#Indian Television Actor

[emaswanned]

I know there's a bunch of fans who have fallen out of love with the TV adaptation of The Witcher because of it's deviation from the books/games, but I don't think I can explain how wonderful it is to see an Indian Hindu woman, a person of colour, playing a powerful, beautiful female main character that is literally loved by thousands across the globe.

I'm third-generation British Indian and grew up watching shows with main characters that never, ever looked like me. I cannot applaud the casting of Anya Chalotra as Yennefer any more than I already have.

[wouldyourecognizethisperson-poll]

[filmyypeople]

From a 6-year old child artist to Swiggy Uncle!

This Vadi Bro has come a long way !!

03 May, 2023 I Richa Devesar I FilmyPeople

If you have passion for something and keep on working towards that, you are surely going to get it, one day! Now its up to you whether you  call it Destiny or your Dedication…Swiggy Uncle has proved it both ways! How? Lets rewind his journey as an actor and get to know how he did it all?

Naresh Gosain, a mechanical Engineer by profession was passionate about acting since childhood. He started acting on stage when he was just six years old. It took him 50 years to reach where he is today. Hours, days, months and years’ of work could not give him what a 20 Sec Silent TVC did. It was not just a matter of chance that even after doing dozens of serials, hundreds of Street plays, and so many appearances in Big Budget Bollywood movies, he could not get the appreciation he had been looking for but he feels ‘God has been kind to have given me all this at this age because if he had given all this earlier, who knows I might have got vanished from the scene by now.’ Now, that is what we call positive attitude!

Before getting to know the Gulab Jamun Waale Uncle’s journey (as he’s fondly known), let me share few things which I remember of him as a child. In those days, he was acting in Doordarshan Serials Dil Dariya, Doosra Kewal and Phir Wohi Talaash. We felt really proud of the fact that my Maasi’s son is coming on Television. Unlike today, those were the Doordarshan days when everyone was watching the same thing at the same time, unlike today when the audience is segregated.

We are basically a very filmy family and I give all the credit to my Daddy and Mummy for this. Music, movies all this has been part of our lives since the time, I was not even born. So when Babbu Bhaiya (as we call him) got in to acting , we would look forward to hear all Filmy Stories from him. Infact, I got to know about Shahid Kapoor’s existence as a 10 year old when bhaiya was working in the serial  Phir Wohi Talaash (way back in 1990) with actress Neelima Azeem who had this very happy-go-lucky , jovial type youthful, college going girl’s character. He told us that she is a 28 year old woman and has a 10 year old son which was unbelievable.  We just could not believe that! And yes I do remember his dialogue in one of the episodes which was  ‘Kaad diya…..unko kaad diya’ (they have been thrown out).

And now…everyday we are seeing him in new TVCs be it Bisleri, Dr. Fixit, Netmeds, Goldie Masaale and so on. Success did come to him but after giving 50 dedicated years of his life. Does he have grudges or he is smiling the way he smiles while eating Gulab Jamun in Swiggy TVC? Before we ask him about his journey, how about having a look at some of his best TVCs!

Lets rewind and talk to him from where it all  started!

When did you first realize that you wanted to act?

It was not that I realized or something. Initially, it just happened, as my father was a theatre actor and a writer too, I would often accompany him during his rehearsals and one fine day he asked me to act..and with that began my acting journey. I acted in a lot of plays as a child artist. And this I’m talking about 1968 when I was hardly six years old and now that I’m talking of my childhood days, I can recall that I got my first award in 1972 in a theatre festival in Delhi which was quite motivating for me in that young age, although I didn’t understand the seriousness of acting that time.

In 70s and 80s, Doordarshan was the only channel we had and coming on Television was not a small thing. What memories do you have of your initial days?

In those days, actors got much more popularity because Doordarshan had the monopoly. If I talk about myself, I was working regularly with DD for various types of shows and family and friends used to appreciate that because it was a big thing back then. It reminds me of an incident, Doordarshan would telecast one Special New Year Show every year which used to have audience just the way we have now in reality shows. So whenever I got a chance to be there in that new year show, as an audience my friends would get very excited..Arrey tujhe dekha tha! And afterwards when I started acting in serials, though in small roles, I always got a positive response from family and friends.

And how and when did acting in Doordarshan happen?

Doordarshan was the only Channel we had back in 70s and 80s and I was lucky enough to have bagged my first Telefilm in the year 1981. In those days, it wasn’t easy to get a break but I got a chance to show my talent when Doordarshan started Morning Transmission somewhere in mid 80s and I did, mostly comedy serials like Hamaare manager, Popat lal Jasoos, Jeena Yahaan Marna Yahaan and few more. Then  I happen to meet Director Lekh Tandon who after directing some very big movies like Agar Tum Na Hote, Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaae, Professor, Aamrapali, Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan and so many more, came to Delhi to make serials for  Doordarshan.  I met him during that time only when he was directing Dil Dariya and Doosra Kewal for Doordarshan.

