Go well, Bharathiraja sir: Ponvannan’s heartfelt tribute to ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’

I had been observing the diminution successful his [Bharathiraja’s] wellness up adjacent for implicit a year. I couldn’t assistance but deliberation of the times erstwhile helium was afloat of vigor and authority. At the aforesaid time, it was rather depressing to spot him successful pain. To ticker a antheral who utilized to speech successful that majestic dependable of his, speech with pain...

So, erstwhile quality of his passing reached me, I wasn’t flooded by sadness; I was much relieved that helium was yet escaped from pain. I felt somewhat astatine ease, it was arsenic though I was the 1 who was freed from pain. Ever since it dawned connected maine that helium is nary more, the galore memories I shared with him person been playing successful my caput similar a movie, peculiarly erstwhile I americium successful solitude. Memories that were buried deep, ones I whitethorn different ne'er recollect, support surfacing.

I didn’t participate the cinema manufacture to go an histrion oregon director. I was a painter, and I wanted to go a banner artist. When I couldn’t prolong successful the field, I began to pat into different skill: writing. It was my travel to go a writer that yet brought maine to Bharathiraja sir. While moving connected sets, I became friends with an creation manager named Devadas, who had been moving successful his films. It was Devadas who told Bharathiraja sir astir this young lad who paints good and works sincerely. That’s however I met him. He past saw the enactment I had done, and connected the precise archetypal meeting, asked maine to enactment nether him arsenic an adjunct director. My enslaved with Bharathiraja sir started then. And beingness talented maine the accidental to stock a idiosyncratic enslaved with him implicit the years.

After inducting maine arsenic his assistant, helium besides promoted maine to constitute dialogues for a fewer of his films. In fact, aft I failed arsenic a director, helium gave maine a caller lease of beingness arsenic an histrion successful Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu. It was I who asked him for that opportunity, telling him I needed thing to prolong myself financially. And to this day, it is acting that sustains my life. I won’t accidental helium gave maine that accidental due to the fact that I was a talented actor; helium had large affection for me, and was dejected that idiosyncratic helium thought would go a palmy filmmaker failed. If I americium capable to marque a surviving arsenic as histrion today, it is due to the fact that Director understood my concern and helped me. For arsenic agelong arsenic I americium alive, I volition beryllium grateful for that.

Acting successful Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu was an absorbing experience. As dialog writer and adjunct director, I knew each country successful the script, the benignant of show that was needed successful each scene, and truthful on. I played a home helper who was precise sincere and loyal to his master. In the story, the maestro would misbehave with this man’s wife, aft which the home helper would drawback a sickle to termination his master. He would beryllium seething, but astatine the aforesaid time, his loyalty would halt him. In that authorities of mind, helium would driblet the sickle to the crushed and talk a line. This was the archetypal country helium changeable for the character, and what amazed maine was that helium didn’t explicate the show helium wanted from maine — thing helium would bash to each caller faces erstwhile they are astir to perform.

In fact, helium liked my show truthful overmuch that helium wanted to sprout much close-ups. That country gave maine a batch of designation arsenic an histrion and was the lone clip helium appreciated maine for my acting. I wouldn’t accidental helium corrected maine oregon moulded maine arsenic an actor; helium would judge my show oregon connection a fewer changes present and there. He trusted me, possibly due to the fact that I was already an subordinate director.

Then came Karuththama. I played a brutish character, who, erstwhile angered, would interruption things and propulsion radical around. In 1 scene, this quality is retired of jailhouse and attacks his begetter (Janagaraj) with a chair. We brought an aged seat from the municipality for the shoot, and erstwhile I swung it astatine Janagaraj, it broke into pieces. That frightened everyone, including the Director, and created an representation successful the portion that I was truthful superior arsenic an histrion that I would adjacent interruption chairs for the part.

In a aboriginal country with Saranya (who is present my wife), my quality was expected to propulsion a stone astatine her, and she had to dodge it. We had to clip it perfectly since it was each successful a azygous shot. Since I had gained this reputation, everyone was frightened that I mightiness really termination her! So erstwhile we finished the shot, they each clapped. I inactive don’t cognize whether it was for my show oregon due to the fact that this pistillate escaped with her beingness (laughs).

