The piercing gaze of Bharat Gopi in ‘Svayamvaram’ (1972) announced the arrival of an actor with a vision. Gopi’s debut coincided with the ushering in of the ‘avant-garde’ movement in Malayalam cinema. In his second film , Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ‘Kodiyettam’, Gopi essayed the role of a rustic villager with flowing ease and naturalness which won him the National Award.
Soon, through Aravindan’s ‘Thampu’ he established himself as an actor with a difference. Both Sankarankutty in ‘Kodiyettam’ and the circus-manger in ‘Thampu’ remain forever deeply etched in the minds of film viewers. They were memorable portrayals with the stamp of genius in them.
Says Adoor: ‘‘I first met him during a theatre camp at Koothattukulam during the late 60s. He was part of G Sankarapillai’s troupe. In 1974, I directed Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ in Malayalam in which Gopi played the lead role. Soon after I cast him in ‘Kodiyettam’. He was a sensitive and intelligent actor, a director’s delight.’’ Bharat Gopi had the rare fortune to act in some of the best films early in his career. ‘Peruvazhiambalam’, Padmarajan’s directorial debut, as well as his ‘Kallan Pavithran’ offered him challenging roles and Gopi demonstrated his acting prowess with skill and intelligence. These films with Gopi in the ‘realist’ mould mark the first phase in the evolution of his acting style.
In a major departure, Gopi scaled new heights and pioneered a unique style through K.G.George’s ‘Yavanika’. What has been called ‘stylisation’, a revelation and a revolution in the concept of acting, began with ‘Yavanika’. Through Ayyappan, the tablist, Bharat Gopi was reinventing the actor in him. ‘Stylisation’ was carried to its most eloquent expression in Bharathan’s ‘Sandhya Mayangum Neram’ and George’s ‘Panchavadippaalam’.
Observes George: ‘‘Gopi was unique. A remarkable actor in whom the urge for innovativeness was innate. With a malleable face that would accommodate any expression, he had a captivating body language which I have never seen in any other actor. That perhaps is the reason why he never repeated himself. In ‘Yavanika’ and ‘Panchavadippalam’, I gave him the freedom to improvise which he did in an excellent manner. I have not come across many actors with such a range.’’ Through a series of films, ‘Ormakkaayi’, ‘Kaattathe Kilikkudu’, ‘Paalangal’, ‘Appunni’, ‘Karimpin poovinakkare’, ‘Susanna’, ‘Paadheyam’, ‘Chidambaram’ (to name a few) Gopi’s rich repertoire found meaningful consummation.
With parted lips, curled eyebrows and sunken eyes, Gopi depicted Sankaran in ‘Chidambaram’ with a face frozen in guilt and fear. It was an amazing performance which won him the state award.
In the art of characterisation, Gopi brought his gift of bewitching bodily postures and gestures which he aesthetically used with inventive embellishment. An intuitive grasp of the interior essence of the characters he donned helped him to craft them with rare sensitivity. He was a complete artiste of matchless excellence in whom voice modulation , gesture and expression combined to create a haunting charisma of great intensity, style and grace. Gifted with limpid yet powerful eyes and sharp features, his face was aglow with the lively play of emotions which an entire generation watched entranced.
Gopi was equally at ease playing humour and satire. The histrionics of Dussasana Kurup in ‘Panchavadippaalam’ and the embarrassing predicament of Stephen in Sethumadhavan’s ‘Aarorum Ariyaathe’ reach the mind. Gopi had also acted in Hindi films of Mani Kaul and Govind Nihalani.
Gopi also directed four quality films - ‘Njaattadi’, ‘Yamanam’, ‘Utsavapittennu’ and ‘Ente hridayathinte udama’ apart from producing ‘Paadheyam’ based on M.T.Vasudevan Nair’s script . His vision of acting is contained in the national award winning book on cinema, ‘Anubhavavum Abhinayavum’.
One year has elapsed since the death of Gopi. Even as time marches on, like a towering tree standing aloof atop a hill, he will remain unmatched in the annals of Malayalam cinema.
