The Leonardo of the Movies

In the year 1997, when the movie “Titanic” was released there a huge hype around the movie and definitely it did stand tall for all the hype and hoopla. But there were a few uncertainties in my mind as to:

• Why did a seasoned director like James Cameron get a relatively new face like Leonardo DiCaprio into the lead role of this movie? Yes, the movie demanded a refreshingly new face, but…
• What else in Leonardo captivate a director like Cameron?
  

I had seen this guy in “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” and “Marvin’s room”; those were just mediocre performances. Even in “Titanic” except for a few moments of finesse there was nothing noteworthy. Sure he did attract a lot of girls for his “chocolate boy” looks, but never got the attention of the typical movie lover. So I never had answers for it then, and it remained the same for the next three years.

Then there was a quick flash: his beautifully portrayed role in “The Beach” in 2000. His performance in the movie definitely took a few by surprise and also made the theatre goers to expect something out of his new movies. Yes, he still had his lover boy image in him, but there was a lot to come from this young but promising lad.

2002 was a year to remember for Leonardo. Two movies with two great directors both set-up with an olden day backdrop; “Gangs of New York” and “Catch me if you can” were critically acclaimed for not just the directorial performance of Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg respectively, but also for the extraordinary recital of the characters Amsterdam and Frank Abagnale Jr. Especially in “Catch me if you can” he had exposed the different facets of acting talent in him; may it be romance, finesse, subtlety etc.

His association with Martin Scorsese had a telling effect on his future performances and also his so-far illustrious career. It was even compared to that of the Scorsese-De Niro alliance that did wonders for Robert De Niro in the early stages of his career. All those comparisons and expectations must have given the feeling of some butterflies flying in his belly and our man stood up to it.


Two more years in Hollywood and two more movies with Scorsese; “The Aviator” and “The Departed”. In my eyes this guy lived as “Howard Hughes” and the portrayal of an under-cover cop in the latter was also no less to be neglected. Though the men behind the lens did make a difference, it was the inherent ability of Leonardo that came to the fore.

But for me after decade of following the progress of this “man in the making”, the best performance from him came in “Blood Diamond” where he comes in as a Rhodesian native with an accent that is really difficult to replicate (I swear, I did try it myself and it was really tough). He did that as if it was a cake walk!!!

With nominations for Academy award (thrice), Golden Globe Award (five times) and also winning one Golden Globe Award, even the little time that I would have spent to track his evolution as a elite actor was worth spending and here I am with a blog article to articulate on yet another talented and gifted “young gun”

For the love of Grass

The title may be misleading and might give you a few thoughts totally irrelevant to the point of discussion, but it looked really apt for me. For those of who are still thinking in the same lines as before, please come out of the groove, we are talking about grass courts and yes; WIMBLEDON.

Wimbledon is every tennis fan's favorite slam and the dream of every aspiring tennis star. The Borgs and the McEnroe’s and the Becker’s and the Sampras’ have been the rulers of this arena from the 70’s till the early 2000’s; there was this wildcard who rocked the center court to take the slam for an year, then there was this man from down under who claimed it for an year and that was the end of it.

Emerged a champion from nowhere in 2001; this youngster from the Swiss defeated the reigning champion Pete Sampras in the round of 16. Under the horizon of a fading hero, rose a new star. He neither won the tournament nor reached the finals, but definitely won “one too many” hearts with his sterling performance all through that year. That’s Roger Federer for you!!!

Despite the elusion of Wimbledon for two more years, Federer grew in strength by adding a few ATP titles to his kitty and also climbing up the ladder in terms of the ATP World rankings. It is always said to be third-time lucky, and it was for Federer as well. Dropping just one set in the entire tournament the Swiss ace took the title for the first time in 2003 and then there was no stopping this soft spoken giant. 2004 was an eventful year for Federer, as he won three out of the four grand slams and slowly by surely he was proving his mettle on “Grass” to the world. In the same year he also won the “World sportsman of the Year” award thumping the likes of Schumi, Lance Armstrong (Tour de France Champ) and Valentino Rossi (Moto GP Champ). Accolades started pouring in for the young man and he became a rolling juggernaut.

He is an unstoppable force on grass, which he has proved time and again in the All England Lawn Tennis Club. He was adding new feathers to his cap with the World No.1 ranking, ATP Masters’ titles, Triple world sportsman of the year, but for the French open title that eluded him for 2 years in succession. He effectively erased the bad memories of the French open loss with yet another Wimbledon. Man! He is getting better year after year on his favorite surface.

