Friends, relatives and admirers gathered on Sunday evening to pay tribute to Adoor Bhasi, who played the roles of a comedian, theatre artist, dramatist, journalist, poet, singer and director with élan. However, most of the guests remembered him as a humanist who had the uncanny ability to transform any acquaintance to a lifelong relationship.
His younger brother Padmanabhan Nair, journalist, remembered him as a man who gave everything he had to Malayalam cinema, but who never understood the industry well. He was a tragic figure who made generations laugh,but died a lonely man, premature.
His long time friend, actor Madhu remembered Bhasi as an actor who was under utilised by the film industry. “In most films, Bhasi donned a comedian’s role. He himself is responsible for this to some extent as he liked to entertain people. But I knew him from my Thiruvananthapuram days when he was known for his serious roles in dozens dramas enacted at that time,” he said.
When Madhu decided to direct a movie it was Bhasi who donned the hero’s role. And the move was a big hit. Sreelatha, who had paired with Bhasi in more than a hundred movies said that they were subjected to a lot of gossip during their time.
“It was only natural that people talk about when we are paired time and again. But it does not mean that we must get married on account of that,” she said.
Sreekumaran Thampi, film maker, Thomas Jacob, editorial director, Malayala Manorama also spoke.
K.R. Meera, novelist, led the discussion and anchored the function.
The occasion was the release of the book on the life of Adoor Bhasi written by his younger brother and journalist Padmanabhan Nair. A photo exhibition of the life of Adoor Bhasi, a musical programme based on the songs from his movies and an audio visual presentation on his life were also presented on the occasion.
