Robin Williams: How Actor Struck a Chord with India

The initial shock at the death of the master entertainer, whom most of us have grown up watching, quickly moves to gloom as it begins to sink in that Robin Williams is no more.

Fans will brush aside his alleged suicide when they fall into the recess of their minds to recall some of his most brilliant performances in scores of movies, apart from his stand up comic acts, which left all in awe.

While the world mourns the Oscar winner's death, Indians too are reminiscing the times when Williams impressed us with his wits and charm. Williams caught our fancy when we saw him as a radio DJ in "Good Morning, Vietnam" and left an indelible mark in our hearts and minds when he played Genie in 1992's "Aladdin."

But one movie that makes our love and admiration stronger for Williams is, "Mrs. Doubtfire." The movie clicked so well with us and garnered such appreciation that it was even remade in Tamil and Hindi languages, increasing the number of viewers who connected with the film.

"Avvai Shanmugi" (1996) starring Kamal Haasan received positive response from movie-goers, after which Haasan adapted the movie in Hindi and titled it "Chachi 420." The Indian version of "Mrs. Doubtfire" was a blockbuster hit like the original, and Haasan's character like Williams' earned a lot of plaudits and recognition.

Such was the impact of the movie that Indians started following Williams more closely, watching his movies and his comic acts.

Another movie that clicked with the Indian audience was comedy "Patch Adams," which has a scene where Williams' asks God on why man has to suffer. The movie went on to reportedly inspire Rajkumar Hirani's "Munna Bhai MBBS" (2003) where the protagonist tries to cure his patients with love and laughter taking a personal interest in them.

Additionally, the sequel of "Munna Bhai MBBS" too took a leaf out of "Good Morning, Vietnam." The actress in the Hindi movie portrays the character of a radio jockey, who greets her listeners with the sentence "Good Morning, Mumbai" each day.

This brilliant actor was also known for mimicking the Indian accent to perfection.

Williams bagged an Oscar for his role of Matt Damon's doctor in "Good Will Hunting" and has also been awarded with two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, five Grammy Awards and two SAG Awards.

His battle with depression and alcohol and substance abuse is said to be the reason behind his death, and while Williams might have passed away, his spirit and charm will live with fans forever, who are bound to watch his movie and his comic acts with equal enthusiasm and admiration.