Hundred years ago, in America there was a movie super star named Rudolf Valentino. He was born in Italy the year the technology of cinema was invented! Acting in the early years’ silent movies as a hero in action and romantic films, he became the high idol of popular art of the time and worshipped like a human god. He started acting at the age of 19 and became a super star at 23! He was popularly called as the ‘Latin Lover’ by young girls and also men who were partial to handsome men. He became their sex symbol. More than his acting talent the movements of his body, his sleepy eyes and his firmly fleshed body attracted his fans. He shined over the film field for only six years before he passed away due to lacerating ulcer of intestines, at the age of 31. Law and order broke down in the city of New York because of the frenzied behavior of his hysterical fans. Many...
“Is it possible to get A.R.Rahman? If it is not possible, how about Balamuralikrishna? At least S.P.Balasubramaniam?” These were the questions posed to me by a Manager in charge of Music in an important Malayalam TV Channel on the morning of 11 th December, 2012, the day Pundit Ravi Shankar passed away! The idea was to get a few popular figures in the field of music to talk about Pundit Ravi Shankar and get it telecast as a channel tribute. I told him that there is a person in Chennai who is better qualified to talk about Pundit Ravi Shankar. “Is it Ilayaraja?” he asked me. I said, “No. He is Pundit Janardhan Mitta.” He responded saying “Even I do not know of him. So where is the question of viewers knowing of him?” Then I asked him, “Do you know who Vilayat Khan is?” He said, “I have heard the name somewhere, but cannot place him.” “Do you know who Annapurna Devi is?” I continued. He said, “No”. “Nikhil Banerji?” “No”. “How about Shahid Parvez?” He did not know him as well. I dis...