Untitled - Tarom

CAMPIONII The Champions 42
® circ de la un ora[ la altul, de la o grani]\ la alta. „Abia `nv\]am s\ scriu
[i s\ citesc `ntr-o limb\, c\ trebuia s\ plec\m `n alt\ ]ar\“. Khavak-fiul continu\
[i azi `n acela[i ritm. Chiar dac\ re[edin]a sa e `n Germania, `[i petrece
mai tot timpul pe drumuri. C‚teodat\ `ncheie contract cu un circ pentru
opt luni, alt\dat\ pentru un an.
Acum are opt crocodili, dar `n vremurile bune a avut [i 14. Fiecare
dintre ei m\n‚nc\ patru-cinci kilograme de carne o dat\ la trei zile, plus
vitamine. Nu au nevoie de mult spa]iu, dar trebuie s\ m\n‚nce de
ajuns, s\ aib\ ap\ cald\ [i lumin\. Headtrick, cel mai mare, este singurul
`ntre f\lcile c\ruia `[i bag\ Khavak capul. L‚ng\ el, pu]in ridicat, st\
Papa, crocodilul care a fost atins de papa Ioan Paul al II-lea c‚nd era
pui, pe vremea c‚nd Khavak [i viitoarea lui so]ie d\deau un spectacol
la Vatican.
Reptilele stau nemi[cate pe scen\ / The reptiles sit still on the stage
„TR|IESC CU RISCUL ZILNIC“
Khavak este de mult prea b\tr‚n [i prea bolnav ca s\ mai hipnotizeze
crocodili. Dar nevoia de a-[i `ntre]ine reptilele nu-i las\ prea multe op]iuni.
Fiecare spectacol presupune ast\zi, cu at‚t mai mult, un risc asumat. ~ns\
pentru artist, riscul a fost `ntotdeauna o parte a vie]ii de zi cu zi. P‚n\ acum
a fost mu[cat de bra]e de mai multe ori. Odat\, un crocodil l-a mu[cat de
cap. De fiecare dat\ a sc\pat cu via]\.
Riscul i-a adus `ns\ lui Khavak momente [i prieteni de neuitat. Dintr-o
map\ neagr\ cu amintiri, scoate poza actorului Anthony Quinn. ~l cunoa[te
din tinere]e, tocmai din ‘54. Pe vremea aceea munceau am‚ndoi la
studiourile Cinnecita din Roma. Khavak lucra la filmul „La Cortigiane di
Babilonia“. „~ntotdeauna venea s\ vad\ crocodilii, iar noi mergeam s\ `i
vedem filmele“. Dar poza nu este una din tinere]ea celor doi arti[ti, ci una
mult mai recent\. A fost f\cut\ `n 2000, `ntr-o zi c‚nd Quinn a venit la circ
cu familia. „Este una dintre ultimele fotografii cu el. A murit un an mai
t‚rziu“, spune Khavak.
C‚teva amintiri mai `ncolo, poveste[te despre actorul francez Gerard
Depardieu, al\turi de care a lucrat pentru filmul „Asterix et Obelix contre
Cesar“. Au petrecut dou\ luni `mpreun\, `ntr-un studio din Munchen.
Khavak `[i aduce aminte c\ actorului francez `i era foarte fric\ de crocodili.
P‚n\ la urm\, cu ajutorul lui, Depardieu a reu[it s\ filmeze cea mai temut\
scen\ din film - `n care, legat cu o funie, a s\rit peste apa unde mi[unau
crocodilii.
Fiecare fotografie este pentru Khavak un cr‚mpei dintr-o via]\ foarte
zbuciumat\. At‚t de multe drumuri [i at‚]ia ani `n care a hoin\rit cu crocodilii
s\i, dintr-un loc `n altul, [i-au spus cuv‚ntul. G‚ndul la necuv‚nt\-
toarele care depind de el `l convinge `ns\ pe b\tr‚nul artist s\ ias\ `n fiecare
sear\ `n aren\, sub lumina reflectoarelor.
Khavak mai are contract cu Circul Globus din Bucure[ti p‚n\ `n martie.
Apoi, nici el nu [tie unde `l vor mai purta pa[ii... ∫
Khavak [i tat\l s\u
Khavak and his father
® choslovakia, France and Holland.
In four years they lived in five
countries. A train would carry
the circus wagons from one city to
the next, from border to border. “I
had just learnt to read and write in
a language then we had to go to
another country.“ Khavak continues
in the same manner. Even
though his residence is in Germany,
he spends most of the time
on the road. Sometimes his contract
with the circus lasts for eight
months, sometimes for an entire
year.
Now he has eight crocodiles,
but there were times when he had
as many as fourteen. Each of them
eats four to five kilograms of meat
once every three days, in addition
to taking vitamin supplements.
They do not need much space
but they require food, warm water
and light. Headtrick is the only one
between whose jaws Khavak puts
his head. Next to him, with his
snout up, is Papa, a crocodile
which as a baby was touched by
Pope John Paul II, when Khavak
and his wife were in the Vatican.
“I LIVE WITH RISK EVERY DAY“
Khavak has been for long too
old or too ill to continue hypnotizing
crocodiles. But the need to
maintain his reptiles does not give
him many options. Each show
entails a risk, today even more than
ever. But for the artist, risk has
always been a part of his day-to-day
life. Until now he has been bitten on
the arms several times.
Once, a crocodile bit his head.
Each time he has managed to get
out alive. But the risks associated
with his job have also brought
Khavak cherished moments and
friends. From a black scrapbook full
of memories, he takes out a picture
of him with actor Anthony Quinn.
He met the actor as a young man, in
1954. At that time they were both
working in the Cinnecita Studios in
Rome. Khavak was working on the
movie “La Cortigiane di Babilonia.“
“He always came to see the crocodiles
and we always went to see his
movies.“ But the picture was not
taken during the two artists’ youth;
it is a more recent one. It was taken
in 2000 when Quinn spent a day at
the circus with his family. “This is
one of the last pictures taken of him.
He died a year later,“ says Khavak.
Moments later, he recalls his relationship
with French actor Gerard
Depardieu, with whom he worked
on the movie “Asterix et Obelix contre
Cesar.“ They spent two months
together in a studio in Munich. Khavak
remembers the French actor was
terrified of the crocodiles. But eventually,
with his help, Depardieu managed
to shoot a scene in which, tied to
a rope, he jumped over a watery pit
swarming with crocodiles.
Each picture is for Khavak a fragment
of a life full of torment. So many
travels and so many years spent wandering
from one place to another
have taken their toll. However, the
thought of the fate of the animals that
depend on him so dearly convinces
the aging artist to go on stage and into
the spotlight every evening. His contract
with the Bucharest Globus
Circus will only last until March.
After that, not even he knows where
the road will take him... ∫