it's the acting, really - Page 9

Originally posted by: stg1

i love ur posts and i especially love the way u write about barun, and his acting - it always seems like u got inside my head somehow and r articulating every thought i have about him and more, only much more elegantly 😳 i actually read ur post earlier and was thinking about what i wanted to say ... and then i saw the ipk rerun today, yep, episode 111, that missed kiss, first time on tv ... and i'm still speechless and sitting in a daze.

i have stopped wondering whether the brilliance and fearlessness i see onscreen is all in my head - it's not. and i've stopped doubting my interpretations of and reactions to a certain inflection in his voice, a tensing of the jawline, a rigidness or fluidity in his stance, the wealth of emotions in a certain expression, a careless turn of the head, a flicker of THOSE eyes. he gets me, every single time, right in the gut, and my heart jumps and my breaths stop. it looks real, it feels real, and i connect.

i want to know how he acts with every single part of his body. i can watch any part of him and it will always be in keeping with the scene, nothing jars or distracts the eye unless he means it to. even the way and number of times he blinks or not or the way he stands and plants his feet has been thought through. even beyond mere body language, it's as if he is that character, going through those exact emotions in that exact moment in time. and he is always faultless.

he is very rare and very instinctual, and also very technically gifted. he makes it look effortless but so much thought and hard work must go into making it feel that natural. and i love all those subtleties and shades and nuances, so uncommon and especially on indian tv! i would love to see him on a show like 'the actors studio' answering questions about his method and his approach to a particular role or scene. and yeah, me too want to know if he knows what he exudes 😳

in my mind he's as good if not better than many of my hw and bw faves, and definitely a matinee idol in the making - i see it too! on the mt, a couple of people mentioned dilip kumars voice modulation and gregory pecks intensity and charm and i was nodding my head furiously in agreement. i often watch barun onscreen and try to spot mistakes, something that doesn't look right or feel right or that he's stumbled onto by accident rather than design, to see if the glasses r actually rose-tinted or clear. but no luck so far, i haven't found any 😳 😆

~ especially loved this line of urs:

'but those expressions were his, that timing, and the emotions he allows to seep into the frame.'

~ and this cap, uff ❤️

Originally posted by: sheanuzz

Indi dear... what can I say! What a classic post for a classic show. A dedication to the beautiful and talented actor that we are fortunate to see. Wish Barun can read this post!

Loved the description of the nuances that Barun brings to his acting. Wanted to bring in the part before he turns. He is terrified of the depth of feelings that this girl can evoke and in fact scared to face her. The range of emotions that Barun showed in these 5 minute or maybe shorter scene is an indication of greater things to come. He will reach places and Indi dear ...you and me will be there to celebrate his success ( considering that we may be some of his older fans :D).

I am watching the old episodes. Every time I find something new that I missed earlier and cannot but appreciate the masterpiece this show is and the fine actors who have made it so real that we cannot seem to let go or watch any other show.

Was watching Arnav and LA break up. Superb acting by Barun... his pain and regret for hurting LA was so different from what he exhibits when he hurts Kushi and regrets later. The regret for Khushi is laced with love and underlying passion of a person madly in love. The demarcation of the two regrets by Barun begs for a standing ovation. No wonder he won so many awards for his acting!!

I can go on and on Indi. Take a bow for the most wonderful post I read in a long time!

Originally posted by: indi52

it is you. 😆

hi anu, how goes?

thanks so much... yes we are his older fans, and i think your mother joins us in this exciting quest, yes? i adore being his older phangurrl actually... something rare as iridium in thsi relationship. very finely etched, detailed and full it is. age does have its advantages. 😳

that turn you mention... yes, i noticed on this viewing almost s a separate thing.

and what you say about the break up with la... firstly, i don't think indian tv has ever seen such a scene and that too so classically written scene; secondly, sana was lovely here too; and of course, the way barun handled the emotions here... made me sigh, made me shudder with its depth. later the regret expressed to khushi so very different... that "demarcation". i have no idea how an actor can do this... that too in a serial shot at hectic yet humdrum pace, hanging out for hours in the sets with no special pampering or anything, story changing all the time, lines read just minutes before often... how is this produced in such an environment?

he will go far. my heart says that. he must.

so good to see you. a couple of times people have told me that what i've written barun should read. i know he never will.

but sometimes i do wish he could... for in my words perhaps is a message for him, to never ever doubt, never let go, always know that this is a rare gift... and he changes the world in his way with it.

