A Case of Mistaken Identity

I cannot recall the number of times I have made a fool of myself by mistaking a stranger for an acquaintance or a celebrity. I would be walking by myself in a crowded mall where I would suddenly happen to have spotted my 'best friend'  or Shah Rukh Khan cruising along the corridor two floors above mine. Waving my hands frantically I would have tried to catch said person's attention, but somehow or the other, he would seem to have become blind and would 'ignore' me in entirety! 

In a furious rage and terribly worked up I would subsequently have marched over to him or her and began to holler at the top my gun- throated voice. When the object of my anger would eventually turn around the realisation of my mistake would dawn upon me, leaving me filled with shame and embarrassment. Stammering and stuttering a few 'ers', 'ums'  and 'uhs' I would have slipped away exceptionally red in the face, chagrined and humiliated beyond measure. 

Mistaken identity is a term that can be applied to genres far more wide ranging than people. Take for instance a situation where you're writing a mathematics examination and your stellar vision leads you to believe that the division sign on the question paper is, in reality, a 'plus'. Almost in a wink, you can kiss goodbye to  another four marks from your already rapidly declining total.

Then again, as a Carnatic music aficionado you are seated in the concert hall, listening to the artiste explore every nuance that a particular Raga has to offer. You try your best to identify said raga . After careful analysis you conclude that the musician is expounding the virtues of the famous bhairavi. You revel in the satisfaction of knowing that you're right only to have the smug smile wiped off your face by your neighboring when he tells you that you have mistaken mukhari for bhairavi. 

However, deceptive as the may seem, mistake identities need not necessarily be perceived in such negative light at all times. What happens when there is a deliberate attempt at impersonation? 

This is an oft- repeated theme in detective stories. The criminal masquerades about town in the guise of a well known public figure, perpetrates the worst of crimes and is unnoticed by almost everyone. Enter the private eye. Invariably bestowed with a sharp eye for precision, a single inconsistency in the most minute of details giving the game away in an attempt at impersonation or forgery. Speaking of which, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories about the singular adventures of Sherlock Holmes comes to mind. Entitled 'A case of identity', it is about a damsel is in distress when her fiancé deserts her at the altar and she approaches Holmes who subsequently solves the case. 

Ever since I was a child I have been a huge fan of disguises. A bulk of the books that I read and the movies I watched involved characters changing their physical appearances effortlessly before embarking upon a top-secret mission. You must be familiar with the exploits of The five find- outers, I presume? The brain children of Enid Blyton's imagination, the five find- outers are a mischievous troupe of boys and girls who make it their mission to get to the bottom of any and all mysterious goings- on in Peterswood, their village. Fatty, the leader of sorts, is a master of disguise. Now a vendor at the fair and then a an old lady baking cakes for the neighborhood, you could never say what he would do next and this made him delightful friend to have. How I longed to know him or have a friend even remotely similar to him! 

So which of the above identities it assumes best describes mistaken identity?