Following the demise of veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja, stalwarts from the film industry paid their respects to his mortal remains at his Chennai residence. Ilaiyaraaja, Rajinikanth, CM Vijay, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Seeman, Sivakumar, and Suriya are among others who paid their tributes.
Kamal Haasan is the latest to visit his residence, where he spoke about the demise of the actor-filmmaker. Kamal Haasan headlined Bharathiraja's debut film, 16 Vayathinile (1977), alongside Rajinikanth and Sridevi.
Addressing the press, Kamal Haasan said, "The gentleman is gone. But his friendship will continue, and his art will live on. I am not counting his loss; I am counting his profits. He was there, and he made films with me for which I am very grateful."
Kamal Haasan reunited with Bharathiraja for the latter's third directorial, Sigappu Rojakkal, in 1978. The psychological crime thriller was genre-breaking for the director, who was tagged a filmmaker with a rural focus after just two films. The two further worked together in Tik Tik Tik (1981) and Oru Kaidhiyin Diary (1985).
Some of Bharathiraja's other popular directorials include Kizhake Pogum Rail, Alaigal Oivathillai, Kaadhal Oviyam, and Mudhal Mariyathai, among others. On the directorial front, his most recent work is a segment from Modern Love Chennai, titled Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal.
In his career spanning half a century, the filmmaker was known for bringing a change to the way Tamil films were made. He took films out of studios and to rooted villages, with the protagonists also representing the rural population. His films often reminded one of the countryside, rich with greenery, fertile soil and petrichor. The filmmaker helmed nearly 40 films, earning the title 'Iyakkunar Immayam' through the years.
