Bollywood dreamboat

Looks like Vancouver has some great fans of Akshaye. I like what they call him. "Bollywood dreamboat." Also, found this review:

When I first saw Akshaye Khanna in a Bollywood film at a friend's place, I was smitten. The photogenic star was definitely good looking, but I was also attracted to the depth, sensitivity, and intelligence he projected on screen that was different from other Bollywood actors I'd seen.

So when I found out he was starring in Gandhi, My Father which is playing at the Granville 7 (which still has one of the cheapest prices in town for a first run film at $7), I was eager to see how he fared in the complex and challenging role of Harilal Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's eldest son, who suffered in the shadow of his famous father.

(Even Will Smith was impressed by the film.)

This biopic informs us that Harilal often wanted an education so he could become a barrister like his father. But his father had other plans for him, such as enlisting him in his passive resistance campaigns which began in South Africa.

Due to his lack of proper schooling and repeated entrance exam failures, Harilal developed a chain of problems that increased as he grew older. His inability to secure a job resulted in a number of debts. His relations with his family, including his wife (endearingly played by Bhumika Chawla) and children, became progressively strained. His turn to drink for escape resulted in alcoholism that worsened and compounded his difficulties.

Tragically, he ended up wandering the streets as a beggar. The irony that his father, who led his nation to independence, could not help his own son with his personal struggles resonates throughout the film.

The film is blessed with gorgeous cinematography, including vibrant scenes of Hindu ceremonies. The pacing suffers from an awkward sluggishness that eventually resolves as the weight of the story gains greater momentum.

Khanna turns in a thoughtful performance, though at times he does tend towards overacting. Darshan Jariwala is convincing as Mahatma Gandhi, who seems utterly perplexed and impotent to help his floundering son, even though some of his own strict decisions led to his demise.

Though many public personas often have troubled relationships in their personal lives, it seems irreconcilable that such a compassionate figure as Mahatma, who reached out to innumerous lives, could not figure out how to aid a life so close to him.

(Straight)