Oscar-Bafta winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, who had connected with India already with his iconic role as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ in Hollywood film, ‘Gandhi’ in Sir Richard Attenborough’s 1982 biopic, is one actor who has also played the the lead role as a Sikh man in film directed by Isabel Coixet.
Kingsley played a Sikh cabbie from New York in the movie titled ‘Learning to Drive’ which released in June 2014. Ben Kingsley looked almost unrecognisable in a blue turban in this one!
[h4]”I say this with huge respect to my Sikh friends, and I have two or three, but if you know one Sikh chap you know them all. Almost military, because they are a warrior group, the Sikhs.” [/h4]
His character called Darwan Singh Tur spends much of his time teaching a divorcee Wendy, played by Patricia Clarkson, to drive in Queens. Talking about his character, ahead of its release, Kingsley was quoted as saying, “He’s not embittered at all. He’s very generous and open and compassionate. I say this with huge respect to my Sikh friends, and I have two or three, but if you know one Sikh chap you know them all. Because there is something wonderfully consistent about their approach to life. Of course they differentiate, but there is something about Sikhism that is their backbone. That’s what I enjoyed playing – that backbone, that spine. Almost military, because they are a warrior group, the Sikhs.”
Here are some excerpts from his Interview to The Globe And Mail Ahead Of The Release of ‘Learning To Drive’
And what about your character, a Sikh driving instructor and taxi driver in New York?
Life in art, you know? A guy from the Punjab, who is a university professor, but cannot get academia work in the United States. So he teaches people – teaches people to drive. Still the professor. The gentle, loving, life-affirming professor behind the wheel. All that was enhanced by me, an actor from England, in complete disguise, working in the extraordinary environment of New York. There’s a kind of link there between him and me. We’re both discovering at the same time.
His nobleness, after going through such things: Could Westerners learn something from him?
He’s not embittered at all. He’s very generous and open and compassionate. I say this with huge respect to my Sikh friends, and I have two or three, but if you know one Sikh chap you know them all. Because there is something wonderfully consistent about their approach to life. Of course they differentiate, but there is something about Sikhism that is their backbone. That’s what I enjoyed playing – that backbone, that spine. Almost military, because they are a warrior group, the Sikhs. I’m so fond of my character, and I am his custodian. I hope that I honour that responsibility through playing him as honestly as I could.
(Read Full Interview: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/ben-kingsley-on-honouring-sikhism-responsibly-as-a-lead-character/article26133508/ )
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NJdqqY6YIw
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