Thank you for all the smiles Mr Williams

Today is a sad day. We lost one of the most versatile actors Hollywood has ever seen, Robin Williams. Human loss is always sad, but it feels worse when somebody who made millions smile leaves the world.

There are lots of funny actors, there are lots of comedians, there are lots of stand up artistes, and then there’s Robin Williams. The man didn’t just make you smile, he touched your heart and inspired you with his powerful performances. He wasn’t your stereotypical mainstream actor who would go on to attain a certain level of stardom, but he went on to acquire a special place in people’s hearts, and he will remain there forever.

I first got to see the genius of this man in a movie called Mrs Doubtfire. As a kid, he filled me up with giggles and made for great entertainment, but that, as they say was only the tip of the iceberg. Jumanji followed, and it helped me get further acquainted with this man’s comic genius. It was as I grew a little older and saw this absolutely brilliant movie called Patch Adams, that I truly fell in love with this man. Just incase you missed seeing this heart warming film, it was the story of a medical student, who starts an alternative clinic to help people who can’t afford regular treatment and medication, and how he fights the system for his rights and eventually goes on to do what he was meant to do. Based on a real story, this character couldn’t have been played by anybody else more convincingly, for this man simply breathed life into it. His amiable nature and caring attitude came across through innumerous such roles.

But I was yet to grow older, and yet to witness some more magic by this man. Dead Poets Society happened. Reluctant at first to see it, I gave it a go, and wow, what a masterpiece it turned out to be. Teaching they say is a noble profession, but it is teachers like the one he was shown to be in the movie, that make it worth it. The man inspired not just the few students in his class, but a million other souls across the world, who want to dream, to try, to fly, to break out, to go out there and do something they’ve always wanted to do. Movies, a lot of people feel are frivolous in nature, but in my opinion, a lot of movies hold the key to unraveling the many mysteries of life. I finally saw Goodwill Hunting last year, and while I felt sad for seeing it so late in life, I was glad to have seen yet another classic. Now what can the story of two individuals teach you about life. More than you can imagine, if you ask me. When genius meets genius, when unconventional meets unconventional, when a broken person another of his kind, then magic happens. A clueless Matt Damon is shown direction in his life, thanks to the under achieving, unambitious genius that Robin Williams portrays. It told me it is ok to be a crackpot, it told me it is ok to be unambitious, it told me you could be great, yet be unhappy, it told me you could have many friends yet miss that one, it told me you could be as clueless as you could be, yet an answer may be round the corner, it told me, it’s a great thing to stand for somebody, be for somebody, do something for somebody, it told me miracles happen, it told me that immaterial of how twisted one’s life is, if things have to work out, they find a way.

There is a lot more that can be written about the genius of a man that Robin Williams was. The only truth I know right now is that he will go on to inspire millions and make them smile even now that he is gone.

“Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out! Carpe diem, seize the day!”