BENGALURU: There is a huge sense of loss at this moment, but there is also acceptance that we are all mortal. Bhargavi’s life is nothing but a celebration...after all she lived her life doing what she loved most, acting. And she was able to do so till the very end. It’s a blessing that all of us in the fraternity is grateful for. I, personally, feel blessed to have experienced her both as an elder and a contemporary. She loved theatre and she breathed theatre till her last breath. She was involved in the creative pursuit of it all throughout her life. When people say she is an institution, she is actually beyond that.
I have worked with her right from Malgudi Days and later in a Kannada series. So we have been associated in different capacities. When we were doing Malgudi Days, I was the assistant director and she was the actor. But in the Kannada series, she was both writing and acting in it. She always came across as a disciplined actor and thespian. What struck me most about Bharghavi was the confidence with which she carried herself. That in itself was an inspiration for me.
Bhargavi began theatre when she was 10 years old. So she saw the evolution of theatre over decades. She and Nani (Belavadi Nanjundaiah Narayana) named their home ‘Green Room’. Imagine naming your home Green Room! That didn’t come out of nothing. You have to have theatre flowing in your veins, you’ve got to breathe it, and it’s got to be your life. And that it was for her and Nani.
I was in my 20s when I worked with her. We are talking about four decades ago. It’s a strange relationship that we shared, one that runs deep. In fact, our lives were intertwined.
I have acted in plays that her son, Prakash Belawadi, directed and have been his co-actor too. I have also worked with her daughter as a co-actor way back in the ’90s when we did Nagamandala. She had this amazing ability to transcend any age barrier or any other normative barrier. She was a very open-minded person for someone from her generation, and was strong-willed. She will be remembered for her joie de vivre.
(As told to Monika Monalisa)