Death came calling for Sachy too early. Not just because he was only 48, but the best of his abilities as a filmmaker was just beginning to ooze with life.
He seems to have a treasure house of untold stories. Sad but those stories may remain untold for ever. In Sachy's untimely demise, Malayalam film industry is bereaving its most exciting writer-director talent.
The circle of life was at least kind enough to let him die as the director of Ayyappanum Koshiyum, one of the best entertainers that Malayalam cinema offered in recent times. Like a timeless work on war that ultimately tells you that war is meaningless, Ayyappanum Koshiyum pans the spotlight on a problematic characteristic – the male ego. The film lets lose two characters who personified machismo, yet ended up being different from all those so-called male-chauvinistic action flicks.
Sachy absolutely succeeded in triggering some uneasy questions of class as well as caste relations with the film even as he moulded it into a crowd-puller entertainer. Before that it was the turn of the writer in Sachy as Driving Licence turned out to be a massive box-office hit. With Prithviraj and Suraj Venjaramood in the lead roles, the film explored a theme very similar to that of Ayyappanum Koshiyum.
It was not imitation, but sheer brilliance of an artist who could express a theme dear to him in different ways. The consecutive success of Driving Licence and Ayyappanum Koshiyum was in a way a lesson to the mainstream Malayalam cinema. Sachy died with two back-to-back box office hits; at the peak of his 14-year and 13-film career. He co-authored his first five films with Sethu.
His last two hits and the next announced film had Prithviraj in the lead. Sachy also had Prithviraj in the lead role in his directorial debut Anarkali, one of the best love stories in the latter's career. No wonder the actor once said he was ready to sign up for all the stories that Sachy had to offer.
Notably, Prithviraj's 2007 hit Chocolate also had Sachy as one of its script writers. Sachy debuted as an independent writer in 2012 with Mohanlal-starrer Run Baby, Run which he scripted for veteran director Joshiy. The film was a hit and Joshiy had to wait for seven more years for another box office success.
Sachy associated with Mammootty for Doubles, which he co-authored with Sethu, in 2011. The film was not a success. Recently, post the success of Driving Licence, Sachy revealed that he had approached Mammootty to play the role of superstar Hareendran. Mammootty did not choose the project citing certain reasons. Sachy said in hindsight Mammootty's decision was right. Though now pointless to assume, Sachy was perhaps a writer who could create a very strong character that demanded Mammootty's acting prowess as well as stardom.
Sachy's foolproof script was a major reason behind the success of Dileep's Ramaleela, which was released after the actor's indictment in the notorious actress assault case. The film was released when Dileep was facing huge public anger, but it turned out to be a hit. It was not just because of his fan base's support. Ultimately, the film had all the elements to entertain the layman. It had the perfect script for a political thriller, an all-time favourite genre of Malayalam film lovers.
Sachy left a promising career as a lawyer in the Kerala High Court to become a filmmaker. He was determined and had a clear plan. When he started as a scriptwriter with Sethu, both of them knew one day they would part ways and become independent filmmakers, which in turn happened.
Their decision proved to be absolutely right.
Sachy did not do wonders as a writer. All of his scripts were in the format of a commercial flick aiming to rake in the moolah. But he knew the art of it. He had a way with making intriguing threads and developing them into full-fledged entertainers.
Ayyappanum Koshiyum was a turning point in his career. With it, he had unshackled himself from the formulaic entertainer model, and dared to experiment. All the stories he left untold must have been better than what we heard. He was reportedly planning a film in the backdrop of the dark spectre of Emergency.
The project may have to lurk in the darkness, but Rest in Peace Sachy, for you have enlightened us with a fantastic breed of filmmaking.
