The tale of guguvana goons

Every kid dreams of becoming a fictional hero he loves. I had two such heroes when I was a kid. One was Tintin, but my brother stole the thunder of rechristening himself after Tintin (he is still known as tintinban in the virtual world). So I had to settle for the other one that I had.

Indiana Jones captured my imagination to such an extent that I was forcing my brothers to use the hideous pseudonym (in the title of this post) that rhymes with ‘Indiana Jones’. Thanks to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, two of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, for creating such an entertaining character and the franchise which surpass time and language in being the ultimate adventure movies of all time. Harrison Ford plays the role of Indiana Jones to perfection and to think that he almost missed the role is disturbing indeed!

If you haven’t watched any of the first 3 parts of the Indiana Jones series, I can state with assurance that you have missed something important in your life (I’m serious). So try to get hold of them before you die!

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Set in 1936, the Nazis are after the Covenant of the Lost Ark, which disappeared around 3000 years ago. Hitler wants to get hold of it to use its powers and rule the world. Jones, alone with a charming Karen Ravenwood, embarks upon an adventurous journey to Egypt to get hold of the Ark himself. This movie got an Oscar nomination for the best picture! Not often would you see such a fun/action/adventure movie score a nomination. A thoroughly enjoyable fare. Don’t miss this!

Temple of the Doom (1984)

Many Indians have watched this movie and that’s supposed to be surprising because the movie was banned in India! Jones accidentally falls onto an Indian Village during his one of his routine escapes from Shangai. The village, on the brink of drought, has lost one of its sacred stones and some evil spirit has taken away all the children in the village. Upon realization that the stone is none other than one of Sankara’s three sacred stones given to the world by Lord Shiva, Jones sets on a journey along with a beautiful young lady and an absolutely adorable Chinese sidekick named ‘Short Round’, to a nearby Palace. Amrish Puri, a priest, is the villain who uses black magic to enslave the kids. The final tunnel chase in the coal mines is unforgettable. No wonder this movie was banned in India as it portrayed Indians as slightly barbaric. Trivia: After the Indian government banned it, the movie was shot in Srilanka.

The Last Crusade (1989)

My personal favorite! Infact, this was the first Indiana Jones movie I watched. Indiana Jones’ father (played by Sean Connery) is kidnapped by the Nazis. Jones believes that this has to do something with his father’s research on the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus Christ in the last supper. He goes about searching his father, eventually rescuing him and decides to beat the Nazis in search of the Grail. This is the funniest movie of the series with altercations between father and son getting ridiculous as the movie progresses. And who can forget the final three clues! My brother and I have enacted this particular scene in our house innumerable number of times. Those good old times!

The fourth movie, Kingdom of the crystal skull, was released in 2008, almost 20 years after The Last Crusade. The movie was decent fun.

Watch it, for you’d never get to see such sensible, funny and exciting adventures nowadays.