Veteran actor Innocent's was a life laughed well

He knew how to care for relationships, both within his family and in the film industry, and had emotional bonds with many people.

By Express News Service

Madhupal K  (Actor/director)
The passing of Innocent marks the end of an era in Malayalam cinema. He was a true artist, and I had the privilege of getting to know him well while shooting Rajeev Anchal’s “Made in USA” in Albuquerque(USA), where we spent two months together. We would go for morning walks, and his wife Alice would prepare breakfast for us upon our return. He knew how to care for relationships, both within his family and in the film industry, and had emotional bonds with many people.

He had great chemistry with Jayaram and Dileep, with whom he worked on most of his roles, as well as with directors such as Sathyan Anthikkad, Priyadarshan, and Joshiy. Sathyan even waited for Innocent to recover from illness while filming “Manassinakkare” and Innocent gave a beautiful performance despite the doubts.

In addition to being a fighter who worked hard to achieve success, Innocent also cared deeply about others in the industry and supported them. He cared about people, a trait I have seen in N F Varghese, Narendra Prasad, and Rajan P Dev as well.

When I was doing my first directorial venture ‘Thalappavu’, he was magnanimous enough to ask about the progress of the project. I asked him whether he could go through one of the reels of the movie and give feedback. He happily agreed and after watching it he told me “ Madhu, this will bring something good for you.” He was prophetic. The film won many laurels.

As a film producer, Innocent ensured that the films he produced stood the test of time, such as “Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback.” He was also a pillar of strength for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and never shied away from expressing his opinions.

Even as a Parliamentarian, Innocent maintained strong connections with people from diverse backgrounds and worked to find solutions to their problems. He had a great sense of humor and used it to great effect in his speeches, treating everyone who approached him with equal consideration.