Zarinabanu Zarinabanu
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Charles Chaplin
Start writing... Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the toothbrush mustached, bowler hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk.Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, England on April 16, 1889, to Hannah Harriet Pedlingham (Hill) and Charles Chaplin, both music hall performers, who were married on June 22, 1885. After Charles Sr. separated from Hannah to perform in New York City, Hannah then tried to resurrect her stage career. Unfortunately, her singing voice had a tendency to break at unexpected moments. When this happened, the stage manager spotted young Charlie standing in the wings and led him on stage, where five-year-old Charlie began to sing a popular tune. Charlie and his half-brother, Syd Chaplin spent their lives in and out of charity homes and workhouses between their mother's bouts of insanity. Hannah was committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May 1903 and lived there until 1921, when Chaplin moved her to California.Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with the Eight Lancashire Lads. At age 18, he began touring with Fred Karno's vaudeville troupe, joining them on the troupe's 1910 United States tour. He traveled west to California in December 1913 and signed on with Keystone Studios' popular comedy director Mack Sennett, who had seen Chaplin perform on stage in New York. Charlie soon wrote his brother Syd, asking him to become his manager. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films, starring as the Little Tramp in nearly all.In November 1914, he left Keystone and signed on at Essanay, where he made 15 films. In 1916, he signed on at Mutual and made 12 films. In June 1917, Chaplin signed up with First National Studios, after which he built Chaplin Studios. In 1919, he and Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists.Chaplin's life and career was full of scandal and controversy. His first big scandal was during World War I, during which time his loyalty to England, his home country, was questioned. He had never applied for American citizenship, but claimed that he was a "paying visitor" to the United States. Many British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. This and his other career eccentricities sparked suspicion with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), who believed that he was injecting Communist propaganda into his films. Chaplin's later film The Great Dictator (1940), which was his first "talkie", also created a stir. In the film, Chaplin plays a humorous caricature of Adolf Hitler. Some thought the film was poorly done and in bad taste. However, the film grossed over $5 million and earned five Academy Award Nominations.Another scandal occurred when Chaplin briefly dated 22-year-old Joan Barry. However, Chaplin's relationship with Barry came to an end in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. In May 1943, Barry returned to inform Chaplin that she was pregnant and filed a paternity suit, claiming that the unborn child was his. During the 1944 trial, blood tests proved that Chaplin was not the father, but at the time, blood tests were inadmissible evidence and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21.Chaplin was also scrutinized for his support in aiding the Russian struggle against the invading Nazis during World War II, and the United States government questioned his moral and political views, suspecting him of having Communist ties. For this reason, HUAC subpoenaed him in 1947. However, HUAC finally decided that it was no longer necessary for him to appear for testimony. Conversely, when Chaplin and his family traveled to London for the premier of Limelight (1952), he was denied re-entry to the United States. In reality, the government had almost no evidence to prove that he was a threat to national security. Instead, he and his wife decided to settle in Switzerland.Chaplin was married four times and had a total of 11 children. In 1918, he married Mildred Harris and they had a son together, Norman Spencer Chaplin, who only lived three days. Chaplin and Mildred were divorced in 1920. He married Lita Grey in 1924, who had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin. They were divorced in 1927. In 1936, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard and his final marriage was to Oona O'Neill (Oona Chaplin), daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1943. Oona gave birth to eight children: Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Chaplin, Jane Chaplin, Annette-Emilie Chaplin and Christopher Chaplin.In contrast to many of his boisterous characters, Chaplin was a quiet man who kept to himself a great deal. He also had an "un-millionaire" way of living. Even after he had accumulated millions, he continued to live in shabby accommodations. In 1921, Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker, and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972, he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century." He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 New Years Honours List. No formal reason for the honour was listed. The citation simply reads "Charles Spencer Chaplin, Film Actor and Producer".Chaplin's other works included musical scores he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" (1964) and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" (1974).Chaplin died at age 88 of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Very, Switzerland. His funeral was a small and private Anglican ceremony according to his wishes. In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months; he was re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement.Six of Chaplin's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921) , The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940).Charlie Chaplin was considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema, whose movies were and still are popular throughout the world, and have even gained notoriety as time progresses. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same.