If I remember it correctly Dil Dariya was Shah Rukh Khan’s debut serial although the one that got aired on TV was Fauji, Right? How was the experience? Any incident of those days you can recall?

Absolutely right! Although I got to play a small role in that serial but as I was involved in production too, I was there on the sets everyday.  And you just asked about any incident. So I have an interesting thing to tell…I remember we were shooting for Doosra Kewal. We had to shoot a song and were looking for a particular location so I asked Lekh Tandon ji to shoot the same at my terrace. As soon as we finished the shoot, Shah Rukh said that his serial Circus is going to be telecast just now and he wanted to see it. We all came downstairs and he watched that episode of Circus with my whole family and that too sitting on the floor. He was already a big TV star by then and so humble was he…I offered him chair…but he said ‘No..I am Okey here.’ And we were all very friendly with each other be it Shah Rukh or other actors  like Arun Baliji, Vinita Malikji and Alka Amin (who was seen in Kedarnath as Sushant Singh Rajput’s mother) and I also remember that Arun Bali ji and Vinita Malik ji were the highest paid actors of this serial.

So, the shooting of all these serials was being done in Delhi only and did you continue with theatre also while doing DD serials?

While I was working in DD serials, I was also doing Public Awareness Campaigns because in those days, we used to have lots of such Govt campaigns running on Doordarshan. I continued doing theatre too but this time it was Ramleela and starting from year 1993, I continued playing Kumbhkaran for over 25 years at the Ramleela of Model Town 2, New Delhi. Then in the year 2000, I started doing Street Plays for private as well as Govt Sector and these kept me busy for years.

When did you first come to Mumbai for an acting assignment? What was that about? And which directors you worked with, initially?

I went to Mumbai for the first time in 1989. It was for the shooting of a TV serial called Sadbhaavna again for Doordarshan which was directed by Raj Tilakji who had already directed films like Mukti starring Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Vidya Sinha and 36 Ghante starring Raj Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha and many more. After doing Sadbhavna,  I started coming to Mumbai frequently. Although it was one scene or two and the first movie I did was Manorama Six Feet Under.  Then I got a chance to work with Subhash Ghai ji in Kanchi.

Rajat Kapoor was another director, I got a chance to work with in the movie Aankhon Dekhi.  Then Dibaakar Banerjee..with whom I worked in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, then Vicky Donor happened with Shoojit Sarkar. Infact, I was in all 3 projects of Mirzapur Director Gurmmeet Singh - What The Fish, (in which I had a good role but unfortunately the film didn’t do well at the box office)Warning and Sharaafat Gai Tel Lene and years later I got a chance to work with him in Mirzapur too.  Roles were small but good thing was that I was getting work.

What made you decide to permanently move to Mumbai? Did you get family support?

When I was doing serials Chidiya Ghar and Laapata Ganj that time, I seriously thought of moving to Mumbai. It was around 2012 that I started getting regular work…all the films that I just mentioned. But yes, permanently I decided to shift my base here was after Swiggy TVC happened, that has been the biggest turning point in my career. And yes, when I decided to move to Mumbai permanently, my family did support me. And moreover,  I could afford to be away from home and give it a shot as my kids were grown up and busy in their own lives and I had my mother and wife Meenu’s full support to go ahead with my decision of giving it a shot.

How did you get Swiggy TVC? Did you have any idea that it would be the biggest turning point of your career? Any big complements you received from your industry friends?

I still remember I was in Delhi doing my awareness campaigns and in between that, I got a call for audition of this Swiggy Ad. I recorded my audition video there only on my mobile and sent it. Although I wanted to get selected but wasn’t sure. But I was selected and there I was shooting for that Ad which changed my life and there has been no looking back since then.

I got lot of popularity because of the Swiggy campaign. The thing is that nowadays the audience is divided..in a way that some people watch only movies, some…crime thrillers, some like to watch family shows, some…news but Ad is one thing which everyone watches and it comes on every platform and this Swiggy TVC came during IPL season and that’s the reason it got even more visibility. The Ad campaign really helped Swiggy and their sales increased by 45%.

My friends Vinay Pathak and Saurabh Shukla gave me complements. They said the way you hold your expressions and smile, is amazing. Kya kamaal ki ad ki hai tuney. I have been doing like this for so many years now but the only thing is that when God’s blessings come, things just change and the same thing happened with me.

How easy was it shifting to TVCs? How do you look at the whole thing?

Doing TVCs was not a planned move, first of all. It just happened. The thing is that when you are doing theatre, reaction is instant. One story is told in 2 hours in a film, in a series it takes 10-12 episodes but when it comes to an ad, you have to tell the story in just 15-20 secs which is not an easy thing. I got to learn so much while doing TVCs. On other hand all my experience came in handy when I started doing ads. I have not had any formal training in Acting, but I have hands-on experience of 55 years. Everyday, I am doing something new which is challenging and satisfying at the same time.

