Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

What is the common link between all the three men? Apart from them being very dashing and handsome, not to forget witty, its the fact that they are all three, major faces of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Now the reason why they happen to be staring at you on my blog, dear reader, is pretty simple. Sherlock Holmes has been and will remain the one true love of my life. Mr. Holmes as a character, might find that either exceedingly disdainful or exceedingly flattering. His one true love was after all, his work: the Science of Deduction. Irene Adler did come quite close, but she could never replace the love that he bore for his work. One can draw parallels with the guys of today: the love they bear for sports does in fact rank higher than anything else they love until they find their very own Irene Adlers (even then its a tough competition). Until then, the Playbook shalt be their Bible.

That Mr. Sherlock Holmes is a genius is a well established fact. The passion that he felt for his work was so intense that it burned him through and through. He loved an audience. Of his shortcomings there were many. He was no god. Though that does not prevent me from admiring the man as something of an artist. His intelligence, coupled with the manner of his working, is enough to be a massive turn on. The Sherlock Holmes I've imagined is a man with a personality to blow you over. However, I will not belittle the essence of this great genius by associating tags like "hotness" with him.

All the three men have portrayed Mr.Holmes to perfection. However, its always Jeremy Brett who comes to my mind every time I think of Sherlock Holmes. The piercing stares, the contemplative moods, the sudden bursts of manic energy that is trademark of Sherlock Holmes all reflect brilliantly in his roles. He brought Mr. Holmes to life. I believe he's evergreen. However, it would be a struggle to keep alive the Holmes that Mr. Brett portrayed in today's times.

Robert Downey Jr. needs no introduction. All one has to do is visit one of his many millions fan sites and they'd be greeted with various superlatives describing his wit and his hotness. Now talking about the movies, I have to say that Guy Ritchie is a genius. He almost single handed-ly re-ignited the waning interest in one of the greatest crime solvers of all times. In fact, he made it cool to possess and make use of one's knowledge. 

At first, Benedict Cumberbatch, to me, seemed like an odd choice for portraying Holmes. Now I'm probably one of his greatest fans. He is Jeremy Brett of today as far as his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes goes. Classy, yet modern, I go weak in my knees every time I watch an episode of Sherlock. I relish the attention to detail and the work that has gone into adapting the series for today's times. Its quirky, its fun, it makes a play on the idiosyncrasies of all the characters and delivers it in a newer avatar. 

There might be a lot of people out there who don't share the same views as me on the greatness of Sherlock Holmes. I don't need them too. The man who I've imagined Sherlock Holmes to be, would have never wanted to become just any viral phenomenon either on the internet or in the the real world. He would rather have wanted his methodologies to gain the interest of the masses. Interest in his methods, genuine appreciation for the science of deduction would be the ultimate form of flattery for him. After all "such is the frailty of genius".