Time for some Ben Kingsley

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Time magazine asked mostly-desi* actor Krishna Bhanji ten reader-submitted questions in their August 13th issue; on their website, there were several more “online extras”. I picked the eleven most mutinous inquiries for you to procrastinate with– the entire interview is on their website, where incidentally (for all my fellow Lego-lovers) this Picture of the Week should inspire smiles. Now let’s get back on topic and learn about the actor who, for better or worse, is part of every ABD’s childhood. kingsley.jpg

1. What do you look for in a role? —Catherine Raymond, BELLINGHAM, WASH.
I look for the echo inside me. Maybe we’re all born with our future coiled up inside us like a spring, and we just unravel this coiled spring and work it out. I’m sorry if this sounds a bit bizarre. I’m trying so hard not to be pretentious because I’m always called pompous and pretentious.

First Gandhi-related inquiry:

2. How would Gandhi play the role of Ben Kingsley? —Mills Chapman, VILLANOVA, PA.
He was an astonishingly quick and witty judge of character, so I bet he could have done a very good impersonation of me.
3. Would you change anything about your acting career? —Grant Curtiss, ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.
No. It’s a bit like The Butterfly Effect, that amazing science-fiction novel, where if you go back and alter one molecule of your past, the present that you’re enjoying will disintegrate.
4. Have you ever felt compelled to pursue any political issues? —Ross Davenport, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
I’m only strong as a storyteller. I’m not strong as a politician. Hopefully, with my journeys around the world, having visited the Pakistan earthquake zone, a girls’ school in Afghanistan and some refugee camps in the Palestinian areas, then I’ll be stronger as an actor at choosing the right kind of material.

What’s in a name?

5. Why did you change your name (from Krishna Bhanji)? —Andrew Lawrence, FAIRFIELD, CONN.
It was a way of getting to my first audition. My dad [who is Indian] was completely behind it. My first name, Ben, is my dad’s nickname. My second name, Kingsley, comes from my grandfather’s nickname, which was King Clove. He was a spice trader. It’s a bit late to change it back now.

This one is for Abhi (and it may be my favorite question). 😉

6. Do people ever confuse you with Patrick Stewart? —Kevin Kuder, STOW, OHIO
I was at the Royal Shakespeare Company sitting in the audience, and a girl who was maybe 11 came up to me and said, “I love you in Star Trek.” And I’m sitting there thinking I’m the king of the world, and I said, “Actually, I’m Ben Kingsley.” She looked completely blank and said, “Well, congratulations, you look like Patrick Stewart.”

Definitely desi:

7. I know we’re supposed to ask serious, boring questions, but I’ll try my luck: If you could be reborn as an ice cream flavor, what flavor would you be? —Ellizah Adam in Jakarta, Indonesia
I’d be pistachio. Definitely pistachio. I don’t know why that’s such a quick answer but honestly pistachio jumped at me. Maybe because I was asked to have an ice cream last week in a movie I’m making here in New York and I said, ‘could I have pistachio’ and the prop guy said no. My face dropped. That would be on film, my sad face.
8. What has been your favorite role so far? —Ashwin Sivanesan in Columbus, Ohio
That’s difficult because I’ve been blessed by so many remarkable roles. I’ve been really, really fortunate so far. Elegy has not been screened yet; I just finished doing that with Penélope Cruz. But my favorite is House of Sand and Fog because it stirred something inside me. I still love the character; it’s left its thumbprint on me. They don’t always do that, but he did. There was something supremely dignified about him. He was committed to his family and culture, determined to make America his home, torn between the past and the future and unable to build a present for himself and his family. I loved him. I thought he was a great archetypal dad.

Bring on the real Gandhi questions!