Originally posted by: indi52

half way though reading your post, stg, i hit quote.

i had just read about seeing him in the actor's studio.

i had the same thought at one point. i haven't seen many of its episodes, but whatever i have tells me this by belongs there.

not ordinary. ever.

i too have stopped doubting my instincts when i see him and feel what i feel, though doubting was natural give the medium and genre...this is traditionally not a place for serious actors. by some twist of something, barun sobti became an actor before a camera recording a daily soap.

your "and i connect" sort of says it all.

part of me can look at his performance rationally, where i note his eyes, smile, stance, jabbing finger, bent head, tautened face... things, but most of what it does to me and with what part of his performance is impossible to think through or put into words. it is extra rational... not irrational... and there's that connection.

when i don't see him for days, a part of me misses him as though someone my own weren't there.

interestingly though, neither want to meet him, nor sit and chat with hi, or know how terribly interested he sis in me... i want him there... on a screen, where i watch and communicate at some other level... he takes me to places even the spaceship enterprise may not be able to take me. i hear his voice, see his face, his body, sense an energy i can't describe... it surrounds me, seeps in, submerges me and i flow along...

steve jobs has said the taking psychedelic things was one of the most memorable and stunning experiences of his life. for me, it's watching barun be asr... watching barun. completely unshackles me.

i say this to you, stg, and it is perhaps the first time i've said such a thing, because you write what you do about not doubting and entering that experience.

thank you for saying what you do about my writing and thoughts... i really enjoy your words, whenever i read them.

thanks for liking the caps... i didn't play with them, unedited, unplugged, he's even more powerful, the pixels can take away all they want, but that emotion is always there, reaching out, lunging out.

and i too funnily enough look to see f there's somewhere he's slipped. haven't found that, but yes maybe a couple of scenes where he could have given more, as though the barun thing is missing... i was delighted that i could actually be a bit objective, teehee.

Originally posted by: stg1

just saw ur reply now, thank u 😛 i'm a huge movie buff and i love the actors studio, i think i've seen every episode bar the most recent ones. it is such an insightful show, reveals as much about the person as it does about their craft. especially interesting when people like deniro, pacino, hoffman, ford, eastwood, streep, cusack have been on. i love seeing the workings of how they prepare for a role, approach a scene, their thought processes, why they may give a character a certain trait. it seems so deep, so much thought and grappling going on underneath the surface - but finally presented to us so naturally and seamlessly, without that effort showing. and barun sobti does this.

i remember being the most amazed when i first saw an offscreen of this goofy, jokey, 'dude'. i sat there in shock for about 5 minutes thinking 'what? this is asr, this is the guy who's playing this nuanced, layered, bordering on abusive character with so much depth and love and empathy?' i thought he didn't have an understanding of his own talent and had stumbled upon his brilliance by accident! a bit disappointing actually. but when i saw more of him offscreen and read more about him and by him, about his life, his circumstances, his views on life, i finally had that 'aha!' moment and started to begin to see and understand that inner complexity.

he hides it well, out of shyness maybe, or a sense of not wanting to brag - almost like a topper who doesn't want too much attention 😳 but i think this man feels everything, intensely, deeply, and with a passion - he cares, and that is the only reason why i connect to what he does onscreen, why every facet of his performance touches me. he seems sunny and sweet on the surface and he probably is but beneath that, at his core, there is so much more going on. he is clever and insightful about the human psyche. i dont think this is just a job to him, almost like an artist who cant not paint, he was born to act. did he spend 7 years in a bpo constantly thinking about acting and finally finally, thank god, just had to take the plunge?

