KOCHI: It was in 1992 that Navas joined Kalabhavan as a member of the ‘ganamela’ troupe. For the past three decades, he remained an active member of Kalabhavan, even when he was busy with films. He contributed to the growth of the troupe, and the troupe contributed to his career.
It was senior artist K S Prasad who introduced him to the troupe. “In 1992, I saw him performing in a show near my place. I liked his performance and asked him to join the troupe. I also introduced him to our founder Fr Abel. After he joined, he was always an integral part of the Ganamela group. Later, he joined the Mimix Parade group too,” recalled Prasad, an active member of Kalabhavan.
For Kalabhavan Prajod, Navas was more like a brother. “Navas Ikka and I worked together for Kalabhavan for around seven years. He was so dedicated to art and mimicry. We started doing programmes when senior artists, including Mani Chettan (Kalabhavan Mani), became busy with films. We conducted several stage shows in India, the UAE, and western countries. We learnt and performed together. Later, we started getting opportunities in cinema and became busy with films, but we maintained our friendship. Whenever he came to our place to participate in a show, he used to call and meet his friends. As an artist and a human, he was perfect,” he says.
It was endless practice that made Navas a perfect mimicry artist, according to artist Baiju Jose. “He was a perfectionist and practised multiple times to make the role perfect. Navas Ikka was with the Mimix Parade group when I was pursuing a fine arts course in Kalabhavan. I used to see him practising even when there was no one around. I wondered why he was doing that. When I started performing with him on stage, I realised why he practised many times and how it had helped him,” said Baiju.
Though Navas became active in the film industry, he used to attend the troupe as part of events and activities. “Recently, we organised a mimicry workshop in Kochi. Even amid his busy schedule, he came to attend the event. In a programme, he recalled that he came to the film industry through me. He was respectful towards everyone and led a decent life. He was a family man and was concerned about everyone around him,” added Prasad.
Prajod added that Navas has contributed to the Mimicry Artists Association. “Navas Ikka had been active in the association from the very beginning. He had been in the forefront in organising artists and used to call everyone to meet and organise events. He ensured that the mimicry artists stayed together and worked as a group,” he added. The members of the troupe also held a meeting on Saturday to commemorate the artist.
Hundreds pay last tributes
Hundreds gathered at Aluva Town Jama Masjid to pay their last tributes to actor and stage artist Kalabhavan Navas, who passed away on Friday. Azzeez, actor and artist, stood beside the mortal remains with tears in his eyes. Azzeez was with Navas for the shooting of the ‘Prakampanam’ film in Chottanikkara till Friday evening and said bye to Navas as he left for his hotel room to check out.
“Navas and I were part of two different troupes. But we maintained a good friendship. He was set to leave for the UK ahead of Onam this year, and I told him to celebrate his time there. I never expected to hear of his demise now. I also share a good relationship with his family. He is younger to me, and I have always considered him as a young brother,” said Harisree Martin.
Actors and filmmakers Saikumar, Bindu Panickar, Ramesh Pisharodi, Joy Mathew, Kishore, Siddique, Devan, Sharaf U Dheen, Lal, Suresh Krishna, and others also paid tributes to Navas. The funeral was held at 5.30 in the evening after public viewing at Aluva. Navas’s wife, Rehana, and brother, Niyas, are also active in films and television programmes.