“I came to India to become a better human being”, says Marianne Borgo, renowned French actress who turned 68 this year: the same year when India will celebrate its 68th Independence Day.
Small beginnings
The vivacious Marianne was born in Paris into an affluent yet simple home. Although she was dyslexic as a child and couldn’t read or write like the other kids, it never stopped her from being an observer and dreamer. “I always felt I was different,” she said recounting her childhood moments.
The kids in school humiliated her for her shortcomings until one day she turned around and looked into their eyes, pointed a finger at them and said, ‘One day I will be a STAR and you would be nothing’. While her family and friends were trying to cope with her disorder, Marianne was busy drafting stories in her head, which only she could understand.
She had thought of over 1000 of stories, which she connected with and dreamed about.
The stories in her head continued making her restless and she realised that she needed an outlet to express them. When she turned 17, she confided in her father about her passion for acting, but he didn’t encourage the idea. “To become an actor then was considered as a low-key profession almost like selling yourself,” she shares.
Pursuing her passion
After a lot of hesitation and rejection from parents, she finally decided to join the most acclaimed drama school in France – Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. She felt a sense of achievement, when she was selected from among 2000 applicants. Her first play was the classic El Cid from Corneille and she played the character of Chimene.
“If you project dreams, one day they become true”, she emphasizes. The stage was her canvas and she was painting it with the colours of different characters, which she was portraying. She soon became a popular theatre actress of her era. She did a few films and refused many as she believes, “Quality is not in glamour, it is in being extra ordinary”.
In 2006, in Paris, she adopted a 79-year-old nun as a mother and accepted the responsibility of taking care of her, including doing dinners, movies, holidays and most importantly spending quality time with her.
Love for India-in words and action
She had a déjà vu when she visited India in 1997. “When I came back to India, I realized that all those stories, which I had created in my head somehow seemed familiar now. They were no longer just a fiction of my imagination. It was all right here playing before my eyes. The places, the people, the conversations seemed to be all happening right there,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
Here in India, she has been working in a few plays and films. She is enthusiastic to work on scripts of different genres. Nine years ago, she bought a house in Goa and since then she has been living life in two countries – working in France and doing her bit in India.
She is part of a project for school kids and is educating them on making short films, which convey social messages. As part of the workshop, she screens French short films made by the kids, in schools here.
It’s not all about acting for Marianne. Keeping the soul satisfied is important too. In Goa, she provides for 60 slum kids who live around her house, an opportunity to nurture their passion for sports, painting, singing and any other skills they may choose. “Centuries ago, people in France had castles and around the castles lived the poor peasants. The people from the castle would help the poor peasants and I am also doing the same”, she says with a big smile on her face.
A spirited soul
She wants to write a book on her life to encourage women who want to live a life like hers, “For those women who think their life is over at any point in life, when it is never over”, she says while talking about her most special thing yet to be done.
While we are reading about this 68-year-old enthusiastic dreamer and doer, she is already on her way to the Nashik Kumbh Mela to make small documentaries on the entire experience at the Kumbh Mela. Truly, her inexorable and adventurous spirit is contagious.
#FreedomRedefined
When asked what freedom meant to her, Marianne’s answer lies in her life’s journey. “I’ve lived alone since 1991 and have travelled the world on a student card till the age of 60”, she smiled. “Freedom is to enjoy ourselves and make others happy”.
This story is part of our Independence Day Special, #FreedomRedefined. We are looking for more stories of women who broke free from the shackles of society’s stereotypes and suppression. Write to us on idivaeditor@gmail.com if you know of such women or if you have a story to tell.
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