Actress Jayabharathi was at the peak of her career when she divorced her first husband Hari Pothan in 1974. Back then, reports were rife that Hari Pothan, who was a leading producer in Malayalam wrecked Jayabharathi's finances and that had led to the split. It was just one year that the duo were married and things were bit too emotional for Jayabharathi, the actress.
Sathar was then one of the rising stars not just in Malayalam but also in Tamil. It is said that the duo met each other on the sets of 1978 movie Beena directed by K Narayanan. His support was a big relief for Jayabharathi on the sets and it turned into a friendship and later blossomed into love. They later, acted together in 1979 movie Ivide Kattinu Sugandam helmed by PG Vishwambharan and decided to settle down. Sathar and Jayabharathi were one of the earliest Malayalam film couples and their wedding in 1979 was one of the most talked about in the movie industry.
Post wedding, Sathar began to lose offers in films. Acting took a backseat for him and thus he decided to venture as film producer. But the movies failed and Sathar had to deal with financial crisis. The duo were blessed with a baby boy in 1984 and Sathar found it hard to manage his personal and professional life. The couple soon shocked all by parting ways in 1987.
Both Jayabharathi and Sathar kept themselves away from the limelight without revealing the actual reason of separation. While both of them lived separately looking after their kid, they made sure never to talk about their relationship to media.
Later, actor Ratheesh's death in 2002 saddened Sathar all the more. “Ratheesh was a wonderful guy. Apart from his family, his loss affected me greatly. We used to spend time together a lot and I realised his absence after he left,” said Sathar in one of his interviews.
Years passed by and reports were rife that Sathar wanted to reconcile with Jayabharathi. His split with her turned out to be the worst phase in his life, reported media then. In one of the interviews, when asked about separating from wife, he remarked, “In life, we cannot travel back and some things can't be offered again. We lose life with our mere ego and stubbornness and that always haunt us in life.” In the meantime, their son Krish was all set for his acting debut. Krish entered the tinsel town with Mohanlal-starrer Ladies and Gentleman in 2013 and his parents extended their wholehearted support.
Both Sathar and Jayabharathi had also made their return to the big screen by then. While Sathar was frequently seen in movies like 22 Female Kottayam, Jayabharathi was busy with her dance school Aswathi Arts Academy. There were also reports that Sathar got married for a second time. Reportedly, he entered into wedlock with Kodungallur native Naseem Beena in 2011. And he continued acting in small roles. It was said that in spite he had a very bad health condition, he wanted to continue acting.
In one of the interviews, when he was asked about the rise of Mammootty and Mohanlal, Sathar had stated that they had a strong aim in their life. “They knew what they were doing and they had an aim to reach greater heights. I never had that. I was bigger artiste than Mohanlal when we did Thiranottam together but he persevered better. Same is with Mammootty for whom commitment to career mattered more than anything. Moreover, the star market runs on the verdict of the masses. I don't have any regrets for not being a big star,” he had said.
Sathar passed away on Tuesday morning and many from the industry offered their condolences.
Currently, Krish Sathar is settled in London and heads a restaurant there.