By Zarinabanu Zarinabanu3 years ago in Geeks
Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan’s ‘Marriage Story’
the current situation that we all are struggling with, even a small ray of hope is enough to keep us afloat. I know it’s extremely difficult to look past these gloomy days but then hope is our biggest weapon and as long we have love in our hearts nothing is beyond our reach.What our future holds for us is not in our hands right now. And the present is the only thing that we can and we all should concentrate on. Maintaining sanity and peace of mind during these testing times is a task and I am sure we all are trying to achieve it by doing things that bring pleasure to our heart or keeping oneself surrounded by positive things. Amidst all the depressing news that we are coming across these days, the story of Sussanne Khan temporarily moving in with her ex-husband Hrithik Roshan brought a huge smile on my face. I am sure many of you as well must have felt happy for this ex-couple.Last year, most of you must have watched Noah Baumbach’s compassionate and gut-wrenching film ‘Marriage Story’ featuring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. And after reading Hrithik and Sussanne’s decision to temporarily live together amidst the pandemic for the sake of their kids, I somehow ended up drawing parallels between their fairytale love-story and the consequent separation with that of the protagonists’ of ‘Marriage Story’.In Indian society, separation is always associated with ‘end of happiness’ or beginning of loveless life. People dread the tag of divorce and most of the times compromise for the sake of their children. But isn’t it nice to see two people not having any kind of animosity between them despite their decision to end their relationship?Why is it so hard for us to believe that the end of a marriage/relationship always has to be on bad terms? Two mature people, who know they are better off as friends rather than a couple, can bring so much to the table while co-parenting their kids. Imagine the kind of peaceful atmosphere they can raise their kids in. No hatred, no animosity…. a home where only love, respect and understanding is given priority.Hrithik and Sussanne’s love story was straight out of a true-blue romance film. Despite the religious difference, they made sure to never let anything come between them. After two years of dating, the actor tied the knot with the already established interior fashion designer Sussanne. Also, Hrithik had become an overnight sensation post the release of his debut film ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’. Together they made for the most drop-dead gorgeous pair in the film industry.They were blessed with two sons, Hridhaan and Hrehaan and then out of the blue came the reports of their divorce after almost 14 years of marriage. Being a Bollywood fanatic, their separation came as a huge shock for me. I am sure you all must have felt the same for their story was an epitome of a perfect relationship for usBut over the years, look how gracefully and maturely these two have handled their relationship when it comes to co-parenting their sons. On several occasions, both of them have clearly said that raising their sons together is their number one priority. And much to their fans’ dismay, they have even set the record straight that there’s no chance of reconciliation between them and they will continue to be there for each other and respect each other no matter what.Post their divorce, together they were snapped on several dinners and lunch dates with their common friends. Going for vacations together, attending each other family’s functions and parties. Doing everything in their capacity to make their children know that they will be there for them no matter what. Just like any other divorced couple, they did experience their share of up and downs and faced come controversies as well. But as usual, they made sure there was no bad blood between them.While sharing the news of Sussanne moving-in with him during the lockdown, Hrithik had shared a wonderful and poignant message and by just reading that you know where their mutual respect and admiration for each other comes from. The ‘Super 30’ actor’s heartfelt message read, “It is unimaginable for me, as a parent, to think of having to be separated from my children at a time when the country is practising lockdown.It is heartwarming to see the world come together as one in this time of deep uncertainty and possibility of months of social distancing and potential lockdowns for several weeks perhaps. While the world talks about humanity coming together, I think it represents more than just an idea especially for parents sharing custody of their kids. How to keep their kids close to them without infringing on the right of the other who also has an equal right to be with his/her children. This is a picture of dear Sussanne (my ex-wife), who has graciously volunteered to temporarily move out of her home so that our children are not disconnected indefinitely from either one of us. Thank You Sussanne for being so supportive and understanding in our journey of co-parenting. Our children will tell the story we create for them. I hope and pray that in order to safeguard the health of ourselves and our loved ones, we all find our way to express love, empathy, courage, strength with an open heart ❤️(sic).”
