By Musarrat Rahman
Fathers are always like the 'superheroes'. They're the big strong protectors in your life who never cared how many times in the middle of the night you called him to check your closet for monsters. They teach you to ride your very first bicycle and buy you that Barbie doll/Action figure that your mom refuses to.
All of our dads are cool in their own way, but some are just cooler. Lets face it, while our dads may just be the 'best father in the whole wide world' they don't have the connections to make us world famous.
Rock Star dads just have an additional superpower. They can get their minions to call their minion friends and, voila, their super 'talented' kid becomes famous. Who needs musical and/or theatrical talents? Behold, the birth of models, socialites and 'Celebutantes'.
And that, my friend, is called nepotism.
In honour of Fathers Day, we give you the 411 on some famous father-daughter/son groups:
Ferdous Wahid & Habib Wahid: Our moms go gaga over Ferdous and we (ladies) go gaga over Habib. This famous father-son duo is a product of our very own country. Ferdous Wahid rocked bangladesh during 1970's and 80's and now his son Habib, a composer and a singer, is doing the same.
Steven Tyler & Liv Tyler: The troubled Aerosmith lead singer/composer of their songs had a tumultuous relationship with fashion model Bebe Buell in 1977 and Liv Tyler was born. Liv didn't know her father was Steven until she was about nine years old and then, finally, in 1991, she officially changed her name to Tyler. Liv is now a model and a well-renowned actress best known for her role is Lord of the Rings as Arwen.
Mick Jagger & Jade/Elizabeth/James Jagger: Not only was he the lead in the Rolling Stones and the winner of a Golden Globe and Grammy but he was also knighted in 2003. He got around a lot resulting in several famous children with several famous wives. His daughter Jade is a socialite, Jewellery designer and model. And his other son and daughter Elizabeth and James are both models and actors.
Paul McCartney & Stella McCartney: Renowned (and awesome) fashion designer Stella McCartney was born to Beatles superstar Paul McCartney and his photographer wife Linda McCartney. Having a Beatle as a father was bound to make her famous but Stella actually has talent!
John Lennon & Sean/Julian Lennon: Another Beatles legacy, Sean and half-brother Julian Lennon, sons of the late great John Lennon, are following in their father's footsteps as composers and musicians. Julian, the elder, is also a director and producer.
Ringo Starr & Zak Starkey: Yet another Beatles progeny. It's safe to say, if your dad is a Beatle, you'll grow up to be famous (because the Beatles have talent and were awesome and it's in their genes). Ringo Starr was the (incredibly good looking) drummer of the Beatles and his son is the drummer of well-known bands such as Oasis and The Who.
Kurt Cobain & Frances Bean Cobain: The traumatized daughter of Kurt Cobain (Nirvana front-man and major hottie) and Courtney Love (psychotic lead singer of Hole) is now a model and socialite! Nicknamed 'Beans' after Kurt thought she looked like a kidney bean in her CT scan, your heart will go out to this young starlet who, at the tender age of fifteen, acts as guardian and babysitter to her train wreck of a junkie mother.
Ozzy Osbourne & Kelly Osbourne: who doesn't know Ozzy? The English singer/composer of the band Black Sabbath took the world by storm. His daughter, with TV presenter Sharon Osbourne, Kelly is now a fashion designing-singing-acting-model. Like her father, she's very eccentric.
Elvis Presley & Lisa Marie Presley: The king of rock n roll Elvis Presley is an icon. Obviously, his daughter, the princess of rock 'n' roll, would grow up to be famous as a singer/songwriter. Born to Elvis and Priscilla, Lisa Marie was exposed to music and the media from a very early age and doted on by every Elvis fan out there. Even her kids are now famous.
Gavin Rossdale & Daisy Lowe: We all know him as Mr. Gwen Stefani, but he was actually the lead for British rock band Bush and later Insitute before embarking on his solo career. Before Gwen came along, singer Pearl Lowe was in his life resulting in fashion model and socialite daughter Daisy Lowe. His children with Gwen will undoubtedly turn out to be famous as well.
