Catholic communities are always portrayed in tokens rather than as full-fledged characters in Hindi cinema. As long as there is cinema, there will always be the token ‘Rahim Chacha’ and ‘Maria Aunty’, a stereotype enforced by films like Ramesh Sippy’s Saagar and Raj Kapoor’s Bobby. Here are some actors who took the portrayal of the Catholic community beyond tokenism.
Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony
When Manmohan Desai decided to cast his favourite actor as a street-smart Catholic in what was destined to be their most popular film, there were a whole lot of reservations. But of course, Mr B pulled it off, and how! The Big B says about the experience, “It was a pleasant departure. The very name Amar Akbar Anthony for a film came at a time when there were more sober and domestic titles, so it was a surprise to me, particularly because Manji was starting his home production with this film and I felt he was making a grave mistake. But he was right as always. The attitude of Anthony, his lingo, style, and clothing were all Manji’s brainchild. I merely followed what he demanded. The character detailing all came from Manji and I think it came from his keen observation of the Christian community, living mostly out of Bandra. One of his most important sequences was shot in the backyard of this very unique suburb. He himself was very conversant with the language of this community. Yes, it was a language style that was alien to me, but if you have lived long enough in Mumbai, it is unlikely that you can miss it.”
Jennifer Kapoor in 36 Chowringhee Lane
Jennifer Kapoor’s Violet Stoneham is perhaps the single-most vivid and sensitive depiction of the isolation of the Anglo-Indian community. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a big fan of the film and the performance, says, “I love its tenderness and photography. But most of all, I love Jennifer Kapoor. This was unarguably one of the best performances seen in Indian cinema. So shocking when it missed the National award. Aparna Sen beautifully captured the sounds sights and scents of Kolkata. A lot of detailing went into getting the anglo-Indian lifestyle correct. And especially illuminating was Aparna’s portrayal of loneliness. Everything from the title(and its number 36) to supporting performances by Dhritiman Chatterjee and Debashree Roy were bang-on. Says Aparna Sen, “I’ve (the late actor) Utpal Dutt to thank for that. I was actually thinking of casting a non-professional real-life anglo-Indian woman whom I’d train to fit the part. In hindsight, I feel that would have been a disaster. It was Utpal Dutt who suggested Jennifer, ‘Are you mad? Why would you sign another woman when you’ve the perfect fit in Jennifer?’ I was not sure because in Junoon, Jennifer’s powerful performance suggested someone way too strong and in-control to play a frail lonely woman. But I am so glad it was Jennifer.”
Shabana Azmi in Bada Din
This is a long-forgotten 1998 film where Shabana was cast as a sullen anglo-Indian in Kolkata (then, Calcutta) who befriends a young couple Marc Robinson and Tara Deshpande . They rescue a mute street child from gangsters. Shabana remembers the film as being special because of its location. “It was set in the anglo-Indian community in Kolkata on bada din, that’s Christmas day. I had to make sure that my character Lilian didn’t come across as caricatural or even one bit exaggerated. Again I played an Anglo-Indian character in Saeed Mirza’s film Albert Pinto Ko Kyun Gussa Aata Hai here both Naseer and I were cast as Catholics. Again, it had to be just right, not an inch more or less…Neither of these performances by me came anywhere near Jennifer Kapoor in 36 Chowringhee Lane. She was flawless.”
Nadira in Julie
Nadira never got her due in Hindi cinema. Ahead of her times, she was a powerhouse in Julie as Margaret, the Catholic matriarch trying desperately to keep her family from falling apart. It was a performance of immense faith and power, fuelled by Nadira’s untrammelled spirit and an indefatigable appetite for excellence. Though the focus in Julie was on Laxmi who played the title role it was the fiery Nadira who stole the show with her bravura performance. Playing a protective mother dealing with a pregnant unwed daughter Nadira simply brought the house down. She won the Filmfare award for best-supporting actress. Too little.Too late.
Lilette Dubey in Bow Barracks Forever
As Emily Lobo in Anjan Dutta’s Bow Barracks Forever an obscure gem of a film Lilette Dubey was absolutely spot-on. No Violet Stoneham from 36 Chowringhee Lane, Lilette played her alcoholic dysfunctional character with delicious abandon. And yet there’s a restrain and dignity in her gait and language. About her most accomplished performance Lilette says, “As a rule in the earlier films specially, the Christian community was pretty much stereotypical. They were portrayed as goodhearted people who spoke funny Hindi, like Lalita Pawar in Anari or Premnath in Bobby. But the characters in films about the Anglo-Indian community have become more nuanced. Emily in Bow Barracks Forever, was a layered character with a range of emotions. I even won the best actress award at the Madrid International Film Festival for my performance.”
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out.
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