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ShareThey play the grumpy stereotype, stir emotions unknown and jolt us by their performance in timeless classics. Kareena N Gianani finds out the most loved and loathed silver charcterisations
Nothing had prepared actor Om Puri for what he was about to feel about the character of King Lear, in the Shakespearean play. King Lear, in his senile vanity, announces a contest wherein each daughter must demonstrate their love for him in speech to get the kingdom's share. The youngest daughter finds it shallow and loses out, only to be banished -- something King Lear regrets till his death. "I haven't seen a more stirring character. There was pride, a yearning to be the ideal, fair father who wants to love his daughters -- but errs. King Lear, according to me, is a silver characterisation of a lifetime."
Be it the eternal grandfather who refuses to give up his ways to ever-lasting characters like Florentino Ariza in the book Love In The Time Of Cholera, who has 622 affairs throughout his life but waits till 60 for his true love -- silvers have been portrayed in a myriad ways in the history of books and cinema. And they have earned befitting reactions too -- audiences have crinkled their collective noses at stereotypes, stirred emotions unknown, and got downright shocked with ruthlessness (like in the critically acclaimed book Disgrace). Prasoon Pandey, ad filmmaker, puts it best. "If it's a mushy moment you want to depict, throw in some kids and youngsters. But if it's a story you want to tell, of a past, present and a future, get a senior."
For filmmaker Aparna Sen, it is the elderly character of Sanaka she played in the movie Paromitar Ek Din (2004) (translated into House of Memories) that is closest to her heart. "Loneliness and discontentment in some elder women are a sad reality. Sanaka, after a dissatisfying marriage, finds friendship and refuge in a special relationship with her daughter-in-law." Urban historian and author Sharada Dwivedi who likes her cinema with more than just a dash of humour, is equally moved by poignant elder relationships. "Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in Grumpier Old Men have me in splits while Spencer Tracy in The Old Man and the Sea , made a memorable watch." Tracy, a Cuban fisherman, has difficulty catching his prey. "How he battles his own frailties while catching a giant marlin was, I thought, a classic characterisation."
No wonder the likes of Dolly Thakore, theatre actress, want to see more. A healthy dose of reality is all I want, she says. "Sometimes, I cannot believe that you can etch senior characters so differently. There is path-breaking Vera Drake (2004) set in the 1950s, in which the elderly protagonist is a secret abortionist, much against the law. And then there are movies like Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), that made a complete caricature of seniors!" Thakore adds she admires elderly with substance, playing roles that can make shining examples. "Musn't a filmmaker tap the fact that we silvers have decades of experience that demands a story of survivorship?"
Though Dwivedi, a Lage Raho Munnabhai fan, may disagree with Thakore, she does wish to see the fast emerging 'neo-silver', who is thriving and kicking. "Tell me, where are all the grumpy old men? I see sprightly silver ladies admiring their new botoxed faces and having a blast with friends. Elders well into their 80s carry themselves with so much dignity. No matter how much people criticise Kyunki Saas..., you have to admit the character of 'Ba' is very reassuring." Dwivedi doesn't believe in 'being nice' to seniors. "Just get their real lives out in the open, and you have a masterpiece."
Vaasanthi Sundaram, Tamil novelist, is pretty vocal about the much celebrated film, Baghban (2003), which dealt with the trauma of an elderly couple forced to live apart. "I found Baghban downright crude. Do you mean to say that seniors are so helpless that we can't even plan our lives thoughtfully? Dependence on children is fast fading, so are unreal expectations." Sundaram chuckles and says that she would have loved to watch the actors proudly move into an old-age resort instead of weeping uncontrollably.While discussing characterisations, the debate of stereotypes is bound to spring up. But it may not all be bad. Eunice D'Souza, writer, argues that she is yet to come across an elder character as amazing as Miss Marple. "She was so typical -- fluffy and rambling -- and yet, could a sleuth be any cooler?" asks D'Souza.
R Balakrishnan, whose film Cheeni Kum (2007), dealt with the May-December romance, has the last word on silvers in books and cinema. "You know, Cheeni Kum could have been a love story amongst two people of any age. I chose the senior angle just to see how does the average, cliched man on the street reacts to it. If an elder wants to love and lead an ordinary life, is he forced to feel uncomfortable and out of place? Thanks to the discussions my film threw up, I got my answer." Balakrishnan says he wants to make movies that someone can watch and say, 'Hey! That's exactly how I want to be when I am 80.'
