Mammootty shared a heartbreaking note about the late actor Innocent. The note begins by saying ‘Innocent is no more’. What was lost when he left was a person, an actor, an actor, a socialite. Not one has left us but many. Mammootty said I have missed so many people.
Full text of the note:
Innocent is no more…
As with any bereavement, when I think of Innocent now, the first thing I feel is sadness. In the next moment, his bursts of laughter and not only sadness but also memories of laughter come in, part of the impact the man left on us is deep.
When talking about his personal relationship with Innocent, I wanted to remove the word ‘like’ from the adjective ‘as a friend, guide and older brother’. Not likely… it was all of the above for me.
The first time I saw Innocent was in the tea shop scene in the film ‘Nell’. There was a time when I was a movie buff who would listen to even those who appeared in small roles and find out who they were. When I was scouting for roles, I had noticed Innocent who had appeared in small roles in ‘Nrithashala’ and ‘Jesusy’, wondering ‘who is this?’ The name ‘Innocent’ itself was a rarity then.. even today. Innocent is seen in person for the first time after coming to the cinema. Innocent and his friend David Kachapalli were the producers of Nedumudi Venu’s film ‘Vitaparajum Sedee..’. The banner was called Shatru Films.
I was interested in the new filmmakers of that time. I also wanted to act in their films. Innocent’s Shattrufilms focused on parallel films rather than commercially successful films. So he met Innocent and it grew into a great friendship. It was through this connection that Shatru Films’ film ‘Lekha Kete Matam Oru Flash Back’ came to me. KG George was the director. I got the role of Premsagar in the background story of the film. Then the ideas of Mohan, Innocent and Sreenivasan evolved into the film ‘Oru Katha Oru Nunakatha’. My friendship with Innocent was strengthened through this film where I played the role of Professor Mohandas.
His friendship with Innocent, who himself spoke Thrissur, grew day by day.
As a relatively younger person, I became a spectator and listener in the Innocent and other friendship groups. Slowly, I started getting more good roles. I played the role of Anirudhan, a salesman in John Paul’s script, where I played the lead roles with Mohanlal. I was the one who remembered the name Innocent while thinking of who would play the role of Lonapanchetan, a salesman from Thrissur.
After the first scene together, Innocent and I acted together in many more films.
Innocent was at the forefront when the Amma movement was formed in 1995. Later, when the governing body was reconstituted, his name was proposed for the post of president. Everyone had a calculation that when there were serious issues and situations, Innocent would be able to handle it simply and would be a protection for the organization.
Innocent would make up stories about everyone. The story was first told to the person the story was made about. He would tell the story to others only if he burst out laughing. The main characters change depending on the listener. When I talk to me and I talk to Mohanlal, Lalum will be the central character. He is often the main character in Innocent’s stories. Innocent was not in the habit of slandering anyone, except always to amuse us. When we evaluate him as an actor, we realize how many characters Innocent alone can do. And so many things we have done together … from time to time I remember him unnecessarily. He will call later. I also called Innocent during the penultimate hospital stay….
When he left, we lost a person, an actor, an actor, a friend of society, not one person left behind. It’s a nickname.
I have lost so many people. One cannot be many. It can only be. But Innocent was able to live and share friendship with many other than Innocent. That’s why such a large crowd came to see him off. Even though there may be a groan inside, let the memories of it fill our lips or our mind with laughter… Let it spread happiness… What can a man gain beyond that…!
