I have never been this indebted even to my own mother and father! – Mysskin

Bharathiraja (84), one of the leading directors of Tamil cinema, passed away early this morning after suffering from health issues for the past few months and undergoing treatment. Celebrities and political dignitaries have been paying their respects to his demise. Speaking after paying his respects, director Mysskin said, “Banyan trees never die. In an era when Tamil cinema made films by looking at Hindi and other language films, he was a great artist who pulled Tamil cinema toward the Tamil soil and showed us the light. While everyone in Tamil Nadu calls out ‘Amma’ (Mother), he is the only father who made everyone call out ‘Appa’ (Father). Our beloved father Bharathiraja is the one who showcased the heart, love, and affection of the Tamils.

Artists never die. They achieve immortality through their creations, transcending the time they live in. Our father Bharathiraja, who achieved such immortality, now rests peacefully inside a coffin today.

A massive banyan tree lies down in peace. As the aerial roots that emerged from that banyan tree—Bhagyaraj, Parthiban, and ourselves—we cling to that tree, having learned cinema from it, and stand before him with bowed heads. Every time I saw him, his lightning-like speed and his way of speaking the things in his heart without hiding anything showed that he lived as an artist in every single minute.

I have never been this indebted even to my own mother and father. I am that deeply indebted to our father Bharathiraja. Just as I couldn’t have come into this world without my mother and father, I couldn’t have entered this sky called cinema without my father Bharathiraja. I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life. I touch his feet in reverence,” he said.