Simplicity

To make a dad proud remember the simple things. Remind people of him. Dance for him. Maybe just talk him up.

Tamil screenwriter/director Gautham Vasudeva Menon took his father's death as an inspiration for his new film about a simple man, Vaaranam Aayiram, which he says is both autobiographical and, "a tribute to all the fathers in the world. It is mostly from my life and the lives of some people I know."

For Nigerian dancer Emmanuel Adejumo, winning his comedian father's heart was all matter of footwork. So, while being son of actor Moses Adejumo (aka Baba Sala) is a bit of a step up in the country's art world, it also brings with it a host of pressures ... if nothing else, disappointing dad. And while he has pursued his mother's passion of dance, it all began with drumming in a small theater his dad built: "...my daddy is always happy with me. He is proud of me. What he saw in me [while drumming in the theater] has manifested. He has many children, some medical doctors, lawyers etc. But I am one of the few in active practice."

Taking pen to paper was all it took for Carney Mitchell to win for his dad Eddie Mitchell the honor of being The Fiji Times "Dad of the Year." As Carney tells it, "I wanted to do something special for dad but I didn't have any money so when I saw the advertisement in The Fiji Times, I went for it and told my dad to drop it in at Tappoo. I am proud to have won something for dad. It is the first time I won something for him and I am very happy about it.

While his blind father, a single parent raising Carney and his younger brother Justin, was honored, he was also very surprised, "I didn't know the boy was so observant. He asked me to drop his form and to promise him not to open it, so i did as he said. He has made me proud.

In fiction, it might take fighting off thieves trying to steal your scientist father's government secrets to win his respect, as happens in Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors in standard Bollywood song and dance in reality, it is more often the simple things that matter.