Visu’s women-centric films were a big draw

Neeraja.Ramesh@timesgroup.com

23.03.2020

Family relationships were at the core of most films directed by Visu, who passed away in Chennai on Sunday at 74. When the end came, his large ‘family’, including his wife and three daughters and the film fraternity, plunged into gloom.

The veteran who strode the film industry and the world of drama for more than five decades was also a writer, stage artist, actor and talk-show host. His family-oriented, women-centric movies based on interpersonal relationships depicted with wry humour, particularly “Manal Kayiru” (1982), about a young man’s impossible conditions for getting married, and “Samsaram athu Minsaram” (1986), brought film buffs to the theatres in droves.

Everyone who knew Visu, whose brothers Kishmu who died a few years ago and Rajamani were also actors, remembers him as warm hearted. Actor Lakshmi, whose association with Visu dates to 1964, says she is suddenly feeling lonely. “We were like a family when we started off at Y G Parthasarathy’s drama troupe. I was an innocent girl who laughed even during serious scenes, thanks to Visu and Mouli making faces while I was performing. Mrs YGP blamed them for my errors and asked the boys to leave.”

“The cast of ‘Samsaram Athu Minsaram,’” she says, “was a dream team.” “The last scene, which is talked about till today, was achieved because I was given complete freedom. Afterwards, all appreciated except Visu. When asked why he did not say anything, he conveyed his emotions through tears...” Visu, she recalls, lived life on his terms. “Even death may have come after he felt enough is enough.”

S Ve Shekher, who collaborated with Visu in such classics as “Chidambara Ragasiyam,” “Manal Kayiru,” “Mr Bharath” and “Dowry Kalyanam,” says they were thick friends. “He was the first person to introduce my play in an outstation, in Bengaluru. I have acted in 20 films with him and all have been hits. A man of emotions, Visu and I bonded over excellent comic sense.”

Shekher said Visu was a large-hearted man. “He would give financial and emotional support to anybody who asked for help, and conducted at least 10 marriages every year for free.”

Actor-turned politician Khushbu Sundar, who did “Mannan” and “Va Magale Vaa” with him, says Visu valued time and money. “He knew how to make movies within a stipulated budget, with no frills attached. His scripts always spoke about women empowerment, a trend that he started many years ago.” He was way ahead of his times, she says, adding that the way he interacted with his colleagues was unforgettable. With his trademark “kuptiyada kanna”, Visu as host of “Arattai Arangam” got thousands glued to their television sets for more than an hour each Sunday, many cancelling important appointments. He always appreciated good work. Srinivasan Shivpprasadh, nephew of theatre legend R S Manohar, says Visu, after watching his ‘Dhronar,’, patted him saying he was fortunate after a long time to have watched a gripping stage drama.

1 July 1945 - 22 March 2020

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: (Top) A still from the movie ‘Samsaram Athu Minsaram’, (bottom) A scene from Rajinikanth’s ‘Mannan’