Memories about the 1970s when filmmakers, technicians, and creative people from different realms of art and culture believed firmly in solidarity and hand-holding filled Kalabhavan Theatre here on Wednesday evening as filmmaker K.R. Mohanan’s friends and admirers gathered to remember him.
Mohanan, many of the speakers at the commemoration meeting said, was an embodiment of selflessness. He was always supportive of his fellow filmmakers and viewed others’ work with great enthusiasm.
“I feel sad that many prominent filmmakers younger to me are no longer around,” said K.P. Kumaran as he recalled his long association with Mohanan, who died on Sunday. To film editor Beena Paul Venugopal, ‘Mohanettan’ represented a vibrant activist spirit. His death at a time when the activist spirit was once again in evidence was a big loss, she said.
Milestones
To filmmaker T.V. Chandran, his three feature films Ashwathamaavu , Purushartham, and Swaroopam , are easily important milestones in Malayalam cinema and, in that sense, nobody could replace him.
Veteran journalist and documentary-maker Neelan said his generation was fortunate to have lived amidst a bunch of filmmakers like Mohanan who were imbued with rare enthusiasm and concern for society. Filmmaker Rajiv Nath said that Mohanan was like a brother to him.
