July 19, 2009

•  

   

  Mohindepaul Gill,known as Q BoBo,is the first ethnic Indian to make it big in showbiz in East Asia.He has acted with Jackie Chan as well

  

  Chinese-speaking Indian wins countless hearts in HK

  

  Venkatesan Vembu.Hong Kong

  As Mohindepaul Singh Gill weaves his way through

  a crowded section of Nathan Road in Kowloon, he

  has a noticeably electric effect on passersby. Chinese

  pedestrians break step and gawk in adoration at the

  lanky man in their midst. A few of them uncharac-teristically

  let out squeals of delight and ask to have

  photos taken with him.

  

   

  The unabashed show of adulation is easily ex-plained:

  Gill, whom they know only by his Chinese

  nickname of ‘Q BoBo’, is a celebrity showman in

  Hong Kong and China, whose

  Cantonese-language TV shows

  enjoy the highest viewership rat-ings.

  He’s also acted in several

  Chinese-language films, includ-ing

  one that starred Jackie Chan, making him per-haps

  the first ethnic Indian in all of East Asia to see

  his name up in lights.

   

  

  

   

  Stardom — and big-money entertainment con-tracts

  — came about virtually overnight for the

  Gill, a third-generation resident of Hong

  Kong who traces his roots to Punjab. Growing up in

  a Chinese milieu, Gill acquired fluency in Can-tonese

  and assimilated elements of Chinese cul-ture.

  "If you live among the Chinese, I think it’s im-portant

  to speak their language, but few Indians

  make the effort," he says. He’d been working for 16

  years in Hong Kong’s Correctional Services De-partment

  

   

  as a prison official when, unknown to him,

  in mid-2005 his colleagues sent in an application on

  his behalf to an Indian Idol-like TV talent show.

   

  

  

   

  That show, Minutes to Fame, provided Gill a plat-form

  to showcase showmanship skills he didn’t

  know he ever had. Singing traditional Chinese

  songs,

   

   

  

  doing the bhangra, and keeping the crowds

  regaled with gags and some flamboyant props, the

  "Chinese-speaking Indian" proved a big hit with stu-dio

  audiences and TV viewers. Success on that show

  opened up a world of TV entertainment, and in May

  2006, Gill gave up his government job, with sub-stantial

  benefits, for a serious stab at stardom.

  That move has paid off handsomely: Gill has

  signed on with TVB for sit-coms and game shows.

  He’s also hosted a cookery show where, speaking in

  Cantonese, he handholds Chinese viewers on the

  art of making the perfect samosa, pakoda, roti and

  dal. He’s even landed comedy roles in several Chi-nese-

  language films, including Kung Fu Mahjong

  (in which he portrays a bumbling gangster who

  plays mahjong with his feet), The Lady Iron Chef

  

  

   

  and Rob-B-Hood, which stars Jackie Chan.

  

  Having made the crossover into the Chinese-lan-guage

  entertainment industry, Gill is playing a crit-ical

  role as a cultural bridge, helping Chinese peo-ple

  understand elements of Indian culture better.

  "Chinese people confuse Indians with Indonesians,

  Hindus with Muslims… In a small way, I’m helping

  them change their mindset of seeing Indians in

  Hong Kong as securitymen and doormen." But it’s

  equally important, he feels, for Indians in China to

  make an attempt at cultural assimilation. As a

  brand ambassador for the Racial Harmony Com-mittee

  of the Hong Kong government, he’s taking

  that message to larger audiences. He’s also volun-teering

  time to help support the cause of ethnic mi-norities

  in Hong Kong.

  Gill stops at a traditional Chinese medicine shop

  and points to an ad poster of him in a Superman cos-tume,

  endorsing a wellness product. "The first non-Chinese

  person to endorse a Chinese medicine," he

  says. Within seconds, he’s mobbed by the shop staff

  who have recognised their favourite ‘Q BoBo’, and

  want to have pictures taken with him. It’s going to be

  a long walk back home for the Indian-origin star who

  has won countless Chinese hearts.

  The road to stardom

  Q BoBo worked for 16 years in

  Hong Kong ’s Correctional

  Services Department as a prison

  official.He gave up his govern-

  ment job,with substantial bene-

  fits,for a stab at stardom.His

  friends sent an entry on his

  behalf to an Indian Idol-like

  show that made him a star.

  A poster of him in a Superman

  dress endorses a wellness prod-

  uct.He is the first non-Chinese

  to endorse Chinese medicine.

   

  

  He has signed on with TVB for

  sit-coms and game shows.He ’s

  also hosted a cookery show and

  has even landed comedy roles in

  several Chinese-language films,

  including Rob-B-Hood,which

  stars Jackie Chan.

  

  

  

   

  ¡Mohindepaul Singh Gill alias Q BoBo next to an

  advertisement in which he endorses a traditional

  Chinese medicine —Venkatesan Vembu

  

   

  eastern

  star

  

  

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  • 2:36 pm
  • 14 Comments