Actor, director and producer ‘Bharat’ Gopi who passed away recently was a brilliant performer who had a long innings in Malayalam cinema and impressed one and all with his versatility enacting a wide range of roles investing each of them with his stamp of class. Gopi who was attracted to theatre in his teens first appeared on the big screen in a minuscule role in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s debut film Swayamwaram.

Later he graduated to playing a mil-fledged hero in the same director’s Kodiyettam in 1977 which won him the National award for Best Actor then called the ‘Bharat’ award. This earned him the sobriquet ‘Bharat’ Gopi which was how the film fraternity always referred to him. Gopi earned laurels for his effortless characterisation of complex roles and almost all the leading directors of the time signed him on for their films. Gopi essayed the role of the main protagonist in a number of films directed by K G George— Yavanika, Aadaminte Variyellu, Panchavadi Paalam, Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback, Bharathan’s Ormaikkayee, Sandhya Mayangum Neram, Kattethe Kilikoodu, Padmarajan’s Peruvazhiyambalam, Aravindan’s Chidambaram, Thambu, K P Kumaran’s Neram Pularumbol, Aakasa Gopuram.

Few can forget his brilliant portrayal of a militant trade union leader in the Hindi film Aaghat directed by Govind Nihalani were he matched seasoned actors Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri stride for stride.

Gopi was one of the main architects of the renaissance in Malayalam cinema in the seventies and early eighties and his performance in films like Ormaikkayee where he played a deaf mute opposite the vivacious Madhavi, Sandhya Mayangum Neram a retired judge who turns avenging angel, Kattathe Kilikoodu a professor smitten by a young ward (this film won him the Special Jury Award for Best Actor in the Asia-Pacific Festival held in Tokyo), a cuckold in Chidambaram where the late Smita Patil played the female lead all won him critical acclaim and also a legion of fans. Gopi also won the Kerala State Award four times for various films.

Gopi also had a retrospective of five of his films at the Paris Film Festival, a honour reserved until then for Naseer, Om Puri and Smita Patil among others.

Sad ending
Gopi’s acting career suffered a severe setback when a paralytic stroke laid him low and he had to spend years away from the arc lights, recuperating. He re-emerged as a director and directed films including Yamanam, Utsavapittenu, Maatoli, Ende Hrithathude Udama and Padheyam (which he produced).

Patheyam also won a Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards. Gopi also tried his hand at writing and his account of his experiences on celluloid titled ' Abhinayamum Anubhavamum' won him the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema.

Gopi had resumed his acting career and was playing a pivotal role in Balachandra Menon’s De Ingottu Nokkiye during the shooting of which he took ill and died. A career that zoomed to great highs and then plummeted not due to being rejected either by audiences or by film makers but owing to health-related problems Gopi had achieved everything an actor could aspire for: name and fame, national and international recognition. A simple and unassuming personality. Gopi believed in underplaying his characters without letting even a trace of exaggeration cloud his portrayals.

After the inimitable Sathyan who was a natural before the camera and could convey myriad emotions with just a twitch of his eyebrows it was Gopi who emoted with consummate ease and artistry. Artistes like him might pass from our midst but the rich legacy that he has left behind in the form of his films will ensure his place in the pantheon of the all time greats of Indian cinema.