JOIN USMonisha Smruthi, a programme organised at the Jyoti Nivas auditorium to celebrate the memories of late actress Monisha on her birthday, saw the who’s who of the Kerala film industry sharing their thoughts and memories about her.
Sumuhurthamayyee, a dance tribute by actor Vineeth; sharing fond memories of her by Malayalam writer and director MT Vasudevan Nair and Soorya Krishnamurthy, founder and director of Soorya Film and Stage Society; actors Manoj K Jayan and Vineeth were the highlights of the evening. The visualisation of Monisha’s and actor Mohanlal’s dance from the film Kamaladalam; Pranatosmi, yet another dance by
Vineeth; ‘Lullaby’, a small presentation by Monisha’s mother, actress and dancer Sreedevi Unni and ‘Thaikuda Bridge’, a programme presented by Rekha Menon also impressed the audience a great deal. Soorya Krishnamurthy, who was called on stage, described her as an exceptionally talented actress.
“She used to call me uncle and was a very warm person. She did us proud and raised the bar of Malayalam cinema,” he said. Actor Suresh Gopi, who was next on stage, talked about the moments he had spent with the actress and recounted her positive attitude to life. “Monisha was full of life and ready to take on any challenge. She was extremely talented and pushed herself to work harder and harder. She gained a lot of goodwill and popularity in a short span of time. It was great to see her on screen,” he noted.
Actor and dancer Vineeth, who also performed at the show, reminisced the time that they had spent working together and said that she was a performer par excellence. “She had an electrifying positive energy and was unique. Besides being very talented, she was a natural in front of the camera. She would try to get into the skin of the character. I remember once she was asked to do a contemporary dance and being a trained classical dancer, it was difficult for her to adapt to this style but she put her best foot forward and did an excellent job,” he said.
“Her contribution to the Malayalam film industry has been great and she is a guiding light for all the youngsters today. This is a very memorable evening for me,” he shared. The packed hall could be seen reliving memories of her when dance groups performed to some of the songs from her films.
“I loved the films she acted in. Though she was very young, she enthralled the audience with her youthfulness and energy. She was great in all kinds of roles whether it was a serious role or a fun loving one,” said Kavitha, who had come for the event.