Cast away by family, veteran Malayalam actor finds solace (and friends) at old age home

T. P. Madhavan is a well known name and an even better known face among Malayalees. The actor, who has played numerous roles in a career spanning almost 40 years and over 100 movies is now well past the prime of his career, and is struggling with his own role in life. His story sets out the perfect example to illustrate how fickle a mistress fame is. Gone are the days when he graced the silver screens with dignity. Today, he is a broken man nobody seems to care for – not even his own son or daughter. Eventually, it was the kindheartedness of a close friend and a few well wishers that helped this ailing actor back on his feet.

He has essayed all manner of roles on screen – villain, side-kick and comedian. Some of his more recent roles have been brief appearances – from the lovable Bhaskarettan in the Mohanlal starrer ‘Udayan aanu thaaram’ to smaller roles in other hit movies such as Indian Rupee, Ordinary and Spirit. With the rise of the mini-screen as a popular medium, he also played a few roles in television mega serials. His friend from his TV days director Prasad Noornad eventually turned out to be the best thing that happened to him.

Madhavan undertook a pilgrimage to Haridwar last year, and was taken ill while there. There was nobody to enquire after him, and it was with considerable difficulty that he recovered and got back. It is quite likely that the loneliness of a life being spent in a small room in ‘Gama lodge’ at Trivandrum coupled with the necessity to subsist on a small grant from the malayalam movie artists association and his sister in the US led the man to depression. He was making plans to head back to Haridwar despite his failing health, and got in touch with Prasad to try make travel arrangements. While he helped with the tickets, Prasad still wasn’t ready to send away an ailing friend on what would possibly become his final journey. He eventually got in touch with Somarajan, who helms ‘Gandhi Bhavan’ – a shelter at a town called Pathanapuram. The two of them together made arrangements to have Madhavan shifted to Gandhi Bhavan, which has over a thousand occupants. The actor was felicitated at a small function arranged by the residents, and welcomed into their family with open arms. Today, he is a happy man at Gandhi Bhavan – with a room to himself, books to read, and well-wishers to talk to.

For those who don’t know, it might come as a surprise that his son Rajakrishna Menon is the director of the recent Akshay Kumar Bollywood blockbuster Airlift. Not that it hepled Madhavan in any way. His family wants nothing to do with him. His marriage ended in a divorce, and they have kept him away since. He wasn’t even informed about his daughter’s wedding.

To any movie-goer, it might seem as though he has it all – a successful career as a movie star, popularity, fame, money and happiness. They could not have been further from the truth. The smiling face that one may see at Gandhi Bhavan today hides behind it a lifetime of struggle and pain. The fame and success was just another role he seems to have donned the grease paint for. When the camera was switched off, he had to descend back to reality.
Looks like fate doesn’t make allowances for anybody – not even film stars.

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