But, two years hence, I think I adored Suresh Gopi. My first memorable film of his was Sasneham Sumitra in which he played the suspect husband. I watched it half in Cochin (while Bombay was being bombed 2 years ago) and was so stuck with his charecter that I looked around for the complete film. I simply had to watch it to the end. Strangely, I learnt later, that the particular film wasnt exactly his best. But in my mind, Suresh Gopi became a hero.
I havent watched many movies of his even after, save for the occasional Detective and some like that...dont think of me as fanaticaly obsessed hero-worshipper, I am not a fan of the hero, I wouldnt go out of my way to grab a DVD of his films and oogle over the muscled HERO.
But yes, if his films were a reflection of what he would be in real life, then hats off to him. He was a person I would have liked to meet.
My dear frind G Venugopal (yes, the singer!) on many occasions told me many nice things about his friend SG. That went a long way in appreciating SG's personality.
And then I met him. He thought I was a little crazy, for good reason. I was introduced to him as the one who had climbed Kilimanjaro all by msyelf and was crazy enough to take off on a trecherous trek into the Papua New Guine rainforests...
And then I had the good fortune of being his escort :-) Meaning, I got to drive him into the Dubai desert, yeah in my very own Jeep, hide him from the camera till he was ready to make the special appearence and yeah, generally be the escort-companion etc for the day!
Which brought me face to face with a special human being not seen on screen, a living breathing human, with love for the outdoors, books, cars...a person far removed from the fuming, angry, passionate officer on screen.
I dont know what it was about him, but right from the moment I spoke to him at the studio, I could only see him as a person. His celebrity status did not enter the scene, I never felt conscious in the presence of the man...it was like meeting a friend. I suppose he has matured to a stage where pretences dont matter anymore, that being a human, an approachable human matters more. Suresh was down to earth, humble and at the same time witty and intelligent. My Malayalam isnt what you can call Malayalam, but when we did try a conversation, he didnt laugh, I suppose, the fact that I made an effort to speak a language I didnt know much about was what mattered to him. Oh yes, even though I didnt get to belly dance in the camp, the time I spent with Suresh Gopi, getting lost looking for a petrol station to inflate our tyres, the very milky coffee at the petrol station, the munching of the potato chips, cookies, the easy conversation is something I will always remember.
He told me one important thing. Learn to say NO! He meant for the potato chips, of course, seeing that we were both dipping into the packet at alarming rate! I guess, that applies to more than just potato chips!!!
3 comments:
I haven't seen his film.The post brings out the personality of the actor and the person creditably.Generally film stars who gain name and fame along with riches lose their human touch partly because of the adulating crowds and their being lonely despite the crowd.Generally Malayalam and Bengali actors are grounded to earth unlike their counterparts in Kolly and Bolly wood.It is nice SG is a warm person besides his acting skill.
I have met one or two young movie stars here myself. Friends of my daughter who works with one of the major tv networks in the country. Amazingly, they were so unmoviestarish Lols! So simple, sweet, and unspoiled. Well-grounded in values. They could separate the reel from their real lives with this line ... 'it's just a job'. :-)
Nice piece you wrote.
Guess you should write more often.. Feels the words that are staright from the soul.
And when is the "Backpacker". I am sure it's not just a Travelogue but expressions of freedom and right. All the best..
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