We thought we'd tell you about an Indian Mr.Universe
This thread 🧵is about the legendary Indian body builder Manohar Aich who was born on 17th March 1912.
At, 4ft 10 his bravery and spirit made him tower over most others.
He was known as "Pocket Hercules" for his extraordinary physique.
Manohar began his career as a stunt man performing with none other than master magician, P C Sorcar in Dhanbad.
He would often thrill audiences by bending steel with his teeth or resting his belly on swords.
In 1942, he joined the Royal Air Force in British India as a physical instructor.
He was then introduced to body building by a British officer in the RAF
His run in the RAF was cut short by what most corporate types call a CLM - career limiting move.
He was imprisoned when he protested against colonial oppression by slapping a British Officer who may or may not have exclaimed - "How can he slap?!".
He said:'In jail I began weight training seriously. I used to practice on my own without equipment for 12 hours in a day.'
The prison authorities were majorly impressed with his perseverance.
He was given a special diet to build stamina and he was released when India achieved independence from the British in 1947.
In 1950, he took part in and won Mr.Hercules. This encouraged him to take part in Mr.Universe in London in 1951.
He came second, losing to another Indian, Monotosh Roy.
Fancy undies, this guy has.
Aich sir stayed on in London to prepare for the 1952 contest and like a sir, won Mr.Universe in 1952.
He also won a host of awards related to body building, allowing him to help uplift his family (wife + 4 kids) and give them a better life.
He once stood for elections in Calcutta in 1991, contesting on behalf of the BJP and came third.
He continued to inspire and entertain people even as he grew older. His last performance was at the age of 89.
For real, 89! Think about that for a bit.
He lived on until the ripe old age of 104, continuing to remain as gangsta as ever.
He credited his good health to a diet of milk, fruits and vegetables with rice, lentils and fish. He also said he didn't allow any tension to creep into his life.
Watch and learn, all of you!
For more, here's a short Youtube video on Manohar Aich -
A school-going kid once visited the Congress party office, where Tamil lyricist Kavirajar Kannadasan asked, "Would you like to work in films, child?" The kid said, "Ask my father."
This child was destined to become one of India's greatest superstars!
A thread on Sridevi! 🧵
It is said that when Sridevi was born, there was a bright red mark on her forehead, and hence people started that a devi had born in the house.
Thus she was named Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan.
Before ruling the box office as a leading star, Sridevi was a phenomenally accomplished child artist.
Here she is, sharing the screen with MG Ramachandran, playing his nephew in a film that also starred J. Jayalalitha!
This film, starring Supriya Pathak & Hugh Grant, is based on a novel by Mircea Eliade.
Its the story of a 23-year-old Mircea who came to Calcutta to study under philosopher Surendranath Dasgupta.
There, he fell in love with Maitreyi - teacher's daughter.
Sounds familiar? A 🧵
In this novel, Mircea fictionalizes how his love story was cut short because Surendranath Dasgupta was unhappy about the relationship. The relationship was "exposed" by Maitreyi Devi's sister.
The novel was published in 1933, a couple of years after Mircea's time in Calcutta.
For some additional context, Maitreyi was a savant! Maitreyi was mentored by Rabindranath Tagore, and she even wrote a book Mongpute Rabindranath (Tagore by The Fire Side) about the time spent with the great poet.
20 years ago, we were reminded that good films need not make money, & films that make good money need not be great!
On June 18, 2004, Lakshya was released, telling the story of an aimless rich youngster who joins the Indian Army & discovers his true goal.
A thread🧵
Lakshya was written by @Javedakhtarjadu: He was told by senior army officers about the declining enrollments to the Indian army each year, prompting him to promise to write a film addressing the issue!
The script marked Akthar's comeback as a scriptwriter after ages!
Lakshya was a departure from the kinds of war movies made at the time like Border, LOC Kargil etc.
In fact, director @FarOutAkhtar's goal was to tell a story about a boy who finds himself in the backdrop of Kargil War.
On June 15, 2001, the world saw the release of a monumental film in scale & vision, with its main plot revolving around a cricket match between India & the British Empire!
A thread 🧵on Lagaan, the film that convinced Aamir Khan to pursue the kind of films he believed in.
After two failed attempts at films, @AshGowariker's confidence was low.
He then conceived a story where a key battle is resolved by a cricket match. He pitched this to Aamir in 4 lines, who told him not to waste time on this.
Lagaan was @AshGowariker’s third foray into direction after his earlier two movies – Pehla Nasha and Baazi.
Baazi is famous for the “Item number” by Aamir Khan. Pehla Nasha had Aamir and SRK in the same movie with some cringe worthy puns
This is freedom fighter Raj Narain, who achieved the greatest electoral upset in India's history.
In the 1977 elections held after the lifting of the Emergency, Raj Narain defeated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
A thread 🧵
The story begins with the 1971 election.
Originally scheduled for 1972, Indira Gandhi called for early elections, catching opposition by surprise.
The opposition quickly recovered and nominated Raj Narain to contest against Mrs. Gandhi in Rae Bareli.
📸 @htTweets
Indira Gandhi was probably displeased with the nomination.
At a campaign rally she said, "Mr. Narain had been chosen by the opposition parties to contest from Rae Bareli because he was a well-known Nehru hater and baiter."