And then came the day of reckoning when he had to equal the record for the successive Wimbledon titles in the open era with none other than the Swedish legend Bjorn Borg. He had not lost on grass for 5 consecutive years and for almost 40 matches, and he came into the final by dropping just one set on his road to the finals. His finals opponent dint make it a usual day at the office for Federer. He was made to sweat; he played a 5 set match on center court (after that turning point match with Sampras way back in 2001) but always kept a cool head. Nadal on the other hand was determined not to let him ride on pleasant seas; he was only able to delay the inevitable and was not able to terminate Federer’s stunning run on grass.

The man started crying after his victory and his speech after receiving the trophy was top-class. Modesty was written all over his words, not taking away any credit from hi opponent. “Nadal played exceptional tennis; someone had to win and today was my lucky day”.

My previous boss used to tell “Modesty is what keeps great performers at the pedestal for a long time”. Sachin and A.R. Rahman are the usual examples he quotes. Now I have a new name to add to the list. Roger “Grass King” Federer”

Along Came Lewis

I am a 26 year old trying to achieve something really great in life, so that the people, who knew me, will remember for their lifetime. But there is this kid who is hardly 23 years old and he has achieved manifold for his age. I am referring to none of other than Lewis Carl Hamilton, the Brit who stole the Formula 1 circuit by his sheer talent and determination.

Born on the 7th of January 1985 (all those who share this DoB with Lewis, you guys have to be proud), Lewis took to racing Karts (famously referred as Go-Karting) at the tender age of eight. This was the age when I starting playing Chinese checkers, and look at this guy, he is racing Karts!!! Sure he is child prodigy!!!



The tenacity of the kid is audacious, that at the age of nine, he met Ron Dennis, the McLaren F1 team boss, and told him he would drive for McLaren one day; and just as he augured, four years later, he was signed to the McLaren driver development program. So, the hard part was over, to break into a big brand name that could carry his dreams as theirs. It was left to Lewis to impress his team & his fans, and guess what, that’s what he did; he won the European Karting Championship in 2000 with maximum points and followed it up with the Formula Renault, Formula 3 and GP2 titles.

It was just a matter a time for him to break into the Formula 1 scene which happened in 2007. He was appointed as a Formula 1 driver for McLaren in 2007. He was considered as a second choice driver in the team, as the McLaren team had roped in Fernando (Alonso), the current & double Formula 1 title holder from Renault. He was just a rookie and all the Formula 1 enthusiasts and McLaren fans, who knew very less about the prowess of Lewis, wondered why in the first place a rookie was given a chance to race for McLaren. Every start in the making has similar problems and this kid answered all his critics with a podium finish. He finished 3rd on the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

A Proud Father and Son

The critics, they never keep quiet, and they started dubbing this finish by Lewis as sheer luck. Know what Lewis did to shut their mouth, bettered this 3rd place, by a 2nd place finish at the next Malaysian Grand Prix. The media world started noticing the competence of the new man in the circuit and all the focus and attention was turned on Lewis. Imagine, at the age of 22, when the whole world of Formula 1 is looking at you, the stress is at exorbitant levels and you are compelled to perform better and better after every race. HE JUST DID THAT!!!

After 5 races on the calendar and becoming the youngest driver to have 5 consecutive podium finishes and also the youngest driver & a rookie to lead a Formula 1 season, all eyes were on Lewis and with the expectation of his first race win. It was Montreal in Canada, when his dream came true; Lewis effectively led from pole to the chequered flag to take his first race win at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit on 10th June 2007. It was a cherishable day for the young man from Hertfordshire in England to have become the first Brit after Damon Hill in the last 10 years to have won a race starting from pole position.

Lewis followed the Canadian Grand Prix win with the U.S. Grand Prix a week later, followed by a couple of 3rd place finishes in Monte-Carlo and Silverstone (in front of his home crowd). I still remember the face-off between teammates Fernando and Lewis in the 35th Lap of the U.S. Grand Prix, when Fernando tried an overtaking maneuver with Lewis, such an awesome defensive driving by Lewis, the two-time champ was not able to get past him not just in that lap, but for the next 38 laps.

Sure he is a celebrity in the genesis and the coming days will prove he is one. For those of who missed Michael Schumacher’s sunny days, here’s another chance to relive those moments with Lewis Hamilton.

Why this page???

A latest CIA fact says there are 20 new births in a year for every 1000 people in the world, and for someone to do something great during his/her lifetime and become a legend for the generations to come is definitely a remarkable achievement.

I was just wondering as to:

How many such legends do I know in that long but unfinished list?

How can I pay tribute to these stalwarts?

How can spread the "good word" about these prodigies to others?

Then came the idea of dedicating this blog page to those superstars and also a few individuals who have shown a good promise towards such an achievement and taken the world by storm through their stellar performances and innovations in their fields of expertise.

Sounds like a good action plan, does n't it? Chip in with your comments...

Desire - The fire within

The Guinness Book of World Records has proclaimed Joe Girard, "The World's Greatest Salesman."

