Filmmaker Priyadarshan recalls calling Sangeeth Sivan and his father ‘Shivmama’.
Filmmaker Priyadarshan recalls calling Sangeeth Sivan and his father ‘Shivmama’.
South Indian Film Industry’s renowned filmmaker Priyadarshan recalls addressing Sangeeth Sivan and his father Shivmama as he wash his papa’s close friend. He had met Sangeeth and Santhosh for the first time at Shivmama’s famous studio in Thiruvananthapuram. He (Priyadarshan) was a member of the cricket team at Model School and Sangeeth was the captain of the Loyola team. He reminisces they played a match against each other, and their team lost.
Sangeeth was a first-class cricketer, and he (Priyadarshan) adored his game. He also excelled in hockey. Undoubtedly, Sangeeth would have been a member of Kerala’s Ranji team had he not pursued a career in film – his game was that classy.
The unique feature of the Sivan family is their immense visual sense. Infact, the world captured through their camera lens is distinct from what we perceive. Sangeeth was also a skilled still photographer and was the first person to photograph his (Priyadarshan’s) daughter, Kalyani.
Sangeeth and he grew up pursuing careers in film simultaneously. They resided together at the Woodlands Hotel in Madras, dreaming together. Sangeeth’s unique visual style made his films his favourite. When Priyadarshan surfed to Mumbai in the wave of films, Sangeeth was already shining like a bright sun over there.
Notably, he was a favourite director among celebrities, including Ekta Kapoor and used to go see plays at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai and also used to be present there as well. Later, they started going to the theatre together.
However, eventually, Sangeeth withdrew from the Mumbai film industry. When enquired, he mentioned that , Mumbai
doesn’tb not work for him.
COVID-19 affected Sangeeth and amidst that time around, Sangeeth and he would often converse over the phone.
The last time Priyadarshan spoke to Sangeeth was four weeks ago. He had remade the Malayalam film ‘Romancham’ into Hindi. Upon completing the project, he called me and said, ‘It’s done, Priyan.’ Those words, in a different sense, resonate with me deeply now.
Santhosh Sivan had informed him two days ago on Sangeeth’s deteriorating health. He suddenly received a message from Santhosh saying, ‘Sangeeth has passed away without suffering further.’ A beautiful shot of friendship and love has vanished forever in his eyes in the demise of Sangeeth Sivan.
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News Edit K.V.Raman
