Sachi was like a movie where every moment was filled with excitement. He knew the timing and heartbeat of the Malayalees. There are a lot of orphans, like a fruit that is shocked before it begins to sweeten, when fate suddenly says ‘cut’ to that life.
Sachi was on a journey from heights to heights. Although most of the films he has been a part of have made Kotakas a festival, he firmly believes that this is not his film. Having memorized the grammar of cinema where art and commerce meet, Sachi renewed himself in every film. From the first film Chocolate, the last film Ayyappan also comes to Koshi, that change will be evident.
At the National Awards, Malayalam cinema once again stood tall in the country, with Sachi at the helm. A dream moment for any director in India. Some are here with suppressed sobs amid the clamor of achievement. Sachi’s wife CG and sister Sajitha Radha. Just by mentioning the name Sachi, the courtyard of this house will be filled with flowers.
CG Sachi
A time when letters were added
Memories of his brother started pouring down from Sajita like a dark cloud and a torrent of rain…
Our home was Kodungallur. Cheraman will come near the Masjid. We were four children. There were two brothers. He was the youngest. We are less than two years apart. Being the youngest child in the house, he doesn’t get much affection. Reading is the main pastime of childhood. It was a habit passed down from my father. During high school, my father left us all alone. With that, the house was shaken. Life went on with the hard work of my brothers and the courage of my mother. Even Onam became colourless. Our happiness was the books that our brothers brought home and books that we picked up from the surrounding libraries. We eagerly read everything we could find. We pored over the letters together, sharing what we had read and looking for what we hadn’t read.
He used to write poetry right from his school days. Many gifts have also been bought. During my college days, I wrote in magazines etc. He used to write poems even when he was wearing a gown as a lawyer and when he was writing a pen for films. But it was not published. Writing just came naturally to him. I scoured all his tables and seats to read the writings. And he began to keep all that he had written down. A few days before his death, he said that he would publish a selection of his poems. But soon he left. A good percentage of the preserved poems were lost. However, all the rest were stitched together and released as a compilation titled ‘Aatmasamvadath Sishtam’.
Sachi’s sister Sajitha Radha
There are many untold stories…
I was also there when I started writing for the film. I will share the story as soon as it comes to mind. Scripts will be read out. He had more stories in his mind than he wrote. But the truth is that most of the films he was a part of were not in the films he had in mind. I used to talk openly with him. But he owed it to whoever was paying for the film. He was an idealist that he should make films for his own satisfaction and not with other people’s money.
I also lost a good friend who used to come into the house every midnight to knock on the door and recite poetry out loud. When I read the love story between Kanchanamala and Moiteen many years ago, I said that this can be made into a film. He also liked it a lot. The attempt was abandoned when he learned that another film was coming out on the subject.
I did not speak well of any of his films knowing the depth of his life. ‘Ayyappanum Koshiu’ is the only movie that satisfied both of us. I was told that even better things were to come. He had in mind a film that could interact with people from all over the world. It was a medieval story. Amidst all this, he falls ill.
‘Ayyappan and Koshy’ with Sachi Prithviraj on location
If there were retakes in life…
A hip sprain while training under a gym trainer turns his life upside down. Excruciating pain gripped. Even after treatment, the pain persisted. Meet the best Ortho Surgeons in Kerala. Went to Ayurvedic retreat centers all over Kerala. But no significant change was seen. Couldn’t even walk. Lost sleep. He bit the pains. His passion for cinema kept him going. Finally decided to do surgery. He was in between
Gone… There are no retakes in life. If not, I could go back and correct some things. He would have been there. The bus was on its way when I heard about the National Award. Unknowingly I cried – Sajitha said with a smile.
Everything was love
Sachi means love to CG. Love matched with own name and life…
“We never studied together
Not the same age
Not neighbors
of work done
The character is also different
Still, how can we…”
These are the words Sachi wrote for me. I still don’t know what the invisible thread is that keeps me and Sachi together. We met 11 years ago. Acquaintance became friendship. Later realized it was love. Lived together without conditions. He spoke openly. burst out laughing. Support each other in pain. Sachi’s language was love. Love was all there was to see. Somewhere in life we started to recover the lost colors. Add them together to make rainbows. joined by intense passion. Watched movies together.
It was never the movies that brought us together. The truth is that I will not watch the movie. Many circumstances in life took them away from all of them. The same is true of reading. He does not read any novel or other literary forms. Will read some science or history. I am someone who looks at life only practically. Sachi didn’t care that I didn’t watch the movie. I have even said that I like the movie because I don’t watch it. Still haven’t seen a good role in Sachi’s films. However, after starting to live together, I noticed many things. She started sharing comments and corrections with me as if she were asking her sister. Prithvi’s character was written to die in the movie ‘Anarkali’. Later it was rewritten after listening to my opinion that it should be good luck.
A movie born in pain
I have been living in Abu Dhabi since I was 23 years old. Worked in many companies. He was running a logistics company. Meanwhile, Sachi’s illness worsens. With that he came home. Ayyappan and Koshi were shooting when Sachiya. The bone-piercing pain had frustrated Sachi. The walk with the crutch brought tears to the eyes of all who saw it. Often it even seemed that the picture could not be completed. Despite the pains, there was no compromise in the quality of the film. Sachi always wanted my presence. I also decided to put everything aside and live with Sachi for the rest of my life. It was then that the gods got married in the temple.
Like the rain
The last days are still in mind as a stretch. It was the language of love between us even in the cold of the ICU with the hot smell of death. Sachi was last seen on June 15, 2020, the day after the second surgery. Those were the moments I wanted to be with. But the nurse sternly told him to come out. He came out after kissing the forehead of Sachi, who was lying in the smell of medicine. Didn’t know it was the last kiss. That night Sachi’s health unexpectedly deteriorated. He was gone by the time he ran. He left me and many people he loved in a flood of memories. It took time to get back to reality. Many people know who Sachi was only after his death.
The dream of going together to receive the National Award from the hands of the President was shared several times. Sachi assured that the world will know Nanchiamma through the film. He burst into tears when the name of the best director was announced at the National Awards. I want to go to Delhi with Sachi’s beloved sister. Gotta take it for Sachi,” CG finished, unmoved by the flood of memories.
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