R.I.P Raghuvaran

It is not often that an actor like Raghuvaran comes by and captures the imagination of a generation of movie fans. He was a breath of fresh air: in a landscape that was dominated by stereotypes and in a time when exaggeration was the norm. He didn't have the wannabe-flamboyance of Kamal Hassan or the in-your-face antics of Rajinikanth. Nor did he belong to the old school of Sivaji Ganesan. He charted a new path called subtlety. Though most of us didn't understand what it was then, we were enchanted by this tall, lanky actor who for once appeared like a real person on the otherwise regressive Tamil screen.

Take for example, his role of a troubled father of a dying child in Manirathnam's Anjali. It was a stunning performance to say the least. However, he was better known for his villain roles. I choose not pick any but I can't help talk about Bhavani in Ram Gopal Verma's Shiva (Telugu). Raghuvaran was mind-blowing as the bad guy in it. He shed the baggage of generations of stereotypes and blazed new trails as a bad guy.

I remember watching him on TV as Madan interviewed him a few months (or a year back?) and as the interview was concluding something in me told me that Raghuvaran was not going to come back like I wanted him to. I hope he finds peace at least after he has crossed over to another world. Or maybe he was one of those that needed pain to thrive, hurt to survive, and misery to exult. Raghu, I pray that you find what you've been looking for, for far too long. May you rest, in peace or otherwise.

P.S. In a display of shoddy journalism, the media couldn't even get Raghuvaran's age right. Some say it is 49 and some 60. Sad!

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