You have worked in some Short Films also, how was that experience?

So far working in short films has been one of the best experiences and I enjoyed working in The Honeymooners and Shagun. I am emotionally attached to The Honeymooners, actually. There is whole variety of roles that I am doing now and it is very surprising that at this age I’m doing things that I never thought, I would ever do, especially after crossing 60. Bojh was another short film that I did. Also I did few bigger Ads which had a storyline especially the ones done for Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day.

You have worked in some Web Series also. Tell us about that experience? And your upcoming projects also?

Yes I have done few Web Series like Mirzapur, Inside Edge, Illegal and few more to come. Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper is the next Web Series I’m waiting for then there’s one more Jhaansi ka Rajkumar. Plus TVCs are going on. One with Ranbir has just started coming and Vadilal campaign also started recently and after Swiggy Uncle they’ve shown me as Vadi Bro…it has that youthful touch with lots of colours. I’m loving every bit of it.

Your experience of working with actors like Akshay Kumar, Virat Kohli , Anushka, Alia and Ranbir Kapoor?

The experience has been great. They’ve all been very nice. Ranbir Kapoor is one humble actor I have worked with. I had a great time shooting with Virat and Anushka too. One of the ads we did together was about eating  and they brought Rajma Chaawal from their home. Since he is also from Delhi I told him it has this typical DIlli-wala taste and we ll enjoyed shooting as well as eating.

Do you have any grudges that all this success and fame came your way very late or you are enjoying it?

I am grateful to God. I feel that if I had got success some 20-30 years ago, I might not have been in the industry today. God has really been kind and I have no grudges at all.

How does it feel living your childhood dream?

Although I have been acting for so many years now and I have always given my 100 % whether it was  serials or movies or street plays but the kind of stuff I got to do after my Swiggy TVC is something I am really enjoying. I never imagined that I would get such amazing roles to play and trust me God has really been kind and there’s much more to come. Its all God’s grace. I have been working consistently for last 50 years but got showered with all the name and fame now and its all God’s blessing.

I would personally recommend you all to watch these two Festival Spl TVCs and you will have an idea how good Swiggy Uncle is with his facial expressions.

[lyricsolution-com]

Veteran Actor Atul Parchure Passes Away At 57 After Battling Cancer | People News

Renowned actor Atul Parchure, best known for his comedic roles on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show,’ sadly passed away on October 14 at the age of 57 after a courageous battle with cancer.  Parchure’s impressive talent and exceptional comedic timing have made a significant impact on the entertainment industry, and he will be fondly remembered for his contributions. Over his career, he showcased his…

[newsepick]

Meet man who played with Tendulkar, represented India in World Cup, quit cricket to become actor, made debut with Sanjay Dutt,

Salil Ankola, a former Indian cricketer who played alongside Sachin Tendulkar and represented India in the 1996 World Cup, faced numerous challenges after retiring from cricket due to a tumor. He ventured into Bollywood, debuting with Sanjay Dutt, but struggled with alcohol addiction, leading to personal and financial issues, including a divorce. Despite these challenges, he found work in television with roles in popular series. Ankola's journey highlights the ups and downs faced by athletes transitioning to new careers.

[theyconverted]

Vivian Dsena stated in an interview that he has been following Islam since 2019.

[vintagegeekculture]

The Hall of Amazing Men: Branscombe Richmond

A new admission to the Hall of Amazing Men, Branscombe Richmond is best known for being an actor where he played Lorenzo Lamas’s friend, the Lando Calrissian-like sharpie Dallas Sixkiller, or as Moki, the smartmouth Hawaiian friend of Magnum, P.I. But behind the camera, as a tough as nails stunt coordinator and stuntman, Branscombe Richmond created and developed nearly all the eccentric and eye catching events in the TV series American Gladiators: Atlasphere (the one where people roll around in giant balls), Powerball (done simply because they needed a sport that could be created cheaply because they ran out of money for development) and all the various ones where musclemen shoot tennis balls at people, and where you have to avoid muscular women by jumping on a bungee cord. I don’t think it would be inaccurate to say that with his development (on a really thin budget, no less) of memorable, eye catching sports and events that, with his stunt training he knew could be done safely enough so that even kinda-sporty housewives from Illinois could do them without injury, Branscombe Richmond created American Gladiators. He turned an idea into a realized, practical show that can be done – I don’t think it is inaccurate at all to call him the uncredited creator of American Gladiators.

