Bharathan’s birth anniversary: Interesting facts about the master filmmaker

Bharathan was always in love with the cinema. Each scene was a painting to him and in a career spanning 26 years, the revered filmmaker made sure to not just leave his mark but also help the Malayalam cinema shine brighter during its golden era. Today marks the 74rth birth anniversary of the legend. On this special occasion, let’s take a look at some of the interesting facts about the passionate filmmaker, you must know.
Began his career as an art director
Bharathan was levitated towards painting and sculpture at a very young age and hence went to the Fine Arts College to earn a diploma. He entered the movie as an art director. One of his initial projects were ‘Gandharvakshetram’, a 1972 release, directed by A Vincent. Bharathan continued working as an art director even after making his directorial debut with the 1975 release ‘Prayanam’. He has also bagged the Kerala State Film Award for the best art director seven times.
He was a huge admirer of Michelangelo
Bharathan was a master in painting and he was touched by the works of Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo. The filmmaker always said it loud and there is no one movie set, where Bharathan hasn’t spoken about the genius!
Bharathan conceived his masterpiece ‘Vaishali’ about a decade before its making
Well, if you are someone wondering how Bharathan touched cinephiles with his work, there is one answer to it - hard work. Bharathan was a perfectionist, and he would only start filming once he gets a visualisation of the entire movie. The filmmaker had carried ‘Vaishali’ 14 years in his soul, before making it! Yes, that’s why it still remains a masterpiece.
He always wanted to make a movie on Kunjan Nambiar
In the span of 26 years, Bharathan has made remarkable, juggles genres, and most importantly touched the souls with his stories. But did you know that Bharathan’s one of the biggest dreams was to make a movie on Kunjan Nambiar, the poet, and founder of ‘Ottamthullal’.
His collaboration with Padmarajan
Bharathan's life and cinema is never complete without mentioning his colleague and filmmaker Padmarajan. The latter entered the movie industry as a screenwriter for Bharathan's directorial debut ‘Prayanam’. Their collaboration has resulted in classic movies like 'Rathinirvedam' and ‘Thakara’.