Little India

The foyer of California Theatre in Southern San Jose is chock-a-block with an eclectic assortment of people. Everyone from college going students and middle-aged professionals to retired movie buffs is gathered on this unusually hot March afternoon with just one wish in mind- To see, hear, meet and experience the phenomenon that is Sir Ben Kingsley.

From his academy award winning performance in Gandhi to the maniacal but riveting act in Sexy Beast; from the heart wrenchingly fascinating feat in House of Sand and Fog to the almost unbelievably hum-orous role in Thunderbirds, Sir Ben Kingsley covers and colors the entire acting spectrum with his inimitable characterizations.

In town to receive the Maverick spirit award at the Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, he talked to the press before the award ceremony and during the event thereafter.

If like the millions who thought that Kingsley’s resemblance to Mahatma Gandhi was uncanny in the film Gandhi, there might just be a justifiable reason for it. Not many know that Ben Kingsley is of half-Indian descent. The son of an Indian (Gujarati) physician Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji and British-Russian actress and fashion model Anna Lyna Mary Bhanji he was Krishna Bhanji until he changed his name to Ben Kingsley.

Born and raised in Yorkshire, England; Kingsley changed his name when he decided to act in films. “Interestingly it was my father who advised me to change my name as he believed that a British name would help me become more successful in films” says Kingsley adjusting his average frame in the seemingly uncomfortable chair.

“It’s a rather amusing name. While Krishna is the name of a Hindu God, Bhanji is typically a Muslim surname” he elucidates. Suddenly he laughs out and says, “The irony is that I changed my name from Krishna Bhanji to Ben Kingsley in order to play Mohandas Gandhi!”

The laugh continues when he narrates an anecdote from his early days. “During a particular audition while I was patiently waiting for my turn the receptionist called out for one ‘Christina Blanche.’ It suddenly occurred to me that she was referring to me (Krishna Bhanji). She destroyed all traces of my beautiful name!” he says laughing out aloud.

It was for an audition for a Shakespearian play that he had changed his name. When he auditioned for the role as Krishna Bhanji, he was rejected. He drove down twenty kilometers down the road to take the same audition test with his brand new name and he was accepted. “That must have been a lucky coincidence!” he says now recalling the days when each role meant a long struggle.

He must have been asked this question an umpteen number of times. But he still answers it with child-like enthusiasm. “The entire experience of making Gandhi was beyond compare” he says with a happy and contented expression on his face.

There are reports of him living a life akin to the Mahatma while he prepared for the role, which he impatiently declines. “Forget spinning the Charkha (cotton spinning wheel that the Mahatma used to spun cloth out of cotton) and doing Yoga.”

He continues, “It was serious business to get everything right the first time. I worked like a mad man on this film. I held the most extraordinary conversations with Richard Attenborough, in my mind one of the most intelligent film makers of our time. I rehearsed over and over again to get my speech and voice to the level where I could even remotely sound like the Mahatma himself.”

After hours of listening sessions and practice when I handed over a recording to Richard and he heard it, he came running to me and said, “This can’t be you. You just sound so incredibly like him.”

In 1984, Kingsley won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording for the album The Words of Gandhi.

His reverence for the character that he played shines through when he says with a gentle smile, “Gandhi was the noblest, most intelligent and benign character that I ever played.”

“And Dan Logan in Sexy Beast was the most damaged character I

ever played” he finishes with a wicked smile. “I just had the time of my life during Sexy Beast. I brought life to the character of Dan Logan by exploring the rage of an unloved child.”

While his chameleon like personality is limited to the screen, his mood fluctuates from contemplative to confident in seconds. While his eccentric comments send the audiences into a hearty laugh, his insightful comments evoke spontaneous acknowledgement and adoration.

“While the camera catches the integrity of moments beautifully, acting on the stage gives you instant gratification in form of spontaneous feedback” he answers when asked about his preferred medium- the stage or movies.

“The camera is allergic to acting” he says smiling knowingly. “The camera likes to see behavior. When I am in front of the camera doing a scene that requires me to be heart broken, I actually feel the shock and grief in my system from inside.” he adds.

While the camera and the stage both entice this versatile actor, his choice of a preferred genre is clear. “Comedy” he says with a definitive nod. “It’s exhilarating and as the clichéd saying goes, it is the hardest one. In comedy, you learn to live and survive through your wits” he explains.

While Kingsley’s string of excellent performances spans the entire gamut from comedy to serious cinema, the actor maintains that his preparation for every role is always the same. “I combine active curiosity with recognition of the character” he says, explaining further. “I memorize the lines and begin to collect and hunt for characteristics of my character everywhere.”

Kingsley also feels that his co-actors contribute a lot to his performances. He cites the example of his co-actor Roshan Seth, who played Jawaharlal Nehru in Gandhi. “When I worked with Roshan, I felt the love that he had for me from deep within. Nehru loved Gandhi with all his heart and Roshan successfully displayed that in this movie” he says adding, “Even today, when I see Roshan in Gandhi I say to myself that here is an actor who loved me!”

“Rohini Hattangadi who played my wife in Gandhi actually became my wife!” he says with a grin. “Even before the shooting for the movie began, we had our first fight at a pre-movie party. It so happened that we had walked in together and then when I saw some friends I drifted with them to another corner and was engrossed in talk when Rohini burst out from nowhere and complained that I had left her alone in the party!” he says laughing out aloud.

His uncanny ability to sound like Rohini Hattangadi or Steven Spielberg sent the audience into an uproarious laughter.