This exhilarating two-part film (āSoldier Ivan Brovkinā and āIvan Brovkin on the State Farmā) presented to the country a new national hero ā kind, modest, charming andā¦ neāer-do-well. That āneāer-do-well-nessā proved āKharitonovās special key to audiencesā heartsā. Following Brovkinās appearance on the screen, Kharitonov had become a star of the national cinema, an idol for millions of people. His incredible popularity may be compared to that of another national hero ā the worldās first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. And not surprisingly, it was Kharitonov who made a cameo appearance going up the festival stairs and followed with the adoring eyes of the heroines in V. Menshovās Oscar-winning melodrama āMoscow Does Not Believe in Tearsā.
