The first time I saw Ledger on screen, I was awe-struck. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by Ang Lee is a complex movie about homosexual relationship. Ennis played by Ledger seemed all the more complicated. Why I noticed Ledger, for reasons beyond his acting is hard to put in words. Perhaps it  was for his ‘darkness’. There was something mysterious almost diabolic in his eyes and body language. He played out his role to the optimum and the screen got lightened up by love and its futility. Conveying love through a homosexual relationship was a challenge to which Ledger rose beautifully. He communicated well that for love and its darkness and happiness, gender has no say. He made emotions a part of the soul. He can make you cry over the tragedy of a queer relationship and  feel love & its loss beyond gender.

Then again I saw him playing the legendary CASANOVA, and I fell in love. It is no wonder, his darkness attracts hearts and his deep voice suggests more than what is being said. I began my hunt for other Ledger movies. THE BROTHER’S GRIM , 10THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, THE PATRIOT, all had Ledger playing out consistently his parts. His selection of movies itself speaks something of the person /artist that he is. Rejecting an offer like Peter Parker/SpiderMan in SPIDERMAN , he took up the role of the Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT. Unconventional to the core is what one would term him. It is said that he locked himself up in a London hotel room for a month to prepare  his part as the Joker. The efforts have well payed off on the screen, other characters including the BatMan, dulls in front of Ledger’s Joker. Joker bought colors mixed in the darkness of villainy beautifully. It is said that motiveless villainy is always the hardest part to play off and Ledger’s Joker goes full swing, burning right through your heart in anger and resentment.

A posthumous Academy Award does speak a lot about the actor. Ledger however seemed like in the hunt of something else and not awards. He seemed to have been possessed by a demon who can only find relief through roles that stay close to being demonic, like Ennis or Casanova or Joker. Even the way he prepared himself for the roles are kind of extreme and unheard of. The artist himself pushed him often outside the comfort terrains. Perhaps that might be the reason why he rejected conventional roles like Peter Parker. That rejection also suggests what he thought of financial success and art in general.

His death is a great loss to the world of cinema. His second death anniversary is on this Jan 22  and yet again my heart is heavy with remembrances of  his brilliant acting. Personally, I would call him a Heathcliff  born to act out his demons.

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