THE FEATHER floated down lightly in the breeze and fell at his feet. The camera shows him bending down to pick it up and reveals his face for the first time. Suddenly, village-lad Gajaraj blurts out aloud, “Arrey, yeh tho apna Aamir bhai hai!” (This is our Aamir). Gajaraj and his city-bred cousin Gautham were at a multiplex watching Tom Hank’s Forrest Gump. Aamir Khan resembles Tom Hanks every bit. Their quest for perfection as well as the fineness of their performance is as outlandish as their looks akin.
The tradition of impersonation is well hidden under the rug of ‘inspiration’ in our very own Bollywood with the stars ‘studying’ the characters to get into the boots of their chosen roles. Dev Anand was the debonair in town, sprucely dressed with an off the clout delivery of smooth lines with unique style.
One only needs to watch Anand's pageant gait, the stiff backed walk with casual fling of the arms and the mischievous chase by the lover-boy making girls swoon, to see the style of Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck being mimicked to perfection. He has always been open about his ‘inspiration’.
Bollywood’s dimpled item Preity Zinta was caught up in the storm of media when she made waves, being compared to Drew Barrymore. Very bubbly, exuberant, brave and enthusiastic, she has played her part well to earn the name. The resemblance between Preity Zinta and Drew Barrymore is so much that they could have been sisters.
Says the gorgeous leading lady Suchitra Pillai, “It is perfectly fine to impersonate your role model. If you are inspired so much and your role demands the character of the person, then why not?” “However”, she adds her bit of advice, “insert your own personal touches. Doesn’t just be a clone.”
It is not just about looking alike.
The latest in the bandwagon is Kangana Ranaut, all set to be Audrey Hepburn of Bollywood. “She was a classy dresser back then. I would love to be her”, says Kangana. This sexy bombshell is now on a spree, experimenting with heavy makeup, scarves, narrow trousers and long eyelashes to get the perfect Hepburn look. They say there are seven people in the world who are just like you.
Looks like these stars have found one if not many, quite among the stars