'Sasi could present the diverse literary world of writers like M T Vasudevan Nair with his signature style', says John Paul. Photo: FacebookI.V. Sasi was drunk on cinema. He let himself be steeped in the intoxicating medium.
I first met Sasi in artist Kitho’s studio on the south end of MG Road in Ernakulam. Kitho introduced the young man as an artist and art director. He was carrying a photo album of a movie that was half-done. We shook hands. That was the beginning of a long friendship.
The album from the movie, Ulsavam, was full of innovative frames. That night, we met at a hotel room and talked at length about cinema.
Those were the days when Malayalam cinema breathed fresh air, thanks to the advent of a bunch of new directors. Bharathan’s Prayanam and K.G. George’s Swapnadanam gave us a new aesthetics of cinema. Sasi trod a different path. He found a niche in mainstream movies.
Sasi could present the diverse literary world of writers like M.T. Vasudevan Nair with his signature style. He could juggle between different styles. He could tell a story with two or three characters within a single house or portray political thrillers with a large mass of people in the backdrop.
He was a taskmaster. Many senior artistes and technicians have known his wrath. “Kazhuthakkutti (donkey foal),” he would call anyone who made a mistake on the movie set.
Sasi was supposed to visit his daughter Anu in Australia on Wednesday, he had told me a few days ago. Today she has flown down to India to meet her father.
Sasi is still amid the masses who loved him. I am unable to reach him past the swelling crowd. Still, we understand each other. Rest in peace, dear friend.