In his career as a stuntman, Branscombe Richmond, meanwhile, is another one of those faces that shows up over and over playing evil henchmen, members of motorcycle gangs in rough biker bars the hero brawls with karate (if there’s ever a rough scummy biker bar out there, you can bet Branscomb Richmond is in it), and hordes of nunchaku wielding ninja, to the point where if you are, like me, an 80s-90s action aficionado, his face makes you go “oh, hey…it’s that guy!” Can you really call yourself an action fan if you don’t start identifying “your” evil henchman? His IMDB page is mostly roles that are named “Gunman In Jeep,” "Biker #2," and "Terrifying Clown."  

If there is a Evil Henchman Hall of Fame, Brandscomb is there alongside the great Al Leung. You can spot his face as a henchman in Never Too Young to Die (with John Stamos), Action Jackson, Batman Returns, the Hidden, Iron Eagle III: Aces High (objectively the best one as it had Ms. Olympia Rachel McLish), and Star Trek III, where he was a Klingon henchman to Christopher Lloyd who almost got disintegrated and had to feed his disgusting slimy monster dog-salamander. It's comforting to know the profession of henching is alive and well 300 years in the future.

On television, Brandscomb Richmond was on every single cool show from the 80s: Tales of the Gold Monkey, TJ Hooker, Manimal, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Baywatch, and many times attempted to kill the A-Team, especially from motorcycles. Like Chiba, another stuntman-actor, Branscombe Richmond specialized in motorcycle stunts, and he was admitted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003. He is, to this day, the guest of honor at whatever motorcycle rally your embarrassing hick uncle attends. I have no evidence for this, but I have long suspected that the reason Richmond was hired to be Dallas Sixkiller in Renegade with Lorenzo Lamas was so they could get his unpaid advice on motorcycle stunts (much like how I have always suspected Warner Brothers hired Ben Affleck as Batman as a "backdoor" way to ask him to direct).

He also played the older brother of the Rock in the Scorpion King, which is an interesting choice because despite getting roles as American Indians (and being beloved in the American Indian community, who, as a whole, deeply love characters who are smartmouth, wiseass sharpies/scammers who get one over on everyone), Brandscome Richmond is in fact, like the Rock, of Hawaiian origin. His first major role in television, that of Moki in Magnum PI, was in fact Hawaiian.

Why are there so many Pacific Islanders in stuntman careers, MMA, and professional wrestling? The answer is surprisingly pedestrian. It’s because Pacific Islanders are a sizable ethnic population in Los Angeles, where movies and television are made, so if you need someone in L.A. that are tough as nails and can take a hit, a Samoan or Hawaiian is a good choice.

Happily, Branscombe Richmond is alive and well, mostly retired as a traditionally large Hawaiian family patriarch. He does occasional voice work, as Gibraltar in Apex Legends, a character physically based on him as well. I imagine he is relieved to be working in showbiz and no longer risking brain damage to do it.

[hobiebrownismygod]

Let's talk about Desi representation again!!

I don't talk about this stuff often but when I do, I have some strong ass opinions

and yes I'm gonna be talking about none other than Pavitr Prabhakar at the end cuz he's just special to me <3

Hollywood is lagging behind on Desi representation

You'd think one of the biggest film industries in the world would be able to represent us properly, considering the fact that we make up the largest group of South-Asian Americans and the second largest group of Asian-Americans in the US, but instead-

Western Television forces Indians to conform to harmful stereotypes

Some of the most popular Desi characters on screen are Raj Koothrappali from the Big Bang Theory, Devi Vishwakumar from Never Have I Ever and Kelly Kapoor from the Office.

Indian men are almost always portrayed as robotics engineers and computer whizzes, but with terrible social intellect, making them seem like awkward nerds.

Indian women are almost always portrayed as "whitewashed", or wanting to appear more western, with zero understanding of their own culture or language along with an unrelenting need for attention from white friends/colleagues.

These are both based on stereotypes that Indian culture is "toxic" and "too traditional" and that Indians are only interested in studies.

Most Desi characters in western media have stories that are solely based around their ethnicity and/or racial stereotypes.

British television actually showcases a lot more representation than Hollywood does

I was watching Polite Society, a movie starring two Pakistani characters as the main leads, and there was a dance scene where both the leads are wearing traditional desi attire. My mom turned over, looked at me, and asked, "Is this Hollywood? It can't be."

And she was right. It's a British movie with British-Pakistani actors.

The reason she didn't believe that it could've been Hollywood was because the dresses the two leads were wearing were traditional and beautiful and the song playing in the background was authentic Hindi music, not some random westernized DJ version of it.

A Hollywood movie would've never dressed up their Desi actors in actually flattering attire (*cough cough the Patel twins from Harry Potter) or have used real, popular Desi music in the background.

You see my point?

It is so uncommon to see well-thought-out Desi representation in TV nowadays, where to see real diversity we have to watch movies made by the same country that colonized us.

Ironic.

British movies/shows with desi leads have far better South Asian representation than anything I've seen in Hollywood recently.

The Hollywood movies starring Indian leads, like Slumdog Millionaire or Bend it like Beckham were filmed in the UK, and because they were filmed in the UK, they had fantastic South Asian representation.

