Noted Malayalam filmmaker Harikumar passes away at 70

Noted Malayalam filmmaker Harikumar, who made among other noticeable films, Sukrutham, that won two National Awards in 1994, passed away on May 6, Monday. He was suffering from cancer and died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, at the age of 70. 

Ironically, in his most noted work Sukrutham, the protagonist is a cancer patient who has little hope of recovery but comes back to life after a special treatment, only to discover that the people in his life did not have a place for him anymore. Among its memorable lines is a plea made by the protagonist (Mammootty) to his doctor to never again save the people who are sure of their death. Literary doyen MT Vasudevan Nair wrote the story which stood out with Harikumar's treatment of it. Sukrutham won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and for Best Music Direction.

Harikumar made 18 films in 41 years, creating a space for himself in the middle path that stayed between mainstream and parallel cinema. Several of his works are from writers of literature like MT. His debut, Ambalpoovu, was made in 1981, with a story of writer Perumbadavam Sreedharan. Two of his films in the late 80s -- Oozham and Jalakam -- came from the writing of poet Balachandran Chullikad. Writer Santhosh Echikanam scripted his 2016 film Kaatum Mazhayum and in 2022, his last movie Autorickshaw Karante Bharya was penned by renowned author M Mukundan.

Among his other noted works are Clint – a biography of the child prodigy who created a beautiful world of paintings before his death at the age of six, Swayamvara Panthal (written by Sreenivasan) and Udyanapalakan. Mammootty, who played the protagonist in Sukrutham, also became the lead character in Udyanapalakan, which portrayed the life of a tough and retired army man, gradually softening towards the people around him after coming close to a young woman. On Monday evening, the actor paid his condolences to the director.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his condolences, remembered Harikumar as an exponent of middle cinema who combined artistic and commercial values to create good cinema that could be enjoyed by all.