“Actor Thilakan broke new ground as a rebel in life and acting,” Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V.S. Achuthanandan has said.
Thilakan was a committed actor who introduced his audience to the immense possibilities of character portrays in films. A rebel with steely resolve since his college days, he never failed to speak his mind before anyone. He refused to stoop before the glitz and glamour of popular cine stars and not many can claim to have the kind of uprightness and integrity that he embodied, said Mr. Achuthanandan at the second Thilakan Foundation Award function.
Thilakan was well aware of the toils he would have to suffer for his unrelenting stances, but he never deviated from the path of honesty he chose to tread. His hard work refined the immensely talented actor in him, said Mr. Achuthanandan.
Poet, lyricist, cine producer and director Sreekumaran Thampi received the award from Mr. Achuthanandan. Musician M.K. Arjunan was honoured at the event.
Earlier, film director Vinayan, president of the foundation who has been waging a lone battle against the iron fist of cine workers and artists associations, termed as unfortunate the absence of any senior artistes and directors from the function held in memory of the great artiste.
“Many of them who sincerely wanted to come were hesitant fearing boycott by these associations. Only Liberty Basheer and Siyad Koker have come to attend the event today. Organisations should work towards fostering art, instead of spending all their energies to proscribe artistes and technicians,” he said.
Vinayan accused an articulate office bearer of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) of playing a role in ousting Thilakan from a Hollywood production directed by an entrepreneur. “The same director, the leader of the union, is now an employee of the maker of that Hollywood film. Can he be expected to protect the interests of cine workers or those of his employer,” he asked, and said the Malayalam film world functioned like a mafia.
