Phoenix

I read a great line in one of the "Due Date" movie reviews which said:

"Robert Downey Jr. is constitutionally incapable of being uninteresting.". I saw the movie today and its true. There are times when you get bored of a certain actor on screen or times when you wish a certain actor got more screen time e.g. you can't get enough of the Joker in the Dark Knight or Severus Snape in Harry Potter movies. There are actors who can keep you hooked to the screen forever. Tom Hanks in Cast Away has you glued throughout the movie without even needing to speak. John Cusack in 1408 is alone in a hotel room throughout the movie and yet its interesting to watch. Robert Downey Jr. is another guy I could never get bored of watching and so is Edward Norton, Alan Rickman and Johnny Depp. They have this intriguing quality about them which combined with their rugged looks and a deep velvet voice that creates an exemplary charismatic effect that makes them so irresistibly likable.

But what is more interesting about Robert Downey Jr. is the fact that he moved on from his past, a past that could have robbed us of this delightful actor, and moved on so pleasantly well.

When you are huge in the public eye, so is the indignation of your wrong actions. It hurts more when you fall from a high pedestal and it needs great character to gather yourself and climb up again. Few people can do it. A weaker heart would have just given up on life. It is the strong who fight and rise back from the ashes - like a Phoenix.

I have seen my dad do it. But I can't dwell on that here. Downey Jr. moved past drugs and gave us Sherlock Holmes and Iron man. Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. He loved Apple so much he would still go and sit in the Apple building opposite to the main building and requested people to give him any task he can help with. Ignored by everyone, one day he broke down, cried his heart out to a friend and the next morning decided to not give up on what he loved the most and moved on to start 'Next'. Apple acquired 'Next', Jobs came back and the rest as they say is history.

Another guy who I regard as having the Phoenix quality is Shane Warne. One of the most intelligent and brilliant bowlers cricket ever had. He was embroiled in the foul sms and the drugs (constituent of some cold medicine) scandals and was forced away from cricket. He came back and showed that his genius was never affected. In my opinion, he had the weakest team in IPL 1 and he commandeered them to victory. He could bring out the best in every one and command respect even from his rivals. His genius overshadows his sins greatly and he never let himself down when it came to cricket.

People love underdogs. People love men who know how to bounce back from the deepest pit. People love men who have been humbled by their experiences and have emerged wiser, better. People love men who had nothing and gained everything by perseverance and may be a stroke of luck.

There is a fighter in all of us. We all go through our own struggles. As I said, things are larger when you are in the public eye and hence these men find mention in my blog. There are countless others who may have done better than these people. There are countless Phoenix out there.