9. How did playing the role of Gandhi influence you? —Ashish Daga in Chennai, India
It was a great quest. I know that [director Richard] Attenborough had been attempting to do it for 20 years. I’m thrilled that it’s still present in so many people’s lives. I meet people here in New York who said ‘I saw it last week.’ They’re not delving back into memory; it’s never on the video shows. Millions of people are watching it somewhere every day. It’s thrilling, especially now. It’s very dangerous times that we live in. I was with great people making that film. It was my first major feature film, my first leading role on screen, and I was surrounded by passionate people. I was surrounded by Indians who were passionate that this story should be told correctly and beautifully. It was humbling and an enormous responsibility. I think it stretched a lot of my muscles and I hope they haven’t shrunk back yet.

His graciousness is refreshing; I can imagine how the next guy thought he was being so clever, and a bit edgy with what he came up with…

10. How many years ago did you tire of answering questions about Gandhi? —Boris Bozic in Sydney, Australia
The reason I’m asked about it is not because it’s a memory, but because people are seeing it every week. It’s like a new experience for so many kids at school. It’s quite wonderful. I don’t think I’m going to get tired of answering questions about it because the questions are so good. It’s great being an actor: You have so many opportunities to touch people.
11. What’s on your iPod these days? —Rob Liston in Hamilton, Ontario
It’s very, very mixed. There’s Bulgarian music, there’s songs from Pakistan. I switch from track to track depending on what my particular mood needs. It’s very broad. There’s music from the Middle East, from the Ottoman Empire, from India and there’s some very English stuff as well. There’s some of the stuff my sons send me that I put on there. I’ve got a good musical ear, so I can listen to most things.

I like him more after all that. You?

::

*I know his Dad was desi and his Mom was not, but he played Gandhi. That is all.

No, really, doesn’t that increase his brownosity in your opinion?

**Apropos of nothing: my parents were so strict, up until I was in high school, I only saw three movies at the theater: Snow White, Gandhi and The Little Mermaid. The only reason I got a reprieve from Disney is because my Father thought that this movie was so significant, me and my then tiny sister had to see it. We sat through it solemnly, as if we were at church.

92 thoughts on “Time for some Ben Kingsley”

  1. I don’t know, but I find changing your name from your original and ethnic given title to something different just to “get noticed” or “set yourself apart” or whatever in the movie business is kind of lame.

    That’s not really fair. Many actors/actresses adopt stage names, and given the historic (and current) levels of discrimination in Hollywood, even just to get an audition, I’m not surprised that Kingsley changed his name.

    chachaji, do you know how wide the release is for the movie re: Gandhi’s son? Sounds interesting 🙂

  2. right, so i’ve seen Gandhi, but i’m definitely going to have to go out and see other Kingsley films now. the latest one he’s in, You Kill Me, which seems pretty good. anddd, i never knew his dad was Indian or that he’d changed his name. interesting stuff.

  3. I saw a listing for Gandhi and Son at my local Regal in Atlanta. I do not know which language it is in. Sexy Beast and House of Sand and Fog are my favorite Kingsley roles in recent years.

  4. “even just to get an audition, I’m not surprised that Kingsley changed his name.” That’s exactly why Sir Krishna said he did it. He said his dad said he wouldn’t get an audition and should opt for an Anglicized version.

  5. I don’t know, but I find changing your name from your original and ethnic given title to something different just to “get noticed” or “set yourself apart” or whatever in the movie business is kind of lame.

    If the choice is ‘eat and get called kind of lame’ or starve and not be called lame, I think most will go with the former.

  6. There are some very fine performances that I haven’t seen mentioned on this thread that deserve notice. “Turtle Diary”; Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal”; “Testimony” (playing Russian composer Shostakovich); chessmaster Bruce Pandolfini in “Searching for Bobby Fischer” (an underrated film); the quietly menacing Meyer Lansky in his OTHER Oscar-nominated role for “Bugsy”; and “Sexy Beast”. And yeah, I know that last one was mentioned several times, but as Jack White said, “it bears repeating now.”

