Rustom Padilla's transformation to BB Gandanghari: A stunt to prolong his fame

I still remember when I was 11 when I had a calendar on the wall with pictures of celebrities under contract with Viva. Sharon Cuneta was the biggest star of Viva Films at that time. Next to her was Rustom Padilla, the younger brother of Robin Padilla. It would have been Robin Padilla but the Philippines' celebrated bad boy was spending his time in jail. 

Rustom Padilla was a big star during the 1990's. I still remember my titas giggling whenever they got a glimpse of Rustom.

Rustom and Carmina's love team at that time was very popular. Their beautiful looks which are eerily almost the same attributed their hit love team during the early to mid 1990's until their secret marriage.

Rustom was the male fantasy of the 90's aside from Aga Muhlach and Richard Gomez. They were the three leading men of that decade with Rustom the biggest matinee idol of Viva Films while Richard Gomez and Aga Muchlach alternated between Star Cinema and Regal Films. 

I was kinda showbiz at that time having grown up with titas who loved to watch TV's.

Rustom came through different situations-- from his secret marriage with Carmina to the sudden separation of the two, making it the biggest issue of 1998 in Pinoy showbiz. Korina Sanchez' Balitang K chronicled the story, with mostly Carmina airing out her grunts. 

The separation left rooms of speculation about Rustom's sexuality. I can't help but kinda liken Carmina's situation before with KC's. The good thing about KC is that she and Piolo Pascual are still not married.

There were years of speculation about Rustom's perceived orientation. However, using publicity and the role of sexy movies during the time of Erap in which most of the movies that came out were Titillating Films or TF, Rustom's rumor of sexuality eclipsed when he became a sexy actor in movies with straight roles.

I still remember how buff he was in the movie Yamashita's Treasure. It was when I saw Rustom in that movie that I started fantasizing him. He had mostly villain roles in movies and televisions. He became a bad boy, a reputation that almost all Padilla brothers held at that time from Robin to Royet.

His role as a criminal in one of the episodes of Home Along da Riles with Dolphy, in which he was all in tank top, made him dreamy. He became buffer that he looked like a bodybuilder. He became more hot and handsome.

I don't know any progress of Rustom during 2003 to 2005 until he came back from the US promoting beauty products. His appearance changed. He looked more like a metrosexual man and with a lisp. And then he went out from the spotlight again. Until his coming back to television with Pinoy Big Brother Celebrities did I see Rustom again in 2006.

PBB was the platform of Rustom to come out. It was dramatic but with the presence of Keanna Reeves, it added lightweight to a supposed heavy drama of coming out. 

Rustom was raised with good genes and good looks. You can see it with his older brother, Robin and his nephew Daniel Padilla. Why he transformed into a woman is his right. But I think his passion for acting and a waning celebrity limelight attributed to the transformation. He had to be popular again so he transformed into BB Gandanghari. That's what I think.

I can't say for other gays, but I would like to say that I was proud of Rustom when he came out. I hope he stayed the way the public knew about him, appearance-wise, as a matinee idol.

I still wanted to see a buff Rustom Padilla riding a galloping horse.  But the body of Rustom changed and molded into BB Gandanghari.

It would take time for people to get used to BB Gandanghari. As for me, it's painful to watch him, having succumbed to the stereotyping of gays in the Philippines show businesses.

I just hope that his transformation would be temporary and that Rustom Padilla would be back to his buff self. 

If BB Gandanghari said that Rustom is dead, I believe resurrection is possible. After all, the body is still there and alive and, as of the moment, a flamboyant figure.

 

**Images are not mine.