Dear Hugh 'Wolverine' Jackman,
It was the year 2011, when my elder brother, who is a big Hollywood buff bought a film DVD on rent and some of his close friends too. While they were talking about a man with claws, who is unbelievably powerful, I picked up the DVD just like every superhero enthusiast, and I read the name, 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' atop it.
I recognized you immediately as your scream in the last scene of 'Van Helsing' was still quite fresh in my mind at that time. We sat together, and I don't know about others, but I used most of my pocket money to see all the previous X-Men movies just to know about your whole story.
I became a fan of your acting, those unbreakable claws, your rage, and your intriguing story of how nature made you a freak, men made you a weapon, and God made it last too long.
Years passed, and you have made bad X-Men movies watchable, good X-Men movies better, and Logan, a great X-Men movie, something genuinely special.
Finally, the year 2017 came, and I had gone to the theatre with lots of prayers that hope they'll not ruin your farewell as you're going to bid farewell to 'Wolverine' after 17 years. But as we all know, Logan turned out to be the best movie of this decade by a far distance. It made us cry like anything and gave us the memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Not a lot of people are aware of the fact that you were never the first, second, or third choice for the role of Wolverine but your hard work and passion for this role has engraved 'Hugh Jackman as Logan' in the history books forever.
There will be a new Batman soon, a new Iron Man too (sadly) but there will never be a new Wolverine. No one can fill the claws of Wolverine other than Hugh Jackman. It's his legacy. In the end, I want to end this with that farewell dialogue which you spoke right before closing your eyes forever, "So... This Is What It Feels Like."
Happy Birthday!!!
By Rishabh Naudiyal