Raghuvaran could have become an International Star: Biju Viswanath

For Biju Viswanath, who has done internationally acknowledged films like Déjà vu and Mahotsav and who is currently making an Irish film Lorg, actor Raghuvaran's death has been a great loss.

Cinematographer-director Biju Viswanath had made his directorial debut in 1996 with Peter Scott, a Malayalam film in which Raghuvaran had played a key role. And the impression that he had formed of the actor while working with him in that film stays with Biju even now. And when he heard about Raghuvaran's death, the memories that he had of the actor seemed to well up in his heart.

Here's Biju Viswanath recollecting memories about Raghuvaran in this exclusive interview given to nowrunning.com over the Internet. Excerpts:

Q: How did you feel when you heard the news of Raghuvaran's death?

It was a shock. When I think that he is no more, I feel sad personally and as a filmmaker I feel a deep sense of loss.

Q: You had cast him in your first film Peter Scott. What made you decide to cast him, especially because he had not done many films in Malayalam?

Before that he had done two films, if I remember correctly - Santhosh Sivan's Vyuham and K. Madhu's Kavacham. I liked his style of acting. He was very different from other actors. He displayed perfect balance while underplaying emotions with a finesse that is rare. That's why I decided to make the film with him.

Q: How was it, working with him in your very first film?

Some persons had told me that he was a problematic guy, very difficult to deal with. But I found him very nice and good to work with. We understood each other very well. It was my first film, but he was very co operative and supportive. We shared a common wave length about films. In fact we both had a liking for European cinema and this brought us closer to each other.

Q: So you really enjoyed working with him?

Yes, thoroughly. In between shots, whenever we got the time, we used to discuss classics. During the shoot we developed a very good friendship which continued for a long time. He was very different in the sense that he had a passion to try new things in acting. On the last day of shoot when he was leaving he came to me, gave me a friendly hug and told me, "You are a good director and I really enjoyed working with you". For a first time director it was like a big prize. Even now when I think of that compliment that came from so talented an actor, I am thrilled.

Q: How would you rate his performance in his many films? Which among his characters do you rate the best?

He did a lot of films. Even in a bad film he was able to create some kind of alchemy. It goes without saying that in the course of the years he also did some bad films. But usually that had more to do with the directors. There are many films of his that I like, but the one which I like the most is the Malayalam film Deivaththinte Vikrithikal. He simply mesmerized us with his performance in the film, a superb and classical kind of performance indeed.

Q: What would be your overall appraisal of Raghuvaran as an actor?

I had always felt that if he had done international films, he would have become an even greater and internationally acclaimed actor. He is one of the very few actors in India who had that kind of potential. Remembering him, I would simply like to say that he was an excellent actor and a very good human being.