A special mention about Indian actor Raghuvaran,who passed away suddenly today.
I'm sure many fans of South Indian cinema,especially Tamil, would know Raghuvaran as the very talented villain+character actor.
Born in Palakkad,Kerala,on Dec 11 1958 (Its strange alot of internet sites have stated it as 1948!!)
He first started his acting career in 1982.
He captivated many of us with his own distinctive style & mannerisms
He had this slow,deliberate,drawling style of talking
In fact I don't remember him speaking or acting in any other style besides his own!
He wasn't the high action,flying & kicking in the air kinda villain actor
He seemed to always maintain an elegant,pondering demeanour.
No matter how evil his character was in a film,we couldn't help but be fascinated with this man.
Villain roles aside,
I particularly remember him playing the role of father
to a mentally challenged child in the touching film Anjali
He was also one of Superstar Rajnikanth's favourite actors
The moment we see Raghuvaran's name in the opening credits of a movie,
We know we're gonna be in for some real cool villain character acting
Even if the movie itself sucked,he would shine in his role.
That's the kind of appeal he had on the masses.
Without a doubt he was regarded as one of the most influential actors of all time.
Almost all the guys I know have attempted to imitate this late actor's style of speaking at some time or other.
It was only when I read the news online,did I find out that unfortunately he had a drinking problem as well as a drug habit which he was unable to kick.This has caused a separation between him & his actress wife,Rohini..who left him. Even though he had tried to reconcile with her,it was no use.
He was a loner with a bad addiction.
The darkness he portrayed on screen had somehow seeped into his own life.
I think its really very sad & tragic to have a life end in this way.
The Indian cinema industry has lost a great actor..Raghuvaran can never be replaced.
For me,personally,I feel very sad as he is one of the very few actors I have come to admire
Especially some of his famous dialogues are still fresh in my mind
It's certainly a shock as he had kept a low profile for some time & decided to make a comeback early this year
So with alot of fond memories & prayers,
May his soul rest in peace.
This is me,Patricia