68th National Film Awards: Collaborators pay tribute to Sachy after his win for Ayyappanum Koshiyum

Anyone who adored filmmaker Sachy cannot help but feel a lump in their throat after hearing his name announced as Best Director (for his last film Ayyappanum Koshiyum) in this year's list of National Award winners. One part of us is delighted at the posthumous honour; the other badly wishes he were alive to witness all the well-deserved accolades coming his way. One of the few Malayalam filmmakers gifted with the ability to look at familiar narratives through fresh perspectives while staying within the confines of mainstream filmmaking, the lawyer-turned-filmmaker understood that cinema is a collective effort. He understood that each member of a film has contributed to its success. He had a strong understanding of human nature, which was evident in the best of his works.

Ayyappanum Koshiyum composer Jakes Bejoy is grateful to Sachy for giving him a project that the former considers his "benchmark" project. "I don't think I've been able to top my work in that," he says. "I'm lucky to have worked with him. The fact that he is not here to receive his national award makes us all emotional. How incredible it is to be nationally recognised for not just Sachy's work but also Nanjiyamma's! While picking Nanjiyama for the song, I never thought we would get recognised like this."

Cinematographer Sujith Vaassudev, who worked on Sachy's directorial debut Anarkali, remembers Sachy as someone who treated everyone like a brother. Like Jakes, he too is overwhelmed by emotions but is glad that his work is recognised on a national level. "He was a guy who wished the best for everyone. He used to share his dreams with all of us. Nobody who met Sachy would say that he was not like their brother. All of us who were part of his circle prefer to believe that he is still with us. In fact, we talked about him even yesterday. Sometimes while discussing a film, we would ask each other, 'How would have Sachy envisioned this film?'