The demise of veteran actor and politician Vijayakanth has taken the Tamil film fraternity by grief. Although he has starred in over 100 films, for actor and director Thiyagarajan, the one film they did together, Nalla Naal (1984), gave him the friendship of a lifetime.
Still in a state of shock, Thiyagarajan shares, "I was relieved when Vijayakanth was discharged and taken home from the hospital a week ago. So, the news of his demise comes as a huge shock to me. We only did one film together, Nalla Naal, but we've travelled a lot together."
Recalling his kind personality, he continues, "I will always remember Vijayakanth for his helping tendency. He would not hesitate to admit the wards of his fellow film fraternity colleagues in his college. Sometimes, if they couldn't afford the fees, he would waive it off."
Thiyagarajan says that the title, Captain, was befitting the actor in more than one way. He explains, "He introduced many new talented directors into the film industry, and one such director, RK Selvamani, gave him Captain Prabhakaran. This film gave him the moniker, Captain, which is much-deserved and fitting for his leadership qualities."
While the Vaanathaipol actor was a great friend to Thiyagarajan, he was also a mentor to his son, Prashanth. "Selvamani did Sembaruthi with Prashanth after working with Vijayakanth. Captain watched the film, met Prashanth and gave him a lot of advice on many things. He was like a guide to Prashanth," he says further adding with a quiver in his voice, "It's a very big loss to the industry, and personally, I have lost a very good friend."
