Sean, sorely missed

This refers to the news about the passing away of Sean Connery. He will always be missed for his extraordinary acting prowess and the brilliant portrayals of all his varied characters. He will however, be most cherished for creating the James Bond persona and personality through his acting (“Hollywood actor Sean Connery passes away at 90”, Oct. 31, Gulf Today).

Many talented actors have played Bond over the years. However, there will always be the rugged Sean Connery only, as James Bond, for many of us. For me, James Bond was Sean Connery; Sean Connery was James Bond. The two were synonymous. Sean was always irreplaceable, as the suave, gritty yet vulnerable Bond, especially with his witty one-liners, whenever he neutralised a psychopath opponent. Sean’s movies as Bond, are evergreen and are watched avidly even now.

Sean acted through his eyes. In any scene, his eyes reflected his dilemmas and thoughts. Of late, the Bond movies rely on muscle power and stunts in the fight sequences. The violence in the recent Bond movies, is as much as in Bollywood movies, with brash soundtracks. In the Sean Connery Bond era, the hero relied on ideas, wit and brains to neutralise the antagonist. It was an era of élan, elegant suits, starched white shirts, martinis and under-stated fashion.

Sean came from a modest family. His father was a truck driver. His mother was a cleaning lady. At the age of 13 he worked as a milk delivery boy. After working in the navy, he worked as a bricklayer, lifeguard and even as an undertaker’s assistant. Yet eventually, Sean acted his way, to the top of the world, as James Bond. If you have the talent and the will, there is no limit to achievement.

His departure has saddened me immensely.

Rajendra Aneja
Mumbai, India