Not only does Hollywood refuse to create shows and movies about real problems that South Asians face, but they also don't cast South Asian actors in good roles.

When's the last time you saw a South Asian actor playing a character that wasn't a walking stereotype? When's the last time you saw a South Asian actor playing a character that was a genuine part of the story rather than just comedic relief or a random smart kid in the classroom?

Not often, right?

Me, personally, I didn't grow up with a lot of South Asian characters or actors in shows/movies that I watched. In fact, every time someone even close to my skin color showed up on TV, I was on the edge of my seat because it was just so rare to see it.

This is why representation matters.

You've heard about all the young girls with braids being so excited when the new little mermaid with Halle Bailey came out. Well, us desi kids wanted that too.

I wanted to see a Telugu speaking girl with wavy hair and dark skin who would wear traditional clothing to Desi get-togethers and parties, go to the temple with her family, eat vegetarian Indian meals, etc...

I wanted to see a character who was a representation of me and my experiences as an Indian-American. I wanted to see a character that was at least a representation of Indians or just South Asians in general.

Instead, we were given characters that ridiculed their own culture, were extreme stereotypes and furthered the existence of casual racism in western society today. So many Desi kids experience small acts of racism on a daily basis because people have been so desensitized to the existence of these stereotypes.

Telling South Asians that their culture is a joke and feeding non-asian children media which pokes fun at other cultures is harmful, not only to us South Asians but also communities that could end up being targeted next.

Pavitr Prabhakar; Representation Matters

If you've been following me or if we're mutuals, you probably know I have a tiny obsession with Pavitr Prabhakar. But why?

Because of all the reasons I just listed.

There are few South Asian characters us Desis can look up to these days, and Pavitr Prabhakar is one of the maybe two or three characters who have great writing, magnificent representation, and overall a fun vibe.

He's likable, funny, smart and best of all, unapologetically Desi.

He's just like all the other side characters, with a little bit of his own culture mixed in. He's not being shoved down our throats to further an agenda about fake diversity, he's not a walking stereotype and best of all, he was designed by Indian creators.

He's refreshing and exciting to follow in a world full of a demand for half-hearted representations and the people who created him were obviously putting their hearts and souls into it.

He's awoken a love for Indian culture amongst, not only Desi children themselves but also among westerners who, prior to this, had thought of India as a "3rd world" country, because that's the agenda that Hollywood pushes onto many South Asian countries today.

WE LOVE PAVITR PRABHAKAR!!

This was kinda all over the place but I just had to get this off my chest <3

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/10/discrimination-against-indian-americans-happens-more-than-you-might-think/

[thislovintime]

Head premiered on November 6, 1968. (Edit featuring the two Tork songs - in the studio and demo versions, respectively - and a line from the movie.)

“What’s happening as time goes on is that the movie [Head] is becoming a chronicle of an age. At the time, it was just a chronicle of the Monkees.” - Peter Tork, The Monkees Tale (1985) Q: “What do you think of the music from the film ‘Head’?” Peter Tork: "Well, since I wrote and produced two of the songs myself, I think it’s fine. I did ‘Can You Dig It?’ And ‘[Long Title:] Do I Have To Do This All Over Again.’” - Goldmine, 1982 “The funny thing is that the lyrics [to ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] came to me right out of the air. I was just playing those chord changes on the guitar, and I opened my mouth and that’s what popped out. The song was weirdly prophetic. I had no idea that was going to be my attitude about anything having to do with music when I wrote that song." - Peter Tork, Listen To The Band liner notes (more about "Long Title..." here) “‘Can You Dig It’ is about the Tao. The hook line I wrote in my dressing room on the set [of the television series in 1967]. The chords for the chorus I’d written in college, and [they] had just stuck with me.” - Peter Tork, Head box set liner notes (more about "Can You Dig It?" here) "I think they're ['Can You Dig It?' and 'Long Title...'] the best songs in the movie [Head]. I love both of them. I thought they were just terrific. He had plugged himself into that whole Stephen Stills connection and was working with those guys. I think they fit the movie better than anything did. When those two songs start up in the movie, it comes alive for me.” - Michael Nesmith, Head box set liner notes “Thorkelson expressed a preference for the Monkees’ ‘Headquarters’ album, because it was the group’s first self-performed album […]. The soundtrack to the [...] movie ‘Head’ also is among Thorkelson’s favorites. ‘It was a little tinny, but back then I guess we were a little tinny,’ he said. ‘That movie will always look good,’ commented Thorkelson.” - The Bowling Green News Revue, May 24, 1979 "'When we made Headquarters, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven,' says Tork. 'My whole goal had been to be a member of a band that worked. The next thing I know we're making a movie and it doesn't have anything to do with the business of being in a band together.' [...] 'There's some weight behind the idea that Bob and Bert wanted to wreck the Monkees, to stop it cold in its tracks,' says Tork. 'I've never known for sure. Bert and Bob might have thought out loud: "Let's kill the Monkees!" Or they may have not thought so out loud but at some unconscious level, they were sick of the Monkees and wanted to do something else.' [...] 'It was a joy seeing a movie being made, but I didn't like working for Bob Rafelson,' Tork says. 'I did what he told me, but I can't say that I ever had any heart connection with him.' His favorite scene, in which he recounts what he has learned from an Indian mystic, was actually directed by Nicholson. [...] Tork has seen Head around 80 times but it took him years to work out why it bothered him so much. In the movie, the Monkees are hoodwinked, bamboozled, chased, assaulted, mocked, trapped in a black box and reduced to dandruff in the hair of actor Victor Mature, before ending up back where they started. In the words of the sardonic Nicholson-penned theme tune, 'So make your choice and we'll rejoice/ In never being free.' 'Most people are dazzled by the psychedelia, and that's fine, but for me finally the point of the movie is the Monkees never get out,' Tork says sadly. 'Which is to say Bob Rafelson's view of life is you never get out of the black box you're in. There's no escape.' So how would a Peter Tork cut of Head end? 'There might have been a scene where we get out,' he says wistfully. 'We jump in the water and get away.'" - The Guardian, April 28, 2011

