Paravoor Bharathan was one of the veterans in Malayalam Cinema, an able actor who grew with the fortunes of the film industry. Prem Nazir's first film, Marumakal, was Bharathan's third film - that itself shows the level of experience he had in the industry. However, he lived and acted without any presumptions and complaints.
While essaying various roles as a villain or as a comedian, Paravoor Bharathan always had the mind of a villager. He acted in films and dealt with people as a person whom you could easily come across in villages. I met him when I went to Madras to work in the film, College Girl, as associate director. That is where I met Shankaradi and Paravoor Bharathan. They treated me like a family member. When I directed my first movie, Kurukante Kalyanam, I wanted to involve Bharathan in the film.
One of my movies that many people remember is Mazhavil Kavadi. He essayed the character of 'Meesayilla Vasu', without giving us the feeling that it was a humorous role. He was one person who could act his roles sincerely. In that role, he displayed acting nuances that no other actor can duplicate.
In real life, Bharathan was unhappy not because he could not become rich or that he did not get the awards he deserved, but because he could not essay roles that he wished. He was also apprehensive about his health and at a later stage, would complain about a failing memory when delivering dialogues. Perhaps the reason for him to leave film industry.
He always maintained a very nice relationship with his wife Thankamani. In those days, an actor would have to remain away from home for three to four months because of his/her work schedule. In such occasions, he would write regularly to his wife asking her about what was happening at home. The letters, which used to be penned by me because of his not-so good handwriting, would be invariably signed by him as 'yours Paluchetan', the name of a character he essayed along with his wife in a drama years ago.
Bharathan was a great actor who was happy with what he got and never complained about anyone.