Pratap Pothen: The man whom cinema loved

CHENNAI: Noted actor-director Pratap Pothen (70), widely considered as one of the first proponents of hippie style as a counterculture in Malayalam cinema, died in his sleep at his flat in Chennai on Friday morning. Back in 1980, he played the arrogant and short-tempered director named Prathap in Kamal Haasan’s Varumayin Niram Sivappu to perfection.

The character, who controls his temper by punching himself on his chin, quickly became his signature mannerism. Fast forward to 2009, he was the same menacing, short-tempered man in Padikaadhavan in which he played Dhanush’s father. A fine all-rounder, Pratap Pothen’s directing skills were on a par with his writing and acting, taking him to a league of his own.

Alongside Balu Mahendra and Mani Ratnam, he set the bar high for Tamil and Malayalam films with gems like Moodupani, Meendum Oru Kadhai and Ritubhedam. When we met him last year while he was shooting for a Bharath-Vani Bhojan film, he was only happy about how cinema has evolved over the years. He was particularly happy about the new-generation directors’ way of thinking.

A menacing villain in Thedinen Vandhadhu, a die-hard romantic in Moodupani who sings En Iniya Pon Nilaave has become a cult classic song to the strict father in Padikaadhavan, Prathap has done it all. He loved cinema unconditionally and cinema loved him back. Haasan was among those who paid homage to the deceased actor. Meanwhile, political leaders including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Assembly Speaker M B Rajesh and state ministers condoled the demise of the actor-director.