In February, 1990, actor Suresh Gopi went to see Radhika at a relative’s home in Tripunithura. He was accompanied by the actor MS Thripunithura who was playing Gopi’s uncle in the film, ‘Orukkam’. MS asked Radhika to sing something, and the trained classical singer sang a keerthanam. Later, a smiling Gopi said, “I love children. They are my weakness.”
So, it was no surprise that within a year after her arranged marriage to Gopi -- on February 8, 1990 -- she gave birth to a girl called Lakshmi. But soon, tragedy struck the couple.
On June 6, 1992, they had gone to attend a marriage function at Kollam with their daughter. Following that, while Gopi went to Kochi for the shoot of ‘Ente Ponnu Thampuram’, Radhika and Lakshmi returned to Thiruvananthapuram with Gopi’s brother Sanil Gopinathan. They were travelling in a Maruti and at Thonnakal, there was a head-on collision with an Ambassador car.
“My thigh bone broke and I had other injuries,” says Radhika.
Unfortunately, Lakshmi had a head injury and died the following day. She was one-and-a-half years old. “I had a memory loss for one week so I cannot recall anything,” says Radhika. “And nobody has told me what had exactly happened.”
But like all bereaved parents, they miss Lakshmi as intensely as when the incident happened. “We have never forgotten her,” says Radhika. “Lakshmi will always be there permanently in our hearts, even though we have four children now.”
They include Gokul, 18, Bhagya, 15, Bhavini, 13, and Madhav, 10.
And whenever Gopi gets some free time, he likes to spend time with his children. “He makes sure he is at home in Thiruvananthapuram during Onam and other festivals,” says Radhika. “After Lakshmi’s death, we never go out during festivals. We invite relatives and friends to come over.”
Interestingly, despite Gopi acting in more than 200 films, over a 27-year career, there is not much discussion about movies in the house.
“Suresh might occasionally talk about a film, but it is not like an obsession. We are an ordinary family,” says Radhika.
So what sort of a man is Gopi? “He is a straightforward person,” says Radhika. “Whatever comes to his mind, he will speak it out, whether it is good or bad. It can be painful at times, but I look on it as a good quality because he does not keep any resentment in his heart.”
But there can be repercussions, too.
“He behaves like this in the professional field,” says Radhika. “So there are people who get upset by what he says. As a result, Suresh has made a few enemies.” His other qualities include that of being a teetotaler. “At the most he will have a glass of wine,” she says.
Regarding his negative traits, Radhika says that Gopi has a short temper. “He can get upset over the smallest of things and again say whatever is on his mind,” she says. “I am used to it now, and my nature is to forget.”
And what does she do when Gopi gets stressed out? “I usually leave him alone,” says Radhika. “Or I may talk to Suresh regarding the children. As you can imagine, with four of them, there is a lot of commotion in the house.”
Another stress-buster is to attend the 4.30 am Nirmalyam prayers at the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
“It is a peaceful time at dawn,” she says. “There is a sense of togetherness and we feel spiritually refreshed when we return.”
So, after 22 years of marriage, what are the tips she would like to impart to youngsters getting hitched now? “Marriage is 99 per cent adjustment,” says Radhika. “We should consider the opinions of the spouse and make a mutually convenient decision. A woman should have freedom, but that does not mean that she imposes her views all the time. Finally, always remember that there are two families behind every marriage. You have to learn to get along with the other family members.”