[snowviolettwhite]

With the rise of antisemitism and me being an actress, I have been thinking about theatre, television and film and identity. During college in one of my classes we were talking about diversity and not putting on shows in area where you know you could not cast certain types of actor. One example example given putting on Hairspray in Norway. I don't remember what my full statement was but one of things I said is Jewish characters should be played by Jewish actors. The professors said we should not get nitpicking we should not not yellowface or blackface but having only Jewish characters only played by Jewish actor is taking it too far. Basically saying if we are having people play only their own religions it is no longer acting. I only said Jewish, I did not say any other religion and frankly it made me feel really stupid.

Also the reason I said Jewish characters should be played by Jewish actors is because Judaism in an enthoreligion. Most people who are Jewish are born Jewish, they are ethically Jewish, they are Jewish by ancestry, if you convert to another religion and do not practice you are still Jewish which is not common in most religions.

That does not even go into the Jewish actors have to change their identity. Jewish actors are forced to deify as European even if they have zero European ancestry. Like, I will think to myself is it okay for to apply for middle eastern roles even though I am Middle Eastern/West Asian. (That does not even go into the fact one of the main reasons it is called the Middle East is because of British colonialism.)

Yet, people who are actually race-swapping, religion-swap, ethnicity-swap roles that are for underrepresented peoples do it will no care.

They had to change their last names and change their appearance to be given opportune. The fact non Jewish actors will use prosthetic noses and spread antisemitic stereotypes.

Like most Hundi people are Indian, it would make no sense to cast a non Indian person to play the role of a Hundi character. You would also have a lot of pissed off Indian people and they would have ever right to angry.

[filmyypeople]

Manish Goel... Not just an actor!!

18th April, 2023 I Richa Devesar I FilmyPeople

A young boy who was always bullied by his peers for his looks and dark complexion back in school had his eyes filled with dream of becoming, not just an actor, but, HERO. All these odds never discouraged him to follow his dream so after completing his schooling, he straightaway landed in Mumbai to chase the passion he always had. Having started as a Spot Boy on the sets of hugely popular comedy serial of 90s, Dekh Bhai Dekh, he accepted whatever came his way, which included doing crowd scenes with no  dialogues and then getting few dialogues but with limited money and no contacts at all, it was only his passion that was keeping him motivated to achieve more in life.

He kept on doing serials like Just Mohabbat, HipHip Hurrey, CID and few more with a thought that a day will come when people who are just passing by without noticing him, will stop and recognize him and this happened when he was signed by Ekta Kapoor for the serial Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and since then there has been no looking for this hard working, multi talented actor, Manish Goel, who even after being in this industry for over 28 years has his feet firmly grounded. With no starry air, he proudly says that 'being an actor is my profession and it is because of this profession that people know me, love me, so I cannot even think of taking all this name and fame for granted and be in my own world ignoring my fans and well-wishers.' 

All this is just an iota of his personality, lets explore more about him.

Mujhe Pehchaano, Main Hun Kaun..?

His Nick Names are Money, Manya and Mannu.

He was born in Delhi.

His Schooling is from Father Agnel, New Delhi.

He is married to actress Poonam Narula (2002)

His Popular TV Serials include Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Bhabhi, Sara Akash, Bhagyalaxmi, Nimki Vidhaayak, Hamaari waali Good News to name a few.

Reality Shows he’s done so far include Say Shawa Shawa, Zaraa Nach Ke Dikha, Maha Yatra, Welcome Baazi mehmaan nawaazi, Nach Baliye.

Pehla Nasha Pehla Khumaar..!

