My favorite Mahal in showbiz

Mahal.

It means love. Or expensive, which will make us love and care more for the person or object.

Showbiz’s first Mahal was Cielito “Mahal” del Mundo. The singer/actress-turned-humanitarian/politician called everyone around her Mahal.

Among her grandchildren, Armida Siguion-Reyna is also Mahal because she didn’t want to be called lola. Obviously, this was before she discovered that letting your grey hair grow out could be cool.

Then there was the much-derided midget Mahal, who stopped being cute when her sexual adventures were made public.

I recall that when she was introduced in Lunch Date in the late ’80s, Monsour del Rosario, who did hosting stints for the noontime show, had this habit of stroking, patting and fondling Mahal like anyone of us would do to a baby. It was clearly an innocent gesture on the part of Monsour.

Mahal was already 15 that time and Lunch Date regular Toni Rose Gayda, who knows a woman’s body, advised Monsour against caressing the little person because for all we knew “she could get aroused.”

Toni Rose’s perception proved to be correct because Mahal’s sexual appetite, incredibly enough, later proved to be insatiable and her exploits with men became regular tabloid fodder.

Another showbiz Mahal  Gina Pareño  undeniably also had her share of fun in her youth. But she never lost the public respect for her and especially for her craft.

In her teens, her face was not only considered to have been one of the loveliest, she also had the shapeliest pair of legs.

Had there been showbiz talk shows in the mid-’60s, she would have been in Startalk, The Buzz and Paparazzi every week.

But the press and the public had always been forgiving of whatever misdemeanor she committed in her private life. Maybe because everyone knew she was basically a very nice person  and she had always been. She became another showbiz Mahal because that is what she fondly calls everyone  Mahal.

She had the most number of comeback bouts in showbiz, but the public accepted her each time  a testimony to the respect people had for her and her talent.

Launched as one of the Stars of ’66, she was the most talented in her batch. However, she frequently performed disappearing acts.

In the mid-’70s, she was one of the most reliable talents in the movies and was even crowned Best Actress in the last Manila Film Festival  a year before this event was expanded to what is now called Metro Manila Film Festival. But she disappeared as that decade came to an end.

In 1984, Viva Films gave her another chance for a comeback and was a hit in Working Girls. She excelled in it as a comedienne that the Gawad Urian rewarded her with a Best Actress nomination. However, little personal problems already began manifesting its ugly head on the night of the awards presentation. By the time she got to the venue  the CCP  the night’s Best Actress victor Vilma Santos was already throwing a blowout at the Manila Hotel.

Had Gina won that evening (last May, the Urian named her Best Actress of the decade), she would have made history by being the first actress to have been awarded in a parking lot. She was gone again after that  reappearing once more in supporting parts in Star Cinema projects.

Even in small roles, she always left her mark of excellence. In Radio Romance, she is remarkable playing this housewife who loves to bake and is always wanting of people to appreciate the sweetmeats she churns out in her kitchen. The part is basically insignificant, but the viewer remembers her better compared to the film’s young lead stars.

The turning point in Gina’s career, however, came a bit late  only in this millennium.

Indie movies invaded the scene and needed genuine talent, but with no prima donna airs to delay production. Gina will always be among the easiest actresses to deal with  in true Boots Anson-Roa fashion.

For all that limited budget, indie directors were able to create gems with the aid of Gina’s eternally sparkling performances. The critical successes of Kubrador, Serbis and Bakal Boys can all be attributed to her greatness as a talent. And how she was rewarded with accolades, both here and abroad.

She shines even in the so-called commercial films  like Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. As a performer, Gina can do no wrong.

At the moment, she enjoys the best of both worlds. She reaps respect in her indie projects, but at the same time is very popular among today’s youngsters  thanks to her soap operas on TV. Very few showbiz artists can enjoy such privilege.

I guess that’s good karma because she had always been a person with no mean bone  the most endearing who is everyone’s Mahal.

Actually, she is my favorite Mahal  Mahal as in love.

And I hesitate to call her Mahal  as in expensive.

You see, the worth of Gina Pareño is priceless.