David Cassidy & Katie Cassidy: An actor, singer, songwriter, David Cassidy played Keith Partridge in the 70's musical/sitcom 'The Partridge Family'. His daughter Katie Cassidy is an actress. But you may remember her as the ex-girlfriend of Jesse McCartney.
Rod Stewart & Kimberly Stewart: Famous for his sultry raspy voice, Rod Stewart is a British singer/composer. Currently, he is a voice coach for American Idol contestants. His daughter Kimberly Stewart is an American socialite, fashion model and designer. In other words, she is famous for being famous.
Bob Geldof & Peaches Geldof: Lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, he single handedly raised his four unusually named daughters after his wife, troubled TV presenter Paula Yates OD'd on heroine. His daughter, Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof, is an English socialite, model and TV presenter.
Lionel Richie & Nicole Richie: Everyone has heard of Nicole Richie and her never-ending drama. Is she anorexic? Is she pregnant? Is she driving completely jacked up on cocaine again? Will she ever marry Joel? You never know what this attention loving socialite/model/actress/singer/entrepreneur will do next. She is more famous than her adopted father Lionel who, in the 80's, was a pretty famous singer.
Gene Simmons & Nick Simmons: KISS needs no introduction! The uber famous American rock band with bassist and vocalist Gene “The Demon” Simmons is still loved by fans worldwide. His son, Nick Simmons, is an actor, musician and comic book creator.
Will Smith & Jaden Smith: The best looking father-son duo by far is Will and super cute 10 year old son Jaden. Will Smith is a musician, rapper, actor and producer and his son Jaden, with super talented wife Jada Pinkett, is an actor and dancer. Check out father and son performing in the much-acclaimed movie 'Pursuit of Happyness'. With parents as talented as Will and Jada, the kids were bound to be famous and adorable.
Bob Marley & Ziggy/Damien Marley: The most famous reggae musician was the Jamaican Bob Marley. His sons Ziggy and Damien are now keeping the Rastafarian spirit of their father alive.
Billy Ray Cyrus & Destiny Hope 'Miley' Cyrus: the most famous (and annoying) teen-pop sensation to ever plague the world has got to be Ms. Hannah Montana a.k.a Miley Cyrus. Her father, Billy Ray is a country singer and routinely composes his daughter's annoyingly catchy songs. She is another example of a celebrity progeny to have outshined her father, selling bajillions of CD's and merchandise across the world. She definitely got the best of this world.
Anyone can be a father, doesn't take much, but it takes a lot to be a dad. And even more to be the world's best-est dad. So, to all the great dads out there who aren't famous rock stars but are still our super men, HAPPY FATHERS DAY!
And to this writer's dad, who is, I love you because you are awesome.
By The Anarchist Kitten
ONE of the main 'objectives' of art is the exploration of the world around, and the world within us. The one thing connecting these two worlds is relationships- all manners of artistic media starting from sculpting to painting have explored people's relationships. The connections we make, the impressions we leave behind and the bridges we lay down have all been imitated in art, and film, arguably the most popular modern medium, is one of the prime sources of it. In particular, over time film has explored the relationships between parents and their children, often prompting goofy, hilarious results, or portraying inseparable bonds built between parents and their children. Some even portray the complete and utter decadence and low of such relationships, twisted and tarnished, but always with some degree of truth.
With mother's day long gone, father's day is now upon us. We know that throughout film history fathers have played various important roles- fathers have nurtured their kids after the mother's death; they have inspired their children into winning independence for a nation; they have excelled in fields of art, history, science and hunted for the Holy Grail. Instead of a regular movie review this week, we are going to discuss movies that depict the diversity of fatherhood.