yeah, me too can look at all the individual things he's doing onscreen rationally but couldn't begin to understand or explain why i feel what i do about it. again, i want to know, does he know what he evokes in the audience? is it by design or does he just try to excel and interpret and do justice to his work and that magic is the result. and missing him like ur own, i have to agree - this banda has let us have a glimpse of his talent and it was more than enough to create a whole army of fans who dont know what the heck to do with themselves while they wait for him to just come back!

and in red above, just beautiful, loved ur description, it's such a fundamental high to get so lost in a thing, and feel it as deeply and as keenly as we feel ipk. but i have to admit though i want him onscreen more urgently, i do want to meet him some day too 😳 and in blue, always, i've seen edits where just the bare outlines of his face or body remain but the underlying emotion in the scene is always intact. and thank u for this thread, it is beautiful, i absolutely loved going through all the amazing posts and ur wonderfully detailed replies. and i too wish barun could read it, in fact he should read it, it's like a love letter to the amazing talent this man has 😳

Originally posted by: sheanuzz

Phangirl ... I am and my Mom an even bigger one. She watched the Telugu dubbed version religiously and refused to even glance at the so called sequel. 😆 She is 74 and we have hope Indi 😛 Kudos to the fantastic actor for the range of fans he has acquired because of his superb talent!! Yes age has its advantages 😃

There were a lot of firsts in the show and like you said the writing was a class apart. Barun always credits the writing but bringing the written word to life and making us believe that ASR truly exists with all the flaws and strengths? Just falling short of words!

As for him not reading this... is there some way of reaching this to him?This thread itself is a dedication to him and his work. Am sure he will appreciate it!

Indi, thanks again for taking us on this journey. Reminded me of the Crooner days. Made my day!

Miss you tons and all the other old timers who are not active on the Forum now.

Originally posted by: stg1

i love ur posts and i especially love the way u write about barun, and his acting - it always seems like u got inside my head somehow and r articulating every thought i have about him and more, only much more elegantly 😳 i actually read ur post earlier and was thinking about what i wanted to say ... and then i saw the ipk rerun today, yep, episode 111, that missed kiss, first time on tv ... and i'm still speechless and sitting in a daze.

i have stopped wondering whether the brilliance and fearlessness i see onscreen is all in my head - it's not. and i've stopped doubting my interpretations of and reactions to a certain inflection in his voice, a tensing of the jawline, a rigidness or fluidity in his stance, the wealth of emotions in a certain expression, a careless turn of the head, a flicker of THOSE eyes. he gets me, every single time, right in the gut, and my heart jumps and my breaths stop. it looks real, it feels real, and i connect.

i want to know how he acts with every single part of his body. i can watch any part of him and it will always be in keeping with the scene, nothing jars or distracts the eye unless he means it to. even the way and number of times he blinks or not or the way he stands and plants his feet has been thought through. even beyond mere body language, it's as if he is that character, going through those exact emotions in that exact moment in time. and he is always faultless.

he is very rare and very instinctual, and also very technically gifted. he makes it look effortless but so much thought and hard work must go into making it feel that natural. and i love all those subtleties and shades and nuances, so uncommon and especially on indian tv! i would love to see him on a show like 'the actors studio' answering questions about his method and his approach to a particular role or scene. and yeah, me too want to know if he knows what he exudes 😳

in my mind he's as good if not better than many of my hw and bw faves, and definitely a matinee idol in the making - i see it too! on the mt, a couple of people mentioned dilip kumars voice modulation and gregory pecks intensity and charm and i was nodding my head furiously in agreement. i often watch barun onscreen and try to spot mistakes, something that doesn't look right or feel right or that he's stumbled onto by accident rather than design, to see if the glasses r actually rose-tinted or clear. but no luck so far, i haven't found any 😳 😆

~ especially loved this line of urs:

'but those expressions were his, that timing, and the emotions he allows to seep into the frame.'

~ and this cap, uff ❤️