By Zarinabanu Zarinabanu3 years ago in Families
Our Film 'My Octopus Teacher' Just Won A BAFTA
We were all dressed up with nowhere to go except on a live link to the BAFTA awards. As we stood on the deck of a friend's house, waiting for the programme to begin, two killer whales surfaced barely a hundred meters from where we stood and glided past. It was a stunning moment for all of us who are swimmers and divers in this Great African Seaforest.The reason we were waiting to get on the BAFTA live link was in large part thanks to that forest, and all of her wonderful animals within, especially a little octopus who befriended my husband for a year and became the subject of the movie that has just won Best Documentary: My Octopus Teacher. Four years ago, when we started working on this film in a small room in my house, none of us thought that we would be here: on the world stage and, best of all, with massive audience appreciation for the filmIt started perhaps 50 years ago when Craig Foster, my husband, was three years old. The ocean has always been his happy place and when, as an adult and burnt-out filmmaker, he felt that he had lost any passion for his craft, it was the ocean that he turned to. Years prior on a film called The Great Dance, A Hunter's Story, he spent years with the San people in the Kalahari. He was deeply struck by how entwined they were with their landscape and seemed so content and settled even though their lives were a massive challenge after years of genocide, loss of ancestral land and decimation by the wild. From them, he decided to learn to become entwined in the ocean landscape.He decided to be in that wet wilderness sans wet suit or scuba tanks to totally immerse himself. After a few months of adjusting to the freezing temperature, he found the cold water invigorating and healing.
By Zarinabanu Zarinabanu3 years ago in Humans
Love Capsule
People say love is the essence of life and without it, everything is just mundane. Marriages without love simply miss the sweetness of life; living with someone you’ve known for long and having that similar touch is bliss. Well, this is what I used to believe in until I laid eyes on the man I would spend my life with. And all this happened when my parents invited suitors and their families for my marriage.In our society, it’s no surprise that arranged marriages are considered to be more dominant than love marriages. And so, my family thought it best to start looking for suitors since I had approached the marriageable age. Even though I had dreams of finding my prince charming, I didn’t oppose the concert of arranged marriages. After all, if I haven’t been able to click with someone, opting for a husband chosen by my elders seems to be a plausible choice. We all did meet the family, and as everyone gushed over how beautiful I looked in my suit, the man lifted his eyes to meet mine, and at that time, I felt an undeniable connection to him. He was handsome, charming and tall.We frequently met over the course of the next few months and as I got to know him, I felt happy. He was witty, had a great sense of humour, even though he cracked really lame jokes! He almost liked the same things I liked, and he was a lover of chocolates. That really set me up! My family agreed that this man and his family were a great match and we both would make a wonderful jodi. I seemed to blush whenever his name came up. It was a hint that I was falling for him! But I had to be sure if he felt the same. And so, we met up soon. Even though I struggled to let out my feelings, I finally did, and I was relieved to know that he felt the same way.Was love possible right after meeting a stranger for an arranged marriage?In my opinion yes, because after that day in the cafe, we started liking each other more. And within the next few months, as our wedding preparations adjourned, we grew more closer. We got married in December 2006 and our marital life has been a beautiful ride. We went on many vacations, worked hard together to build our dream home and we even gave birth to our beautiful twins, Megha and Mahir. My husband has been my support rock throughout the time I faced difficulties in my job and when I was unable to take care of our kids properly. It’s as if his presence completed mine. He also had certain expectations from me, which I think is absolutely necessary for a fulfilling relationship. Through the good times and bad, my husband and I have been a terrific pair, setting an example for our cousins!It hasn’t always been all smiles and flowers. We had our fair share of fights. We yelled, fought and even cursed but the willingness to apologise and have each other’s presence in our lives was far too much. Our twins are a beautiful part of our journey; they are simply adorable. Naughty yet brilliant! My husband and I surely get exhausted with our twins at times, but the smile they put on our faces is far too precious to ever lose.
By Zarinabanu Zarinabanu3 years ago in Humans