Kottayam – Innocent was a big smile. His words, which are covered with laughter, are accompanied by thoughts. In 2012, when Innocent came to the city of Kottayam to inaugurate the renovated branches of the South Indian Bank in the district, the smiling moments of Innocent have not been forgotten. Laughter erupted from one end when the ‘matter’ of inviting Innocent to the inauguration was explained in the chairman’s speech. ‘We had decided that the inaugural should be a person who sat and studied well in each class for three years. That is the reason for inviting Innocent.’
But when the speech started, Innocent answered this. ‘I stopped studying in class 8 because I was sure that I had learned everything. SSLC and degrees are being studied by people who have not studied anything yet. But wasn’t calling me here to embarrass me now? This is my habit. Called and shamed everywhere. I don’t have a big problem because I don’t have any shame.’ In the meantime, the reaction to the enthusiastic shouts of the students from the school buses that passed by was as follows: ‘These are the people who paid money to bring them down from the country. Don’t you think I have fans too..?’
Innachan, who did not make the movie ‘funny’
Chetan (Innocent) who spoke Thrissur and I who spoke Kottayam were close friends for 20 years. ‘What are we saying? You Kottayam people are saying things like that, what is it? Our language has love, your language is all arrogance.’ Innachan makes fun of me whenever he sees me. He used to call whenever he reached Kottayam. The talk is only in jest. But cinema was never funny to him. Chetan watched the movie very seriously. He had a clear understanding of the story and the part to be shot.
He made everyone around him laugh throughout the shooting set. The second part of Chattakari was shot in Ooty during one season. When the night got cold, he joked till the end of the shoot by saying in his own style, ‘You haven’t found any other place to shoot the film, have you?’ He was a caring man for his companions. Do not spend any money you get unnecessarily. He was constantly reminded to keep everything. That loss is a great loss.
If with, it is arena
The friendship started in 1973. The relationship started before both of us came to the cinema. Even after I left the film, the closeness continued. Many times he came to our house in Pala. I am at his house. Alice and Innachan never sent me away without eating. He has acted in my films Kushikkat and Mannar Mathai Speaking. Both films were successful. When asked about education, Innachan’s regular reply was ‘I am not interested in education, I do not believe in it’.
He and I both like volleyball. (And politics too!). When I was doing my undergraduate studies at Christ College, Iringalakuda, he used to come to the college in the evenings to watch volleyball practice. When I failed in the first election, he started the conversation by saying, ‘Kappan knows that he has no hesitation in losing just because he is playing ball.’
Later, when he won, the first person he called was today. Even when he was running for election, he called me and invited me to campaign. After becoming an MP, he took me with him when he was going to Delhi. We flew to Delhi together many times. We have traveled together before. If Innachan was with him, it was an arena. The journeys Siddique, Lal and I took with Innachan for shooting and dubbing are now filling my mind.