Bharathiraja was a chaotic plant, idiosyncratic who grew roots by himself to instrumentality sustenance and sprout branches. That works moulded itself, and it wouldn’t fto anyone other mould it. He was stubborn, and portion helium gained a batch owed to this quality, helium besides mislaid a lot.

However, helium kept tabs connected his victories and losses and was ever of the sentiment that helium won much than helium lost. He was stubborn adjacent erstwhile it came to thing similar choosing a location. We would person travel crossed a beauteous spot that was accessible, but helium would prime a antithetic determination that was unsmooth oregon raw. He would opt for the latter, adjacent if it outgo a batch to entree the spot.

He would chop disconnected a beauteous country successful the editing country if helium felt it wasn’t right. We would reason with him, but helium would support himself, stating it was helium who changeable it successful the archetypal place. He was idiosyncratic who lone followed his intuition. Because I understood this precise early, it became overmuch easier to question with him. That, successful turn, made him similar maine much — I became idiosyncratic who would connection what helium had successful mind, alternatively than bringing my ain ideas to the mix.

I had 1 of my astir memorable conversations with him portion making Nadodi Thendral. We had primitively decided to marque it a play film. I had adjacent introduced acclaimed Malayalam creation manager J Krishnamoorthy to Director. I wanted this movie to beryllium precise artistic, and it had the imaginable to go a unsocial movie successful his career. Imagine Lagaan meeting Madrasapattinam, but successful Bharathiraja’s style. Because I was already the writer, I researched galore novels to recognize the atmosphere, costumes and sets. I worked hard, and we were going afloat steam ahead. Suddenly, Bharathiraja sir said we should driblet each grandeur and conscionable marque it a emotion story.

I was disappointed, and fought with him. Filmmakers similar Mani Ratnam, Shankar, RK Selvamani, and Aabavanan were making expansive films. I told him, ‘Sir, cinema is taking an all-new dimension. Let maine enactment hard for you and bring successful each the technicians needed. Let’s marque this arsenic economically arsenic possible.’ I adjacent referenced Shyam Benegal’s films. But the infinitesimal the songs came in, helium fixated connected making it a emotion story. That’s what the movie ended up becoming. To this day, I consciousness disappointed that we missed retired connected making what could person go 1 of the astir important films of his career.

Of each the films by Bharathiraja sir, I similar Kizhakke Pogum Rail the most. It had the soundlessness that I person often observed successful Mahendran sir’s films. After that film, a consciousness of melodrama gradually seeped into the performances of Bharathiraja sir’s actors. Even 16 Vayathinile had established actors, but Kizhakke Pogum Rail had an all-new formed who delivered subtle performances. He adjacent changed his editing signifier aft that film. It was lone during Muthal Mariyathai that helium revisited that editing pattern, that soundlessness successful the frames, and the benignant of acting.

His look ever had a definite rugged look whenever I met him. I person besides seen him laughter a lot, behave playfully. But yesterday, erstwhile I saw his mortal remains, determination were nary expressions connected his face. I had ne'er seen him similar that. It was similar a cleanable slate. I imagined him calling me, ‘Vaa da Shanmugam’, and subconsciously, I had a full speech with him close there.

I told him, ‘You person lived a afloat life, sir. Go well.” Ours was a enslaved that had love, anger, happiness, and respect. There were times erstwhile I would spell for months without speaking to him retired of spite. He would past inquire idiosyncratic to telephone me. He adjacent saw a fewer marital prospects for me. He liked that I utilized to work a lot, and I fondly retrieve however I utilized to instrumentality books from his library. He knew that. One day, erstwhile helium came home, helium looked astatine my room and said with a childish grin, ‘All these are my books!’

We travel crossed galore radical successful our lives. But not each of them would go arsenic important arsenic our parents oregon siblings. Bharathiraja sir was an integral portion of my life. His memories volition enactment with maine for arsenic agelong arsenic I live.

(As told to Bhuvanesh Chandar)