    And I like all these performances better than “Gandhi”, which – sorry – was directed by a characterless hack.

    And yeah, Kingsley has been in a lot of crap as well. I wouldn’t exactly say he’s the best of his generation. But for a bald, middle-aged dude, it’s quite an accomplishment that he’s as well known as he is. Especially compared to F. Murray Who?

  7. David Lean had his mojo till 1970s – with Ryan’s Daughter, and then he lost it (Passage to India).

    But that’s the only film he made after Ryan’s Daughter.

    One film isn’t exactly losing your mojo.

  8. i must be the last person who reads this blog to know that he’s indian.

    i should go study the archives. shit, yaar.

  9. no disagreement with any of the general BK praise, but “the house of sand and fog??” really people?? that movie was awful, unless i didn’t get something that I was supposed to get. my iranian friends had a lot of issues too with how the movie was filmed. I know this is petty…but apparently the family’s accents and botched english was grossly inaccurate in how farsi speakers would actually speak english, making it difficult to sit through for them. That aside, I just thought it was awful plot and character development. Im really kind of shocked that he is so proud of that movie in light of his gandhi and schindler’s list performances–even though I guess it would have been a little cliche if he said gandhi was his favorite. but still! anyone with me on this?

  10. no disagreement with any of the general BK praise, but “the house of sand and fog??” really people?? Im really kind of shocked that he is so proud of that movie in light of his gandhi and schindler’s list performances–even though I guess it would have been a little cliche if he said gandhi was his favorite. but still! anyone with me on this?

    SSSM – I didn’t enjoy House of Sand and Fog either but I’m not surprised the SM crowd is all over it. It made me want to slit my wrists immediately afterwards. Oh and I hesitate to admit I’ve never seen Gandhi but I really do plan on it someday. It’s just that I have enough Gandhian issues, being born on Oct 2nd in Porbandar 🙂

  11. Prince Phillip sat next to the woman who played Kasturba Gandhi during the premire of the movie Gandhiin London. Halfway through the movie, he turned to her and said: “You’ve aged nicely.”

  12. I have been one of those who is not thrilled when people are ashamed of their name. Still, in Ben Kingsley’s case, he is hardly alone. Look at all the bollywood guys. You got names like Bobby, Chunty, or whatever. Do you mean to tell me those are their real names? Even Americans have changed their names in Hollywood – Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen( I see Emilio’s career did not suffer from his name). Let’s give Arnold Swarzenegger credit. He had an unconventional Hollywood name and stuck by it. You see a lot more actors more comfortable with keeping their names. Back in Ben’s time, it was expected to change one’s name. I am going to give him a pass on that.

  13. no disagreement with any of the general BK praise, but “the house of sand and fog??” really people?? that movie was awful, unless i didn’t get something that I was supposed to get.

    Two words: Jennifer Connelly. 😉

  16. objectification isn’t cool dude. or are you givin’ props to her acting?

    She’s both gorgeous and a great actress. Rare combo.

  18. objectification isn’t cool dude. or are you givin’ props to her acting?

    Oops, my muladhara chakra must be active. :p

  19. She’s both gorgeous and a great actress. Rare combo.

    In fact, come to think of it, being gorgeous and , is fairly rare in and of itself.

  21. How could I forget? One of his best roles:

    Cosmo in Sneakers.

    “What we see, what we here, It’s all about the information Marty”

  23. SSSM – I didn’t enjoy House of Sand and Fog either but I’m not surprised the SM crowd is all over it. Why? 🙂

    SM Intern – More of an instinct than anything else really. Although if I had to generalize it would have to do with SM glorifying almost all that is brown without fail, including the (IMHO) unwatchable Mississippi Masala via one of the banners. Although these are just the impressions of someone who has been casually reading the last 3-4 months and not since the beginning of time.