His First Job was as a Spot boy for TV Serial Dekh bhai Dekh.

His First TV Appearance was as a Crowd Actor.  

His First Video Album   was Dil Laigi Kudi by Jasbir Jassi –

You will be surprised to know that Manish was the guy in this so popular Punjabi song of 90s. Have a look!

His First TV Serial was Just Mohabbat - Couldn’t get the clipping of this serial but have a look at young Manish, in the popular serial Hip Hip Hurray which was aired around the same time.

His First Reality Show was Nach Baliye Season 1 - Manish Goel and his actress wife Poonam Narula were declared first runner up in the first season of this reality show. How about having a look at their performances?

His First Web Series was Love Bytes 2

His First Movie as a lead is going to be Hanak.

These are a few of my favourite thingzz..!

Favourite Actor      Shah Rukh Khan and Christian Bale

Favourite Serial      Dekh Bhai Dekh

Favourite colour     White and Blue

Favourite hobby     Journal writing and poetry

All time Fav Movie   Retro Classics

Fav Holiday Spot     Anywhere in India

His Real life Favourite role is that of a Son.

I, Me aur Main!

His Philosophy of Life is ‘Be a good human first, rest follows!’

His favourite characters are Anupam in Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Tilak in Bhabhi, Captain Saurav in Sara Akash, Prithvi in Tantra and Raj in Devi. He further says that ‘Every episodic show I did is my favourite, I played a different role everytime, which was extremely challenging and fun and I continue to do that.’

His Favourite Reality Show is Nach Baliye.

A Multi-faceted Personality

A motivational speaker – Manish himself is a self-motivated person so when he was asked what actually motivated him to be a motivational speaker, his quick reply was, ‘people felt I motivate them and it kind of developed in to this title. Feels good to make difference in other people’s lives and makes me happy too. Lets have a look at Motivator Manish.

A poet – He has always been in habit of writing journals and this habit transformed in to poetry and very soon his poetry book is going to get published. Till then how about enjoying this beautiful poem dedicated to his father.

A Guinness World Record Holder- Yes, Manish Goel is a Guinness World Record Holder and still retains the title. Have a look!

An entrepreneur – Manish Goel, alongwith his wife Poonam Narula is running an entertainment based company DreamBigMakeBig Entertainment which is involved in Talent management, digital ads 360 degree, wedding planner, concerts, brand tvc, ground production.

We Are Family!

Parents - As Manish Goel hails from Delhi, his parents are settled there and are running a 45-year old Salon by the name of Meghna, in South Delhi.  

Sister – He has a sister named Meghna.

Wife - Manish Goel is married to actress and entrepreneur Poonam Narula and he feels that ‘We are best friends’ and we have this video which says it all.

Kids- Manish and Poonam have two kids a son, who is in college and daughter who is in school.

That's Manish Goel for you all!!

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Barun Sobti bagged a Filmfare for Kohrra 🎉

I am honestly so happy for him because he’s really been delivering kickass projects from Tu Hai Mera Sunday to Asur (and we all know he wasn’t quite recognized as “actor” in IPK despite giving a great performance opposite the absolutely amazing and stellar Sanaya Irani).

So I’m just happy that once again it’s been proven that Indian Television has a fab assortment of actors and the film industry needs to give them a chance - a chance outside their tiny pool of network.

Cause from SRK to Ram Kapoor - all these actors have had their humble beginnings from a small telly.

Especially when actors can perform under rigorous pressure and changing scripts - you can imagine what they can deliver in a controlled environment with a watertight script.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 3 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Land of Happy Endings

Synopsis

The Eighth Doctor, John and Gillian visit Darbodia where they discover that the inhabitants have been purged of all imagination. Upon discovering that villainous scientist Wargonn has imprisoned the native species, the Doctor and his grandchildren work to foil his schemes.

Propaganda

Really beautiful story as the 8th Doctor DWM comics prepared to end. (@finalpam8000 )

An Adventure in Space and Time

Synopsis

A young producer frustrated by British television's glass ceiling, a new executive at the British Broadcasting Corporation, a young director of Indian descent, and an older actor struggling for artistic legitimacy come together in 1963 to start a brand new television programme called Doctor Who. After initial difficulties, the show becomes a hit, leaving the actor alone to carry on the show's traditions — and to face his increasingly ailing health.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[mydaddywiki]

Warren Berlinger

Physique: Chubby Build Height: 5′6″ (1.68 m)

Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials. He was known for Blue Denim, The Long Goodbye, The World According to Garp and That Thing You Do!. He also appeared in shows like Charlie’s Angels, Happy Days, Operation Petticoat, Murder, She Wrote and Grace and Frankie, his final TV work. Berlinger died from cancer on December 2, 2020, at the age of 83.

