Vivekam means being wise and the ability to discriminate between good and bad. Very few actors who chose the genre of comedy were able to live their lives with “Vivekam” but actor Vivek did. His comedy was clean, his timing perfect and after the great Nagesh, here was another gem that K. Balachander discovered.
I distinctly remember Vivek’s famous dialogue “inniku setha nalaiku paal” in the movie “Puthu Puthu Arthangal” …. and today its his turn :(. When Krishnan told me in the morning that Vivek has passed away, I said to him, “he passed away in 2015 when he lost his son”. Vivek was heart broken when his son Prasanna Kumar passed away at the age of 13. I think the worst thing for a parent is to do the last rites for their child – that is cruel.
The Green Warrior
The following tweet by this young, 9 year old environmental activist sums up the impact that Vivek had. He was deeply influenced by India’s greatest President ever Dr. Abdul Kalam and started the “Green Kalam” project. 3.3 million trees planted so far !!
Vivek was down to earth, met people without any airs of being a star and he shared social messages through his comic roles. His daughter is doing his last rites as I write this – another social message for women’s equality, even as he exits the world.
Watch the following clip …. Vivek at his best. One of my favourite scenes…
The clip from the movie Minnale
Om Shanti. Om Shanti. Om Shanti. Vivek, You live on as the trees you planted help millions to breathe and your movies help millions to laugh.
It’s a great loss to us all…his comedy was something to be pondered seriously
True 🙏