Big Fish- as one would expect from any classic Tim Burton film (while the man still retained his originality), Big Fish is quirky, larger than life and down to earth all at once, and a whole lot of fun. Will Bloom, a married man, has over the years become estranged from his father. The main reason for this is his father, Edward's habit of telling tall tales about everything in his life, from the town he grew up in to his adventures to get out, to how he met his wife. His stories make him charming to everyone except Will, who cannot reconcile with his father's 'invented' exploits. When they attempt to reconcile late in Edward's life, at his deathbed, Will comes to find a different father than he expected. The young Ed Bloom is played brilliantly by Ewan McGregor, and the old Bloom by Albert Finney who did a great job of portraying a lion on his last legs, bigger than his body but unable to show it. Billy Crudup plays the son Will Bloom, and delivers much emotion. Big Fish is a heart-warming movie that cannot be put into one genre.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, playing father and son archaeologists was an idea that deserved the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1989 (no disrespect to Sidney Altman and Thomas Cech)*. Let's face it, there's nothing like action and adventure for male bonding, and with the grand Dr. Jones on screen, teamed up with his own father, this film should top the list for any son on father's day. The two actors have a natural, easy flair between them that rings true in the film and will make fathers and sons sit up and take notice (as will the action). What makes this film such a strong advocate of the father-son relationship is that Ford and Connery are absolutely believable in their roles as father and son. The Last Crusade is about a lot of things besides, but the movie depicts how parents and children often split because of an issue when in truth they aren't as different as they claim to be. It is something that happens in everyday life and makes the film, even with its heroic action scenes and unbelievable myths, relatable.
Father of the Bride- one would assume that after Indiana Jones, this film is here solely for the sake of political sensitivity towards the fairer sex, but let's not rush to judgments. No matter the premise, this film portrays brilliantly the relationship between a father and daughter in a very closely knit family, accounting for both sides of the coin. Although there are two versions (1950 and 1991) and have many similarities, they are both films that stand well all on their own. The 1950 version starred Spencer Tracy as the father, Joan Bennett as the mother, and Elizabeth Taylor as the daughter getting married. It is listed on the AFI's (American Film Institute) top 100 movies of all time, and one can understand why. It is charming and well written with acting of superlative quality; it's touching in many ways. The 1991 remake, starring Steve Martin as the dad not ready to lose his little girl, Diane Keaton as the perfect wife and mother, and Kimberly Williams as the daughter is different in many ways from the original but equally charming, hilariously funny (on some accounts funnier than the original), and extremely heart warming.
Meet the Parents- For even more political sensitivity, let us not ignore fathers-in-law. Disregarding the disastrous sequel, the 1992 comedy Meet the Parents is possibly one of the funniest movies made about in-laws. Ben Stiller is a young male nurse with plans to get hitched with his girlfriend, suddenly finding himself about to meet his future wife's parents for the first time. But he has no idea about the lengths he has to go through in order to make, and keep, peace with her uptight ex-CIA father. This film is often immature, because of its juvenile slapstick humour and crudity, but it still comes off as a highly enjoyable film regardless. It is surprising to see Robert DeNiro, playing the father-in-law as such a funny man, and he really drives the film. Ben Stiller as the central character is, as usual, unimpressive; but the film as a whole has only a few failings, and is a great and enjoyable light watch.
Pather Panchali- Satyajit Ray's first film, an adaptation from the novel of the same name, is at the very first glance the work of a master with its economy of dialog, synchronization, aesthetic camera work and the sympathy it inspires. The film develops its characters and the atmosphere slowly and resolutely. The narrative builds up to a powerful climax that one can feel is imminent. All though with very little screen time, the movie introduces the role of a father very easy to empathize with. Harihar lives with his impoverished family in his ancestral village of Nischindipur, where his new son is born. He earns a meagre living as a priest, and dreams of a better career writing scholarly plays and poetry. He is easily exploited and naïve; he cannot even muster the courage to ask his employer for overdue wages, although his family is in dire need of money. Unable to earn adequately in the village, he decides to travel to nearby cities to search for a better job, promising his wife to return with enough money to repair their derelict house. During his absence, the family sinks even deeper into poverty and faces the worst of existence. More than a story about a father and his children, this is the story of a family; despite its slow movement, cannot lose a single sane viewer. Ray's depiction of relationships and human connections has the touch of genius, and this film cannot be given a miss, be it on father's day or any other day.
Readers are invited to email their thoughts to ds.risingstars@gmail.com. Our list has been made carefully so as not to ignore any set target demography. Wherever you are this father's day, pick a movie and enjoy it with your dad. He will appreciate it, even though in all likelihood he won't show it.
*The winners of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of the catalytic properties of Ribonucleic acid. It is of this writer's view that the world could use a Ford-Connery collaboration more urgently.