  24. I do not praise every damn movie out there with a little brownness. House of Sand And Fog was just as much Connelly’s movie as Kingsley’s. I doubt the love for it has anything to do with the fact that Kingsley is half INdian. At this point, Gandhi is long gone and to most people, he is not even half Indian. If it’s not to your liking, it’s your loss. I personally liked Mississippi Masala and I normally do not like every Nair and Deepa Mehta movie automatically. I HATED Hollywood Bollywood(or was it Bollywood Hollywood). I thought it was one of the worse movies out there.

  25. House of Sand and Fog was great because it wasn’t a conflict between “right and wrong” it was a conflict between “right and right”

  26. SSSM – I didn’t enjoy House of Sand and Fog either but I’m not surprised the SM crowd is all over it. It made me want to slit my wrists immediately afterwards. SM Intern – More of an instinct than anything else really. Although if I had to generalize it would have to do with SM glorifying almost all that is brown without fail, including the (IMHO) unwatchable Mississippi Masala via one of the banners.

    I can dig the antipathy towards House of Sand and Fog — it is certainly depressing, and can be categorized in the vast genre of “things to drive off a cliff to.” To be honest, Jennifer Connelly is what I liked least about the movie, but I thought Ben Kingsley was breathtaking. I was totally entranced anytime his character was featured, and one of the things I like best about it is that it leaves me feeling unsettled — there is no clear hero or winner. I’ve also read the book, which I really like, so perhaps I was already predisposed to liking the movie. I think a lot of it is choppy, especially towards the end, and I have no Farsi knowledge, so I can’t hate on the accent the way I can re: Jassi Sidhu 🙂

    As an aside, I also really like Mississippi Masala, but I like Mira Nair’s works in general (with the brutal exception of Kama Sutra), and I loooove Denzel. That doesn’t mean I salivate over her stuff because she’s brown, but rather, because I like how she captures her characters. I guess my whole point goes back to Pravin’s:

    If it’s not to your liking, it’s your loss. I personally liked Mississippi Masala and I normally do not like every Nair and Deepa Mehta movie automatically. I HATED Hollywood Bollywood(or was it Bollywood Hollywood). I thought it was one of the worse movies out there.

    It’s just a matter of taste. You can love it, or hate it (I also hated Hollywood/Bollywood, which really only rivals Bridge & Prejudice or American Chai in its stupidity). While SM readers may come off a bit hipster, I think we’re a little more nuanced and diverse than that 🙂

  28. In addtion to BK, in house of sand and fog, Shohreh Ashgadloo (sp?) was also amazing

    It was funny how she got typecast in American Dreamz. “Grapefruit sorbet?”

  29. Shohreh Aghdashloo is gorgeous in my opinion, and I bring that up because she’s my Mom’s age and I think beauty is/should be ageless.

    Also, re: banner

    A lot of our banners are really old– i.e. from our first few months. I don’t know that we’d have chosen some of them today. But that’s neither here nor there, I just wouldn’t read in to them to the point of saying we are “glorifying” something. Our team inside the bunker reflects our diverse readership, in the sense that we never agree on everything. So, while some of you loathe the “Miss. Masala” shout-out, others dig it. Totally apposite for this site. 😉

  30. Shohreh Aghdashloo is gorgeous in my opinion, and I bring that up because she’s my Mom’s age and I think beauty is/should be ageless.

    Yeah, I’d dri-, I mean, wouldn’t mind spending some time with someone of her caliber.

  31. You can love it, or hate it (I also hated Hollywood/Bollywood, which really only rivals Bridge & Prejudice or American Chai in its stupidity)

    I personally didn’t like that movie, but someone I know loved it, because she’s just read the book right before watching the movie, and according to her, the movie was brilliantly done vis-à-vis the book.