Berlinger went from playing juveniles on Broadway to naive, innocent teens in films and on TV, to somewhat rotund, average joes on the small screen, sustaining a career for more than 50 years. While channel surfing, I stumble upon an episode of Friends and thought I saw Charles Durning in it. Turns out, it was Berlinger. They had pretty much the same features, height and even sound alike with their NY accents. From then on Berlinger became my bootleg Durning.

He was married to Betty Lou Keim from 1960 until her death in January 2010, and they had four children. other online sources will tell you he was the nephew of Milton Berle, whose real last name was, yes, Berlinger. The truth, if you asked Warren, was that he was much more distantly related to Berle. He would sometimes however suggest jokingly that the legendary Berle phallus ran in the family.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Emergency! (TV Series 1973–1975) I Will… I Will… For Now (1976) Happy Days (TV Series 1975–1981) The Cannonball Run (1981) Murder, She Wrote (TV Series 1985–1989) Ten Little Indians (1989) Justice (1999)

[clairedaring]

hello claire, love your blog! i want to ask you a question about vietnamese fandom of thai pop culture, is it very big or just dedicated? i did notice that i often can find something translated into vietnamese (especially if we are talking about tpop interviews) while i can't find eng subs for it, and i started noticing it even more after a couple of weeks ago you pointed out another vietnamese blogger who has more access to obscure thai BLs than non-vietnamese bloggers. i am curious now, what's up with that? thank you in advance!

hiiiii \(￣︶￣*\))

i loveeee getting questions about thai pop culture and vietnamese fandom. for the short answer, i would say that it's both a combination of dedicated fandom and a sizable fandom. but please bare with me in my lengthy elaboration of this phenomenon...

i think the first form of 'thai pop culture' that was popularised and successfully exported to viet nam was thai lakorns. in a similar vein to older makjang korean dramas, thai lakorns had very soap opera and dramatic plots that were intriguing to viewers (mostly older grandmas who were at home). it was as if at a certain point, when vietnamese tv channels were running out of kdramas to buy the airing rights to, they looked to their neighboring countries dramas (notably, vietnamese networks were also buying rights to filipino, indian, spanish telenovelas so it wasn't just thai lakorns that they were outsourcing).

and so this was like around early 2010s, which also coincided with the emergence of thai bl series. even though i have absolutely no statistics to back this argument up, i would say that the familiarity that a portion of vietnamese audience had with thai lakorns, thai television, thai language also made it easy for them to get into thai bl series. with a number of thai-vietnamese lakorn fansubbers who were already subbing for thai series, they also took on the fansubbing for thai bl series, since they knew there was a niche but large audience who wanted to watch those series.

that being said, i wanted to make a distinction here because i wouldn't say that the vietnamese lakorn audience are the same audience who watch thai bls or they are the same fujoshi fandom who consume all things queer love/boys' love/girls' love related. but there is definitely a huge overlap between the fujoshis/sao y audience and the lakorn audience, which ended up as a very niche yet dedicated audience -> which was the biggest motivation for thai subbers to take on the subbing for thai bl series and anything related for certain thai actors who had been in bl series which are often lakorns that they've done before.

and i think you're referring to this post of mine about me finding out that @nonkul is a fellow vietnamese which allow us to have more access to "obscure lakorns". rather than this having to do with thai fansubbers for bl series/bl series related content/"bl actors" content, i think there's just more of vietnamese networks which are committed to outsourcing thai lakorns to air them (especially ones with big lakorn names attached to it like mai davika, baifern pimchanok, james jirayu, yaya urassaya, tor thanapob, film thanapat, esther supreeleela...). there are many local vietnamese networks who provide their own streaming services like tv360, fptplay... so they would often go to these film/tv series festivals to "shop" for thai series, allowing them to provide them exclusively in viet nam on both tv or their streaming site.

but to go back to the main subject of your question which is thai pop culture/tpop interviews, i would say that it's very much the result of 2-3 dedicated fansubbers with an equally dedicated audience who are willing to engage/interact with the content put out by the fansubbers. i've also come across a number of former kpop fans converted into tpop fandoms, so i could also see where the dedication-ness is coming from in trying to sub actor-related content.

but that also means that not very actors/ships will get dedicated fansubbers though. i think it mostly depends on how lucky a ship/an actor is to have a long time lakorn/thai series watcher/subber take an interest in them and they'll start basically subbing everything related to a series/ship/actor/group basically. it really does help that a majority of thai lakorn/series watchers have been watching thai series for so long, they're more likely to pick up the language along the way -> it's easier for you to see vietnamese translations for these kinds of content from thai actors/singers.

i know there are a lot of assumptions and generalised statements in my answer and it may not be the case for all the vietnamese fansubbers out there so please just take this with a grain of salt as it's mostly my perspective, after talking to a few fansubbers here and there. ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

but i was really happy to get this question in my inbox though. i'm always over the moon to be sharing perspective of a vietnamese lakorn/thai series/tpop enthusiast.