WHEN he was in Class 12 in Thiruvananthapuram, actor Indrajith, who was fascinated by the army, sat for the Union Public Service Commission examination.
He did well and was invited for the Service Selection Board interview at Bangalore.
Indrajith impressed the officers during the interaction but the only hiccup was the medical test.
“I had an infection in the right eye,” says Indrajith.
“During the eye test I could not read properly.” He showed the medical certificate to the authorities.
“They told me that when my eye was clear I could do the medical test again. I was happy because I knew I was going to the army some day.” Back home his parents, actor Sukumaran and actress Mallika, were going to Munnar for a brief holiday and took him along. As Indrajith’s younger brother Prithviraj was then in Class 10, he had to stay behind to attend school. At Munnar, Sukumaran complained of a back pain. So the family decided to return home. At Kochi a checkup revealed that Sukumaran had had a mild heart attack. He was immediately admitted to the Indira Gandhi hospital at Kadavanthra.
When Indrajith entered the ICU a day later, he saw his father reading a newspaper. Suddenly Sukumaran said, “Son, sing a song.” That was a time when Indrajith used to sing a lot - at home, with friends, and at school.
He sang ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon’ for his father. When he finished a tear rolled down Sukumaran’s face. “That was the only time I saw my father cry.
He was such a powerful person. A human dynamo.” Two days later, on June 16, 1997, at the age of 49, Sukumaran unexpectedly passed away. “My father’s death was a turning point in my life. I decided I could not join the Army because my mother would be alone at home.” Instead, Indrajith joined Rajas Engineering College at Nagercoil, 60 km from Thiruvananthapuram, to do a degree in computer science.
In 1999, Indrajith got an offer to act in a tele-serial from director Viji Thampy. “Since the shooting was going to be held during the Onam holidays that year, I accepted the offer.” The serial, ‘Annie’, was telecast on Kairali TV at Christmas. During the shooting of ‘Annie,’ director Lal Jose came to the location to see if it would be suitable for his movie ‘Randaam Bhavam’ and accidentally saw a scene in which Indrajith was acting. “It was in front of a fireplace,” says Lal Jose. “Indrajith took a sip of his drink and threw the rest into the fire.” The director noticed the perfect timing. “For a first-timer Indrajith acted very well,” says Lal Jose. He kept Indrajith in mind and cast him as the villain in ‘Meesa Madhavan.’ Somewhere around this time, Indrajith fell in love. “My mom was doing ‘Peythozhiyathe,’ her first television serial after a long gap.” During weekends he used to go to the location in Thiruvananthapuram to pick her up. “One day mom and I were waiting in the living room of a house when I saw a girl in a red salwar kameez walk down the stairs. A thought immediately struck me, ‘A danger sign is coming!’” She was actress Poornima Mohan who was acting in the same serial. They became friends and then fell in love. A couple of years went by. By this time, Indrajith was working for a software company, Nexage, in Chennai. Indrajith and Poornima eventually tied the knot on December 13 (Poornima’s birthday) in 2002.
Since the shooting of ‘Meesa Madhavan’ was getting delayed, Lal Jose told Indrajith to get in touch with director Vinayan who was bringing out a film with new faces.
He bagged the role of the villain in the film. The film, ‘Ooomappenninu Uriyadappayyan’ became a hit. This gave Indrajith the confidence to chuck his software job. In 2002, Indrajith acted in ‘Meesa Madhavan’ as sub inspector Eapen Pappachi. “I was only 21 but I looked 35! People still remember my role. After ‘Meesa Madhavan’ there was no looking back.” He has acted in 44 films, including hits like ‘Chanthupottu’ and ‘Classmates.’ After ‘Classmates’, Indrajith was acting in a film called ‘Oruvan’.
Between shots, he was relaxing in a house at Ottappalam when through the window he saw a group of old men waiting outside. When he went out, one of them, Kesavan, said, “We are fans of your father. When your father’s films were released we used to go in a group to see it first day, first show.” Kesavan paused and said, “You are doing well and we are sure that one day you will become like your father. You have our blessings.” For Indrajith, this was one of the most moving experiences of his life. “I felt so happy.” Then he falls silent in his home at Maradu, a pregnant Poornima sitting opposite him with their four-year-old daughter, Prarthana. Finally Indrajith says, “I miss my father.”
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