How Parthiban escaped several accidents during his journey to Sreenivasan's funeral; director shares emotional tribute

The demise of Sreenivasan, one of the most important artists in the Malayalam film industry, plunged not only Kerala but the entire Indian film industry into deep mourning. Many people from the Tamil and Malayalam film industries paid their respects to Sreenivasan, who made a great contribution to the film industry in many ways, including as an actor, screenwriter, and director.

The arrival of actor and director R. Parthiban in that line became a heart-wrenching experience for him. After attending the last rites, the memories he shared with Sreenivasan and the weight of that moment deeply affected him.

Parthiban sharing memories from Sreenivasan's funeral

After paying his respects to Sreenivasan, Parthiban met actor Mammootty and shared old memories. He wrote an emotional post about the meeting on his social media. His lines, “Can a short sleep temporarily forget the sorrow of a long sleep?”, expressed the weight of that loss.

He also mentioned that as he stood staring at the pyre being prepared for the final journey, it struck him that Sreenivasan would no longer feel that heat. He posted that he left the place in unbearable pain, and that the conversation with Mammootty later provided him with some comfort.

A heart-led journey to Kerala

This tribute trip came to a sudden end for Parthiban. He had planned to go to Dubai the day before, but cancelled all his flights and hotels and left for Kerala in his car to pay his last respects to Sreenivasan.

“I could have paid my respects from anywhere in my mind,” he wrote. “But some force drew me here.” He also shared that he reached Kochi at 11 pm and stayed at a modest hotel near Sreenivasan's house. Parthiban, who drove his car to reach Kochi, narrowly escaped accidents at four different points during the trip.

Parthiban on Sreenivasan's final farewell

Parthiban, referring to the atmosphere surrounded by film industry legends like Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Dileep in those final moments, said, “What stood before me was not money; it was a great creator and a highly respected human being.” This was a testament to the friendship and respect between artists, transcending language differences.