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In
fond remembrance of the departed |
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How will Kollywood remember 2008?
Not too fondly. Of course, there have
been good movies, big victories and
some very special moments to carry
forward to the year that approaches.
But as 2008 draws to a close, the
mood in Kollywood is a bit sombre,
it has been a year of losses, not
just financial. There have been big
failures at the box office this year
and even the strong and mighty production
houses have felt the bite of these
failures, stars have failed to live
up to their promise; the going has
not been smooth. But it is not these
failures that rankle the mind, such
things are common in cinema. It is
the demise of many loved and revered
figures that has cast a shadow over
the film fraternity. 2008 has been
a year of heavy losses, the emptiness
of which will be felt for quite some
time to come.
Many of his readers are still to come
to terms with the fact that Sujatha
is no more. One of the greatest contemporary
writers in Tamil, seldom has anyone
been able to capture the imagination
of Tamil readers in the way he did,
especially with the genres that he
handled. He was a path breaker in
many ways, introducing sci-fi to Tamil
literature. His contribution to Tamil
cinema is secondary to what he did
in literature, but the selective work
that he did for films has the touch
of class that fans had come to associate
with Sujatha over the years. To think
that his loss has affected only Endhiran
would be myopic, because in Sujatha
Tamil cinema and more importantly
the Tamil language lost one of its
finest exponents. We will also remember
Stella Bruce in the same breath as
Sujatha. He was another literary figure
who left a lasting impact on anyone
who read his works and there might
be only very few Tamil lovers who
have not experienced Stella Bruce’s
wizardry with the language. His loss
too will be one that will hurt Tamil
literature and cinema in the coming
years. |
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It was with great shock that the news
of M.N. Nambiar’s death was
received by the Tamil cinema fraternity.
He was perhaps the most senior figure
of Tamil cinema when he passed away
and few commanded respect and admiration
the way he did. A man who had set
alight the silver screen with his
persona for decades, as the scheming
and cruel villain of many M.G.R films,
he was maybe the last prominent identifiable
member of the generation that was
contemporary to the halcyon days of
Puratchi Thalaivar. Men like Nambiar,
who are hated on screen for being
the villain and loved off it for being
a wonderful human being are rare and
one wonders whether men like him are
made any more. It was equally shocking
to hear about Raghuvaran’s demise.
Perhaps the most understated villain
of Tamil cinema, he was the director’s
dream. Every director wanted to work
with the man who could so effortlessly
transfer any emotion on to screen.
Character actor par excellence, Tamil
cinema needed him to be around for
a much longer time because actors
like him come once in a generation
and it is hard to find replacements
for Raghuvaran. Poornam Vishwanathan’s
loss too was equally painful. Much
liked for his emotional portrayals
in movies like Mahanadi, there are
few actors who can put so much depth
into the feelings on screen. Also
known for being the man who announced
to Tamil Nadu (through radio) that
India was independent, Poornam Vishwanathan
will always be remembered fondly.
Director Sridhar’s place in
the history of Tamil cinema league
of greats should be undeniable. A
man who has made movies like Kadhalikka
Neramillai and many more memorable
films will never be forgotten. The
present generation might not be able
to grasp the magnitude of the contribution
that the director has made but those
who had lived in that golden era will
surely know how great the loss of
Sridhar is. Then, there was the unfortunate
loss of Gokulakrishnan, long time
associate of Fazil, who will be deeply
missed. The death of John Amrithraj,
the man who gave us the unforgettable
‘Raghuthatha’ comedy;
in fact he has given us much more,
too was a great loss. The legendary
violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan will
be an irreplaceable loss to the Tamil
music field. Sobhan Babu, the Telugu
legend of the 70s and 80s too passed
away this year.
But the most shocking looses in 2008
were AVM Rajeshwari and Basavaraj.
AVM Rajeshwari, the mother of the
AVM family, the torch bearers of Tamil
cinema for decades, her loss left
a deep impact throughout the film
fraternity.
Finally Basavaraj, he was not part
of the film industry, yet his loss
shook Kollywood. Prabhudeva’s
young son dying of cancer was something
that sent a wave of grief throughout
the industry. It took the smile away
from Prabhudeva’s radiant face.
In the closing weeks of 2008 we fondly
remember all these dear personalities
whom we have lost. We also pray that
2009 be a good year, devoid of the
shadow of death that cast grief so
often in Kollywood this year.
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