Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Gopi

Every great actor carries a little bit of himself into the role he plays. Al Pacino, for all his skills, can still be spotted as Pacino in most of his movies. Ditto Robert de Niro, ditto Naseeruddin Shah, Nicholson, et al. Only the greatest really become the character they play in the film. You never know what they are like in real life, for the minute they step into another role, you forget the previous one. To me, Brando is an example. Om Puri is another.

Gopi is a third. And Gopi died today.



The moron from Kodiyettam is as far removed from the moronic politician of Panchavadi Paalam as the despicable tabalist of Yavanika is from the psychopath of Sandhya Mayangum Neram. The professor from Kaathathe Kilikkoodu. The mute sculptor from Ormakkayi. The anguished writer from Rachana. The father from Ente Mamattikuttiyammakku. The wanted terrorist from Marmaram. Christ, was there a better actor in Malayalam films?

Ever?
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7 comments:

  1. birdonthewireJanuary 29, 2008 at 9:23 AM

    I just read Shoba Warrier's eulogy on rediff, and I was so sure you would have one here!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. mmkJanuary 29, 2008 at 11:33 AM

    My reading on rediff is spotty and I would have been annoyed with myself if I had not known.

    I detested him as a kid, but only later did I realize how good he was for him to evoke those emotions so well.


    Sigh. By the time you get aware enough to enjoy something it moves on (viz stroke...)

    ReplyDelete
  3. mujibJanuary 29, 2008 at 10:38 PM

    Well said.

    ReplyDelete
  4. quizlingJanuary 30, 2008 at 4:28 AM

    Sad. He was a guest on a music program on Surya TV just a month ago, and was talking about how lucky he was to be still in action two decades after a stroke that left him paralysed for many years.

    Today's Times of India had a small one-paragraph obit buried in one of the inside pages, which was how I came to know. It wasn't accorded a fraction of the splash given to Britney Spears' latest escapade, but I'm thankful they covered it at all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. patrodzJanuary 30, 2008 at 6:06 AM

    :-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. oolanJanuary 30, 2008 at 4:19 PM

    I'm sad too. :(

    ReplyDelete
  7. jayasankarvsJanuary 30, 2008 at 9:43 PM

    Malayalam? The man was the best in Indian cinema.

    ReplyDelete

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