Celebrating Raghuvaran: A hero, villain, character artiste, all rolled into one

Gone too quickly: Raghuvaran was a quintessential artiste wedded to the craft. He knew the ability of dialogue and a well-placed pause. A documentary on him is on the playing cards.

Tall, good-looking, and with a voice excessive on bass, Raghuvaran was a stellar presence within the Tamil movies of the Eighties, Nineties, and up till his demise in 2008. Hailing from Kollengode in Kerala earlier than shifting base to Coimbatore and ultimately discovering his appearing chops within the Madras of the ‘80s, the lean actor did the entire spectrum of hero, villain, and character roles.

March 19 marked his seventeenth loss of life anniversary, a departure that left Kollywood poorer. Followers of a more moderen classic would recall his father function in Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), whereby his relationship dynamic with Dhanush had its moments of angst and affection.

A forte

Voice modulation has all the time been Raghuvaran’s energy. He was an actor who knew the ability of dialogue and a well-placed pause. It was an attribute he had in abundance even in his early foray into tinseltown. The best way he repeats “I do know, I do know” within the 1990 crime flick Puriyaadha Pudhir is the stuff of legend. A packed Shanti theatre on Mount Street broke into applause as his monologue reflecting anger, suspicion, and a tinge of unhappiness grew to become half of popular culture.

Discovering his groove in serials after which striding into celluloid, Raghuvaran had the display screen presence to lock horns with the most important of stars, be it Rajinikanth (Baasha) or Mammootty (Suryamanasam). Reducing throughout languages, Raghuvaran carved a fan-base and remained a favorite with administrators, bridging the class-commercial divide.

Accessible function

The delicate dad, grappling with a particular baby in Anjali, revealed a mushy core inside Raghuvaran. Mani Ratnam’s movie tugged at hearts and left eyes moist; it additionally confirmed its hero in contemporary gentle. When literature adopted a cinematic flavour, Raghuvaran was round to lend his would possibly to distinctive characters. Be it serials or perhaps a Malayalam movie, he might convert the creator’s imaginative and prescient into an accessible function.

Even within the meanest of villain roles, Raghuvaran discovered a tonality that rang true with the lots. His Chief Minister’s act in Shankar’s Mudhalvan was one other strong efficiency. One of many uncommon actors, spoken in the identical breath because the movie’s hero, Raghuvaran left in his prime, aged simply 49.

Cautionary story

An actor, who straddled the heights, and as a person shedding his approach in life, Raghuvaran paid the worth for his indulgences. He stays each an inspiration and a cautionary story. A documentary on him is on the playing cards and it’s a a lot wanted one. He was the quintessential artiste, wedded to the craft, consumed by its depth, and like some in that period, was a bit informal in nurturing his well being. On display screen, he was particular.