreverwas a complex character with a range of emotions. I even won the Best Actress award at the Madrid International Film Festival for my performance.

Filmmaker Ken Ghosh expresses the unease that afflicts representations of minority communities: “Before, it was very caricatured. Lately, all I can think about is Arjun Rampal and Shahana Goswami’s characters in Go for it !! This was done efficiently and without exaggeration.

Going by the recent track record, it’s easy to see why Albert Pinto would have smiled if he had seen the way Prateik Babbar playing his imaginary nephew Michael Pinto portrayed their community in Raaghav Dhar’s film. My friend Pinto.

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