  32. Kush Tandon wrote:

    Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Senn Penn, and Peter O’Toole. They all are in the same league – not better or anything

    I have to respectfully disagree Kush. I don’t think those four actors are in the same league as BK becaue I’ve never seent then play roles that showcase their diversity as actors. I often associate these actors with one particularly role..but with BK, I see him playing a myriad of characters and I can’t quite pin him down under one “type”, and that’s what I intense admire about him. =)

  33. Kinda late to this, I am, but gosh I love Ben (Well, Krishna.) I haven’t seen a lot of the movies where he plays scary guys but I just can’t get through the fact that he looks like a nice guy. I guess I will have to see one of those movies. What was Sand and Fog about anyway?

    Off topic,

    Hi SemiDesiMasala and Chachaji. Thought I’d give you guys a shoutout. Haven’t been here in a while.

  35. I have to respectfully disagree Kush. I don’t think those four actors are in the same league as BK because I’ve never seen them play roles that showcase their diversity as actors.

    Shalu, if you haven’t seen them play diverse roles, that does not mean they haven’t done diverse roles. I’ve seen enough movies that those four actors are in, and from my perspective, they all are very accomplished actors who have done diverse roles, as has Ben Kingsley. As for rating them in order, everyone will rank them differently based on what movies they’ve seen and/or whether they liked the roles or not. I personally enjoy all five of them as actors, and as to who is better, it’s mostly subjective. Also, check out imdb for movies of those four actors – you’ll find plenty of diverse roles.

  36. What was Sand and Fog about anyway

    A libertarian perspective on government unnecessarily meddling in people’s lives and screwing things up. 😉 /tongue-in-cheek

  37. While SM readers may come off a bit hipster, I think we’re a little more nuanced and diverse than that 🙂
    A lot of our banners are really old– i.e. from our first few months. I don’t know that we’d have chosen some of them today. But that’s neither here nor there, I just wouldn’t read in to them to the point of saying we are “glorifying” something. Our team inside the bunker reflects our diverse readership, in the sense that we never agree on everything.

    Camille/ANNA, thanks for this insight. For a while I was beginning to think SM and crew was ripe for a parody called “I’m Brown” a la CB4. Oddly enough I searched for such a thing on YouTube today and came up with this uber appropo result:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YTOx-9j7IE

    Enjoy! 🙂

  38. Hi SemiDesiMasala and Chachaji. Thought I’d give you guys a shoutout. Haven’t been here in a while

    Hi SemiDesi! Thanks for the shoutout, and also for asking about HoSaF, which I was too scared to ask about, because I still haven’t seen ‘Gandhi’ yet 🙂 I’m so glad for the safe space aspect of SM, that I could admit to that, but at least I knew it was a movie, and was around when it first came out. But HoSaF, I could never admit to not even knowing it existed, but I guess I just did. 🙂

  40. re: ANNA’s comment about the 3 movies she was allowed to see…I’m Mallu as well and weirdly, until I was 17 or so, my parents took me to 3 movies in a theatre – Gandhi and A Passage to India were 2 and 3, and the first one? Kramer vs Kramer! Not sure the thought process behind that one, but needless to say, I’m working it out in therapy (just kidding).

  41. I saw the House of Sand and Fog just last week. I am still wondering what the fuss was all about. The final scene where BK suffocates himself mirrored my emotion about the movie. Do they make such movies to get the hipsters excited? Another movie I felt that the hipster/pseudo intellect crowd lapped was Memento, the movie was flawed from the start.

  42. re: ANNA’s comment about the 3 movies she was allowed to see…I’m Mallu as well and weirdly, until I was 17 or so, my parents took me to 3 movies in a theatre – Gandhi and A Passage to India were 2 and 3, and the first one? Kramer vs Kramer! Not sure the thought process behind that one, but needless to say, I’m working it out in therapy (just kidding).

    Same here, I’m not sure if it’s a Mallu, South Asian or just plain old conservative parents, but I also only was allowed to see a few movies as a kid. I felt so out of it in high school when everyone had see every move – it took my college years to finally catch up and now I’m a movie fanatic I must say