Article: Cartoons inspire men

Ever thought cartoons could inspire you to perform better? No. If you've always thought of watching cartoons to relax, we give you more reasons to watch them now. Men draw inspiration from animated cartoons and cartoon strips. For example, Tom & Jerry stimulates Akshay Kumar to perform his stunts and, Aamir Khan reads Calvin and Hobbes and derives his sense of humour from them. That is not all. If you've watched the movie Dhoom 2, you would have noticed that Hrithik Roshan was inspired by Jetix to perform his stunts.

"Cartoons are one of my favourites. They always inspire me because they make me imagine how I can put up a great comedy show," says VJ Cyrus Sahukar who is a Top Cat and Johnny Bravo fan. "I really like Hanna Barbera cartoons. They are great fun. I also love reading Asterix comics because they have a hidden meaning in everything they say. That is the basis of what I want to do — telling the truth through the medium of comedy and getting away with it," adds Cyrus who also likes the sound of Pingu (the penguin).

Actor Shreyas Talpade is also inspired by cartoons. To be more specific, Tom & Jerry fascinates him the most. He says that every episode of Tom & Jerry relaxes him and inspires him. "Innovative ideas portrayed through these cartoons definitely help me to be more humourous. I use these ideas in certain actions, depending on the situation that arises. This cartoon helps me do slapstick comedy," says Shreyas.

To beat it all, TV actor Sharad Malhotra not only loves cartoon characters like Johnny Bravo and Popeye, but has also implemented a few of their characteristics in his show. "I get so inspired by these cartoon characters that I do pick up a few of their characteristics. I've tried walking like Johnny Bravo in my serial, Dulhan. And I also get inspired by Popeye whose attitude (after eating spinach, of course) energises me," says Sharad who believes that he gets most of his energy watching cartoons like Flintstones, Scooby-Doo etc.

Where some stars agree that these cartoons inspire them, there are others like actor Vinay Pathak who feels that they might inspire him subconsciously. "Though I love watching my favourite cartoons — The Simpsons, I feel that they might inspire me because they have a world of imagination. However, I can't pinpoint and say that they inspire me. Maybe, subconsciously, if they do, it'll reflect in my work. The Simpsons are humourous and they are a complete depiction of story telling," says Vinay who also loves Garfield.

While cartoons motivate men to be humourous or to perform stunts, it's fun to watch them not only because they are relaxing but also because there's a lot to learn from them.

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