Pratap Pothen | An actor who made his characters believable

The actor-director who died in Chennai on Friday, made his presence felt as a talented actor in several landmark films in Malayalam and Tamil.

Pratap Pothen, who died in Chennai aged 69 on Friday, made his presence felt as a talented actor in several landmark films in Malayalam and Tamil in a career that spanned over four decades. He was also a fine director.

Pratap debuted as an actor with the 1978 film  Aaravam, directed by Bharathan. He established himself as an actor of substance with the director’s subsequent films  Thakara and  Chamaram.

He excelled as the mentally challenged young man in  Thakara and as the college student in love with his teacher in  Chamaram. Around this time, he made a mark in Tamil cinema too, with his fine performances in films such as  Azhiyatha Kolangal, Varumayin Niram Sivappu and  Nenjathai Killathe. Those films were directed by some of the finest filmmakers in Tamil – Balu Mahendra, K. Balachander and Mahendran.

After working with such directors it wasn’t perhaps surprising that Pratap wanted to be a director. The first film he directed was in Tamil –  Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai, in which he also starred as the hero. The 1985 film won him the National Award for the best debutant director.

Two years later, he directed his film in Malayalam –  Rithubhedam. It was scripted by M.T. Vasudevan Nair.

Vineeth, who played one of the main characters in the film, recalls M.T. speaking highly about Pratap.

“I remember M.T. saying that he gave the script to Pratap because he had rarely seen young men who were so well read,” the actor told  The Hindu. “He was a fine director and I had great regard for him as an actor as well.”