Sir Ben Kingsley has had an incredible career spanning more than five decades, a feat that very few can even hope to achieve. During his time as an actor, he’s received countless awards, both for his presence on stage and in films. He’s also been knighted for his services to the film industry and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kingsley was born in 1943 and named Krishna Pandit Bhanji, owing to his father’s Gujarati roots. Over time, Kingsley began to identify more strongly with his British heritage and changed his name for his acting career. However, over recent years, Kingsley has been acting more and more frequently in Indian films, one of which has been a particular hit that we’re going to talk about now.
Teen Patti, 2010
When a film sees Amitabh Bachchan go head to head with Ben Kingsley, you know it’s going to be an exciting ride. This film sees Bachchan take the role of a genius mathematics teacher, who is contacted by a British mathematician, Perci Trachtenberg, played by Ben Kingsley. He is invited to a high-rolling casino in London where he explains to Perci that he believes he has found a mathematical formula that can enable him to always win at Teen Patti. It’s a moral tale that moves quickly and has plenty of twists and turns. Both lead roles are brilliant and this film should be added straight to your watch list.
If Teen Patti has got you wondering how your mathematical skills would fair in this popular game then it’s surprisingly easy to get started. The rules for teen patti are quite similar to poker, so if you’re already familiar with poker then you won’t have as sharp of a learning curve. Once you’ve got the basics down, the best place to practice is online. There’s none of the pressure of a real-life casino, as you don’t need to be face to face with anybody. It’s also easy to find online casinos in Qatar which regularly feature teen patti as an available game.
Sexy Beast, 2000
Sexy Beast isn’t one of Kingsley’s best-known films, but it did still earn him an Oscar nomination for the best supporting actor. Not only this, Sexy Beast was named the 15th best British film of all time, which is no mean feat. Especially when you take into account that it was Jonathan Glazer’s directorial debut, who had been making a splash at the start of his career as a film producer already.
The film follows the story of Gal, played by Ray Winstone, who is trying to leave behind his gangster lifestyle. He’s doing pretty well, living comfortably in Spain with his glamorous wife. The two have a stunning home with a pool, staff and everything they could wish for, that is until Don Logan, played by Kingsley, tracks down Gal and attempts to bully him into one last heist. Gal tries and tries to refuse Don’s bullying, but Kingsley really does play the ultimate villain in this film. He taunts Gal and harasses him in a way that would seem totally childish if it weren’t for the sheer menace that Don’s lines were delivered with. If you’re looking for a gangster film that’s darkly humorous then you won’t find much that competes with Sexy Beast and if you’re looking for a truly terrifying villain, then Ben Kingsley proves that they don’t come more deranged than Don Logan.
Gandhi, 1982
The film for which Kingsley was the most highly awarded is without a doubt the 1982 film Gandhi, in which he played Mahatma Gandhi himself. For this role, he won not only the Academy Award for Best Actor, but also took home the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and also the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.
Directed by Richard Attenborough, this film tells the story of a lawyer, Mohandas Gandi, who having experienced the way that non-white people are treated in South Africa, tries desperately to win them some rights. His efforts are recognised and rights are granted for Indians in South Africa. On hearing this he is invited to return to British India and lead the fight for India’s independence from Britain. With the way that Gandhi is revered across the world, this role must have been enormously intimidating, but Kingsley captures the iron will, endless resolve and ultimately the kindness of this incredible man.