During his days as an automobile salesman, Joe for 12 straight years, sold more cars and trucks than any other salesperson. In fact, as an individual, he sold more cars than most dealers sell in total, and all of them retail.

Coming from hard and humble beginnings, Joe had been thrown out of high school, fired from over 40 jobs, and had even failed at being a petty thief!

But in 1949 things began to turn around. He met a man who "took him under his wings" teaching Joe how to be a building contractor. Joe became pretty successful and in 1961 he contracted to build a number of private homes.

Unfortunately he had accepted the word of a real estate speculator that said the area was to have a sewer system installed. Poor Joe, he went on the man's word instead of checking things out and finally found out this just wasn't true. Individual septic tanks had to be installed which meant the homes became greatly de-valued.

As a result, Joe lost his business. It was Christmas and Joe Girard had no job, no savings, and found himself in debt to the tune of $60,000.

Then the final blow came.....

On a cold day in January, June Girard tearfully told her husband there was no food in the house and the kids were begging for something to eat. On that day, Joe Girard found himself at the absolute bottom of the barrel.

It was either see his kids starve or go out and find something. After pleading and begging the manager of a car dealership to hire him; themanager finally gave in and gave Joe a small desk at the back of the showroom.

When Joe's first customer walked in that day, just before closing time, Joe thought to himself, "There's no way this guy is getting out of here without buying a car from me."

Joe Girard remembered his hungry kids at home, then \nlooked at his customer and saw......a bag of groceries!

Within a month he became so successful at selling cars that the manager fired him! He was too aggressive and the other salesmen were upset.

But Joe had found his calling and it wasn't very long before he was hired at another dealership where he worked until the day he retired in 1978.

Recalling that first sale, and telling what made him the Greatest Salesman In The World, Joe says this:

"Want. My want. That was all I knew. And that want was enough to drive me to say and do enough of the right things to sell that customer a car. I am not saying that that's all there is to it, then or now, but that is most of it."

"If you want, and know what you want, you will have most of what you need to be a successful salesman. I mean that. Nobody can be a successful salesman without wanting. Wanting something very much. And the more you want, the more you drive yourself to do what it takes to sell."

"Once I saw that first customer as a bag of groceries to bring home to my family, he was sold, whether he knew it or not."

You and I might not ever become the world's greatest in what we do, but we can become the best we can possibly be at it. It all starts, continues, and ends with 1 simple

Desire

Avan thaan manidhan!!!

Hi All,

I welcome all the "privileged eyes" to my blog spot "Sab-Arena".

This blog spot was a long standing wish, inspired by a very good friend of mine - Ganesh. I tried to pen-down something good to start with for almost 6 months now, and here I am with "Avan thaan Manidhan".

I wanted to open up this blog spot with a favorite topic of mine... sports. And who else can I choose to talk about, but for my evergreen icon Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

"Air Jordan" as he is famously called, for his illustriuos performances in the slam dunk competitions, where he leaps from the free-throw line to dunk at the ring, played for Chicago Bulls for a vast majority of his career. During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game (ppg) on 51.5% shooting (field goal percentage).

He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his pro career. Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season. Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls for 3 NBA championships 1990-1993. On the run to the championships, Jordan scored 35 points in the first half of the game against the Trail Blazers, of which six were 3-pointers. After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked back, the commentator stated that it was as if Jordan was saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this". A legend was in the making.

Jordan too had his lows in his career, when he retired from NBA in 1993 and joined a minor league baseball club, after his father's death, who wanted MJ to be a Major League Baseball player. MLB was not a perfect match for MJ as NBA was, and he made a comeback to the NBA the year after.

It was just a matter of time and his return to the big arena, and the raging bull in him lead the Chicago Bull for another hat-trick of NBA Championships between 1995 and 1998. I still have the memories of Jordan scoring a final 3-pointer in the dying seconds of the 6th game against the Utah Jazz to seal the championship. That was an awesome moment.

MJ leaped on to the substitute's desk and signalled SIX, protraying the six titles that he won with the Bulls. To add to his 6 NBA championships, he also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title for 5 times in the NBA finals and 2 Olympic gold medals during his stupendous career that spanned for almost 18 years.

He retired after this second hat-trick, but his love for the game never had a retirement. Such was the man's passion towards the game and this sparked a comeback to the big stage (NBA) at the age of 38, with a new team, the Washington Wizards. Though the team's performance was poor, he was at his usual elements top scoring in the team. Jordan would have gone for more NBA championships and MVP titles, but for lack of support from his team, he had to be content with the 6 that he won with the Bulls.

He nows owns part of a Basketball outfit, his first love and also a closed-course motor racing team.

Quotes on MJ:

"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
- Magic Johnson
3 time NBA finals MVP